1,1’-Diaminoferrocene (1) was converted to α-aminonitriles fc[NHC(CN)MeR’]2 (fc=1,1’-ferrocenediyl; 2 a: R’=Me, b: R’=Ph, c: R’=tBu) by reaction with ketones MeC(O)R’ in the presence of NaCN/HOAc or diimine fc(N=CPh2)2 (3) condensation Ph2CO. Treatment a–c 3 MeLi furnished fc(NHR)2 (4 R=tBu, 4 R=CMe2Ph, R=CMe2tBu, d: R=CMePh2) after aqueous work-up. The formylative cyclisation a–d fc[(NR)2CH][B...

The concept of multicomponent reactions (MCR) [1] has been around in organic chemistry since the very early days. Indeed, the first example known in literature, the Strecker synthesis of α-aminonitriles [2], has been developed into an industrial process for the production of methionine in an annual scale of several hundreds of thousand tons per year. In addition, a lot of syntheses of heterocyc...

Life developed on Earth probably about 3.8 billion years ago, on a planet that was already largely covered by oceans and where the atmosphere was very humid. The reactions, which may have led to the formation of the first polymers, particularly to the first peptides and nucleic acids, must have been compatible with these conditions. This is the case of the reaction of nitriles with aminothiols,...

A general asymmetric Strecker-type reaction is reported, catalyzed by the Lewis acid-Lewis base bifunctional catalyst 1. The reaction of trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) with various fluorenyl imines, including n-aldimines and alpha,beta-unsaturated imines, proceeds with good to excellent enantioselectivities in the presence of a catalytic amount of phenol as additive (20 mol%) (catalytic system ...

The microwave assisted reaction between heterocyclic o-aminonitriles 1 and cyclic ketones 2 catalyzed by zinc chloride led to new series of pyrazolo[3,4-b] [1,8]naphthyridin-5-amines 3 in good yields. This procedure provides several advantages such as being environmentally friendly, high yields, simple work-up procedure, broad scope of applicability and the protocol provides an alternative for ...