Cascade reactions are sequences in which the product of one transformation becomes the substrate of the next without being isolated, so several bonds are formed in one operation. The attraction is that unstable intermediates never accumulate and that no purification or solvent change intervenes; the constraint is that every step has to proceed under the same conditions and that the catalysts present must not interfere with one another. A three-component sequence catalysed by a single base is a compact case: the chromene skeleton is assembled in one pot from simple precursors [1]. Sequences in which each step needs a different catalyst can still be run together if the catalysts are mutually compatible, as a one-pot sequence forming dihydroquinolinones shows [2]. Stereocontrol can be carried through a cascade, and a double asymmetric sequence catalysed by two distinct chiral catalysts gives chlorinated oxindoles with two adjacent stereocentres [3]. Combining a photocatalyst with an enzyme extends the concept across catalytic disciplines [4]. Transition-metal-free variants, among them iodide-mediated cyclisations, widen the scope further [5].
- one-pot synthesis
- tandem reaction
- domino reaction
- sequential catalysis
- stereocontrol
- reaction intermediate
- atom economy
Synthesis and Reactions of Organic Compounds·Organic Chemistry·Chemistry·Physical Sciences
References
- Qian, W.; Amegadzie, A.; Winternheimer, D.; Allen, J. One-Pot Synthesis of 3-Triazolyl-2-iminochromenes via a Catalytic Three Component Cascade Reaction. Organic Letters 2013, 15, 2986-2989. [CrossRef]
- Nemoto, T.; Fukuda, T.; Hamada, Y. Efficient synthesis of 3-substituted 2,3-dihydroquinolin-4-ones using a one-pot sequential multi-catalytic process: Pd-catalyzed allylic amination–thiazolium salt-catalyzed Stetter reaction cascade. Tetrahedron Letters 2006, 47, 4365-4368. [CrossRef]
- Fang, X.; Deng, Z.; Zheng, W.; Antilla, J.C. Catalytic One-Pot Double Asymmetric Cascade Reaction: Synthesis of Chlorinated Oxindoles and Geminal Diamines. ACS Catalysis 2019, 9, 1748-1752. [CrossRef]
- Qiao, X.; Pei, Q.; Dai, Y.; Wang, L.; Wang, Z. Photo-Biocatalytic One-Pot Cascade Reaction for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Hydroxysulfone Compounds. Catalysts 2025, 15, 733. [CrossRef]
- Datta, K.; Mitra, B.; Pariyar, G.C.; Ghosh, P. KI mediated one-pot cascade reaction for synthesis of 1,3,4-selenadiazoles. RSC Advances 2024, 14, 15449-15454. [CrossRef]