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The miracle of the first pot: How did the reaction of a pot change the chemical world?
In the world of chemical reactions, "one pot reaction" is also called "cascade reaction", which refers to a series of continuous chemical processes in which each subsequent reaction can only be carried out depending on the chemical functional groups formed in the previous step. The charm of this reaction is that there is no need to isolate intermediates, and all reactions can be carried out spontaneously, showing the efficiency and environmental protection of the chemical reaction process.
One pot reaction not only improves atomic economy, but also greatly reduces waste production and reduces the time and labor required for the experimental process.
Although the concept of cascade reaction has been established for a long time, its application in chemical synthesis has increased dramatically in recent decades. One of the earliest cases was the synthesis of tropine synthetics reported by Robinson in 1917, and this type of reaction has been widely used in full synthesis chemistry so far.
The benefits of cascade reactions are not limited to the time or feedstock they require, but also include their ability to perform multiple chemical changes in one reaction step to create complex molecular structures. This presents countless different reaction pathways in the beaker, allowing scientists to constantly innovate in the exploration of chemical synthesis.
"The attention received by today's cascade reactions is reflected in the numerous related evaluation articles published over the past few decades."
Interestingly, different reaction mechanisms can be classified into different cascade reactions. For example, nuclear nucleophilic/electrophilic cascades, free radical cascades, and transition metal catalytic cascades. This allows chemists to adjust the reaction type according to experimental needs for optimal synthesis efficiency.
Nucleophilic/electrophilic cascade
The core of this type of reaction is that its main step is nuclear nucleophilic or electronucleophilic attack. Nucleophilic nuclear cascades are widely used in the synthesis of antibiotics, such as a short enantioselective synthesis process that can produce products efficiently. By designing the appropriate catalyst and reaction conditions, chemists can achieve multi-effect synthesis in a single reaction.
Free radical cascade reaction
The free radical reaction is extremely suitable for cascade processes due to its high activity. For example, the synthesis of specific natural products uses multi-step free radical reactions, demonstrating the strong synthetic potential of the technology. During these synthesis processes, the generation and conversion of free radicals makes it possible to obtain the final product without multiple separations of intermediates.
Transition metal catalytic cascade reaction
The fusion of transition metal catalytic technology further promotes the development of cascade reactions. For example, cascade reactions using metal catalysts such as platinum and gold provide high-efficiency conversion pathways, greatly promoting the synthesis of complex molecules. Meanwhile, these reactions usually provide good selectivity and recovery due to the regenerative nature of the catalyst.
Overall, cascade reactions not only show the potential of chemical synthesis, but also change our way of thinking about synthesis strategies. Through these innovative methods, scientists can expect more effective synthetic paths and more environmentally friendly experimental operations.
"The development of chemistry has not stopped with existing discoveries. With the birth of new technologies and new ideas, how will our chemical world be redefined in the future?"
