Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 20, Issue 18, 2016

Catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-aziridines and azetidines is a powerful strategy for rapid synthesis of chiral building blocks. This review summarizes the progress in the development of these reactions by organocatalysis.

This review encompasses addition reactions of cyclopropenes proceeding with retention of the small ring as well as cascade transformations involving ring-opening. Formal nucleophilic substitution of halocyclopropanes operating via a dehydrohalogenation-addition mechanism with the formation of cyclopropene intermediates is also discussed. Relevant literature published in the period of 2005-2015 is surveyed.

Cyclobutanones are highly valuable intermediates in organic synthesis. They demonstrate interesting and rich reactivity in different types of reactions due to their strain energy. Under the lewis acid and transition-metal catalysis, cyclobutanones can serve as useful synthons for the preparation of a variety of bioactive molecules and fused-ring chemicals.

Noncatalyzed cycloadditions between strained alkynes or alkenes and 1,3-dipoles or dienes (copper-free click reactions) have emerged as powerful bioorthogonal transformations. Biomolecule labeling strategies based on applications of strain-promoted cycloaddition continue to garner considerable interest, and this chemistry is poised for rapid growth in the future. Metal-free click chemistry is also ideally suited to facilit Read More

The biogenetically interesting, structurally unique and biologically active metabolites of mangrove plants, with special growing environment such as high salinity, low oxygen and high humidity, have long been a research subject for chemists and pharmacologists during the last few decades. Based on the previous summaries on mangrove plants, this review elaborates the great recent progress of the chemistry and biological Read More