Xiu-Qin Hu

A powerful cascade approach for expeditious synthesis of trifluoromethylated furans.

A powerful approach to synthesize trifluoromethylated furans has been developed. The method is operationally simple, broad in substrate scope, and amenable to scale-up using trifluoroacetic anhydride. Meanwhile, the strategy not only provided a versatile approach to synthesize trifluoromethylated furans but also provides a new method for exploring the new reactivity of trifluoroacetic anhydride.

Enantioselective Amine-Catalyzed (4 + 2) Annulations of Allene Ketones and 2,3-Dioxopyrrolidine Derivatives: Synthesis of 4H‑Pyran Derivatives

An efficient cinchona alkaloid-derived amine catalyzed asymmetric [4 + 2] cycloaddition is successfully developed. 4H-Pyran fused pyrrolin-2-one products are readily obtained in moderate to high yields with good enantioselectivites by employing allene ketones and 2,3-dioxopyrrolidine derivatives as substrates.

Merging organocatalysis with transition metal catalysis and using O2 as the oxidant for enantioselective C-H functionalization of aldehydes.

A new catalytic Saegusa oxidation-Michael addition cascade reaction has been developed for the enantioselective β-functionalization of aldehydes. The feature of this research is the combination of organocatalysis and transition-metal catalysis for the asymmetric C-H functionalization which remains an underdeveloped research topic.

A Convenient Route to Enantiopure 3-Aryl-2,3-diaminopropanoic Acids by Diastereoselective Mannich Reaction of Camphor-Based Tricyclic Iminolactone with Imines

A novel and convenient route to the asymmetric synthesis of 2,3-diamino acids via Mannich reaction of iminolactones 1a and 1b with N-protected imines has been achieved in good yields (up to 95%) and high diastereoselectivity (dr: >99:1). Hydrolysis of the Mannich adducts under acidic conditions furnished the desired 3-aryl-2,3-diaminopropanoic acids in good yields (up to 85%) with excellent enantiomeric excesses (99% ee).

Sc(OTf)3 Catalyzed [4 + 2]-Annulation Reaction between Electron-Rich Phenols and Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes: Synthesis of Polysubstituted Dihydronaphthols

On the basis of the Lewis acid-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation between 1-acyl-2-arylcyclopropanecarboxylate esters and electron-rich phenols, a Sc(OTf)3 catalyzed cascade [4 + 2]-annulation reaction was developed for the direct synthesis of polysubstituted dihydronaphthols from phenols. In this reaction, the structure of products is dominated by the directing effect of the substituent groups on phenols. Meanwhile, a one-pot Friedel-Crafts alkylation/oxidative cyclization reaction was also developed for the synthesis of spiro-fused 2,5-cyclohexadienones.

3,4,5-Trimethylphenol and Lewis Acid Dual-Catalyzed Cascade Ring-Opening/Cyclization: Direct Synthesis of Naphthalenes

A 3,4,5-trimethylphenol and Lewis acid dual-catalyzed cascade reaction of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes via ring-opening and cyclization is developed. In this reaction, a phenolic compound was used as a covalent catalyst for the first time. Additionally, control experiments proved that 3,4,5-trimethylphenol completed the catalytic cycle by accomplishing the C-C bond cleavage. Using this strategy, a wide variety of substituted naphthalenes has been synthesized from D-A cyclopropanes in moderate to high yields under mild conditions.

Direct construction of chiral quaternary dihydropyranones through highly enantioselective organocatalytic hetero-Diels–Alder reactions of olefinic azlactones

The first organocatalytic hetero-Diels–Alder reaction of an in situ generated diene with either α-keto esters or β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters was successfully developed. The densely functionalized dihydropyranones with a highly congested quaternary center were readily obtained in moderate to good yields with excellent enantioselectivities under mild conditions.

A quadruple cascade protocol for the one-pot synthesis of fully-substituted hexahydroisoindolinones from simple substrates

Summary A new and efficient synthetic method to obtain fully-substituted hexahydroisoindolinones was developed by using bifunctional tertiary amine-thioureas as powerful catalysts. As far as we know, there is no efficient synthetic method developed toward fully-substituted hexahydroisoindolinones. The products were obtained in good yield and diastereoselectivity. The one-pot cascade quadruple protocol features readily available starting materials, simple manipulation, mild conditions and good atom economy.

Regiospecific Three-Component Aminofluorination of Olefins via Photoredox Catalysis

Direct visible-light-mediated aminofluorination of styrenes has been developed with high regioselectivity. Shelf-stable N-Ts-protected 1-aminopyridine salt was used as the nitrogen-radical precursor, and the commercially available hydrogen fluoride-pyridine was used as the nucleophilic fluoride source. The synthesis of an analogue of LY503430 was performed to demonstrate the synthetic value of this strategy.

Dearomative Dienolate-Mediated Catalysis: A Remote Activation Strategy for Asymmetric Functionalization of Benzylic C–H Bonds of Heteroaryl Aldehydes

A dearomative remote activation strategy for the asymmetric functionalization of benzylic C-H bonds of heteroaryl aldehydes under bifunctional Brønsted base catalysis has been developed. The in situ generated o-QDMs-type dienolate intermediates were efficiently and stereoselectively trapped by nitroolefins through an asymmetric Michael/nitro-aldol cascade reaction. Using this strategy, a wide variety of synthetically significant tetrahydrodibenzothiophene and tetrahydrodibenzofuran derivatives were synthesized in good yields with high enantioselectivities.