Catalytic transformation of carbon dioxide into seven-membered heterocycles and their domino transformation into bicyclic oxazolidinones

Abstract Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable heterocycles is of great synthetic value but is usually limited to five- and six-membered ring compounds. Here, we report a catalytic approach for transforming this carbon renewable into seven-membered heterocycles using a double-stage approach,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wangyu Shi, Jordi Benet-Buchholz, Arjan W. Kleij
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56681-5
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable heterocycles is of great synthetic value but is usually limited to five- and six-membered ring compounds. Here, we report a catalytic approach for transforming this carbon renewable into seven-membered heterocycles using a double-stage approach, combining a silver-catalyzed alkyne/CO2 coupling and a subsequent base-catalyzed ring-expansion. This methodology avoids the formation of thermodynamically more stable, smaller-ring by-products and has good functional group tolerance. The synthetic application of these larger-ring cyclic carbonates is further demonstrated by showing their unique ability to serve as synthons for the preparation of bicyclic oxazolidinone pharmacores through an intramolecular domino sequence that involves a transient ketimine group, and various other intermolecular transformations. The results described herein significantly expand on the use of CO2 as a cheap and versatile carbon feedstock generating elusive heterocycles and pharmaceutically relevant compounds.
ISSN:2041-1723