An enantioselective synthesis of anthrone-derived NHPI analogues has been developed. One of these analogues, in combination with Co salts, was employed to catalyse the aerobic oxidation of benzylic compounds and diols. Exploratory studies using a racemic version of the catalyst were also conducted. Radical addition of dioxolanes or alcohols to activated alkenes with molecular oxygen as the term...

A convenient and sustainable protocol for the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohols to carbonyl compounds, based on the use of 1,2,4-triazole-type ligands and nickel(II) bromide, is described. This combination leads to the formation of an exceedingly active, enzyme-like system that allows for other oxidative processes, such as benzylic C-H oxidation and oxygen-mediated cleavage of C-C triple bon...

The development of a triflimide-catalyzed annulation of benzylic alcohols with allylsilanes for the synthesis of indane or tetralin structures is reported. In this fragment coupling reaction, complexity is built rapidly from readily available starting materials to yield diverse sets of products with up to three contiguous stereocenters. Indanes or tetralins can be generated from common precurso...

Oxidation of acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and fluorene was examined with recombinant strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1(pRE695) expressing naphthalene dioxygenase genes cloned from plasmid NAH7. Acenaphthene underwent monooxygenation to 1-acenaphthenol with subsequent conversion to 1-acenaphthenone and cis- and trans-acenaphthene-1,2-diols, while acenaphthylene was dioxygenated to give cis-ace...

A tertiary stereogenic center that bears two different aryl substituents is found in a variety of bioactive compounds, including medicines such as Zoloft and Detrol. We have developed an efficient method for the synthesis of enantioenriched 1,1-diarylalkanes from readily available racemic benzylic alcohols. Formation of a benzylic mesylate (which is not isolated), followed by treatment with an ...

Benzylic acetates reacted with arylboronic acids in the presence of a DPEphos-[Pd(eta3-C3H5)Cl]2 catalyst when tert-amyl alcohol was used as a solvent, and the catalytic cross-couplings produced diarylmethanes in high yields (up to 94% isolated yield).