Glycerol/hypophosphorous acid and PhSeSePh: an efficient and selective system for reactions in the carbon-carbon double bond of (E)-chalcones

摘要

We describe herein our results for the reaction of benzeneselenol, generated in situ by reaction of diphenyl diselenide with H3PO2, with various (E)-chalcones using glycerol as solvent. Using our optimized reaction conditions, a range of chemoselective 1,4-reduction products could be obtained in good yields. The glycerol/H3PO2 system can be easily recovered and reused in chemoselective 1,4-reductions for successive cycles without loss of efficiency. Additionally, under 1,4-reducing reaction conditions, the natural product zingerone can be synthesized in good yield.