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DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1720388
Iron-Catalyzed C(sp3)–H Alkylation through Ligand-to-Metal Charge Transfer
We thank NIGMS for support (GM125206).
Abstract
We report the FeCl3-catalyzed alkylation of nonactivated C(sp3)–H bonds. Photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer at the iron center generates chlorine radicals that then preferentially abstract hydrogen atoms from electron-rich C(sp3)–H bonds distal to electron-withdrawing functional groups. The resultant alkyl radicals are trapped by electron-deficient olefins, and the catalytic cycle is closed by Fe(II) recombination and protodemetalation.
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Key words
C(sp3)–H bond activation - photocatalysis - charge transfer - iron catalysis - alkylation - alkenesThe transformation of alkanes and other feedstock chemicals into value-added compounds remains an important challenge in organic synthesis. The direct catalytic functionalization of nonactivated C(sp3)–H bonds in these compounds provides rapid access to increased molecular complexity (Scheme [1]A).[1] [2] High-energy intermediates are typically necessary to activate inert nonpolar C(sp3)–H bonds, but this is rarely compatible with the goal of chemo- and regioselective functionalization.[3]
Intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) has emerged in recent years as a method to address these challenges,[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] especially in combination with photoredox catalysis, which permits the catalytic generation of radicals capable of HAT under mild conditions.[9–14] Within this paradigm, the use of the chlorine radical as a HAT agent has received renewed attention. Oxidation of dissolved chloride by a photocatalyst provides direct access to catalytic quantities of chlorine radical,[15–18] avoiding the use of stoichiometric and reactive reagents such as chlorine gas or N-chlorosuccinimide (Scheme [1]B).[19] As a highly electronegative atom, chlorine would be expected to act as an electrophilic radical, preferentially activating more-electron-rich C(sp3)–H bonds distal from an electron-withdrawing group despite the thermodynamic bias toward α-abstraction.[20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]


Besides photoredox catalysis, ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) has emerged as an alternative method of accessing the high-energy radicals needed to activate strong C(sp3)–H bonds.[26] [27] [28] [29] [30] Such LMCT processes in transition-metal chloride complexes (Cu, Fe, Cr) have been used for the photogeneration of chlorine radicals for alkane oxidation and chlorination.[31–35] Because the oxidation of chloride is necessarily accompanied by simultaneous reduction at the metal center under the LMCT manifold, chlorine radicals can be generated without the use of strongly oxidizing photocatalysts. In this vein, our group recently developed the photocatalytic C(sp3)–H alkylation of alkanes by using copper(II) chloride (Scheme [1]C).[36] We also reported the iron(III) chloride-catalyzed abstraction of hydrogen from a primary C(sp3)–H bonds to generate radicals poised to undergo a 1,2-migration mediated by a neighboring π-system. Simple modifications of the reaction conditions provide access to divergent skeletally rearranged products (Scheme [1]D).[37]
Here, we report an extension of the FeCl3-catalyzed reaction to the alkylation of nonactivated C(sp3)–H bonds distal to electron-withdrawing moieties (Scheme [1]E). A range of compounds containing electron-withdrawing groups can be functionalized, including ketones, nitriles, acyl chlorides, and sulfones. Mechanistic studies support a catalytic cycle similar to that proposed for the CuCl2-catalyzed reaction.
Initial optimization of the reaction was performed by using pentan-3-one and benzyl acrylate (Table [1]). A catalyst loading of 25 mol% FeCl3 and the use of benzyl acrylate as the limiting reagent were found to be effective (Table [1], entry 1). The addition of lithium chloride resulted in decreased yields, as did conducting the reaction at elevated temperatures (entries 2 and 3). UV–vis spectrometric studies of FeCl3 in acetonitrile revealed three peaks at λmax = 239, 313, and 361 nm, with a tail into the visible region (see the Supplementary Information). The observed peaks are in excellent agreement with the reported absorption spectrum of FeCl4 – in acetonitrile.[38] Addition of an excess of lithium chloride did not change any of the observed λmax values, providing further evidence that FeCl4 – is the photoactive species in our system. Control reactions revealed the necessity for light and FeCl3 (entries 4 and 5). A further control reaction involving irradiating the reaction for one hour and continuing the reaction in the dark led to a greatly reduced yield (entry 6), militating against a radical-chain mechanism that is simply initiated by FeCl3, although we cannot completely rule out the possibility of short chain processes. Diminished yields were observed when 427 nm irradiation was used instead (entry 7), whereas the reaction suffered little loss of efficiency when run under an air atmosphere (entry 8).
a Optimizations were performed on a 0.3 mmol scale by using pentan-3-one (3 equiv), benzyl acrylate (1 equiv), and MeCN (1 mL, 0.3 M).
b Yields were determined by NMR spectroscopy with 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene as the internal standard.
With the optimized conditions, we sought to explore the scope of substrates that could be selectively functionalized (Scheme [2]A). Pentan-3-one was alkylated with benzyl, ethyl, or phenyl acrylate with comparable efficiencies to give products 3–5, respectively. Slightly lower yields were observed with butan-2-one (6 and 7). With heptan-4-one, moderate selectivity was observed for the β-position over the γ-position (8), reflecting the greater bond strength of primary C(sp3)–H bonds.[20] A benzylic position was alkylated, albeit in a lower yield (9). Cyclic ketones were also effective substrates, giving products 10–12. With cyclohexanone, an approximately statistical mixture of regioisomers (β/γ = 2:1) was observed, in line with previous studies using decatungstate as a HAT catalyst.[39] Nitriles and sulfones also functioned as electron-withdrawing groups in promoting exclusive β-functionalization to give products 13–16. Norcamphor was alkylated predominantly at the 5-position, giving product 17 in a moderate yield. Finally, isobutyryl chloride was amenable to the transformation, with product 18 being isolated as the diethyl ester after workup in alkaline ethanol.


We next examined the scope of the olefins that could serve as effective radical acceptors (Scheme [2]B). α-Substituted acrylates and acrylonitriles were suitable coupling partners, giving products 19–20, as was a vinyl sulfone (21). With some olefins, we found that performing the reaction at 60 °C and at a higher dilution improved the yield. Disubstituted olefins such as N-methylmaleimide, maleic anhydride, and fumaronitrile gave good yields of products 22–24, whereas a trisubstituted alkene also proved to be an efficient acceptor; interestingly, the adduct of this alkene was isolated as a mixture of acyclic (25) and cyclic (25a) isomers. The initially isolated product (from silica gel column chromatography) consisted of a 4:1 mixture of 25 and 25a. However, further treatment of this mixture with silica in dichloromethane appeared to promote ring-opening, increasing the ratio to 9:1. It is therefore possible that the reaction produces exclusively or mostly the cyclic aldol-type product and that the ring-opened product is an artifact of the purification process.
We performed several experiments to investigate the mechanism of the transformation. When D2SO4 (0.5 equiv) was added to the reaction mixture (Scheme [3]A), minimal deuterium incorporation was observed (15%). This was despite the limited amount of H+ present in the reaction mixture (from the HCl generated by HAT), and suggests a large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) in the protodemetalation step. A competition experiment between cyclohexane and its deuterated analogue (Scheme [3]B) also revealed a secondary deuterium KIE of 1.41 for the HAT step, suggesting that the HAT step is not rate limiting. A smaller KIE value of 1.20 was previously observed for an analogous experiment with CuCl2,[36] but we attribute this to the Cu-catalyzed reaction being performed at 60 °C as opposed to room temperature.


We therefore propose the mechanism for the reaction shown in Scheme [4]. FeCl3 first self-ionizes to FeCl2 + and FeCl4 –.[38] The latter species undergoes LMCT under 390 nm irradiation to generate a chlorine radical and an Fe(II) species. The chlorine radical abstracts hydrogen from a C(sp3)–H bond in the substrate to form an alkyl radical that then adds to the electron-deficient olefin. The resultant radical is then trapped by Fe(II) to form an iron enolate. Protodemetalation of this enolate and regeneration of the Fe(III) catalyst is likely to be the turnover-limiting step, in line with our mechanistic experiments and the previously proposed mechanism for CuCl2.


In conclusion, we report an efficient method for the alkylation of nonactivated C(sp3)–H bonds distal to electron-withdrawing functional groups by using an iron(III) catalyst under visible-light irradiation. The operationally simple and robust protocol, along with the use of an inexpensive and abundant catalyst, renders this a useful transformation for converting feedstock chemicals into value-added products.
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Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgment
We thank Dr. Brandon Fowler for performing the HRMS measurements.
Supporting Information
- Supporting information for this article is available online at https://doi-org.accesdistant.sorbonne-universite.fr/10.1055/s-0040-1720388.
- Supporting Information
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References and Notes
- 1 Bergman RG. Nature 2007; 446: 391
- 2 Hartwig JF, Larsen MA. ACS Cent. Sci. 2016; 2: 281
- 3 Chu JC. K, Rovis T. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 62
- 4 Kattamuri PV, West JG. Synlett 2021; 32: 1179
- 5 Hu A, Guo J.-J, Pan H, Zuo Z. Science 2018; 361: 668
- 6 Perry IB, Brewer TF, Sarver PJ, Schultz DM, DiRocco DA, MacMillan DW. C. Nature 2018; 560: 70
- 7 Yi H, Zhang G, Wang H, Huang Z, Wang J, Singh AK, Lei A. Chem. Rev. 2017; 117: 9016
- 8 Ravelli D, Fagnoni M, Fukuyama T, Nishikawa T, Ryu I. ACS Catal. 2018; 8: 701
- 9 Prier CK, Rankic DA, MacMillan DW. C. Chem. Rev. 2013; 113: 5322
- 10 Romero NA, Nicewicz DA. Chem. Rev. 2016; 116: 10075
- 11 Hu D, Jiang X. Synlett 2021; in press
- 12 Choi GJ, Zhu Q, Miller DC, Gu CJ, Knowles RR. Nature 2016; 539: 268
- 13 Chu JC. K, Rovis T. Nature 2016; 539: 272
- 14 Cuthbertson JD, MacMillan DW. C. Nature 2015; 519: 74
- 15 Ohkubo K, Fujimoto A, Fukuzumi S. Chem. Commun. 2011; 47: 8515
- 16 Ohkubo K, Mizushima K, Fukuzumi S. Res. Chem. Intermed. 2013; 39: 205
- 17 Rohe S, Morris AO, McCallum T, Barriault L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 15664
- 18 Deng H.-P, Zhou Q, Wu J. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 12661
- 19 Fokin AA, Schreiner PR. Chem. Rev. 2002; 102: 1551
- 20 Hudzik JM, Bozzelli JW. J. Phys. Chem. A 2012; 116: 5707
- 21 Walling C. Free Radicals in Solution . Wiley; New York: 1957
- 22 Zavitsas AA, Pinto JA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1972; 94: 7390
- 23 Roberts BP, Steel AJ. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1994; 2155
- 24 Zavitsas A. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1996; 391
- 25 Roberts BP. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1996; 2719
- 26 Hu A, Guo J.-J, Pan H, Tang H, Gao Z, Zuo Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018; 140: 1612
- 27 An Q, Wang Z, Chen Y, Wang X, Zhang K, Pan H, Liu W, Zuo Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020; 142: 6216
- 28 Shields BJ, Doyle AG. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016; 138: 12719
- 29 Ackerman LK. G, Martinez Alvarado JI, Doyle AG. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018; 140: 14059
- 30 Deng H.-P, Fan X.-Z, Chen Z.-H, Xu Q.-H, Wu J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017; 139: 13579
- 31 Kochi JK. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1962; 84: 2121
- 32 Shulpin GB, Kats MM. React. Kinet. Catal. Lett. 1990; 41: 239
- 33 Shulpin GB, Kats MM. Pet. Chem. 1991; 31: 647
- 34 Takaki K, Yamamoto J, Matsushita Y, Morii H, Shishido T, Takehira K. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2003; 76: 393
- 35 Takaki K, Yamamoto J, Komeyama K, Kawabata T, Takehira K. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2004; 77: 2251
- 36 Treacy SM, Rovis T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021; 143: 2729
- 37 Kang YC, Treacy SM, Rovis T. ACS Catal. 2021; 11: 7442
- 38 Swanson TB, Laurie VW. J. Phys. Chem. 1965; 69: 244
- 39 Okada M, Fukuyama T, Yamada K, Ryu I, Ravelli D, Fagnoni M. Chem. Sci. 2014; 5: 2893
- 40 Benzyl 6-Oxooctanoate (3); Typical Procedure An oven-dried 1.5 dram vial was charged with FeCl3 (25 mol%). (Any solid reactants were also added at this stage.) A magnetic stirrer bar was added, and the vial was transferred to a glovebox. Anhyd MeCN (1 mL, 0.3 M) was then added, followed by pentan-3-one (5 equiv) and benzyl acrylate (1 equiv, 0.3 mmol). The vial was sealed and then placed on a stirrer plate 2 in. (5 cm) from a 390 nm Kessil lamp. Ambient temperature was maintained by the use of a fan above the setup. After 36 h, the mixture was concentrated in vacuo and purified by flash column chromatography [silica gel, EtOAc–hexanes (1:5)]. to give a colorless oil; yield: 40.4 mg (54%). IR (film): 2939, 1732, 1712, 1497, 1455, 1414, 1377, 1211, 1113, 1084, 976, 739, 697 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 7.62–7.12 (m, 5 H), 5.11 (s, 2 H), 2.54–2.25 (m, 6 H), 1.72–1.51 (m, 4 H), 1.04 (t, J =7.4 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 211.12, 173.26, 136.14, 128.63, 128.38, 128.28, 66.24, 41.92, 35.95, 34.13, 24.56, 23.34, 7.90. LRMS (EI): m/z [M+] calcd for C15H20O3; 248.14; found: 248.1.
- 41 Ethyl 3-(3-Oxocyclobutyl)propanoate (10) Prepared by following the typical procedure from cyclobutanone and ethyl acrylate as a yellow oil; yield: 20.1 mg (39%). IR (film): 2979, 1780, 1728, 1448, 1374, 1342, 1251, 1179, 1099, 1028 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 4.13 (q, J = 7.1 Hz, 2 H), 3.23–3.02 (m, 2 H), 2.79–2.61 (m, 2 H), 2.47–2.35 (m, 1 H), 2.34 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 2 H), 1.92 (q, J = 7.6 Hz, 2 H), 1.26 (t, J = 7.1 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 207.51, 173.06, 60.64, 52.48, 33.18, 31.45, 23.58, 14.34. HRMS (ASAP): m/z [M + H]+calcd for C9H15O3: 171.1021; found: 171.1012. Benzyl 3-(1,1-Dioxidotetrahydro-3-thienyl)propanoate (16) Prepared by following the typical procedure from sulfolane and benzyl acrylate as a viscous colorless oil; yield: 49.3 mg (58%). IR (film): 2940, 1728, 1497, 1454, 1414, 1388, 1354, 1301, 1268, 1168, 1117, 749, 698, 570, 460 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 7.41–7.30 (m, 5 H), 5.12 (s, 2 H), 3.19 (tdd, J = 13.2, 7.8, 2.1 Hz, 2 H), 2.99 (ddd, J = 13.2, 11.3, 7.7 Hz, 1 H), 2.64 (dd, J = 13.0, 10.8 Hz, 1 H), 2.47–2.35 (m, 3 H), 2.31 (dddd, J = 14.9, 7.7, 3.5, 1.6 Hz, 1 H), 1.92–1.72 (m, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 172.31, 135.67, 128.73, 128.54, 128.46, 66.69, 56.61, 52.26, 36.16, 31.99, 29.50, 28.94. LRMS (EI): m/z [M+] calculated for C14H18O4S; 282.09; found: 282.1. 1-Methyl-3-(3-Oxopentyl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (22) Prepared by following the typical procedure from pentan-3-one and N-methylmaleimide as a yellow oil; yield: 33.9 mg (57%). IR (film): 2938, 1774, 1691, 1434, 1379, 1278, 1117, 954, 698 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 2.94 (s, 3 H), 2.89–2.75 (m, 2 H), 2.71–2.55 (m, 2 H), 2.43 (q, J =7.3 Hz, 2 H), 2.33 (dd, J =17.3, 3.7 Hz, 1 H), 2.05–1.95 (m, 1 H), 1.93–1.83 (m, 1 H), 1.04 (t, J =7.3 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 210.16, 179.70, 176.39, 39.04, 38.84, 36.11, 34.86, 25.64, 24.85, 7.84. HRMS (ASAP): m/z [M + H]+ calcd for C10H16NO3: 198.1130; found: 198.1127.
Corresponding author
Publication History
Received: 17 June 2021
Accepted after revision: 19 July 2021
Article published online:
09 August 2021
© 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
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References and Notes
- 1 Bergman RG. Nature 2007; 446: 391
- 2 Hartwig JF, Larsen MA. ACS Cent. Sci. 2016; 2: 281
- 3 Chu JC. K, Rovis T. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 62
- 4 Kattamuri PV, West JG. Synlett 2021; 32: 1179
- 5 Hu A, Guo J.-J, Pan H, Zuo Z. Science 2018; 361: 668
- 6 Perry IB, Brewer TF, Sarver PJ, Schultz DM, DiRocco DA, MacMillan DW. C. Nature 2018; 560: 70
- 7 Yi H, Zhang G, Wang H, Huang Z, Wang J, Singh AK, Lei A. Chem. Rev. 2017; 117: 9016
- 8 Ravelli D, Fagnoni M, Fukuyama T, Nishikawa T, Ryu I. ACS Catal. 2018; 8: 701
- 9 Prier CK, Rankic DA, MacMillan DW. C. Chem. Rev. 2013; 113: 5322
- 10 Romero NA, Nicewicz DA. Chem. Rev. 2016; 116: 10075
- 11 Hu D, Jiang X. Synlett 2021; in press
- 12 Choi GJ, Zhu Q, Miller DC, Gu CJ, Knowles RR. Nature 2016; 539: 268
- 13 Chu JC. K, Rovis T. Nature 2016; 539: 272
- 14 Cuthbertson JD, MacMillan DW. C. Nature 2015; 519: 74
- 15 Ohkubo K, Fujimoto A, Fukuzumi S. Chem. Commun. 2011; 47: 8515
- 16 Ohkubo K, Mizushima K, Fukuzumi S. Res. Chem. Intermed. 2013; 39: 205
- 17 Rohe S, Morris AO, McCallum T, Barriault L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 15664
- 18 Deng H.-P, Zhou Q, Wu J. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018; 57: 12661
- 19 Fokin AA, Schreiner PR. Chem. Rev. 2002; 102: 1551
- 20 Hudzik JM, Bozzelli JW. J. Phys. Chem. A 2012; 116: 5707
- 21 Walling C. Free Radicals in Solution . Wiley; New York: 1957
- 22 Zavitsas AA, Pinto JA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1972; 94: 7390
- 23 Roberts BP, Steel AJ. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1994; 2155
- 24 Zavitsas A. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1996; 391
- 25 Roberts BP. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1996; 2719
- 26 Hu A, Guo J.-J, Pan H, Tang H, Gao Z, Zuo Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018; 140: 1612
- 27 An Q, Wang Z, Chen Y, Wang X, Zhang K, Pan H, Liu W, Zuo Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020; 142: 6216
- 28 Shields BJ, Doyle AG. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016; 138: 12719
- 29 Ackerman LK. G, Martinez Alvarado JI, Doyle AG. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018; 140: 14059
- 30 Deng H.-P, Fan X.-Z, Chen Z.-H, Xu Q.-H, Wu J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017; 139: 13579
- 31 Kochi JK. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1962; 84: 2121
- 32 Shulpin GB, Kats MM. React. Kinet. Catal. Lett. 1990; 41: 239
- 33 Shulpin GB, Kats MM. Pet. Chem. 1991; 31: 647
- 34 Takaki K, Yamamoto J, Matsushita Y, Morii H, Shishido T, Takehira K. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2003; 76: 393
- 35 Takaki K, Yamamoto J, Komeyama K, Kawabata T, Takehira K. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2004; 77: 2251
- 36 Treacy SM, Rovis T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021; 143: 2729
- 37 Kang YC, Treacy SM, Rovis T. ACS Catal. 2021; 11: 7442
- 38 Swanson TB, Laurie VW. J. Phys. Chem. 1965; 69: 244
- 39 Okada M, Fukuyama T, Yamada K, Ryu I, Ravelli D, Fagnoni M. Chem. Sci. 2014; 5: 2893
- 40 Benzyl 6-Oxooctanoate (3); Typical Procedure An oven-dried 1.5 dram vial was charged with FeCl3 (25 mol%). (Any solid reactants were also added at this stage.) A magnetic stirrer bar was added, and the vial was transferred to a glovebox. Anhyd MeCN (1 mL, 0.3 M) was then added, followed by pentan-3-one (5 equiv) and benzyl acrylate (1 equiv, 0.3 mmol). The vial was sealed and then placed on a stirrer plate 2 in. (5 cm) from a 390 nm Kessil lamp. Ambient temperature was maintained by the use of a fan above the setup. After 36 h, the mixture was concentrated in vacuo and purified by flash column chromatography [silica gel, EtOAc–hexanes (1:5)]. to give a colorless oil; yield: 40.4 mg (54%). IR (film): 2939, 1732, 1712, 1497, 1455, 1414, 1377, 1211, 1113, 1084, 976, 739, 697 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 7.62–7.12 (m, 5 H), 5.11 (s, 2 H), 2.54–2.25 (m, 6 H), 1.72–1.51 (m, 4 H), 1.04 (t, J =7.4 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 211.12, 173.26, 136.14, 128.63, 128.38, 128.28, 66.24, 41.92, 35.95, 34.13, 24.56, 23.34, 7.90. LRMS (EI): m/z [M+] calcd for C15H20O3; 248.14; found: 248.1.
- 41 Ethyl 3-(3-Oxocyclobutyl)propanoate (10) Prepared by following the typical procedure from cyclobutanone and ethyl acrylate as a yellow oil; yield: 20.1 mg (39%). IR (film): 2979, 1780, 1728, 1448, 1374, 1342, 1251, 1179, 1099, 1028 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 4.13 (q, J = 7.1 Hz, 2 H), 3.23–3.02 (m, 2 H), 2.79–2.61 (m, 2 H), 2.47–2.35 (m, 1 H), 2.34 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 2 H), 1.92 (q, J = 7.6 Hz, 2 H), 1.26 (t, J = 7.1 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 207.51, 173.06, 60.64, 52.48, 33.18, 31.45, 23.58, 14.34. HRMS (ASAP): m/z [M + H]+calcd for C9H15O3: 171.1021; found: 171.1012. Benzyl 3-(1,1-Dioxidotetrahydro-3-thienyl)propanoate (16) Prepared by following the typical procedure from sulfolane and benzyl acrylate as a viscous colorless oil; yield: 49.3 mg (58%). IR (film): 2940, 1728, 1497, 1454, 1414, 1388, 1354, 1301, 1268, 1168, 1117, 749, 698, 570, 460 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 7.41–7.30 (m, 5 H), 5.12 (s, 2 H), 3.19 (tdd, J = 13.2, 7.8, 2.1 Hz, 2 H), 2.99 (ddd, J = 13.2, 11.3, 7.7 Hz, 1 H), 2.64 (dd, J = 13.0, 10.8 Hz, 1 H), 2.47–2.35 (m, 3 H), 2.31 (dddd, J = 14.9, 7.7, 3.5, 1.6 Hz, 1 H), 1.92–1.72 (m, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 172.31, 135.67, 128.73, 128.54, 128.46, 66.69, 56.61, 52.26, 36.16, 31.99, 29.50, 28.94. LRMS (EI): m/z [M+] calculated for C14H18O4S; 282.09; found: 282.1. 1-Methyl-3-(3-Oxopentyl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (22) Prepared by following the typical procedure from pentan-3-one and N-methylmaleimide as a yellow oil; yield: 33.9 mg (57%). IR (film): 2938, 1774, 1691, 1434, 1379, 1278, 1117, 954, 698 cm–1. 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 2.94 (s, 3 H), 2.89–2.75 (m, 2 H), 2.71–2.55 (m, 2 H), 2.43 (q, J =7.3 Hz, 2 H), 2.33 (dd, J =17.3, 3.7 Hz, 1 H), 2.05–1.95 (m, 1 H), 1.93–1.83 (m, 1 H), 1.04 (t, J =7.3 Hz, 3 H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 210.16, 179.70, 176.39, 39.04, 38.84, 36.11, 34.86, 25.64, 24.85, 7.84. HRMS (ASAP): m/z [M + H]+ calcd for C10H16NO3: 198.1130; found: 198.1127.








