Naoko Takenaga

First hypervalent iodine(III)-catalyzed C–N bond forming reaction: catalytic spirocyclization of amides to N-fused spirolactams

A protic solvent, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (CF(3)CH(2)OH), was successfully introduced into hypervalent iodine(III)-involved catalytic cycles as an effective solvent, and the first iodoarene-catalyzed intramolecular carbon-nitrogen bond forming reaction was achieved under strong acid-free and mild conditions.

Clean and efficient benzylic C-H oxidation in water using a hypervalent iodine reagent: activation of polymeric iodosobenzene with KBr in the presence of montmorillonite-K10.

We have found that unreactive and insoluble polymeric iodosobenzene [PhIO] n induced aqueous benzylic C-H oxidation to effectively give arylketones, in the presence of KBr and montmorillonite-K10 (M-K10) clay. Water-soluble and reactive species 1 having the unique I(III)-Br bond, in situ generated from [PhIO]n and KBr, was considered to be the key radical initiator during the reactions.

An excellent dual recycling strategy for the hypervalent iodine/nitroxyl radical mediated selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones

Using a recyclable hypervalent iodine reagent 1, the authors have constructed versatile and green methods for the hypervalent iodine and nitroxyl radical-mediated selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. The recyclable reagent 1 having a unique tetraphenyladamantane structure exhibited almost the same reactivity as the ordinary reagent, phenyliodine diacetate (PIDA), in the hypervalent iodine(III)/2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation. For recycling, the reagent 1 could be nearly quantitatively recovered as the reduced tetraiodide 2 by filtration after reaction completion, utilizing the insolubility of the formed 2 in a polar solvent, specifically, methanol. Based on the confirmed reactivity and excellent recycling operation of the reagent 1, the methodology has been further extended to a greener dual recycling strategy. By combining the recyclable iodine reagent 1 and silica-supported TEPMO catalyst, a variety of alcohols were effectively oxidized to the desired aldehydes, and the two types of used reagent and catalyst, the iodine 1 and immobilized TEMPO 5, could be separately recovered by an easy workup, and both repeatedly used without any loss of their original activities for at least four cycles.

Versatile direct dehydrative approach for diaryliodonium(III) salts in fluoroalcohol media

We have found that the use of fluoroalcohol media greatly enhanced the efficiency and scope of the direct dehydrative condensation of arenes and hypervalent iodine(III) compounds; the present clean method has a broad range of applicability as well as unique selectivity in the aromatic substrates, and is highly efficient even in polymer functionalization.

Atropisomeric Chiral Diiododienes (Z,Z)-2,3-Di(1-iodoalkylidene)tetralins: Synthesis, Enantiomeric Resolution, and Application in Asymmetric Catalysis

The C2-symmetric tetralin-fused 1,4-diiodo-1,3-butadiene derivatives, (Z,Z)-2,3-di(1-iodoalkylidene)tetralin 1a-c, are atropisomeric and can be resolved into the two persistent axially chiral enantiomers by HPLC on a chiral stationary phase. The enantiomerically pure compounds can serve as chiral organocatalysts for dearomatizing spirolactonization to show good performance in up to 73% ee.