The Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reaction of Phenylboronic Acid with Haloarenes in the Presence of Bases

Biaryl synthesis with control of axial chirality

Biaryls have been a persistent focus of interest for chemists since it was recognised, more than 80 years ago, that they can manifest the axial chirality that is inherent in structures consisting of intersecting dissymmetric planes. In recent decades their importance has risen steeply as this structural motif proved spectacularly successful in catalytic synthetic roles and was found to be significant in the context of biological activity. As a consequence, synthetic methods which allowed the construction of biaryls with axial stereocontrol have become highly desirable, and this article traces the development of non-resolution approaches to biaryls with a chosen axial configuration.

New regiospecific isothiazole C–C coupling chemistry

Regioselective palladium catalysed coupling reactions are achieved in good to high yields, starting from either 3,5-dichloro- or 3,5-dibromoisothiazole-4-carbonitriles 1 and 2, providing 3-halo-5-(hetero/aryl, alkenyl and alkynyl)isothiazoles 3, 4, 6-9 from Stille couplings, 3-halo-5-(hetero/arylethynyl)isothiazoles 14-19 from Sonogashira and 5,5'-bi(3-chloroisothiazole-4-carbonitrile) (13) from an Ullmann type coupling. 3,5-Dibromoisothiazole-4-carbonitrile 2 is more reactive than the dichloroisothiazole-4-carbonitrile 1 and effective enough for Stille, Negishi and Sonogashira couplings. 5,5-Bi(3-chloroisothiazole-4-carbonitrile) (13) is prepared by a palladium catalysed Ullmann coupling from 3-chloro-5-iodoisothiazole-4-carbonitrile (11). A variety of 3-substituted isothiazoles (3-substituents = Cl, Br, OMs, OTs and OTf) are less reactive and fail to give successful Suzuki couplings at the isothiazole C-3 position. The 3-iodo-5-phenyl-isothiazole-4-carbonitrile (28), prepared via Sandmeyer iodination, participates successfully in Suzuki, Ullmann type, Stille, Negishi and Sonogashira coupling reactions. All products are fully characterized.

Changes in Coordination of Sterically Demanding Hybrid Imidazolylphosphine Ligands on Pd(0) and Pd(II)

Low-coordinate organometallic complexes are important in structure and catalysis, and hemilability or secondary interactions such as hydrogen bonding enabled by hybrid ligands are receiving increasing attention. To study the factors controlling these phenomena, three new imidazol-2-ylphosphine ligands, L, were made. In these ligands, the bulk around P and the hindrance at the basic and potentially coordinating imidazole N-3 were varied. Remarkably, L(2)Pd(0) complexes 3a-c were shown to be two-coordinate, 12-electron species, despite the availability of imidazole N-3 to enter into eta(2)-P,N chelation. In oxidative additions of C-X bonds to the Pd(0) complexes, reaction rates and products could be controlled by the nature of the C and X groups and the R groups on the phosphine. Most significantly, whereas 4c-PhI and 4c-MeOTf from 3c are normal trans-bis(phosphine)Pd(R)(X) species, 5a-PhI, 5a-PhBr, and 5b-PhI from 3a and 3b were shown by X-ray diffraction to be a monomeric species with a single eta(2)-P,N-chelating phosphine. From 3a and methyl triflate, an ionic complex [6a-Me](+)[OTf](-) with one chelating and one nonchelating phosphine was formed, with temperature-dependent windshield-wiper exchange of the two, showing hemilability. Thus, large phosphine substituents (R = tert-butyl rather than isopropyl) favor chelation. The chelate Pd-imidazole N-3 bond is longer when the heterocyclic nitrogen is hindered by an adjacent tert-butyl group at C-4 (comparing 5a-PhI and 5b-PhI). Finally, whereas in [8b-Ph](+)[OTf](-) from 5b-PhI and isopropylamine, the amine coordinates without chelate opening or hydrogen bonding, in [10c-Me](+)[OTf](-) made from 4c-MeOTf and isopropylamine, the amine is not only coordinated at N but also donates a hydrogen bond to each phosphine imidazol-2-yl substituent.

Bisphosphonate inhibition of the exopolyphosphatase activity of the Trypanosoma brucei soluble vacuolar pyrophosphatase

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, contains a soluble, vacuolar pyrophosphatase, TbVSP1, not present in humans, which is essential for the growth of bloodstream forms in their mammalian host. Here, we report the inhibition of a recombinant TbVSP1 expressed in Escherichia coli by a panel of 81 bisphosphonates. The IC50 values were found to vary from approximately 2 to 850 microM. We then used 3D QSAR (comparative molecular field and comparative molecular similarity index; CoMFA and CoMSIA) methods to analyze the enzyme inhibition results. The R2 values for the experimental versus the QSAR-predicted activities were 0.78 or 0.61 for CoMFA and 0.79 or 0.68 for CoMSIA, for two different alignments. The root-mean-square (rms) pIC50 error for the best CoMFA model was 0.41 for five test sets of five activity predictions, which translates to a factor of approximately 2.6 error in IC50 prediction. For CoMSIA, the rms pIC50 error and error factors were 0.35 and 2.2, respectively. In general, the most active compounds contained both a single aromatic ring and a hydrogen bond donor feature. Thirteen of the more potent compounds were then tested in vivo in a mouse model of T. brucei infection. The most active compound in vivo provided a 40% protection from death with no apparent side effects, suggesting that further development of such compounds may be of interest.

Synthesis of Functionalized Diaryldimethylstannanes from the Me2Sn2- Dianion by SRN1 Reactions

[reaction: see text] The reaction of different ArCl with the Me(2)Sn(2)(-) dianion in liquid ammonia under irradiation afforded Ar(2)SnMe(2) in good yields (68-85%). The results obtained clearly indicate that the reaction proceeded through an S(RN)1 reaction. As a synthetic application of these Ar(2)SnMe(2), the homocoupling is described in the presence of Cu(NO(3))(2).2.5H(2)O to afford the biaryls. These reactions proceeded almost quantitatively.

Novel Polymer Incarcerated Palladium with Phosphinated Polymers: Active Catalyst for Suzuki−Miyaura Coupling without External Phosphines

[reaction: see text] Immobilization of a palladium catalyst with use of new phosphinated polymers was carried out utilizing the polymer incarcerated (PI) method. This phosphinated PI Pd catalyst showed excellent activity in Suzuki-Miyaura couplings without addition of external phosphine ligands. No leaching of Pd was observed in this reaction, and the catalyst was recovered quantitatively by simple filtration and reused several times without loss of activity.

Carbon-carbon bonding made easy

The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between organoboranes and organic electrophiles in the presence of base was first developed 30 years ago. It offers a powerful and general methodology for forming carbon-carbon bonds. The scope of the reaction has continued to evolve and broaden to meet modern synthetic requirements.

Neutral Pyridyl-Functionalized C,N-ortho-Chelated Aminoaryl Platinum(II) Corner Building Blocks for Application in Coordination Reactions

Two homoleptic pyridyl-functionalized C,N-ortho-chelating aminoaryl platinum(II) complexes, cis-[Pt(eta(2)-C,N)] (3a,b), were prepared via an unconventional method involving the initial synthesis of a bromide-functionalized C,N-chelating aminoaryl platinum(II) precursor complex 8, to which subsequently pyridyl groups were attached via a Suzuki-Miyaura C-C coupling reaction. The electron-donating properties of the pyridyl nitrogen atoms of the resulting complexes (3a,b) were used in complexation reactions with monocationic NCN-pincer (NCN = [C6H3(CH2NMe2)(2-)2,6]-) platinum(II) (11a) and palladium(II) (12a) nitrate complexes [M(NCN)(NO3)], thereby obtaining four trimetallic coordination complexes 16-19. The difference in the pyridine-metal coordination behavior between platinum and palladium was studied by varying the ratios of the reagents and by variable-temperature NMR experiments. IR and Raman analyses of 11a and 12a were performed to determine the coordination behavior of the nitrate counteranion, and it was found that both NO3- and H2O coordinate to the metal centers. The crystal structure determinations of free pyridyl complex 3a, [Pt(NCN)(NO3)] (11a), and [Pt(NCN)(NO3)].(H2O) (11b), as well as the crystal structure of trisplatinum coordination complex 16, are reported.

Synthesis and modification of dibenzylglycine derivatives via the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

The objective of this paper is to describe in details of various available methods to prepare C(alpha,alpha)-dibenzylglycine (Dbzg) and then include our work involving the synthesis of side chain Dbzg derivatives. alpha,alpha-Disubstituted amino acids (alpha,alphaAAs) are important members in the family of modified amino acids. Replacement of the alpha-hydrogens of glycine 1 by alkyl groups leads to alpha,alphaAAs. The steric hindrance of the quaternary centre of Aib 2 combined with the helix-forming capacity has attracted the attention of structural biologists and protein crystallographers. Dbzg 3 is a special structural variant of Aib. The presence of two benzyl groups at C(alpha)-position not only impart rigidity to the peptide backbone in which it is incorporated, but also acts as a useful vehicle for studying pi-pi interactions. Although several C(alpha,alpha)-disubstituted glycines such as C(alpha,alpha)-diethyl glycine (Deg), C(alpha,alpha)-dipropyl glycine (Dpg) etc. have been studied in detail, not much has been known about Dbzg because of limited availability of synthetic procedures. Various Dbzg derivatives 19a-f have been prepared using ethyl isocyanoacetate 14 as a glycine equivalent (eq.). A useful and simple methodology has been developed using the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction for the modification of Dbzg derivatives 17d, 19d, 22. Using this 'Building Block Approach' (Accounts of Chemical Research 36, 2003, 342) one can generate a variety of Dbzg derivatives 20a-f and 23a-e, which may find useful applications in combinatorial synthesis and QSAR studies.

Catalysis with Transition Metal Nanoparticles in Colloidal Solution: Nanoparticle Shape Dependence and Stability

While the nanocatalysis field has undergone an explosive growth during the past decade, there have been very few studies in the area of shape-dependent catalysis and the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of transition metal nanoparticles as well as their recycling potential. Metal nanoparticles of different shapes have different crystallographic facets and have different fraction of surface atoms on their corners and edges, which makes it interesting to study the effect of metal nanoparticle shape on the catalytic activity of various organic and inorganic reactions. Transition metal nanoparticles are attractive to use as catalysts due to their high surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk catalytic materials, but their surface atoms could be so active that changes in the size and shape of the nanoparticles could occur during the course of their catalytic function, which could also affect their recycling potential. In this Feature Article, we review our work on the effect of the shape of the colloidal nanocatalyst on the catalytic activity as well as the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of the colloidal transition metal nanocatalysts and their recycling potential. These studies provide important clues on the mechanism of the reactions we studied and also can be very useful in the process of designing better catalysts in the future.

Rhodium-catalyzed C-H–CO–olefin coupling reactions — A chelation-assisted direct carbonylation at the ortho C—H bond in the benzene ring of 2-arylpyridines

The reaction of 2-arylpyridines with ethylene and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalytic amount of Rh4(CO)12 results in selective carbonylation at the ortho C—H bond. The reaction is heavily dependent on the solvents used, with DMA (N,N-dimethylacetamide) being the solvent of choice. Steric factors are also important determinants of the efficiency of the reaction.Key words: C—H bond activation, carbonylation, chelation, rhodium, carbon monoxide.

Triphenylphosphine-Mediated Reductive Cyclization of 2-Nitrobiphenyls: A Practical and Convenient Synthesis of Carbazoles

The synthesis of a series of substituted carbazoles from the corresponding 2-nitrobiphenyl derivatives using a novel modification of the Cadogan reaction is described. Cyclization of the 2-nitrobiphenyls was achieved via reductive deoxygenation of the nitro groups using a slight excess of triphenylphosphine in a suitable solvent. We have observed a temperature dependence on the extent of conversion under these conditions, with higher boiling solvents affording higher yields across a range of substrates. The new reaction conditions are very straightforward and convenient to execute, tolerate a broad range of functional groups, and yield carbazole products in the absence of unwanted side products.

ipso-nitration of arylboronic acids with chlorotrimethylsilane-nitrate salts

[reaction: see text] A mixture of nitrate salt and chlorotrimethylsilane is found to be an efficient regioselective nitrating agent for the ipso-nitration of arylboronic acids to produce the corresponding nitroarenes in moderate to excellent yields. High selectivity, simplicity, and convenience are the key features of the reaction.

Simple amine/Pd(OAc)(2)-catalyzed suzuki coupling reactions of aryl bromides under mild aerobic conditions

A new palladium catalyst (DAPCy) made from Pd(OAc)(2) and commercially available, inexpensive dicyclohexylamine has been developed for the Suzuki coupling reaction of aryl bromides with boronic acids to give the coupling products in good to high yields. The air-stable catalyst was characterized and well-defined by X-ray crystallography. A catalytic system involving DAPCy in dioxane demonstrates a temperature-dependent reactivity toward aryl bromides with different electronic substituents, and selectively couples electron-deficient aryl bromides with boronic acids over electron-rich ones at room temperature. Another catalytic system employing DAPCy in EtOH provides a general and convenient method to prepare biaryls from aryl bromides and boronic acids with a broad range of functional groups at room temperature and under aerobic conditions.

Nitrile-functionalized pyridinium ionic liquids: synthesis, characterization, and their application in carbon-carbon coupling reactions

A series of relatively low-cost ionic liquids, based on the N-butyronitrile pyridinium cation [C(3)CNpy](+), designed to improve catalyst retention, have been prepared and evaluated in Suzuki and Stille coupling reactions. Depending on the nature of the anion, these salts react with palladium chloride to form [C(3)CNpy](2)[PdCl(4)] when the anion is Cl(-) and complexes of the formula [PdCl(2)(C(3)CNpy)(2)][anion](2) when the anion is PF(6)(-), BF(4)(-), or N(SO(2)CF(3))(2)(-). The solid-state structures of [C(3)CNpy]Cl and [C(3)CNpy](2)[PdCl(4)] have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The catalytic activity of these palladium complexes following immobilization in both N-butylpyridinium and nitrile-functionalized ionic liquids has been evaluated in Suzuki and Stille coupling reactions. All of the palladium complexes show good catalytic activity, but recycling and reuse is considerably superior in the nitrile-functionalized ionic liquid. Inductive coupled plasma spectroscopy reveals that the presence of the coordinating nitrile moiety in the ionic liquid leads to a significant decrease in palladium leaching relative to simple N-alkylpyridinium ionic liquids. Palladium nanoparticles have been identified as the active catalyst in the Stille reaction and were characterized using transmission electron microscopy.

Pyridinium-1-yl Bisphosphonates Are Potent Inhibitors of Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase and Bone Resorption

We report the design, synthesis and testing of a series of novel bisphosphonates, pyridinium-1-yl-hydroxy-bisphosphonates, based on the results of comparative molecular similarity indices analysis and pharmacophore modeling studies of farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) inhibition, human Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cell activation and bone resorption inhibition. The most potent molecules have high activity against an expressed FPPS from Leishmania major, in Dictyostelium discoideum growth inhibition, in gammadelta T cell activation and in an in vitro bone resorption assay. As such, they represent useful new leads for the discovery of new bone resorption, antiinfective and anticancer drugs.

Simple (Imidazol-2-ylidene)-Pd-Acetate Complexes as Effective Precatalysts for Sterically Hindered Suzuki−Miyaura Couplings

[reaction: see text] A simplified synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)Pd-carboxylate complexes and their activity in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions are described. Coupling of sterically hindered aryl and activated alkyl chlorides bearing beta-hydrogens has been successfully achieved.

The Suzuki homocoupling reaction under high-intensity ultrasound

The Pd-catalysed Suzuki homocoupling of boronic acids was successfully carried out in water under high-intensity ultrasound (HIU). Heterogeneous catalysis with Pd/C, facilitating work up and purification, could be used without adding phosphine ligands. Reaction rates and yields were strongly influenced by the oxidant employed; excellent results were obtained using either molecular oxygen or 3-bromo-4-hydroxycoumarin. 3-Arylation of the latter with the Suzuki procedure had failed, exclusively affording the homocoupling products, symmetric biaryls. Besides offering a number of operational advantages, the use of HIU broadens the field of application for the Suzuki reaction.