Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 9, Issue 3, 2005

The aldol reaction is regarded as one of the most powerful tools in organic synthesis for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. Besides, this reaction allows the generation of many stereocenters in the final product, which makes it even more interesting from the synthetic organic chemist point of view. Consequently, an extensive number of methodologies for performing stereoselective aldol reactions have been developed Read More

Among the natural or designed products containing the cyclobutane moiety, amino acids and nucleosides are relevant. Some of these compounds are receiving much attention due to their biological properties as antibiotics, and antiviral or antitumoral agents. Synthetic approaches to these compounds are considered in this review, based on [2+2]- photocycloadditions or on the use of suitable precursors bearing the pre-for Read More

Ring contraction of larger rings is one of the important tools in the repertoire of the methods for the synthesis of pyrroles and has long been described in the literature. This methodology affords pyrrole derivatives with varied substituents, which are otherwise difficult to synthesize. Some of the examples of ring contraction leading to pyrrole have already been exemplified in various reviews, but there is no review focusing Read More

This paper reviews recent progresses of the organic reactions catalyzed by transition metals in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) in our group. The reactions include oxidation, reduction, carbonylation, radical addition, C-C coupling and cycloaddition reactions. All the reactions can be performed in scCO2 with equal or even better results than in conventional organic solvents, owing to the high diffusion and low viscosity Read More

Enzymes have been used in non-aqueous media to make the reactions and the following process more efficient and greener. Here, recent progress in enzymatic reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide is reviewed. Hydrolysisesterification, oxidation-reduction and carboxylation are described, including highly enantioselective reactions.

Mass spectrometry has been used to study noncovalent protein interactions. Two typical ionizations permit the analysis of fragile biomolecules : matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). The gentleness of these techniques allows the detection of intact noncovalent complexes by mass spectrometry. However, the analysis success depends on the sample preparation and the instru Read More