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A diastereo- and enantioselective organocatalytic aldol reaction between alkylidenepyrazolones and trifluoromethyl ketones leading to chiral tertiary alcohols bearing a trifluoromethyl group is presented. The methodology is based on the use of a bifunctional organocatalyst in order to activate the γ-hydrogen atoms of the alkylidenepyrazolone nucleophile and the carbonyl group of the trifluoromethylarylketone providing highly functionalized trifluoromethyl alcohols with moderate yields, excellent diastereoselectivity, and moderate to good enantioselectivity. Experiments monitoring the conversion by 1H NMR and the enantiomeric excess by HPLC with the reaction time showed that full conversion of the starting materials is not achieved and that the enantiomeric excess decreases upon extended times, probably due to the reversibility of the reaction.

A visible-light photocatalytic radical addition reaction of dihydroquinoxalin-2-ones to trifluoromethyl ketones has been established using Ru(bpy)3Cl2 as photocatalyst, acetonitrile as solvent, and HP Single Blue LED as the source of light. The reaction provides a straightforward approach to the synthesis of dihydroquinoxalin-2-ones bearing a trifluoromethyl-substituted tertiary alcohol moiety in moderate to good yields under mild conditions.

An efficient organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction between isoxazol-5(4H)-ones and isatin-derived ketimines has been developed. A bifunctional squaramide/Brønsted base organocatalyst catalyzed the enantioselective Mannich addition to afford chiral 3-aminooxindoles bearing a tetrasubstituted stereocenter at C3 decorated with an isoxazole moiety in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities. Additionally, several synthetic transformations were described showing the versatility of the prepared compounds.

The spirocyclic motif is present in natural products, chiral ligands, and compounds of pharmacological interest. Isothiocyanates as well as isocyanides bearing electron-withdrawing groups in the α-position can be deprotonated and react as formal dipoles on account of the presence of a nucleophilic carbanion and an electrophilic atom in the isothiocyanate or isocyanide functional groups. In the last years a number of procedures involving the formal [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of isothiocyanates or isocyanides with cyclic compounds bearing electrophilic exocyclic double bonds have been developed for the enantioselective synthesis of aza-spirocyclic compounds. Among them, organocatalysis has played a predominant role in the development of asymmetric versions for these reactions. The synthesis of spirooxindoles by using this methodology has received especial attention, although other spirocyclic scaffolds are available depending on the structure of the dipolarophiles and the formal isothiocyanate and isocyanide dipoles.

A valuable organocatalytic vinylogous Mannich reaction between alkylidenepyrazolones and isatin-derived ketimines has been successfully established. Squaramide organocatalyst, prepared from quinine, catalyzed the diastereo- and enantioselective vinylogous Mannich addition, affording a range of aminooxindole-pyrazolone adducts (24 examples) with excellent outcomes: up to 98% yield with complete diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). Additionally, different synthetic transformations were performed with the chiral pyrazolone-oxindole adducts.

Pyrazolone [2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-4-one] represents one of the most important five-membered nitrogen heterocycles which is present in numerous pharmaceutical drugs and molecules with biological activity. Recently, many catalytic methodologies for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral pyrazolones have been established with great success, specially, for the synthesis of pyrazolones bearing a tetrasubstituted stereocenter at C-4. This review summarizes these excellent research studies since 2018, including representative examples and some mechanistic pathways explaining the observed stereochemistry.1 Introduction2 Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Pyrazolones with a Full Carbon Tetrasubstituted Stereocenter at C-43 Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Pyrazolones with a Quaternary Carbon Stereocenter at C-4 bearing a Heteroatom4 Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Spiropyrazolones5 Conclusion

An enantioselective organocatalytic addition of sodium bisulfite to (E)-nitroalkenes has been developed by using a chiral bifunctional organocatalyst. The present methodology provides a variety of chiral β-nitroethanesulfonic acid compounds (17 examples) with excellent results: up to 99% yield and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee). The reaction tolerates (hetero)aryl and alkyl substituents on the β-nitroalkenes, and β,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes.

The asymmetric Mannich reaction is one of the most straightforward methodologies for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral amines. In general, asymmetric Mannich reactions involve the use of imines as electrophiles. However, in recent years, several asymmetric oxidative Mannich reactions have been reported using amines as electrophiles. This review provides an overview of these recent publications, including the different oxidants used and the scope and limitations of the different catalytic systems.

Naphthols, hydroxyindoles and an activated phenol are reacted with differently substituted (E)-nitrobut-1-en-3-ynes using the commercially available Rawal's chiral squaramide. The corresponding β-nitroalkynes were obtained with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. Moreover, dihydronaphthofurans can be accessed via silver catalysed cyclization in a tandem one-pot procedure, with high preservation of the optical purity.

A bifunctional squaramide catalyzed the enantioselective Michael addition of pyrazol-3- ones to ortho-quinone methides, generated in situ from 2-(1-tosylalkyl)phenols is presented. The corresponding chiral pyrazolones are obtained with good to excellent yields (27-98%) and enantiomeric excess (14-99% ee).

[EN] An enantioselective photooxidative Mannich reaction of dihydroquinoxalinones with ketones by the merger of organophotoredox and asymmetric organocatalysis is described. This protocol features very mild reaction conditions using simple and cheap catalysts (Eosin Y and (S)-Proline) for the synthesis of chiral quinoxaline derivatives with good to high yields (up to 94%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee)., Financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigation (AEI, Spanish Government) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, European Union) (CTQ2017-84900-P) is acknowledged. J.R.-B. thanks the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades for an FPU predoctoral contract, and C.V. thanks the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI, Spanish Government) for an RyC contract (RYC-2016-20187).

[EN] A highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of 3-alkylidene-2-oxindoles has been described through a nucleophilic vinylic substitution (SNV) of (E)-3-(nitromethylene)indolin-2-one using pyrazol-3-ones as nucleophiles and Et3N as a base. The reaction affords selectively the Z-isomer when pyrazol-3-ones without substituents at the 4 position are used. While the reaction is E-selective with 4- substituted pyrazolones. The stereoselectivity (up to >20:1) and the yields (up to 98%) are very high under mild reaction conditions., Financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI, Spanish Government) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, European Union) (CTQ2017-84900-P) is acknowledged. C.V. thanks the Spanish Government for Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2016-20187). Access to NMR, MS and X-ray facilities from the Servei Central de Suport a la Investigacio Experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

[EN] A highly enantioselective Strecker reaction with dibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepines has been described using a dihydroquinine-derived thiourea as organocatalyst. The reaction affords chiral 10,11-dihydrodibenzo[b,f][1,4] oxazepine 11-carbonitrile derivatives in excellent yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98%) under mild reaction conditions., Financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (Spanish Government) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, European Union) (CTQ2017-84900-P) is acknowledged. C. V. thanks the Spanish Government for a Ramon y Cajal contract (RyC-2016-20187). Access to NMR, MS and X-ray facilities from the Servei central de suport a la investigacio experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

A visible-light photoredox functionalization of 3,4-dihydro-1,4-benzoxazin-2-ones through a Friedel-Crafts reaction with indoles using an inexpensive organophotoredox catalyst is described. The reaction uses a dual catalytic system that is formed by a photocatalyst simple and cheap, 9,10-phenanthrenedione, and a Lewis acid, Zn(OTf)2. 5W white LEDs are used as visible-light source and oxygen from air as a terminal oxidant, obtaining the corresponding products with good yields. The reaction can be extended to other electron-rich arenes. Our methodology represents one of the most valuable and sustainable approach for the functionalization of 3,4-dihydro-1,4-benzoxazin-2-ones, as compared to the reported procedures. Furthermore, several transformations were carried out, such as the synthesis of the natural product cephalandole A and a tryptophol derivative.

[EN] A Cinchona-derived squaramide catalyzes the reaction between hydroxyindoles and isatins leading to enantioenriched indoles substituted in the carbocyclic ring. The reaction proceeds efficiently with differently substituted isatins, yielding the desired products with excellent regioselectivity, good yields, and high enantiocontroi. Moreover, every position of the carbocyclic ring of the indole can be functionalized by using the appropriate starting hydroxyindole. The OH group was removed smoothly upon hydrogenolysis of the corresponding triflate., Financial support from MINECO (Gobierno de Espana; CTQ2013-47494-P). M.M-M. thanks Universitat de Valencia for a predoctoral grant, and C.V. thanks MINECO for a JdC contract. Access to NMR and MS facilities from the SCSIE-UV.

A catalytic enantioselective aza-Reformatsky reaction is reported with cyclic dibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepines and ethyl iodoacetate leading to the synthesis of chiral ethyl 2-(10,11-dihydrodibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepin-11-yl)acetate derivatives with excellent yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 98% yield and 97 : 3 er) using a readily available diaryl prolinol L4 as the chiral ligand and Me2Zn as the zinc source under an air atmosphere. Furthermore, different transformations were carried out with the corresponding chiral β-amino esters, preserving in all cases the optical purity.

An efficient one-pot asymmetric synthesis of pyrazoles bearing a chiral quaternary stereocenter has been developed. Quinine-derived thiourea catalyzed the enantioselective addition of pyrazolones to isatin-derived ketimines, providing the corresponding acetylated pyrazoles after in situ treatment with Ac2O/Et3N. The corresponding pyrazoles were afforded in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities., Financial support from the MINECO (Gobierno de Espana; CTQ2013-47494-P) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC2012/001) is gratefully acknowledged. C.V. thanks MINECO for a JdC contract. Access to NMR, MS and X-ray facilities from the Servei central de suport a la investigacio experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

[EN] An efficient organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha-hydroxyketones has been developed. Quinine-derived thiourea catalyzed the enantioselective Friedel Crafts alkylation of naphthols and activated phenols with aryl- and alkylglyoxal hydrates, providing the corresponding chiral alpha-hydroxyketones with high yields (up to 97%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee)., Financial support from the MINECO (Gobierno de Espana; CTQ2013-47494-P) is gratefully acknowledged. C.V. thanks MINECO for a JdC contract. Access to NMR, MS, and X-ray facilities from the Servei Central de Suport a la Investigacio Experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

The stereodivergent synthesis of N-tosyl α,β-dehydroamino esters via a Mukaiyama–Michael addition is reported. The reaction of silylketene acetals with N-tosylimines derived from β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters in dichloromethane provided the corresponding (Z)-α,β-dehydroamino esters while the (E)-isomers were obtained when the reaction was carried out in the presence of 10 mol% copper(II) triflate.

[EN] (R)-VAPOL-Zn(II) complexes catalysed the enantioselective addition of terminal alkynes to cyclic benzoxathiazine 2,2-dioxides, providing the corresponding chiral propargylic sulfamidates with high yields (up to 93%) and good enantiomeric excesses (up to 87%)., Financial support from the MINECO (Gobierno de Espana; CTQ2013-47494-P) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC2012/001) is gratefully acknowledged. L. M. and A. M. thank the Generalitat Valenciana for predoctoral grants. C.V. thanks MINECO for a JdC contract.

An organocatalytic enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation of a series of substituted 1- naphthol derivatives and activated phenols with ethyl trifluoropyruvate, catalyzed by a quinine-derived squaramide, is presented. Good yields and high to excellent enantioselectivities of the Friedel– Crafts alkylation products were obtained., Financial support from the MINECO [Gobierno de Espana and FEDER (EU)] (CTQ2013-47949-P) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC2012/001) is gratefully acknowledged. M.M.-M. thanks the Universitat de Valencia for a predoctoral grant. C. V. thanks MINECO for JdC contract. Access to NMR and MS facilities from the Servei central de support a la investigacio experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

[EN] The conjugate diynylation of a,b-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones is carried out in the presence of a low catalytic load (2.5 mol%) of a copper(I)–MeOBIPHEP complex, triethylamine and a terminal 1,3-diyne. Pre-metalation of the terminal 1,3-diyne with stoichiometric or higher amounts of dialkylzinc reagent is not required. The corresponding internal diynes bearing a propargylic stereogenic center are obtained with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities., Financial support from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO-Gobierno de Espana) and FEDER (EU) (CTQ2013-47494-P) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC2012/001) is gratefully acknowledged. A.S.-M. thanks the MINECO for a predoctoral grant (FPI program). Access to NMR and MS facilities from the Servei Central de Suport a la Investigacio Experimental (SCSIE)-UV is also acknowledged.

A very efficient synthesis of 5-halogen-1,3-oxazin-2-ones has been accomplished by the halocyclisation reaction of chiral nonracemic N-carbobenzyloxy (N-Cbz)-protected propargylic amines by using I-2, Br-2 and Cl-2 as electrophile sources. The nature of the halogen influences the reaction time and yield. However, in all cases the reaction is totally regioselective taking place through a 6-endo-dig process regardless of the nature of the halogen and of the substituents in the starting material. To rationalise the experimental results, theoretical studies at the B3LYP/6-311G* level have been performed., Financial support from the MINECO (Gobierno de Espana) and FEDER (European Union) (CTQ2009-13083) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ACOMP2012-212 and ISIC2012/001) is gratefully acknowledged. A.M. thanks the Generalitat Valenciana for a predoctoral grant.

[EN] Chiral complexes of BINOL-based ligands with zirconium tert-butoxide catalyze the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction of indoles with beta-trifluoromethyl-alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones to give functionalized indoles with an asymmetric tertiary carbon center attached to a trifluoromethyl group. The reaction can be applied to a large number of substituted alpha-trifluoromethyl enones and substituted indoles. The expected products were obtained with good yields and ees of up to 99%., Financial support from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and FEDER (grants CTQ2006-14199 and CTQ2009-13083) and from Generalitat Valenciana (ACOMP/2009/338) is acknowledged. CV. thanks the Generalitat Valenciana for a pre-doctoral grant.

[EN] Two new mononuclear octahedral manganese(III) complexes with the tetradentate equatorial ligand o-phenylenebis(oxamate) (opba) and two aquo (1a) or two pyridine (1b) axial ligands have been synthesized and characterized structurally, magnetically, and electrochemically. The cyclovoltammogram of 1a in acetonitrile (25 degrees C, 0.1 M Bu4NPF6) shows an irreversible one-electron oxidation peak at a high anodic potential (E-ap = 1.03 V versus SCE), while that of 1b shows two well-separated one-electron oxidation peaks at moderate to high anodic potentials (E-ap = 0.92 and 1.27 V versus SCE), the first redox-wave being quasireversible in nature. The access to formally high-valent Mn-IV and Mn-V oxidation states for 1b is attributed to the stabilization effect of axial pyridine ligand coordination. Complex 1b has been used as an efficient catalyst for the aerobic oxidative cleavage of aromatic vic-diols with co-oxidation of pivalaldehyde to pivalic acid. The corresponding aldehydes or ketones are obtained in fair to good yields and moderate selectivities in acetonitrile at 40 degrees C. Under the same experimental conditions, complex la shows lower efficiencies and selectivities than 1b. The modulation of catalytic activity by the axial pyridine ligands highlights the role of oxomanganese(V) species as the putative intermediates in these C-C bond cleavage oxidation reactions., This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain) (Project BQU2001 3017) and the Ramon¿ y Cajal program. Further support from the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) (Project CTIDIA2002 131 and AVCYT Grupos 03/168) is also acknowledged. SB and EP thank the Universitat de Valencia and the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Spain), respectively, for grants. We are specially thankful to S. Currelli for the assistance with the electrochemical measurements.

[EN] A diversity-oriented approach to enantiomerically pure densely substituted pyrazoles, ¿-aryl-¿-pyrazolylatrolactic acid and ¿-aryl-¿-pyrazolylacetophenones has been developed. The approach utilises the conjugated addition of the lithium enolate of the (2S,5S)-cis-1,3-dioxolan-4-one derived from optically active (S)-mandelic acid and pivalaldehyde to several 2-arylidene-1,3-diketones, which proceeds readily to give the corresponding Michael adducts in good yields and diastereoselectivities. The cyclocondensation of the 1,3-diketone moieties present in Michael adducts with several hydrazines leads to enantiomerically pure densely substituted pyrazoles. Subsequent basic hydrolysis of the dioxolanone moiety present in these products leads to enantiomerically pure ¿-aryl-¿-pyrazolylatrolactic acids. Finally, oxidative decarboxylation of these using oxygen, pivalaldehyde and the Co(III)¿Me2opba complex as catalyst gives ¿-aryl-¿-pyrazolylacetophenones. In this approach four points of diversity are introduced, one of them is the configuration of the (S)-mandelic acid, which acts as an umpoled chiral equivalent of the benzoyl anion., Financial supports from the Spanish Government MEC (BQU2001-3017) and from Generalitat Valenciana (Grupos 03/168 and GV05/10) are acknowledged.

[EN] The high-valent bis(oxo)-bridged dimanganese(IV) complexes with the series of binucleating 4.5-X-2-o-phenylenebis(oxamate) ligands (opbaX(2); X = H, Cl, Me) (1a-c) have been synthesized and characterized structurally, spectroscopically and magnetically. Complexes la-c possess unique Mn-2(mu-O)(2) core structures with two o-phenylenediamidate type additional bridges which lead to exceptionally short Mn-Mn distances (2.63-2.65 angstrom) and fairly bent Mn-O-Mn angles (94.1 degrees-94.6 degrees). The cyclovoltammograms of la-c in acetonitrile (25 degrees C, 0.1 M Bu4NPF6) show an irreversible one-electron oxidation peak at moderately high anodic potentials (E-ap = 0.50-0.85 V versus SCE), while no reductions are observed in the potential range studied (down to -2.0 V versus SCE). These dinuclear manganese oxamate complexes are excellent catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol to the corresponding o-quinone in acetonitrile at 25 degrees C. The order of increasing catecholase activity (k(obs)) with the electron donor character of the ligand substituents as 1b (X = Cl) < 1a (X = H) < 1c (X = Me) correlates with Hammett sigma(+) values (p = -0.95). A mechanism involving initial activation of the catechol substrate by coordination to the dimetal center and subsequent oxidation to quinone by O-2 is proposed, which is consistent with the observed saturation kinetics., This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain) (Project BQU2001-3017) and the Ramon y Cajal program. Further support from the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) (Project CTIDIA2002-131 and AVCYT Grupos 03/168) is also acknowledged. E. P. thanks the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Spain) for a grant.

[EN] A new one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded polymer with a unique meso-helical structure has been prepared from the spontaneous self-assembly in the solid-state of meta-substituted phenylene dioxamic acid diethyl ester monomers. The helical nature of this molecule and its self-complementary character, through intermolecular hydrogen bonding between oxamic acid ester functions, are the two main factors responsible for the crystalline aggregation process, as confirmed by both experimental X-ray crystallographic data and theoretical ab initio calculations., This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain) through the Plan Nacional de Investigación Científica, Desarrollo e Innovación Tecnológica (I+D+I) (Projects ref. BQU2001-3017 and BQU2001-2928) and the Ramon y Cajal programs. We thank Profs. Miguel Julve and Francesc Lloret, and Dr. José¿ A. Real for their continuing interest in this work and fruitful discussions during the preparation of the manuscript.