Gaseous formaldehyde is extremely unstable and readily undergoes self-polymerization to a solid paraformaldehyde or disproportionation to methanol and formic acid in the presence of moisture. We disclose a simple method to stably store such a labile formaldehyde as a monomer in a nanoporous faujasite zeolite at 5 degrees C for at least 50 days without self-polymerization or disproportionation. The greater stability of formaldehyde encapsulated in zeolite was confirmed by 13C MAS NMR spectroscopy. Formaldehyde was not only stabilized within the zeolite cages but functioned as a powerful electrophile toward various olefins. Zeolite-encapsulated formaldehyde was proved to be a stable but highly reactive C1 reagent.
Catalytic enantioselective epoxidation of homoallylic alcohols using Zr(Ot-Bu)(4) and tartrate ester (or tartramide) has been developed. In the Zr(Ot-Bu)(4)/diisopropyl tartrate-catalyzed epoxidation, the reverse of the enantiofacial preference was observed, depending on the Zr/ligand ratios of 1:1 or 1:2. [reaction--see text]
N-Acyloxyiminium ions, generated by the reaction of nitrones with acyl halides, are highly reactive species and undergo facile reaction with a wide range of nucleophiles, such as ketene silyl acetals, titanium(IV) and boron enolates, hydrido- and allyltin(IV) reagents, and alkynyltitanium(IV) reagents, to give α-substituted amine derivatives. Optically active β-amino acids can be prepared by the reaction of N-acyloxyiminium ions with both boron and titanium(IV) enolates bearing chiral auxiliaries. Reversal of diastereoselectivity was observed by the reactions of the boron and titanium(IV) enolates. Using these reactions, all of the four stereoisomers of α-methyl-β-phenylalanines, for example, can be prepared highly diastereoselectively. Cyclic N-acyloxyiminium ions are useful for the asymmetric synthesis of pyrrolidine and piperidine alkaloids; (5R,8R,8aS)-5-cyano-8-methylindolizidine, which is a common key intermediate for synthesis of 5-substituted 8-methylindolizidines, was prepared selectively.
[reaction: see text] A combined system of boron trifluoride and molecular sieves is an efficient promoter for the carbonyl-ene reaction of alpha-methylsyrenes with paraformaldehyde. The coexistence of BF3 x OEt2 and molecular sieves 4A is essential for obtaining high yields of ene products.
Reaction of nitrones and acyl halides gives N-acyloxyiminium species, which are more reactive toward soft carbon nucleophiles than nitrones. Addition of chiral enolates to the N-acyloxyiminium species gave N-hydroxy-β-amino acid derivatives highly diastereoselectively. Reversal of diastereoselectivity was observed between the boron enolates and titanium enolates. Using this method all of the four stereoisomers of α-methyl-β-phenylalanines can be prepared as enantiomerically pure forms.
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