No abstract

In the presence of a catalyst system consisting of a ruthenium/triphos complex and the Brønsted acid trifluoromethanesulfonimide, mixtures of fatty acids and aliphatic alcohols are converted into the corresponding ethers at 70 bar H2 . The protocol allows the sustainable one-step synthesis of valuable long-chain ether fragrances, lubricants, and surfactants from renewable sources. The reaction protocol is extended to various fatty acids and esters both in pure form and as mixtures, for example, tall oil acids or rapeseed methyl ester (RME). Even the mixed triglyceride rapeseed oil was converted in one step.

Practical one-pot procedures were developed for both Sandmeyer-type trifluoromethylations and trifluoromethylthiolations. Starting from broadly available (hetero)aromatic amines, various benzotrifluorides were synthesized in high yields via in situ diazotization and copper-mediated trifluoromethylation using the inexpensive Ruppert-Prakash trifluoromethylating reagent. In the presence of sodium thiocyanate as a sulfur source, aryl trifluoromethyl thioethers are exclusively formed.

A copper(I) catalyst enables the insertion of carbon dioxide into alkyne C-H bonds by using a suitable organic base with which hydrogenation of the resulting carboxylate salt with regeneration of the base becomes thermodynamically feasible. In the presence of catalytic copper(I) chloride/4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, polymer-bound triphenylphosphine, and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine as the base, terminal alkynes undergo carboxylation at 15 bar CO and room temperature. After filtration, the ammonium alkynecarboxylate can be hydrogenated to the primary alcohol and water at a rhodium/molybdenum catalyst, regenerating the amine base. This demonstrates the feasibility of a salt-free overall process, in which carbon dioxide serves as a C1 building block in a C-H functionalization.

Pressure. -(ARNDT, M.; RISTO, E.; KRAUSE, T.; GOOSSEN*, L. J.; ChemCatChem 4 (2012) 4, 484-487, http://dx.