From arylethanals

Patent applications from Astellas Pharma [77,78] and Fujisawa [79] have disclosed series of guanine, imidates and aminoimidazoles built on a bis arylethane core structure. Some of these are very potent. Compound 36 inhibits the human and rat enzymes with IC50 = 150 nM and 12nM, respectively compounds 37, 38 and 39 inhibit human SSAO/VAP-1 with IC50 = 5.7 nM, 5.3 nM and 2.4 nM, respectively. 

The cobalt carbonyl complex is also an effective catalyst for the siloxy-methylation of aromatic aldehydes.110 Arylethane-l,2-diol disilylethers are obtained in good yields, resulting from incorporation of one molecule of CO and two molecules of HSiR3. Good selectivity for the siloxymethylation product is observed at 0°C in hexane. At 15°C, faster reaction rates are observed, but the selectivity for the CO-incorporated product is lower. In contrast, aliphatic aldehydes react under these conditions (1 atm CO, 0°C) to give only a small amount of CO-incorporated product, with a major product resulting from hydrosilylation. 

The reaction of sodium azide with l-bromo-l-nitro-2-arylethenes takes place by a formal 1,3-cycloaddition Scheme leading to 4(5)-aryl-5(4)-nitro-l,2,3-triazoles [487-489], During the synthesis of nitrotriazoles the bromonitroarylethenes can be replaced successfully by the more readily obtainable l,2-dibromo-l-nitro-2-arylethanes [489], The intermediate product in the synthesis of 3-nitropyrazoles from 2,2-dinitroethanol and diazo ketones or diazoacetic ester is 1,1-dinitroethene [490,491] (Scheme 68). 

Decarbonylation and carbonylation. 1,1 -Di arylethanes (of particular interest are the chiral members) are obtained from decarbonylation of 3,3-diarylpropanals. Such compounds are accessible from cinnamaldehydes in two steps, involving two different Rh-catalyzed reactions. ... 

Andersson, C.-M., Larsson, J. and Hallberg, A. (1990) Chelation-controlled, paUadium-catalyzed vinylic substitution reactions of vinyl ethers. 2-Arylethanal equivalents from aryl halides. J. Org. Chem., 55, 5757-61. 

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