Mucosin synthesis

Richard Whitby and co-workers from the University of Southampton have reported in Chemical Communications on the synthesis of mucosin via a zirconium catalyzed cyclization, which reminded me of the kind that Negishi had published before.

Chemical Communications paper

Enantiospecific Suzuki-Miyaura

Michinori Suginome and co-workers at Kyoto University have published in JACS on the enantiospecificity of a Suzuki-Miyaura reaction and they show that inversion or retention can occur depending on the additive.

JACS paper

Introducing a trifluoro group

Erick Carreira and co-worker have reported in ACIEE on a way to introduce a trifluoroethyl group onto either a cyclic ketone or aldehyde using a Zr-catalyst.

ACIEE paper

1,6-Conjugate Addition with Copper

Marc Mauduit and co-workers have published in Organic Letters on a 1,6-conjugate addition of an organozinc reagent using a catalytic amount of copper (II) triflate.

OL paper

Cumulenes from Diynes

Yuxue Li and co-workers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have published in Organometallics on the use of benzynezirconocenes and diynes to form cumulenes.

Organometallics paper