A General Stereoselective Approach to 1,2,4-Triazepane-3-thiones/ones via Reduction or Reductive Alkylation of 2,4,5,6-Tetrahydro-3H-1,2,4-triazepine-3-thiones/ones

A general stereoselective approach to previously unknown 1,2,4-triazepane-3-thiones/ones based on reduction or reductive alkylation of readily available 2,4,5,6-tetrahydro-3H-1,2,4-triazepine- 3-thiones/ones has been developed. The approach involved treatment of tetrahydrotriazepines with sodium cyanoborohydride in MeOH at pH 3 or with sodium borohydride and excess of carboxylic acid in tetrahydrofuran to give 1-unsubstituted or 1-alkyl-substituted 1,2,4-triazepane-3- thiones/ones, respectively. The latter were also prepared by reaction of 1-unsubstituted 1,2,4- triazepane-3-thiones/ones with sodium cyanoborohydride and aldehyde in MeOH in the presence of AcOH.

Visible light-mediated difluoroalkylation of electron-deficient alkenes

A method for the reductive difluoroalkylation of electron-deficient alkenes using 1,1-difluorinated iodides mediated by irradiation with blue light is described. The reaction involves radical addition of 1,1-difluorinated radicals at the double bond followed by hydrogen atom transfer from sodium cyanoborohydride.

Chiral Phosphinyl Enamines and Their Asymmetric Reduction through Group-Assisted Purification Chemistry Leading to Enantiopure β-Amino Esters/Amides

A series of new chiral N-phosphinyl β-enamino esters and amides were successfully prepared with excellent Z-stereoselectivity (Z/E > 99:1 in nearly all cases). Group-assisted purification chemistry proved to be an efficient method for the asymmetric reduction of the resulting β-enamino esters/amides to give enantiopure β-amino esters/amides. The asymmetric reduction can be controlled efficiently by using a combination of sodium cyanoborohydride and acetic acid.

An easily prepared palladium-hydrogel nanocomposite catalyst for C–C coupling reactions

Palladium nanoparticles were efficiently prepared in situ by sodium cyanoborohydride reduction of Pd(ii) at room temperature using calcium-cholate hydrogel fibers as templates. The PdNPs self-organize on the gel fibers, which supports the controlled growth as well as stabilization of PdNPs. The hybrid xerogel was used as an efficient catalyst for the Suzuki coupling reaction in water.

Flow Giese reaction using cyanoborohydride as a radical mediator

Tin-free Giese reactions, employing primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl iodides as radical precursors, ethyl acrylate as a radical trap, and sodium cyanoborohydride as a radical mediator, were examined in a continuous flow system. With the use of an automated flow microreactor, flow reaction conditions for the Giese reaction were quickly optimized, and it was found that a reaction temperature of 70 °C in combination with a residence time of 10–15 minutes gave good yields of the desired addition products.