Palladium-Catalyzed C−H Homocoupling of Bromothiophene Derivatives and Synthetic Application to Well-Defined Oligothiophenes

C-C bond formation via double C-H functionalization: aerobic oxidative coupling as a method for synthesizing heterocoupled biaryls

The aerobic oxidative coupling of arenes such as benzofuran and N-substituted indoles with benzene and derivatives thereof is described. The reaction is shown to take place in both inter- and intramolecular scenarios.

The catalytic cross-coupling of unactivated arenes

The industrially important coupling of aromatic compounds has generally required differential prefunctionalization of the arene coupling partners with a halide and an electropositive group. Here we report that palladium, in conjunction with a copper oxidant, can catalyze the cross-coupling of N-acetylindoles and benzenes in high yield and high regioselectivity across a range of indoles without recourse to activating groups. These reactions are completely selective for arene cross-coupling, with no products arising from indole or benzene homo-coupling detected by spectroscopic analysis. This efficient reactivity should be useful in the design of other oxidative arene cross-couplings as well.

Photoluminescent and Liquid-Crystalline Properties of Donor–Acceptor-Type 2,5-Diarylthiazoles

The synthesis of donor-acceptor-type 2,5-diarylthiazoles that bear electron-donating N,N-dialkylamine and electron-withdrawing cyano groups at the 2- and 5-position, respectively, were carried out with transition-metal-catalyzed C-H arylation reactions developed by us. The compounds were synthesized by the C-H arylation of unsubstituted thiazole at the 2-position with a palladium/copper catalyst in the presence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) as an activator. Further C-H arylation of the 2-arylated thiazole at the 5-position was carried out by the palladium-catalyzed reaction in the presence of silver(I) fluoride to afford the donor-acceptor-type 2,5-diarylthiazoles with N,N-dialkylamine groups of different chain lengths. The UV/Vis absorption, photoluminescence, and electrochemical behavior were similar regardless of chain length, whereas liquid-crystalline behavior and thermal characteristics were found to be dependent on the alkyl-chain length. The compounds with N,N-diethylamine or N-butyl-N-methyl groups showed a stable liquid-crystalline phase over a wide temperature range as well as higher stability to thermal decomposition.

Highly Regioselective Catalytic Oxidative Coupling Reactions: Synthetic and Mechanistic Investigations

A highly efficient and regioselective Pd-catalyzed method for the oxidative coupling of arylpyridine derivatives is reported. Remarkably, the reactions proceed at room temperature and are compatible with diverse functionalities, including aryl halides and thiophenes. Mechanistic studies suggest that these transformations proceed via a previously unprecedented mechanism involving two different pyridine-directed C-H activation reactions-one at a PdII center and one at PdIV.