I. Magnesium Promoted Coupling of Carbodiimides and Terminal Acetylenes, II. Bismuth Compounds Supported by Di(amido) Chelating Ligands

<p>The work presented in this thesis is divided into two parts, both of which investigate the chemistry of main group elements supported by N,N'-donor ligands. Part 1 investigates the use of Mg(mesC{NCy}₂)(N{SiMe₃}₂)(THF) (mes = 2,4,6- Me₃C₆H₃, Cy = C₆H₁₁) as a pre-catalyst for the coupling of terminal acetylenes to carbodiimides. A catalytic cycle for the reaction is proposed, based on a series of stoichiometric reactions. Ligand redistribution via Schlenk equilibria is a prominent feature of the proposed catalytic cycle. The scope of catalysis was also investigated, indicating a strong dependence on the sterics and electronics of both the carbodiimide and the terminal acetylene. Investigation of other magnesium species identified other pathways into the catalytic cycle. Part 2 explores the derivitisation of Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})Cl (Ar = 2,6-i-Pr₂C₆H₃) to form a number of novel bismuth(III) species of the general formula Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})X (X = alkyl, aryl, amide, aryloxide, phosphide). In addition, a number of cationic bismuth species have been isolated from the reaction of Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})Cl with ECl₃ (E = Al, Ga). Preliminary investigations reveal that the amide and aryloxide derivatives are active as initiators for the ring-opening polymerisation of lactide and ε-caprolactone. A number of bismuth(III) compounds bearing the related di(amido)ether ligands [O(Me₂Si{NAr})₂]²⁻ have also been synthesised.</p>

I. Magnesium Promoted Coupling of Carbodiimides and Terminal Acetylenes, II. Bismuth Compounds Supported by Di(amido) Chelating Ligands

<p>The work presented in this thesis is divided into two parts, both of which investigate the chemistry of main group elements supported by N,N'-donor ligands. Part 1 investigates the use of Mg(mesC{NCy}₂)(N{SiMe₃}₂)(THF) (mes = 2,4,6- Me₃C₆H₃, Cy = C₆H₁₁) as a pre-catalyst for the coupling of terminal acetylenes to carbodiimides. A catalytic cycle for the reaction is proposed, based on a series of stoichiometric reactions. Ligand redistribution via Schlenk equilibria is a prominent feature of the proposed catalytic cycle. The scope of catalysis was also investigated, indicating a strong dependence on the sterics and electronics of both the carbodiimide and the terminal acetylene. Investigation of other magnesium species identified other pathways into the catalytic cycle. Part 2 explores the derivitisation of Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})Cl (Ar = 2,6-i-Pr₂C₆H₃) to form a number of novel bismuth(III) species of the general formula Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})X (X = alkyl, aryl, amide, aryloxide, phosphide). In addition, a number of cationic bismuth species have been isolated from the reaction of Bi(Me₂Si{NAr})Cl with ECl₃ (E = Al, Ga). Preliminary investigations reveal that the amide and aryloxide derivatives are active as initiators for the ring-opening polymerisation of lactide and ε-caprolactone. A number of bismuth(III) compounds bearing the related di(amido)ether ligands [O(Me₂Si{NAr})₂]²⁻ have also been synthesised.</p>

Reactivity of tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines in click chemistry and hydrogenation

Herein, we explore the synthetic potential of tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines to obtain new pyrimidine derivatives by click chemistry and hydrogenation. Click chemistry reactions of the trifluoromethyltetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with terminal acetylenes produced unprecedented trifluoromethylated triazolylpyrimidines in excellent yields (84-98 %) in which one of them was active against all tested microorganisms, presenting moderate MIC values (62.5-15.62 mg/ml). Hydrogenation was carried out using Pd/C-H2 in MeOH under conventional, photochemical, and pressure (5 bar) conditions. The hydrogenation was an excellent method to obtain 2-amino-6-aryl-4-trifluoromethyl pyrimidines and/or 2-amino-6-aryl-4-trifluoro methyltetrahydro pyrimidines with a preference for 2-aminopyrimidine formation. The photochemical hydrogenation was the fastest and only pathway to reduce aryl-brominated substrate for the product without dehalogenation. Trifluoromethyl-substituted tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines reacted to 2-amino-6-aryl-4-trifluoromethyl pyrimidine formation in preference to the formation of the corresponding tethaydropyrimidines. However, the hydrogenation of non-trifluoromethylated tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines showed a preference for tetrahydropyrimidine formation.

Regioselective Mercury(I)/Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Single-Step Approach for the Synthesis of Imines and 2-Substituted Indoles

An efficient synthesis of ketimines was achieved through a regioselective Hg(I)-catalyzed hydroamination of terminal acetylenes in the presence of anilines. The Pd(II)-catalyzed cyclization of these imines into the 2-substituted indoles was satisfactorily carried out by a C-H activation. In a single-step approach, a variety of 2-substituted indoles were also generated via a Hg(I)/Pd(II)-catalyzed, one-pot, two-step process, starting from anilines and terminal acetylenes. The arylacetylenes proved to be more effective than the alkyl derivatives.

Total Synthesis of Methyl-1,5,8-trimethoxy-1H-isochromene-3-carboxylate and Its Derivatives via Pd-Catalyzed Annulation of 2-Alkynylbenzaldehydes

We report the 7-step total synthesis of methyl-1,5,8-trimethoxy-1H-isochromene-3-carboxylate and 5-step synthesis of its C-3 derivatives. Sonogashira coupling of 2-halobenzaldehydes with terminal acetylenes was employed to access 2-alkynylbenzaldehydes, which underwent a Pd-catalyzed annulation to afford the corresponding isochromene-containing products.

Bismuth Subnitrate-Catalyzed Markovnikov-Type Alkyne Hydrations under Batch and Continuous Flow Conditions

Bismuth subnitrate is reported herein as a simple and efficient catalyst for the atom-economical synthesis of methyl ketones via Markovnikov-type alkyne hydration. Besides an effective batch process under reasonably mild conditions, a chemically intensified continuous flow protocol was also developed in a packed-bed system. The applicability of the methodologies was demonstrated through hydration of a diverse set of terminal acetylenes. By simply switching the reaction medium from methanol to methanol-d4, valuable trideuteromethyl ketones were also prepared. Due to the ready availability and nontoxicity of the heterogeneous catalyst, which eliminated the need for any special additives and/or harmful reagents, the presented processes display significant advances in terms of practicality and sustainability.

Synthesis of Fullerenyl-1,2,3-triazoles by Reaction of Fullerenyl Azide with Terminal Acetylenes

We synthesized fullerenyltriazoles by the interaction of azidofullerene with terminal acetylenes, in which the heterocyclic fragment is directly attached to the fullerene core. The electrochemical studies of the synthesized triazole-containing...

Reactions of diborenes with terminal alkynes: mechanisms of ligand-controlled anti-selective hydroalkynylation, cycloaddition and C≡C triple bond scission

The reactions of terminal acetylenes with doubly Lewis base-stabilised diborenes resulted in different outcomes depending on the nature of the ligands at boron and the conformation of the diborene (cyclic...