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Abstract β‐lactams are a chemically diverse group of molecules with a wide range of biological activities. Having recently observed curious trends in²J_HHcoupling values in studies on this structural class, we sought to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of these diagnostic NMR parameters, specifically interrogating¹J_CH,²J_CH, and²J_HH, to differentiate 3‐ and 4‐monosubstituted β‐lactams. Further investigation using computational chemistry methods was employed to explore the geometric and electronic origins for the observed and calculated differences between the two substitution patterns. 

Abstract Carbon‐centered radicals stabilized by adjacent boron atoms are underexplored reaction intermediates in organic synthesis. This study reports the development of vinyl cyclopropyl diborons (VCPDBs) as a versatile source of previously unknown homoallylic α,α‐diboryl radicals via thiyl radical catalyzed diboron‐directed ring opening. These diboryl stabilized radicals underwent smooth [3+2] cycloaddition with a variety of olefins to provide diboryl cyclopentanes in good to excellent diastereoselectivity. In contrast to thetrans‐diastereoselectivity observed with most of the dicarbonyl activated VCPs, the cycloaddition of VCPDBs showed a remarkable preference for formation ofcis‐cyclopentane diastereomer which was confirmed by quantitative NOE and 2D NOESY studies. Thecis‐stereochemistry of cyclopentane products enabled a concise intramolecular Heck reaction approach to rare tricyclic cyclopentanoid framework containing the diboron group. The mild reaction conditions also allowed a one‐pot VCP ring‐opening, cycloaddition‐oxidation sequence to afford disubstituted cyclopentanones. Control experiments and DFT analysis of reaction mechanism support a radical mediated pathway and provide a rationale for the observed diastereoselectivity. To the authors’ knowledge, these are the first examples of the use of geminal diboryl group as an activator of VCP ring opening and cycloaddition reaction of α‐boryl radicals. 

Abstract Cannabicitran is an important cannabinoid natural product produced byCannabis sativaand is often found at surprisingly high levels (up to ~10%) in “purified” commercial cannabidiol (CBD) extract preparations. Despite the prevalence of this molecule in CBD oil and other cannabinoid‐related products, and the rapidly expanding interest in cannabinoids for treatment of a wide range of physiological conditions, only unassigned¹H NMR data and partial unambiguous¹³C assignments have been published. Herein, we report the complete¹H and¹³C NMR assignments of cannabicitran and comparatively evaluate the performance of several density functional theory (DFT) methods with varying levels of theory for the calculation of NMR chemical shifts.