New synthetic technologies for the preparation and elaboration of alpha-tosyloxy ketones in solution- and on solid-phase are described. Both olefins and ketones serve as precursors to these relatively stable chemical entities: olefins via a novel one-pot epoxidation, arylsulfonic acid displacement, and oxidation sequence, and ketones by direct exposure to arylsulfonic acids in the presence of d...

Reaction rate constants of the reaction of four large ketones with hydroxyl (OH) are investigated behind reflected shock waves using OH laser absorption. The studied ketones are isomers of hexanone and include 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, 3-methyl-2-pentanone, and 4-methl-2-pentanone. Rate constants are measured under pseudo-first-order kinetics at temperatures ranging from 866 K to 1375 K and press...

Highly diastereoselective and enantioselective catalytic capture of chiral zinc enolates using nitroolefins as electrophiles is described. The tandem products γ-nitro ketones were obtained in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities. The γ-nitro ketones were readily hydrogenated to the optically enriched and diastereomerically pure chiral pyrrolidines with four cont...

The ubiquitous ketone carbonyl group generally deactivates substrates toward radical-based fluorinations, especially sites closest to it. Herein, ketones are used instead to direct aliphatic fluorination using Selectfluor, catalytic benzil, and visible light. Selective band g-fluorination are demonstrated on rigid mono-, di-, tri-, and tetracyclic (steroidal) substrates employing both cyclic an...

An I2/KOH synergistically promoted direct ring-opening aroylation of benzothiazoles with aryl ketones has been discovered. Aryl ketones were seen to act as carbonyl sources to construct 2-acylbenzothiazoles. This reaction could provide an example for the convergent integration of self-labor domino sequences based on an in situ cross-trapping strategy.

Irradiation of terminal aromatic γ,δ-epoxy ketones with a 450 W UV lamp led to Norrish type II cyclization/semi-pinacol rearrangement cascade reaction which formed the benzocyclobutanones containing a full-carbon quaternary center, whereas irradiation of substituted aromatic γ,δ-epoxy ketones led to the indanones through a photochemical epoxy rearrangement and 1,5-biradicals cyclization tandem ...

A highly practical, catalytic enantioselective cyclic phosphite addition to aldehydes and ketones was developed. The reaction rate of the asymmetric hydrophosphonylation was significantly enhanced by the addition of silver carbonate. Particularly, significant improvement has been achieved on the asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of unactivated ketones, giving quaternary α-hydroxy phosphonates wit...

Herein we review recent advances in the asymmetric reduction of ketones by biocatalysts. Included are discussions on recent developments in methodologies to control enantioselectivities of catalytic reactions, and examples of practical applications that reduce various types of ketones are also shown. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Highly efficient iridium catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of simple ketones with ethanol as a hydrogen donor has been developed. By using chiral spiro iridium catalysts (S)- a series of alkyl aryl ketones were hydrogenated to chiral alcohols with up to 98% ee.