The Nierenstein reaction converts acyl chlorides into α-chloroketones using diazomethane. The presence of HCl prevents a competing Wolff rearrangement. The reaction has been applied in the #TotalSynthesis of (-)-Dysibetaine by Kobayashi and co-workers. References in thread!

The Finkelstein reaction converts alkyl halides or sulfonates into other halides via an SN2 exchange with corresponding halide salts. Overman & co-workers exchanged an -OMs for a chloride using LiCl in the #TotalSynthesis of (-)-Strychnine @UCIChemistry References in thread!

The Hofmann elimination generates alkenes from quaternary ammonium salts when treated with base, expelling an amine. The reaction has been applied in the #TotalSynthesis of (-)-Quinine by Woodward and co-workers @HarvardCCB to generate a terminal alkene. References in thread!

In the DeMayo reaction, the enol of a 1,3-dicarbonyl and an alkene undergo [2+2] cycloaddition. Retro-aldol of the resulting cyclobutanol yields a 1,5-dicarbonyl. This has been applied in the #TotalSynthesis of (±)-Longifolene by Oppolzer & co-workers. References in thread!

In the Reformatsky reaction, an α-halo ester is treated with zinc to form an organozinc reagent that adds to carbonyls, yielding β-hydroxy esters. The reaction was applied in the #TotalSynthesis of (−)-Artemisinin by Giannis and co-workers. References in thread!

The Johnson iodination converts an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl into an α-iodoenone by treating the substrate with iodine and DMAP. This reaction has been applied in the #TotalSynthesis of (−)-Curcusone A by Mingji Dai and co-workers. References in thread!

With the new semester, we released an update for @SynStrategy! We added mechanisms, beginning with some oxidation reactions. Building on our quiz & flashcard features, a new statistics tab lets you track completed quizzes and top-searched reactions. Free on iOS & Android!

The Paal-Knorr pyrrole synthesis is a condensation reaction between a 1,4-dicarbonyl and an amine to form pyrroles. In the #TotalSynthesis of (±)-Marinopyrrole B by Clive and co-workers, the amine was added in the form of ammonium acetate. References in thread!

The Kornblum oxidation uses DMSO and base to access aldehydes, ketones, and 1,2-dicarbonyls from alkyl or benzyl halides, or α-halo esters. The reaction was applied by Nicolaou and co-workers @RiceUniversity in the #TotalSynthesis of (–)-Halichondrin B. References in thread!

The Neber #rearrangement generates α-amino ketones when oxime tosylates are treated with base. In the #TotalSynthesis of (+)-Dragmacidin F by @thestoltzgroup @CaltechCCE , the resulting α-amino ketone was elaborated into an aminoimidazole. References in thread!