Gold catalyzed [2+2]

Antonio Echavarren and co-workers from ICIQ in Spain have reported in Org Lett on a gold catalyzed intramolecular [2+2] between an alkene and alkyne.

OL paper

That’s pretty strained

Fumitoshi Kakiuchi and co-workers from Keio University have reported in Org Lett on a rhodium catalyzed [2+2] reaction between a terminal alkyne and an electron deficient alkene to form a cyclobutene.

OL paper

[2+2] by cationic gold

Jose Gonzalez and co-workers from the University of Oviedo have reported in ACIE on a cationic gold catalyzed [2+2] reaction.

ACIE paper

Jiadifenin synthesis

Hongbin Zhai and co-workers at SIOC have reported in ACIE on the synthesis of jiadifenin.  The key [2+2] installed the methyl ester substituent.

ACIE paper

Acutimine approach

Sarah Reisman and colleague have reported in Organic Letters on their elegant approach to acutimine via a [2+2] cycloaddition – however, their retro-aldol reaction to open the cyclobutane ring failed.

OL paper

2 routes for elatenyne and is DFT going to be a standard for natural product structure assignment?

Deukjoon Kim (Seoul National University) and Jonathon Burton (University of Oxford) and co-workers have reported in JACS on a synthesis of elatenyne.

JACS paper

Bielschowskysin core

Johann Mulzer and co-workers at the University of Vienna have reported in Organic Letters on the synthesis of the tricyclic core of bielschowskysin.  Surprisingly, that cyclobutane with the five membered ring is stable in many different conditions (ie:  LiOH).

OL paper

Thiophene and alkene

Takeshi Ohkuma and co-workers at Hokkaido University have reported in Organic Letters on a light mediated intramolecular cyclization of a thiophene and an alkene.

OL paper

Frondosin via Paterno Buchi

Jonathan George and co-workers at the University of Adelaide have reported in Organic Letters on a Paterno Buchi reaction approach to access the 5 membered ring of frondosin.

OL paper

Ru-catalyzed Ficini reaction

Antonio Mezzetti and co-workers from ETH Zurich have reported in Synthesis on ruthenium catalyzed Ficini reaction.

Synthesis paper