Erwan Le Grognec

C-H Arylation of Benzoquinone in Water through Aniline Activation: Synergistic Effect of Graphite-Supported Copper Oxide Nanoparticles

A homemade CuONPs/Gr catalyst was found to be efficient for the C-H arylation of benzoquinone. This methodology represents the first example of a Meerwein arylation catalyzed by a heterogeneous catalyst.

Preparation of γ-siloxyallyltributylstannanes and their use in the synthesis of (±)-1-deoxy-6,8a-di-epi-castanospermine

gamma-siloxyallyltributylstannanes were selectively obtained as E or Z isomers from beta-tributylstannylacrolein upon reaction with lithium or magnesium alkylcyanocuprates. The ability of the reagents to give a high syn selectivity when added to iminium salts has been used for the efficient synthesis of (+/-)-1-deoxy-6,8a-di-epi-castanospermine from succinimide. The key step of the synthesis was the allylstannation of the N-allyliminium intermediate followed by ring closing metathesis.

Continuous-flow Heck-Matsuda reaction: homogeneous versus heterogeneous palladium catalysts.

This study describes extensive investigations of the Heck-Matsuda reaction carried out by continuous-flow chemistry between aryl diazonium salts generated in situ and methyl acrylate. Our optimized procedures enable sequential aniline diazotization/palladium-catalyzed Heck-Matsuda reaction using either Pd(OAc)2 or PdEnCat 30 as respectively a homogeneous or a heterogeneous source of palladium. This safe chemistry that does not require the handling of hazardous aryl diazonium salts involves inexpensive reagents and solvents, under ligand- and base-free conditions.

Handling diazonium salts in flow for organic and material chemistry

This review gives an overview of transformations involving the use of diazonium salts in flow. The efficiency of the strategies is critically discussed with a special emphasis on the design of the flow devices. If comparative studies with batch chemistry is provided, the input of flow chemistry with regard to the reaction yields and safety issues is discussed as well.

Electrochemical Cleavage of Sulfonamides: An Efficient and Tunable Strategy to Prevent β-Fragmentation and Epimerization

The electrochemical reduction of sensitive sulfonamides is described. The addition of a benzoyl group on the nitrogen atom facilitates the reductive cleavage of sulfonamides preventing β-fragmentation and epimerization. This strategy was successfully applied to the cyclopropylamine and to α-amino stannanes.

Palladium Nanoparticles Supported on Sulfonic Acid Functionalized Silica as Trifunctional Heterogeneous Catalysts for Heck and Suzuki Reactions

The arylation of acrylates and boronic acids with anilines, through in situ generated aryl diazonium salts, was successfully achieved by using trifunctional heterogeneous catalysts bearing Brønsted acid and metal active sites. The trifunctional materials were prepared by adsorption of palladium nanoparticles, generated by reduction of a solution of Pd(OAc)2 onto a commercially available sulfonic acid functionalized silica. These new trifunctional catalysts act as a 1) proton donor for the diazotization step, 2) counterion for the diazonium salt, and 3) Pd source for the coupling step. This unprecedented strategy, features mild and safe conditions as hazardous aryl diazonium salts are generated in situ and only produces environmentally friendly byproducts such as tBuOH, H2O, and N2.

Stereodivergent synthesis of iminosugars from stannylated derivatives of (S)-vinylglycinol.

An original access to iminosugars from a cis/trans mixture of stannylated oxazolidinones 5 is reported. The dehydropiperidines 7-trans and 7-cis were obtained stereoselectively with an RS and SS configuration depending on the order of the Sn-Li transmetalation (followed by electrophilic trapping) and of the ring closing metathesis reactions due to the stereoselective epimerization of the α-aminoanion intermediate. The dehydropiperidines 7-trans and 7-cis were subsequently used for the synthesis of enantiopure homonojirimycin analogs.

Harnessing the Dual Properties of Thiol‐Grafted Cellulose Paper for Click Reactions: A Powerful Reducing Agent and Adsorbent for Cu

A new approach exploiting the dual properties of thiol-grafted cellulose paper for promoting copper-catalyzed [3+2]-cycloadditions of organic azides with alkynes and adsorbing residual copper species in solution was developed. The thiol-grafted cellulose paper, used as a paper strip, effects the reduction of CuII to catalytically active CuI and acts as a powerful adsorbent for copper, thereby facilitating the work-up process and leaving the crude mixture almost free of copper residues after a single filtration.

Synthesis of Highly Enantioenriched Chiral α-Aminoorganotins via Diastereoselective Ring Opening of Chiral N-(Arenesulfonyl) 2-Tributylstannyloxazolidines

trans-N-(Arenesulfonyl)-2-tributylstannyloxazolidines derived from (R)-phenylglycinol were diastereoselectively ring-opened by soft organometallic reagents in the presence of BF(3).OEt(2). Both higher order organocuprates and allyltributyltin afforded the desired products in good-to-excellent yields and high diastereoselectivities (dr up to 99/1). The stereochemical assignments of tributylstannyl-beta-aminoalcohols were firmly established from NMR data and after determination of several radiocrystallographic structures. Mechanisms were proposed in order to rationalize the observed selectivities.

Diene-Containing Half-Sandwich MoIII Complexes as Ethylene Polymerization Catalysts: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

Seventeen-electron compounds of MoIII having the general formula [(eta5-C5R5)Mo(eta4-diene)X2] (R = H, Me: dieney = butadiene, isoprene, or 2,3-dimethylbutadiene: X= Cl, CH3) are a new class of ethylene polymerization catalysts. The polyethylene obtained shows a bimodal distribution, the major weight fraction being characterized by very long (M around 10(6)) and highly linear polymer chains. The newly prepared pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) derivatives are more active than the cyclopentadienyl (Cp) derivatives, but much less active than previously investigated niobiumIII compounds having the same stoichiometry. On the other hand, the turnover frequency of the active site leading to the high molecular weight chains is at least 10 times greater than that obtained with the corresponding Nb catalyst. The reason for the low activity is explained by a difficult activation process that is attributed to the low polarity and high strength of the Mo-alkyl bond. This is confirmed by a Mulliken charge analysis of density functional theory (DFT) geometry-optimized [CpM(eta4-C4H6)(CH3)2] (M = Nb, Mo) and by the calculation of the heterolytic bond dissociation energies. DFT calculations have also been carried out on the ethylene insertion coordinate for the [CpM(eta4-C4H6)(CH3)]+ model of the presumed active site. The results indicate an equivalent activation barrier to insertion for the Nb and Mo systems. Differences in optimized geometries for the reaction intermediates are attributed to the presence of the extra electron for the Mo system. This electron opposes the formation of M-H-C agostic interactions, while it strengthens the back-bonding M-ethylene interaction, but otherwise plays no active role in the polymer chain propagation mechanism. According to the calculations, the chain propagation for the Mo system occurs entirely on the spin doublet surface, the minimum energy crossover point with the quartet surface lying at a higher energy than the transition state for insertion on the doublet surface.