Xiao-Song Xue

Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,6-Conjugate Addition of Thioacetic Acid to para-Quinone Methides

An asymmetric 1,6-conjugate addition of thioacetic acid with para-quinone methides has been developed by using chiral phosphoric acid catalysis in the presence of water. A series of sulfur-containing compounds were thus obtained in high yields with good to excellent enantioselectivities. Theoretical studies indicated that the water-bridged proton transfer is a potentially favorable reaction pathway. An unprecedented O-H⋅⋅⋅π interaction between water and the aromatic nucleus of chiral phosphoric acid was discovered to contribute significantly to the stereocontrol in the catalysis.

The Essential Role of Bond Energetics in C–H Activation/Functionalization

The most fundamental concepts in chemistry are structure, energetics, reactivity and their inter-relationships, which are indispensable for promoting chemistry into a rational science. In this regard, bond energy, the intrinsic determinant directly related to structure and reactivity, should be most essential in serving as a quantitative basis for the design and understanding of organic transformations. Although C-H activation/functionalization have drawn tremendous research attention and flourished during the past decades, understanding the governing rules of bond energetics in these processes is still fragmentary and seems applicable only to limited cases, such as metal-oxo-mediated hydrogen atom abstraction. Despite the complexity of C-H activation/functionalization and the difficulties in measuring bond energies both for the substrates and intermediates, this is definitely a very important issue that should be more generally contemplated. To this end, this review is rooted in the energetic aspects of C-H activation/functionalization, which were previously rarely discussed in detail. Starting with a concise but necessary introduction of various classical methods for measuring heterolytic and homolytic energies for C-H bonds, the present review provides examples that applied the concept and values of C-H bond energy in rationalizing the observations associated with reactivity and/or selectivity in C-H activation/functionalization.

Enantioselective Organocatalyzed Sulfenylation of 3-Substituted Oxindoles

A highly enantioselective sulfenylation reaction with respect to 3-substituted oxindoles and electrophilic sulfur reagents by a quinidine catalyst was investigated.

Quantitative Scale for the Trifluoromethylthio Cation-Donating Ability of Electrophilic Trifluoromethylthiolating Reagents

A new parameter, trifluoromethylthio cation-donating ability (Tt(+)DA), is introduced as a quantitative descriptor for the propensity of electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents to transfer a CF3S moiety in organic synthesis. The first Tt(+)DA scale of popular reagents has been established through DFT calculations. Excellent correlation has been identified between the Tt(+)DAs of N-SCF3-type reagents and the pKa of the corresponding acids, offering a powerful avenue for the rational design of novel reagents.

Synthesis of Optically Enriched Spirocyclic Benzofuran-2-ones by Bifunctional Thiourea-Base Catalyzed Double-Michael Addition of Benzofuran-2-ones to Dienones

A highly enantioselective catalytic double-Michael addition reaction of substituted benzofuran-2-ones with divinyl ketones promoted by readily accessible tertiary amine-thiourea Cinchona alkaloids has been developed. A number of optically enriched spirocyclic benzofuran-2-ones were prepared in very good yields (up to 99 %), diastereoselectivities (up to 19:1 d.r.), and very good enantioselectivities (up to 92 % ee). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the origin of stereoselectivity.

A Computational Reinvestigation of the Formation of N-Alkylpyrroles via Intermolecular Redox Amination

A detailed mechanism of N-alkylpyrrole formation from 3-pyrroline and 2-phenylpropanal in the presence of a Brønsted acid catalyst was investigated in depth using the MP2 and DFT theories. The two mechanisms proposed earlier in recent literatures for this internal redox process were evaluated and were found not to account perfectly for the transition state and the energetic barrier of its formation. Based on the present calculations, a new mechanism was put forth.

Computational study on the acidic constants of chiral Brønsted acids in dimethyl sulfoxide.

The pK(a) values of a series of chiral Brønsted acids, including N-triflylphosphoramides, bis(sulfonyl)imides, bis(sulfuryl)imides, dicarboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, and N-phosphinyl phosphoramides, were predicted by using the SMD/M06-2x/6-311++G(2df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d) method in DMSO. The results revealed that the calculated pKa values ranged from -9.06 to 12.18 for different types of acids. The influence of acidic strength on reactivity and stereoselectivity was discussed using the calculated acidity data. Given that the choice of catalyst with appropriate acidity is the primary condition, several new catalyst candidates were designed by calculating corresponding pK(a) values of parent acids.

An Energetic Guide for Estimating Trifluoromethyl Cation Donor Abilities of Electrophilic Trifluoromethylating Reagents: Computations of X–CF3 Bond Heterolytic Dissociation Enthalpies

This work established an energetic guide for estimating the trifluoromethyl cation-donating abilities (TC(+)DA) of electrophilic trifluoromethylating reagents through computing X-CF3 bond (X = O, S, Se, Te, and I) heterolytic dissociation enthalpies. TC(+)DA values for a wide range of popular reagents were derived on the basis of density functional calculations (M06-2X). A good correspondence has been identified between the computed TC(+)DA values and the experimentally observed relative trifluoromethylating capabilities of the reagents. Substituent effects hold good linear free energy relationships on the TC(+)DAs of the most widely used reagents including Umemoto reagent, Yagupolskii-Umemoto reagent, and Togni reagents, which allow their trifluoromethylating capabilities to be rationally tuned by substituents and thus extend their synthetic utility. All the information disclosed in this work would contribute to future rational exploration of the electrophilic trifluoromethylation chemistry.

Comprehensive Energetic Scale for Quantitatively Estimating the Fluorinating Potential of N–F Reagents in Electrophilic Fluorinations

Quantitative knowledge of the fluorinating strength of electrophilic N-F reagents is of crucial importance for rational design and optimization of novel reagents and new reactions. Herein, we report the first systematic computation of fluorinating potentials of 130 electrophilic N-F reagents in two commonly used solvents dichloromethane and acetonitrile in terms of the N-F bond heterolysis energies as expressed by the fluorine plus detachment (FPD) values. The calculated FPD scales of 130 N-F reagents cover a range from 112.3 to 290.4 kcal mol(-1) and 110.9 to 278.4 kcal mol(-1) in dichloromethane and acetonitrile, respectively. This comprehensive FPD database provides a valuable quantitative guide for studying the influence of structural variation on the fluorinating strength of the N-F reagents, opening a door to the rational design of novel reagents with appropriate fluorinating strength for specific purposes. It is demonstrated that the FPD values can reproduce the reactivity order for electrophilic N-F reagents better than other parameters.

Computational study on the pKa shifts in proline induced by hydrogen-bond-donating cocatalysts.

The pKa shifts of proline induced by a family of hydrogen-bond-donating cocatalysts were computationally evaluated with the M06-2x/6-311++G(2df, 2p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d)(SMD) method. The calculation predicted that the acidity of proline could be increased by more than 9 pKa units in nonpolar solvents (n-hexane and toluene) when it assembles with hydrogen-bond-donating cocatalysts, which would contribute to the dramatically enhanced catalytic properties. For hydrogen-bond-donating cocatalysts, their relative abilities to induce the pKa shifts of proline in the gas phase and common organic solvents were established and were found to be well-correlated with their acidities. The results may aid in future development of modularly designed supramolecular catalysis--the assembly of catalyst species by harnessing multiple weak intermolecular interactions.