Ruthenium-Catalysed Atom-Economic Transformations

Abstract

At the heart of any chemical synthesis of a natural product or designed small molecule is the need to orchestrate a series of chemical reactions to prepare and functionalize a carbon framework. The advent of transition-metal catalysis has provided chemists with a broad range of new tools to forge C−C and C−X bonds and has resulted in a paradigm shift in synthetic strategy planning. The ruthenium catalysed C−C coupling reaction of propargyl alcohol and Michael acceptor has been demonstrated an enabling methodology for synthesis o α,β-unsaturated ketones as a single geometrical isomers of high yield in an atom-economical fashion. The synthesized α,β-unsaturated ketones are the precursor of poly-substituted piperidones and hexahydroisoquilininones which are the central backbone of many biologically active natural products and pharmaceutical drugs.