Methods of synthesizing compounds using CO.sub.2 as a directing group for CH functionalization, and compounds made thereby, are described.

The present invention refers to a process for a transition metal, particularly nickel-catalyzed cyanation reaction of aryl/vinyl halide using organic nitrile compounds. This new reaction provides a strategically distinct approach to the safe preparation of aryl/vinyl cyanides, which are essential compounds in agrochemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Provided are an electron donor that is easy to handle and can be used to carry out a coupling reaction economically and efficiently through simple operations under mild conditions in a short period of time, and a method for synthesizing 4,4-bipyridine using the electron donor. The electron donor includes a mixture of a dispersion product obtained by dispersing sodium in a dispersion solvent and 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, and this electron donor is used in the method for synthesizing 4,4-bipyridine.

A process for the selective removal of a component from a liquid phase and subsequently returning the component to a liquid phase is disclosed. A novel compound of formula I [SUP]-[[L]-[G]].sub.a (I) in which L is a linking group, G is an aryl group having a leaving group LG selected from Cl, Br, I, sulfonate such as triflate, a diazo group, a nitrile, an ester and an alkoxy group and substituent Q is selected from H, NR.sub.2, OR, CO.sub.2R, F, Cl, NO.sub.2 CN and SUP is a support having a plurality of groups -[L]-[G] bound to the support is contacted with the liquid phase to bind the component to the compound I thereby forming a captured component which is separated from and may be returned to the liquid phase. The compound I is especially useful in binding homogeneous catalysts to remove it from a reaction medium and selectively returning the catalyst to the reaction medium at a later stage. The compound is particularly useful for cross-coupling reactions, for example in Suzuki reactions.

Synthesis of organic compounds that has chirality is an important technique in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals, health foods and the like. However, raw materials of a catalyst used for the synthesis of such compounds are expensive, and the synthesis needs many steps, so that it is difficult to reduce the cost. Linking a catalyst center to a polymer chain or a resin through an organic group enables to use the catalyst repeatedly and produce a chiral compound at low cost.

The present invention relates to a novel chiral phase-transfer catalyst, and a method for preparing an alpha-amino acid by using the same. According to the present invention, an alpha-amino acid of high optical purity could be synthesized in a high yield under an easy industrially applicable reaction condition by using a novel cinchona alkaloid compound as a chiral phase-transfer catalyst, and thus the present invention can be used as a key technique of the asymmetric alpha-amino acid synthesis and preparation field.

The present invention relates to a method for producing (functionalized) biaryls by employing a visible-light-driven, gold-catalyzed CC cross-coupling reaction system involving boron- and silicon-containing aryl compounds and aryldiazonium compounds. Moreover, the present invention relates to the use of such boron- and silicon-containing aryl compounds and aryldiazonium compounds, as well as related gold catalysts, in the manufacture of (functionalized) biaryls.

A process for the selective removal of a component from a liquid phase and subsequently returning the component to a liquid phase is disclosed. A novel compound of formula (I) [SUP]-[[L]-[G]]a (I) in which L is a linking group, G is an aryl group having a leaving group LG selected from Cl, Br, I, sulfonate such as triflate, a diazo group, a nitrile, an ester and an alkoxy group and substituent Q is selected from H, NR2, OR, CO2R, F, Cl, NO2 CN and SUP is a support having a plurality of groups -[L]-[G] bound to the support is contacted with the liquid phase to bind the component to the compound I thereby forming a captured component which is separated from and may be returned to the liquid phase. The compound I is especially useful in binding homogeneous catalysts to remove it from a reaction medium and selectively returning the catalyst to the reaction medium at a later stage. The compound is particularly useful for cross-coupling reactions, for example in Suzuki reactions.

The present invention relates to a novel chiral phase-transfer catalyst, and a method for preparing an alpha-amino acid by using the same. According to the present invention, an alpha-amino acid of high optical purity could be synthesized in a high yield under an easy industrially applicable reaction condition by using a novel cinchona alkaloid compound as a chiral phase-transfer catalyst, and thus the present invention can be used as a key technique of the asymmetric alpha-amino acid synthesis and preparation field.

Methods of synthesizing compounds using CO.sub.2 as a directing group for CH functionalization, and compounds made thereby, are described.