Darren Poole

Aryl boronic acids can be monofluoromethylated under nickel catalysis. The utility of this method is demonstrated by the monofluoromethylation of a borylated and acyl-protected derivative of the statin drug ezetimibe. Mechanistic investigations indicate that a fluoromethyl radical is involved in the Ni^I/Ni^III catalytic cycle.

[Communication]
Yi-Ming Su, Guang-Shou Feng, Zhen-Yu Wang, Quan Lan, Xi-Sheng Wang
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 24, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201412026. Read article.

Biphenol-type chiral phosphoric acids serve as co-catalysts to induce enantioselectivity in the palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative carbocyclization–borylation of enallenes. The method was used to prepare a number of enantioenriched borylated carbocycles in high yields and enantioselectivities (up to 93 %). BQ=benzoquinone, pin=pinacolato.

[Communication]
Tuo Jiang, Teresa Bartholomeyzik, Javier Mazuela, Jochen Willersinn, Jan-E. Bäckvall
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 24, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201501048. Read article.

Alcohol is the answer! Ruthenium(II) complexes catalyze the C-C coupling of 1,1-disubstituted allenes and fluorinated alcohols to form homoallylic alcohols bearing all-carbon quaternary centers with good to complete levels of diastereoselectivity. Whereas fluorinated alcohols are relatively abundant and tractable, the corresponding aldehydes are often not commercially available because of their instability.

[Communication]
Brannon Sam, Tom Luong, Michael J. Krische
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 10, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201500238. Read article.

Regioselectively functionalized quinolines, phenanthrolines, and indoles are obtained by dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles in the presence of electrophiles. This reaction produces H₂ as the only byproduct under mild conditions.

[Communication]
Dinesh Talwar, Angela Gonzalez-de-Castro, Ho Yin Li, Jianliang Xiao
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 10, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201500346. Read article.

100 % Organic: A highly enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroacylation of aromatic and, more interestingly, aliphatic aldehydes with unactivated olefins offers access to a range of cyclic α-chiral ketones bearing quaternary centers. The reaction was found to be highly robust and proceeds with excellent yield in the presence of a diverse range of functional groups.

[Communication]
Daniel Janssen-Müller, Michael Schedler, Mirco Fleige, Constantin G. Daniliuc, Frank Glorius
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 16, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201412302. Read article.

A bolt from the blue: A synthetic designer guanylate cyclase producing a blue-light-inducible surge of the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in mammalian cells was used as an erectile optogenetic stimulator (EROS). Blue-light-dependent penile erection associated with occasional ejaculation was triggered in male rats by simple illumination of EROS-transfected corpus cavernosum with a portable commercial light-therapy device.

[Communication]
Taeuk Kim, Marc Folcher, Marie Doaud-El Baba, Martin Fussenegger
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., March 18, 2015, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201412204. Read article.