Iridium-catalyzed selective α-dimethylation and α-methylation of ketones or phenylacetonitriles, using methanol as the methylating agent, were achieved. In addition, three-component cross α-methyl-alkylation was successfully performed using methyl ketones with methanol and primary alcohols with long-chain alkyl groups. This method provides a very convenient direct route to α-methylated ketones,...

Selective modification of the C-terminal amide in peptides to dihydrooxazine (a novel stable imidate isostere) by intramolecular nucleophilic cyclo-O-alkylation of the corresponding N-(3-bromopropyl)amides results in constraining of the C-terminal residue in natively disallowed conformations both in crystals and in solution.

Opioid agonists of the mu, kappa and delta types stimulated low-Km guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) in membranes, from the brain of the rat by up to 34%, with potencies the rank order of which corresponded to the respective binding affinities to opioid receptor. In general, kappa ligands stimulated GTPase to a lesser degree than mu or delta opiates. The coupling of a given type of opioid recep...

The stereoselective synthesis of a challenging macrocyclic polyene scaffold, containing a sensitive vinyl ether motif, has been accomplished using O,C-dilithiation/selective C-alkylation, Pd-catalysed etherification and Wittig reactions as key steps. An end-game macrocyclisation strategy employed a regio- and stereoselective Stille cross-coupling using Pd(Br)(N-Succ)(AsPh3)2 (AsCat) as the prec...

The palladium(0)-catalyzed alkylation reaction of allylic oxygenates has found extensive use in organic synthesis. Recent efforts, however, have focused on the development of catalytic methods to replace allylic C H bonds directly with C C bonds. The selective alkylation of normally inert C H bonds presents exciting opportunities for the development of novel methods and streamlined syntheses of...

Formation and use of a nitrogen dianion for selective hydrazine alkylation is reported. The scope and limitations of a new method were demonstrated. The novel method provides fast and easy access to substituted hydrazines, which are widely used as drugs, pesticides, and precursors for a variety of compounds in organic synthesis. [reaction: see text]

Several lower-rim perfluoroalkylated (fluorous) calix[4]arenes have been synthesized by O-alkylation of the parent calix[4]arene. The compounds are formed in the cone conformation. They are soluble in several fluorous solvents and show promise for use in sensing, selective extractions and other applications.

For the total synthesis of novel cyclodepsipeptide homophymine A, (2R,3R,4R)-2-amino-3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethylhexanoic acid was successfully synthesized by Evans' asymmetric alkylation and the anti-selective asymmetric hydrogenation of a chiral α-amino-β-keto ester as the key steps.

The catalytic activities of SBA-15 aluminosilica meso/macroporous monoliths (Si/Al = 72) and mesoporous powders (Si/Al = 70) have been investigated using batch Friedel–Crafts alkylation of single-ring aromatic compounds, including toluene, ethylbenzene, cumene, and styrene, with benzyl alcohol. The toluene alkylation activities of the meso/macroporous monolith catalysts were compared with nanop...