A laterally-fused N-heterocyclic carbene framework from polysubstituted aminoimidazo[5,1-b]oxazol-6-ium salts

• Andrew D. Gillie,
• Matthew G. Wakeling,
• Bethan L. Greene,
• Louise Male and
• Paul W. Davies

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 621–627, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.54

• , with a major one accounting for approximately 80% of the total, were observed in the 1H NMR spectra of 15 likely due to restricted rotation around the metal carbene bond combining with the locked rotation around the oxazole C4–N bond. Elemental analysis was consistent with the proposed structure and

Access to cyclopropanes with geminal trifluoromethyl and difluoromethylphosphonate groups

• Ita Hajdin,
• Romana Pajkert,
• Mira Keßler,
• Jianlin Han,
• Haibo Mei and
• Gerd-Volker Röschenthaler

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 541–549, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.39

• adds to the diazo compound 5 under formation of zwitterionic Int1 (ΔG = 5.2 kcal/mol). Afterwards, copper carbene complex Int2 is formed after extrusion of nitrogen. The transition state of this metal carbene formation TS1 was calculated with an activation free energy of 16.4 kcal/mol (Scheme 5). Int2

Catalytic aza-Nazarov cyclization reactions to access α-methylene-γ-lactam heterocycles

• Bilge Banu Yagci,
• Selin Ezgi Donmez,
• Onur Şahin and
• Yunus Emre Türkmen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 66–77, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.6

• pyrrole-fused heterocyclic tricycles [33]. The involvement of Nazarov and in particular aza-Nazarov reactions in the cyclization of alkynes that go through metal carbene intermediates has recently been reviewed by Gao and co-workers [34]. In 2019, we reported a highly effective aza-Nazarov cyclization for

Recent advances and perspectives in ruthenium-catalyzed cyanation reactions

• Thaipparambil Aneeja,
• Cheriya Mukkolakkal Abdulla Afsina,
• Padinjare Veetil Saranya and
• Gopinathan Anilkumar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 37–52, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.4

• metal. Ruthenium complexes have astonishing characteristics such as high electron transfer ability, low redox potentials, high Lewis acidity, and greater stabilities of the reactive metallic species like oxometals, metallacycles, and metal carbene complexes [27]. The wide availability of highly reactive

All-carbon [3 + 2] cycloaddition in natural product synthesis

• Zhuo Wang and
• Junyang Liu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 3015–3031, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.251

• complex B (Scheme 11B). A facile migration–fragmentation process of complex B eliminates a ketone through fragmentation and produces metal-carbene intermediate C. The freshly prepared metal-carbene C is equilibrated to stabilized 1,3-dipole D. D undergoes a diastereoselective [3 + 2] cycloaddition to give

Isolation and structure determination of a tetrameric sulfonyl dilithio methandiide in solution based on crystal structure analysis and ⁶Li/¹³C NMR spectroscopic data

• Jürgen Vollhardt,
• Hans Jörg Lindner and
• Hans-Joachim Gais

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2057–2063, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.172

• of 2 with carbon and metal-based electrophiles revealed a high synthetic potential, allowing, for example, the synthesis of carbo- and heterocycles [4][6], and transition-metal carbene complexes [1][2], carrying the synthetically versatile sulfonyl group [7][8]. Dilithio methandiides 2 are accessible

Combining enyne metathesis with long-established organic transformations: a powerful strategy for the sustainable synthesis of bioactive molecules

• Valerian Dragutan,
• Ileana Dragutan,
• Albert Demonceau and
• Lionel Delaude

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 738–755, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.68

• that enyne metatheses are atom economical processes driven by the enthalpic stability of the conjugated diene products. Depending on the steric requirements of the transition metal carbene and of the starting enyne, the intramolecular reaction can proceed either via ene–yne or yne–ene pathways to yield

Cyclopropanation–ring expansion of 3-chloroindoles with α-halodiazoacetates: novel synthesis of 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid and norfloxacin

• Sara Peeters,
• Linn Neerbye Berntsen,
• Pål Rongved and
• Tore Bonge-Hansen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2156–2160, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.212

• functionalization [3][4][5][6]. The metal carbene reactions with indoles have been studied for the three types of carbenoids: acceptor–acceptor [7][8][9], mono-acceptor [10] and donor–acceptor carbenoids [11][12][13][14]. Depending on the metal and the diazo compound, the chemo- and regioselectivity in the metal

• carbene transfer reaction typically give N–H, C–H (at C3) and double N–H/C–H insertion products. The presence of electron-withdrawing groups on the indole nitrogen makes it possible to cyclopropanate the indole C2–C3 double bond and isolate indoline cyclopropanes. We recently discovered that Rh carbenes

Recent advances on the transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of imidazopyridines: an updated coverage

• Gagandeep Kour Reen,
• Ashok Kumar and
• Pratibha Sharma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1612–1704, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.165

• dimethylamino- or nitro-substituted aldehydes did not result in the target compound that might be due to the deactivation caused by coordination of these groups with the catalyst. Metal–carbene complexes attracted the attention of organic chemists and have become an important branch of organometallic chemistry

• . Recently in 2014, metal–carbene complexes have been used as catalysts for the synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, via Cu(I) and Pd(II)-catalyzed cyclization (Scheme 10) [108]. The remarkable feature of this report was the metal carbene complex-catalyzed, one-pot process for the formation of C=O and C=C

Synthesis of polydicyclopentadiene using the Cp₂TiCl₂/Et₂AlCl catalytic system and thin-layer oxidation of the polymer in air

• Zhargolma B. Bazarova,
• Ludmila S. Soroka,
• Alex A. Lyapkov,
• Мekhman S. Yusubov and
• Francis Verpoort

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 733–745, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.69

• cyclo- and dicyclopentadiene, generation of metal carbene species is possible, which can also take part in the formation of polydicyclopentadiene. Already in the work of Grubbs and others [20][21][22][23], the possibility was pointed out of the formation of simple structures with a carbene bond via

Aqueous olefin metathesis: recent developments and applications

• Valerio Sabatino and
• Thomas R. Ward

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 445–468, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.39

• intermediate (Scheme 2, intermediates II and IV) [16]. The catalytic cycle involves an initial [2 + 2] cycloaddition between a metal carbene I and an olefin, followed by a retro [2 + 2] cycloaddition, leading to the release of a “scrambled” olefin (e.g., ethylene in Scheme 2) and the metal carbene species III

Gold-catalyzed ethylene cyclopropanation

• Silvia G. Rull,
• Andrea Olmos and
• Pedro J. Pérez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 67–71, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.7

• formation of electrophilic metal–carbene intermediates LnM=CRR’ [1][2] that further react with nucleophiles such as olefins en route to cyclopropanes. However, these intermediates can also react with another molecule of the diazo reagent promoting the formation of olefins RR’C=CRR’ [17]. This side reaction

The activity of indenylidene derivatives in olefin metathesis catalysts

• Maria Voccia,
• Steven P. Nolan,
• Luigi Cavallo and
• Albert Poater

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2956–2963, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.275

• ] developed well-defined homogeneous catalysts that the area truly blossomed. Using a metal carbene complex as a catalyst, making use of the Chauvin mechanism, olefin metathesis consists of the redistribution of two carbon–carbon double bonds [9]. The metal and its ligand environment in both ruthenium and

Atom-economical group-transfer reactions with hypervalent iodine compounds

• Andreas Boelke,
• Peter Finkbeiner and
• Boris J. Nachtsheim

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1263–1280, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.108

• -catalysed reaction with diazo compounds 42 (Scheme 22) [56]. This strategy is not only atom economic regarding the applied hypervalent iodine reagent but also with regard to the chosen substrate. The metal carbene species generated from the diazo compounds displays nucleophilic as well as electrophilic

Conjugated nitrosoalkenes as Michael acceptors in carbon–carbon bond forming reactions: a review and perspective

• Yaroslav D. Boyko,
• Valentin S. Dorokhov,
• Alexey Yu. Sukhorukov and
• Sema L. Ioffe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 2214–2234, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.220

• reaction with α-bromo ketoximes 1 (Scheme 36). The reaction requires a copper catalyst, which transforms the diazo compound 96 into a metal carbene complex 97. The latter reacts with a nitrosoalkene intermediate NSA (formed from α-bromo ketoxime 1) producing isoxazoline 93 with recovery of the catalyst

Unusual reactions of diazocarbonyl compounds with α,β-unsaturated δ-amino esters: Rh(II)-catalyzed Wolff rearrangement and oxidative cleavage of N–H-insertion products

• Valerij A. Nikolaev,
• Jury J. Medvedev,
• Olesia S. Galkina,
• Ksenia V. Azarova and
• Christoph Schneider

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1904–1910, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.180

• a diversity of multicomponent reactions, which includes trapping of onium ylides by different electrophiles, such as activated С=С, С=O, C=N and other bonds [9]. A plethora of works aimed at realization of this “metal–carbene” methodology appeared in the last few years. Thus a diastereoselective

• provides a good way for the synthesis of multi-functionalized N-arylpyrrolidines by the same “metal–carbene” methodology with yields of up to 82% [15]. The reactions occur as a domino process involving an initial formation of N-ylides A followed by the intramolecular Michael addition with the conjugated

Recent advances in C(sp³)–H bond functionalization via metal–carbene insertions

• Bo Wang,
• Di Qiu,
• Yan Zhang and
• Jianbo Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 796–804, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.78

• simple aliphatic C(sp3)–H bonds. In this context, catalytic metal–carbene C(sp3)–H bond insertion represents an alternative and unique approach for this purpose. Metal–carbene insertion into a C(sp3)–H bond, well-recognized as one of the typical reactions of carbene species, have been studied extensively

• catalysts, the carbenic carbon of the metal–carbene species is positively charged in general, as shown by the resonance structure. Consequently, when the electron-deficient carbenic carbon approaches the C(sp3)–H bonds, the C–H bonds with high electron density will react preferentially [9]. However, the

• (1,5 C–H insertion). However, 1,3-, 1,4, and 1,6 C–H insertions are also possible, depending on the substrates and the catalysts. Although the site-selectivity of intramolecular metal–carbene C(sp3)–H bond insertion is affected by the combination of factors such as steric and electronic factors as well

Versatile deprotonated NHC: C,N-bridged dinuclear iridium and rhodium complexes

• Albert Poater

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 117–124, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.13

• metal–carbene coordination allocates more electron density on the metal than through the nitrogen. Despite the dimeric nature of complex 3, hypothetically they might be discussed as aggregates of two monomeric moieties. However the coupling between the two metal centres seems demonstrated by removing an

• ligand that protrudes in the direction of the reacting groups, thus restricting the space they can fill, whereas empty zones (color coded in blue) correspond to the part where the ligand retracts from the reacting groups [68][69]. For 3H-H the percentage of buried volume (%VBur) is 26.2 bearing a metal

• –carbene coordination, whereas it decreases to only 19.1 when the NHC bonds to the metal through the deprotonated nitrogen atom. However, the steric maps in Figure 2 confirm completely that the system prefers the latter N-bound coordination. Splitting the map into four quadrants the carbene coordination

Recent applications of ring-rearrangement metathesis in organic synthesis

• Sambasivarao Kotha,
• Milind Meshram,
• Priti Khedkar,
• Shaibal Banerjee and
• Deepak Deodhar

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1833–1864, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.199

• have covered literature that appeared during the last seven years (2008–2014). Keywords: Diels–Alder chemistry; green chemistry; natural products; olefin metathesis; polycycles; ring-rearrangement metathesis; Introduction Transition metal–carbene complexes (Figure 1) introduced during the last two

Gold(I)-catalyzed enantioselective cycloaddition reactions

• Fernando López and
• José L. Mascareñas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 2250–2264, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.264

• experimental data as well as theoretical calculations suggested that both cycloadducts, 14 and 15, arise from the same intermediate, the cycloheptanyl metal–carbene species VIII, which might evolve through a 1,2-hydrogen shift to give the seven-membered carbocycles 14 (Scheme 8, a), or by a ring-contraction

Metal–ligand multiple bonds as frustrated Lewis pairs for C–H functionalization

• Matthew T. Whited

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 1554–1563, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.177

• demonstrate that the resultant reactivity may be a powerful tool for the functionalization of C–H and E–H bonds. Keywords: ambiphilic reactivity; C–H activation; C–H functionalization; frustrated Lewis pair; metal carbene; multiple bond; Introduction Orbital cooperation has long been recognized as an

Intramolecular carbenoid ylide forming reactions of 2-diazo-3-keto-4-phthalimidocarboxylic esters derived from methionine and cysteine

• Marc Enßle,
• Stefan Buck,
• Roland Werz and
• Gerhard Maas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 433–440, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.49

• reaction. Keywords: α-aminoacids; carbonyl ylides; cycloaddition; α-diazo-β-ketoesters; sulfonium ylides; Introduction The synthetic potential of diazo compounds, in particular of α-diazoketones and α-diazoesters, is greatly widened by the ability of the derived carbene or metal-carbene intermediates to

• induced ring-opening β-elimination reaction of ylide 21, as was previously reported for other cyclic [14] and acyclic [46] sulfonium ylides. Conclusion Metal-carbene intermediates derived from α-diazoesters and α-diazo-β-ketoesters are known for their high reactivity towards a range of functional groups

N-Heterocyclic carbene/Brønsted acid cooperative catalysis as a powerful tool in organic synthesis

• Rob De Vreese and
• Matthias D’hooghe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 398–402, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.43

• preparation and characterization of a metal carbene complex in 1964 through nucleophilic attack of phenyllithium at tungsten hexacarbonyl followed by O-alkylation [1], and Arduengo described the preparation of the first free and stable N-heterocyclic carbene 2 by deprotonation of the corresponding imidazolium

Recent developments in gold-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions

• Fernando López and
• José L. Mascareñas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 1075–1094, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.124

• carbonyl unit can be transformed, under Au(I/III) catalysts, into gold-containing zwitterionic intermediates that undergo different types of cycloaddition reactions with alkynes, alkenes or other unsaturated groups present in the reaction media. The cycloaddition usually generates a metal carbene that

• of the allene to afford a metal–allyl cation intermediate of type XXIX, which subsequently undergoes a concerted (4 + 3) cycloaddition reaction with the diene. The resulting metal carbene species (XXX) eventually evolves through a 1,2-hydrogen shift, leading to seven-membered carbocycles 50 and

Sequential Au(I)-catalyzed reaction of water with o-acetylenyl-substituted phenyldiazoacetates

• Lei Zhou,
• Yizhou Liu,
• Yan Zhang and
• Jianbo Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 631–637, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.74

• steps. Keywords: alkyne; carbene O–H insertion; cyclization; diazo compounds; gold catalysis; 1H-isochromene; Introduction Transition metal carbene complexes are versatile intermediates and can undergo diverse transformations, including X–H (X = C, O, S, N, etc.) insertions, cyclopropanations, ylide

• formation, and 1,2-migrations [1][2][3][4][5]. Among the various methods to generate metal carbene complexes, transition metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds is the most straightforward and is highly reliable. Various transition metals have been found to decompose diazo compounds and then