Organocatalytic domino/cascade reactions provide a convenient method for the construction of complex molecular structures bearing multiple stereocenters in a highly stereoselective fashion. Among various organocatalysts, bifunctional squaramides have emerged as powerful hydrogen‐bonding catalysts for promoting a wide array of useful asymmetric organocascade sequences. Higher activity and ease of preparation make these catalysts excellent alternatives for thiourea‐based organocatalysts. This review highlights the advances in the rapidly growing field of amine‐squaramide‐catalyzed domino/cascade reactions and their mode of action.magnified image

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Keeping in view the use of surfactants in drug delivery, the interactions of surface active ionic liquids, such as 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C(14)mimBr), with drugs, viz., dopamine hydrochloride (DH) and acetylcholine chloride (AC), have been studied, and the results are further compared with that of the structurally similar conventional cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB). The micellization and interfacial behavior of C(14)mimBr and TTAB, in the presence of DH and AC, has been investigated from conductivity and surface tension measurements. Various micellar and adsorption characteristics for these drug-surfactant systems (DH/AC + C(14)mimBr/TTAB) have been investigated, indicating favorable interactions between them. The more detailed information regarding the nature of interactions between C(14)mimBr/TTAB and DH/AC is obtained from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and (1)H NMR measurements. CV measurements have been employed to evaluate the binding constant (K) and the Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) for these drug-surfactant complexes. These measurements indicate the existence of cation-π as well as π-π interactions between drugs and surfactants. A detailed analysis of chemical shifts of protons of drug molecules (DH and AC) in the presence of C(14)mimBr and TTAB has been done by (1)H NMR. The results obtained from (1)H NMR are in agreement with those of CV measurements. (1)H NMR studies along with the conductivity and surface tension measurements help in predicting the possible location of adsorption of these drug molecules in C(14)mimBr and TTAB micelles.

Due to the frequent occurrence of the pyrazole core in many important naturally occurring and synthetic molecules, tremendous efforts have been made for their synthesis. The pyrazolin-5-one derivatives have emerged as the most effective substrates for the synthesis of useful pyrazoles and their corresponding pyrazolone derivatives. Recently, the reactivity of pyrazolin-5-ones has been used for the asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalised pyrazole and pyrazolone derivatives by employing organo- and metal-catalysts. This feature article focuses on the progress in the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of pyrazoles and pyrazolones using pyrazolin-5-one derivatives.