iScience (May 2018)

HOTf-Catalyzed Alkyl-Heck-type Reaction

  • Huan Zhou,
  • Liang Ge,
  • Jinshuai Song,
  • Wujun Jian,
  • Yajun Li,
  • Chunsen Li,
  • Hongli Bao

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3
pp. 255 – 263

Abstract

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Summary: The Heck reaction, along with other cross-coupling reactions, led to a revolution in organic chemistry. In the last 50 years, metal-catalyzed, photo-induced, or base-mediated Heck and Heck-type reactions have been elegantly developed. Brønsted acid-catalyzed Heck (or Heck-type) reactions are still unknown, however. By introducing alkyl peroxides as the key intermediates, primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic carboxylic acids are therefore applied here in a one-pot Brønsted acid-catalyzed Heck-type reaction, to deliver E-alkenes exclusively in most cases. The use of HOTf is vital to the reaction, whose mechanism is supported by both experimental and computational results. This method can be expanded to the direct alkylation of complex natural products. : Organic Synthesis; Organic Chemistry Methods; Natural Product Synthesis Subject Areas: Organic Synthesis, Organic Chemistry Methods, Natural Product Synthesis