Hangman salen platforms containing dibenzofuran scaffolds
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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Efficient Construction of Drug-like Bispirocyclic Scaffolds Via Organocatalytic Cycloadditions of α-Imino γ-Lactones and Alkylidene Pyrazolones
Published on: February 7, 2019
Jenny Y Yang1, Shih-Yuan Liu, Ivan V Korendovych
1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Abstract:
The synthesis of salen ligands bearing two rigid dibenzofuran spacers functionalized with carboxylic acid and benzoic acid groups completes a series of "Hangman" ligands with the acid functionalities differentially extended across the molecular cleft. Stopped-flow studies show that a high-valent metal oxo intermediate is produced at Hangman platforms when H(2)O(2) is employed as a primary oxidant. The activity of this oxo species in promoting the disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide and olefin epoxidations is discussed in the context of the distance between the acid group and the metal center. The chemistry of the Hangman oxo complexes described here provides a roadmap for water-splitting chemistry.
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