"Cut and Sew" Transformations via Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond Activation

Silver-mediated oxidative C–C bond sulfonylation/arylation of methylenecyclopropanes with sodium sulfinates: facile access to 3-sulfonyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes

The novel AgNO₃-mediated sulfonylation/arylation of a C–C σ-bond in MCPs with sodium sulfinates to synthesize 3-sulfonylated 1,2-dihydronaphthalenes is reported.

Regioselective cycloaddition of potassium alkynyltrifluoroborates with 3-azetidinones and 3-oxetanone by nickel-catalysed C–C bond activation

The nickel-catalysed (4+2) cycloaddtion of potassium alkynyltrifluoroborates and 3-azetidinones and 3-oxetanone gives only one regioisomer for all alkyne substituents.

Tuneable access to isoquinolines via a transition-metal-free C(sp3)–C(sp3) bond cleavage rearrangement reaction

A novel divergent synthesis of multi-substituted isoquinolines via C(sp³)–C(sp³) bond cleavage rearrangement reactions was realized.

Synthesis of 2-acetyl trisubstituted furans via copper-mediated deacylation cleavage of unstrained C(sp3)–C(sp2) bonds

A copper-mediated tandem addition/cyclization/carbon–carbon cleavage reaction for the convenient synthesis of 2-acyl trisubstituted furans has been developed.

Iron-catalyzed oxidative C–C(vinyl) σ-bond cleavage of allylarenes to aryl aldehydes at room temperature with ambient air

The iron-catalyzed C−C single bond cleavage and oxidation of allylarenes without the assistance of heteroatoms/directing groups to produce aryl aldehydes is disclosed.

Rh(i)-Catalyzed intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of yne-vinylidenecyclopropanes

A Rh(i)-catalyzed intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of yne-vinylidenecyclopropanes has been developed, providing fused [6.5]-bicyclic products in moderate to good yields.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of 3,4-Polyfused Oxindoles with Quaternary All-Carbon Stereocenters: A Rh-Catalyzed C-C Activation Approach

The first Rh-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of a 3,4-polyfused oxindole ring system enabled by carboacylation of acrylic amides based on C-C activation is reported. This transformation provides a new entry to access 3,4-polyfused oxindoles bearing quaternary stereocenters. Tri- to pentacyclic 3,4-fused oxindoles were asymmetrically generated in good yields (up to 95%) with good to excellent enantioselectivity (88%-97% ee). Application in the first total synthesis of xylanigripones A was completed in 6 steps with a 14% overall yield.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Reductive Dimethylcyclopropanation of 1,3-Dienes

Dimethylcyclopropanes are valuable synthetic targets that are challenging to access in high yield using Zn carbenoid reagents. Herein, we describe a cobalt-catalyzed variant of the Simmons-Smith reaction that enables the efficient dimethylcyclopropanation of 1,3-dienes using a Me₂ CCl₂ /Zn reagent mixture. The reactions proceed with high regioselectivity based on the substitution pattern of the 1,3-diene. The products are vinylcyclopropanes, which serve as substrates for transition-metal-catalyzed ring-opening reactions, including 1,3-rearrangement and [5+2] cycloaddition. Preliminary studies indicate that moderately activated monoalkenes are also amenable to dimethylcyclopropanation under the conditions of cobalt catalysis.

Ag(I)-Catalyzed [3 + 2]-Annulation of Cyclopropenones and Formamides via C-C Bond Cleavage

An unprecedented Ag-catalyzed [3 + 2]-annulation of cyclopropenones and DMF via C-C bond cleavage is disclosed. This protocol exhibited excellent chemo- and regio-selectivity, and tolerated various functional groups. More importantly, DMF served as the C═O bond in the cycloaddition reaction, providing an efficient way to construct γ-aminobutenolides. In addition, transesterification reaction occurred when DMF was replaced by esters.

Divergent ring-opening coupling between cyclopropanols and alkynes under cobalt catalysis

Cobalt-diphosphine catalysts promote ring-opening coupling reactions between cyclopropanols and unactivated internal alkynes, affording either β-alkenyl ketones or multisubstituted cyclopentenol derivatives in good yields with good to excellent regioselectivities. The chemoselectivity between these β-alkenylation and [3 + 2] annulation reactions, which likely share a cobalt homoenolate as a key catalytic intermediate, is exquisitely controlled by the reaction conditions, with the solvent being a major controlling factor. The reactions are proposed to involve ring opening of cobalt cyclopropoxide into homoenolate, migratory insertion of the alkyne into the Co-C bond, and protodemetalation or intramolecular carbonyl addition of the resulting alkenylcobalt species. The feasibility of these reaction steps was supported by DFT calculations.

Intermolecular selective carboacylation of alkenes via nickel-catalyzed reductive radical relay

The development of catalytic carboacylation of simple olefins, which would enable the rapid construction of ketones with high levels of complexity and diversity, is very challenging. To date, the vast majority of alkene carboacylation reactions are typically restricted to single- and two-component methodologies. Here we describe a three-component carboacylation of alkenes via the merger of radical chemistry with nickel catalysis. This reaction manifold utilizes a radical relay strategy involving radical addition to an alkene followed by alkyl radical capture by an acyl-nickel complex to forge two vicinal C-C bonds under mild conditions. Excellent chemoselectivity and regioselectivity have been achieved by utilizing a pendant weakly chelating group. This versatile protocol allows for facile access to a wide range of important β-fluoroalkyl ketones from simple starting materials.

Formal group insertion into aryl C‒N bonds through an aromaticity destruction-reconstruction process

Given the abundance and the ready availability of anilines, the selective insertion of atoms into the aryl carbon–nitrogen bonds will be an appealing route for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing aromatic molecules. However, because aryl carbon–nitrogen bonds are particularly inert, anilines are normally activated by conversion to more reactive intermediates such as aryldiazonium salts to achieve functionalization of the aryl carbon–nitrogen bonds, but the nitrogen atom is usually not incorporated into products, instead being discarded. The selective insertion of groups into aryl carbon–nitrogen bonds remains an elusive challenge and an unmet need in reaction design. Here we show an aromaticity destruction-reconstruction process that selectively inserts a trimethylenemethane (TMM) group into the aromatic carbon–nitrogen bond of anilines concomitant with a benzylic carbon–hydrogen bond functionalization. This process provides a transformative mode for anilines, and the insertion products are versatile precursor to various nitrogen-containing aromatic molecules through simple conversions.

Activation of C–N bonds of anilines requires transformation of the amino group into a more reactive functionality. Here, the authors report an aromaticity destruction-reconstruction process that converts abundant anilines into valuable amines through group insertion into the C–N bond and benzylic C–H functionalization.

Activation of diverse carbon-heteroatom and carbon-carbon bonds via palladium(II)-catalysed β-X elimination

Chemists' ability to synthesize structurally complex, high-value organic molecules from simple starting materials is limited by methods to selectively activate and functionalize strong alkyl C(sp³) covalent bonds. Recent activity has focused on the activation of abundant C-O, C-N and C-C bonds via a mechanistic paradigm of oxidative addition of a low-valent, electron-rich transition metal. This approach typically employs nickel(0), rhodium(I), ruthenium(0) and iron catalysts under conditions finely tuned for specific, electronically activated substrates, sometimes assisted by chelating functional groups or ring strain. By adopting a redox-neutral strategy involving palladium(II)-catalysed C-H activation followed by β-heteroatom/carbon elimination, we describe here a catalytic method to activate alkyl C(sp³)-oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, fluorine and sulfur bonds with high regioselectivity. Directed hydrofunctionalization of the resultant palladium(II)-bound alkene leads to formal functional group metathesis. The method is applied to amino acid upgrading with complete regioselectivity and moderate to high retention of enantiomeric excess. Low-strain heterocycles undergo strong-bond activation and substitution, giving ring-opened products.

Integrating Metal-Catalyzed C-H and C-O Functionalization To Achieve Sterically Controlled Regioselectivity in Arene Acylation

One major goal of organometallic chemists is the direct functionalization of the bonds most recurrent in organic molecules: C-H, C-C, C-O, and C-N. An even grander challenge is C-C bond formation when both precursors are of this category. Parallel to this is the synthetic goal of achieving reaction selectivity that contrasts with conventional methods. Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) via Friedel-Crafts acylation is the most renowned method for the synthesis of aryl ketones, a common structural motif of many pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, fragrances, dyes, and other commodity chemicals. However, an EAS synthetic strategy is only effective if the desired site for acylation is in accordance with the electronic-controlled regioselectivity of the reaction. Herein we report steric-controlled regioselective arene acylation with salicylate esters via iridium catalysis to access distinctly substituted benzophenones. Experimental and computational data indicate a unique reaction mechanism that integrates C-O activation and C-H activation with a single iridium catalyst without an exogenous oxidant or base. We disclose an extensive exploration of the synthetic scope of both the arene and the ester components, culminating in the concise synthesis of the potent anticancer agent hydroxyphenstatin.

Concise Synthesis of (-)-Cycloclavine and (-)-5- epi-Cycloclavine via Asymmetric C-C Activation

To illustrate the synthetic significance of C-C activation methods, here we describe an efficient strategy for the enantioselective total syntheses of (-)-cycloclavine and (-)-5- epi-cycloclavine, which is enabled by an asymmetric Rh-catalyzed "cut-and-sew" transformation between benzocyclobutenones and olefins. Despite the compact structure of cycloclavine with five-fused rings, the total synthesis was accomplished in 10 steps with a 30% overall yield. Key features of the synthesis include (1) a Pd-catalyzed tandem C-N bond coupling/allylic alkylation sequence to construct the nitrogen-tethered benzocyclobutenone, (2) a highly enantioselective Rh-catalyzed carboacylation of alkenes to forge the indoline-fused tricyclic structure, and (3) a diastereoselective cyclopropanation for preparing the tetrasubstituted cyclopropane ring. Notably, an improved catalytic condition has been developed for the nitrogen-tethered cut-and-sew transformation, which uses a low catalyst loading and allows for a broad substrate scope with high enantioselectivity (94-99% e.e.). The C-C activation-based strategy employed here is anticipated to have further implications for syntheses of other natural products that contain complex fused or bridged rings.

Enantioselective Ruthenium-Catalyzed Benzocyclobutenone-Ketol Cycloaddition: Merging C-C Bond Activation and Transfer Hydrogenative Coupling for Type II Polyketide Construction

The first enantioselective intermolecular metal-catalyzed cycloadditions of benzocyclobutenones via C-C bond oxidative addition are described. In the presence of a ruthenium(0) complex modified by ( R)-DM-SEGPHOS, tetralone-derived ketols and benzocyclobutenones combine to form cycloadducts with complete regio- and diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivity. Using this method, the "bay region" substructure of the angucycline natural product arenimycin was prepared.

Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Ring-Closing Reaction of Allene-Alkene-Alkynes: One-Step Construction of Tricyclo[6.4.0.02,6 ] and Bicyclo[6.3.0] Skeletons from Linear Carbon Chains

Treatment of dodecatrienyne derivatives with [RhCl(CO)₂ ]₂ in refluxing toluene effected the cycloisomerization to produce tricyclo[6.4.0.0^2,6 ]dodecadienes. The one-carbon shortened undecatrienyne derivatives, however, afforded bicyclo[6.3.0]undecatriene derivatives instead of tricyclic compounds, the latter of which are well known as a basic skeleton of naturally occurring octanoids. On the basis of two experiments with deuterated substrates, a plausible reaction mechanism for the construction of these products was proposed.

Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of Substituted Quinazolines from Benzonitriles and 2-Ethynylanilines via Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage Using Molecular Oxygen

A copper-catalyzed process for the synthesis of substituted quinazolines from benzonitriles and 2-ethynylanilines using molecular oxygen (O₂) as sole oxidant is described. The mild catalytic system enabled the effective cleavage of the C-C triple bond and construction of new C-N and C-C bonds in one operation. Furthermore, the compound N, N-dimethyl-4-(2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)quinazolin-4-yl)aniline (3dj) exhibited obvious aggregation-induced emission phenomenon, and the fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_F,film) and lifetime (τ_film) were measured to be 45.5% and 5.8 ns in thin films state, respectively.

Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Simple Ketones via Activation of Unstrained Carbon-Carbon Bonds

Here, we describe that simple ketones can be efficiently employed as electrophiles in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions via catalytic activation of unstrained C-C bonds. A range of common ketones, such as cyclopentanones, acetophenones, acetone and 1-indanones, could be directly coupled with various arylboronates in high site-selectivity, which offers a distinct entry to more functionalized aromatic ketones. Preliminary mechanistic study suggests that the ketone α-C-C bond was cleaved via oxidative addition.

Mechanistic insights into Pd(0)-catalyzed intermolecular and intramolecular hydroamination of methylenecyclopropanes: a computational study

The mechanisms of transition metal-catalyzed methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs)-involved reactions are rather complicated due to the diverse pathways for the activation of MCPs. Herein, computational studies were carried out to investigate the detailed mechanisms of Pd(0)-catalyzed intermolecular and intramolecular hydroamination of MCPs. The initial activation of the three-membered ring of MCPs readily occurs via the insertion of Pd(0) into the distal C-C bond, leading to a metallacyclobutane intermediate. The commonly proposed oxidative addition of amine/amide nucleophile (Nu-H) onto the Pd(0) center to afford a hydrido-Pd(ii) complex, however, is less favorable in comparison with the Pd(0)-mediated cleavage of the distal C-C bond of MCPs. Subsequently, for the Pd(0)-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination of 1,1-diphenyl MCP with 2-pyrrolidone, it is more favorable for the C1 of the metallacyclobutane intermediate to undergo protonation to yield a π-allylpalladium intermediate, from which the final allylamine product is afforded via reductive elimination. For the Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of aniline-tethered MCP, the intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the amine moiety to C3/C4 of the corresponding metallacyclobutane intermediate is preferable to generate a cyclic intermediate. Subsequent proton transfer steps could occur to complete the hydroamination reaction. The different pKa values of the N-H bonds of amide/amine are mainly responsible for the mechanistic difference in the Pd(0)-catalyzed hydroamination of MCPs.

Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Homopropargylallene-Alkynes through C(sp3 )-C(sp) Bond Activation

Upon exposure to a catalytic amount of [RhCl(CO)₂ ]₂ in 1,4-dioxane, homopropargylallene-alkynes underwent a novel cycloisomerization accompanied by the migration of the alkyne moiety of the homopropargyl functional group to produce six/five/five tricyclic compounds in good yields. A plausible mechanism was proposed on the basis of an experiment with ¹³ C-labeled substrate. The resulting tricyclic derivatives were further converted into the corresponding bicyclo[3.3.0] skeletons with vicinal cis dihydroxy groups.

Ruthenium(0)-Catalyzed Cycloaddition of 1,2-Diols, Ketols, or Diones via Alcohol-Mediated Hydrogen Transfer

Merging the characteristics of transfer hydrogenation and carbonyl addition, a broad new class of ruthenium(0)-catalyzed cycloadditions has been developed. As discussed in this Minireview, fused or bridged bicyclic ring systems are accessible in a redox-independent manner in C-C bond-forming hydrogen transfer reactions of diols, α-ketols, or 1,2-diones with diverse unsaturated reactants.

Base-promoted amide synthesis from aliphatic amines and ynones as acylation agents through C-C bond cleavage

A new protocol for the synthesis of amides via base-promoted cleavage of the C(sp)-C(CO) bond of ynones with aliphatic primary and secondary amines under transition-metal-, ligand-, and oxidant-free conditions has been developed. This method exhibits a wide substrate scope, high functional group tolerance and exclusive chemoselectivity, as well as mild reaction conditions.

Fused-Ring Formation by an Intramolecular "Cut-and-Sew" Reaction between Cyclobutanones and Alkynes

The development of a catalytic intramolecular "cut-and-sew" transformation between cyclobutanones and alkynes to construct cyclohexenone-fused rings is described herein. The challenge arises from the need for selective coupling at the more sterically hindered proximal position, and can be addressed by using an electron-rich, but less bulky, phosphine ligand. The control experiment and 13 C-labelling study suggest that the reaction may start with cleavage of the less hindered distal C-C bond of cyclobutanones, followed by decarbonylation and CO reinsertion to enable Rh insertion at the more hindered proximal position.

Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Carboacylation/Aromatization Cascade Initiated by Regioselective C-C Activation of Benzocyclobutenones

Described here is the first example of a rhodium-catalyzed carboacylation/aromatization cascade of a C=O bond by C-C activation. In this transformation, a reactive rhodaindanone complex is regioselectively generated and adds across a C=O bond with subsequent elimination, thus providing a unique strategy to access a multisubstituted benzofuran scaffold. A diverse range of benzofuran analogues were obtained in good yields. Mechanistic studies show a tricyclic lactone was a viable intermediate. Application of this methodology to the total synthesis of C13-deOH-viniferifuran and C13-deOH-diptoindonesin G was achieved.