PdII -Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp3 )-H Arylation of Cyclobutyl Ketones Using a Chiral Transient Directing Group

The use of chiral transient directing groups (TDGs) is a promising approach for developing PdII -catalyzed enantioselective C(sp3 )-H activation reactions. However, this strategy is challenging because the stereogenic center on the TDG is often far from the C-H bond, and both TDG covalently attached to the substrate and free TDG are capable of coordinating to PdII centers, which can result in a mixture of reactive complexes. We report a PdII -catalyzed enantioselective β-C(sp3 )-H arylation reaction of aliphatic ketones using a chiral TDG. A chiral trisubstituted cyclobutane was efficiently synthesized from a mono-substituted cyclobutane through sequential C-H arylation reactions, thus demonstrating the utility of this method for accessing structurally complex products from simple starting materials. The use of an electron-deficient pyridone ligand is crucial for the observed enantioselectivity. Interestingly, employing different silver salts can reverse the enantioselectivity.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Redox-Neutral Coupling of α-Trifluoromethylacrylic Acid with Benzamides through Directed C-H Bond Cleavage

A rhodium(III)-catalyzed redox-neutral coupling of α-trifluoromethylacrylic acid with bezamides proceeds smoothly accompanied by amide-directed C-H bond cleavage to produce β-[2-(aminocarbonyl)phenyl]-α-trifluoromethylpropanoic acid derivatives. One of the products can be transformed to a trifluoromethyl substituted heterocyclic compound. In addition, the redox-neutral coupling of α-trifluoromethylacrylic acid with related aromatic substrates possessing a nitrogen-containing directing group can also be conducted under similar conditions.

Encoding Chiral Molecular Information in Metal Structures

The concept of encoding molecular information in bulk metals has been proposed over the past decade. The structure of various types of molecules, including enantiomers, can be imprinted in achiral substrates. Typically, to encode metals with chiral information, several approaches, based on chemical and electrochemical concepts, can be used. In this Minireview, recent achievements with respect to the development of such materials are discussed, including the entrapment of chiral biomolecules in metals, the chiral imprinting of metals, as well as the combination of imprinting with nanostructuring. The features and potential applications of these designer materials, such as chirooptical properties, enantioselective adsorption and separation, as well as their use for asymmetric synthesis will be presented. This will illustrate that the development of molecularly encoded metal structures opens up very interesting perspectives, especially in the frame of chiral technologies.

DFT study on the mechanism of bimetallic Pd-Zn-catalyzed cycloaddition of alkynyl aryl ethers with internal alkynes

The reaction mechanism of bimetallic Pd-Zn-catalyzed cycloaddition of alkynyl aryl ethers with internal alkynes has been studied theoretically. Besides cycloaddition reaction, the dimerization of alkynyl aryl ethers was also considered. Both C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3 and C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiMe3 were chosen as the substrates. The reactions involve C-H activation of the substrate, acetic acid rotation, H transformation, MeC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CMe or substrate insertion into the Pd-phenyl bond and reductive elimination steps. It is found that cycloaddition is favored for C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3, while dimerization is preferred for C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiMe3, because the steric repulsion between two bulky SiiPr3 groups is relatively large and the steric repulsion between two small SiMe3 groups is relatively small. In addition, besides C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3, four other substrates C6H5CH2C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3, C6H5C(O)C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3, C6H5SC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3 and C6H5N(H)C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3 have been calculated as the substrates for cycloaddition reaction with MeC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CMe. Among the five substrates, C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3 has the lowest energy barrier (29.9 kcal mol-1), consistent with the experimental observation that C6H5OC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiiPr3 is the appropriate substrate for successful cycloaddition.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes in C-H Activation Reactions

In this contribution, we provide a comprehensive overview of C-H activation methods promoted by NHC-transition metal complexes, covering the literature since 2002 (the year of the first report on metal-NHC-catalyzed C-H activation) through June 2019, focusing on both NHC ligands and C-H activation methods. This review covers C-H activation reactions catalyzed by group 8 to 11 NHC-metal complexes. Through discussing the role of NHC ligands in promoting challenging C-H activation methods, the reader is provided with an overview of this important area and its crucial role in forging carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds by directly engaging ubiquitous C-H bonds.

Photoinduced Heterogeneous C-H Arylation by a Reusable Hybrid Copper Catalyst

Heterogeneous copper catalysis enabled photoinduced C-H arylations under exceedingly mild conditions at room temperature. The versatile hybrid copper catalyst provided step-economical access to arylated heteroarenes, terpenes and alkaloid natural products with various aryl halides. The hybrid copper catalyst could be reused without significant loss of catalytic efficacy. Detailed studies in terms of TEM, HRTEM and XPS analysis of the hybrid copper catalyst, among others, supported its outstanding stability and reusability.

Copper mediated C(sp2)-H amination and hydroxylation of phosphinamides

Copper mediated C(sp2)-H amination and hydroxylation of arylphosphinic acid are accomplished by adopting phosphinamide as the directing group. This method is distinguished by its wide substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance, thus allowing for the rapid preparation of organophosphorus compounds in organic synthesis.

Acid-Controlled Access to β-Sulfenyl Ketones and α,β-Disulfonyl Ketones by Pummerer Reaction of β-Keto Sulfones and Sulfoxides

A convenient acid-mediated reaction of β-keto sulfones with sulfoxides under metal-free conditions has been developed, thereby delivering the acid-controlled synthesis of β-sulfenyl ketones and α,β-disulfonyl ketones in good to excellent yields. The mechanism of the transformations has been studied carefully, which suggested the involvement of a radical process in the formation of α,β-disulfonyl ketones.

Allylation of β-amino phosphonic acid precursor via palladium-NHC catalyzed allylic C–H activation

A Pd(ii)/N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed allylic C–H alkylation of allylbenzene with α-cyano-phosphate ester has been achieved under mild reaction conditions with the highest regioselectivity and stereoselectivity.

Catalytic rhodium (Rh)-based (mesoporous polydopamine) MPDA nanoparticles with enhanced phototherapeutic efficiency for overcoming tumor hypoxia

Rh NPs/Ce6 loaded mesoporous polydopamine (Ce6-Rh@MPDA) nanoparticles were developed to achieve photoacoustic/fluorescence imaging-guided photothermal and photodynamic therapy to eliminate tumors and improve hypoxia in tumor microenvironments.

Aerobically-initiated C(sp3)–H bond amination through the use of activated azodicarboxylates

In this article we report a procedure for α-C(sp³)–H amination of ethereal compounds through use of azodicarboxylates as the nitrogen source and freely-available atmospheric oxygen to access ethereal radical intermediates via aerobic C–H activation.

Asymmetric construction of quaternary α-nitro amides by palladium-catalyzed C(sp3)–H arylation

A Pd-catalyzed enantioselective C(sp³)–H arylation of N-(o-Br-aryl) anilides has been disclosed for the preparation of optically active quaternary amino acid derivatives. Quaternary α-nitro amides are constructed with stereoselectivities of up to 98% ee.

Remote azidation of C(sp3)–H bonds to synthesize δ-azido sulfonamidesviairon-catalyzed radical relay

A selective remote C–H azidation was developed with an iron catalyst playing dual roles as a radical initiator and terminator.

Harnessing hypervalent iodonium ylides as carbene precursors: C–H activation of N-methoxybenzamides with a Rh(iii)-catalyst

The first ever attempt at reacting hypervalent iodonium ylides with readily available N-methoxybenzamides by using a Rh(iii)-catalyst has been well explored.

Salen-based hypercrosslinked polymer-supported Pd as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for C-H halogenation

In this work, we report the first use of a salen-based hypercrosslinked polymer-supported Pd catalyst to carry out C-H halogenation. This catalyst can effectively catalyze C-H bromination and chlorination even better than its homogeneous counterpart Pd(OAc)2. It also showed excellent reusability without loss of catalytic activity for ten cycles. A broad substrate scope was explored and moderate to excellent yields were obtained.

Manganese- and rhenium-catalyzed C–H enaminylation: expedient access to novel indole–purine hybrids with anti-tumor bioactivities

The C–H enaminylation of novel 6-(1H-indol-1-yl)-purines with ketenimines was accomplished by means of aqueous manganese and rhenium catalysis, which sets the stage for the facile synthesis of indole–purine hybrids with anti-tumor bioactivities.

Palladium aminopyridine complexes catalyzed selective benzylic C–H oxidations with peracetic acid

Palladium complexes with tripodal ligands of the tpa family efficiently catalyze benzylic C–H oxidation of various substrates with peracetic acid, affording the corresponding ketones in high yields (up to 100%), at <1 mol% catalyst loadings.

Metal-Free Oxidative Cross-Coupling Reaction of Heteroaromatic and Related Compounds

The biary unit having heteroatom as important scaffolds widely exist in a large number of biologically active compounds and functional organic molecules. Since the cross-coupling is a useful synthetic method for constructing biaryl and heterobiaryl structures, the development of novel cross-coupling methods has been studied intensively. The oxidative biaryl coupling reaction of aromatic compounds having heteroatoms is an attractive method since they do not require the prefunctionalization of arenes. This report describes recent advances in hypervalent iodine(III) induced metal-free synthesis of biaryls having heteroatoms.

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Cyanation of Remote C(sp3)-H Bonds Enabled by 1,5-Hydrogen Atom Transfer

The direct functionalization of C(sp³)-H bonds has led to the development of methods to access molecules or intermediates from basic chemicals in an atom- and step-economic fashion. Nevertheless, achieving high levels of chemo-, regio-, and enantioselectivity in these reactions remains challenging due to the ubiquity and low reactivity of C(sp³)-H bonds. Herein, we report an unprecedented protocol for enantioselective cyanation of remote C(sp³)-H bonds. With chiral Box-Cu complex as the catalyst, the reaction of N-fluorosulfonamide furnishes the corresponding products in excellent yields and high enantiomeric excess (ee) under mild reaction conditions. A radical relay pathway involving 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) of N-center radicals followed by enantioselective cyanation of the in situ-formed benzyl radicals is proposed. This enantioselective copper-catalyzed cyanation thus offers insights into an efficient way for the synthesis of bioactive molecules for drug discovery.

Visible-Light-Induced Remote C(sp3)-H Pyridylation of Sulfonamides and Carboxamides

Visible-light-induced site-selective C(sp³)-H pyridylation of amides has been accomplished using N-amidopyridinium salts. The N-centered radicals generated by the single-electron reduction of N-amidopyridinium substrates undergo 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer to form alkyl radical intermediates. Excellent C4-selectivity in radical trapping with pyridinium salts is observed for the alkyl radicals to provide δ-pyridyl sulfonamides and γ-pyridyl carboxamides. The utility is demonstrated by offering a practical approach for the late-stage functionalization of complex amide derivatives.

Tertiary amine-directed and involved carbonylative cyclizations through Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed multiple C-X (X = H or N) bond cleavage

A novel Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed carbonylative cyclization by C-H activation and N-dealkylative C-N bond activation has been developed for the chemoselective construction of synthetically useful heterocycles. The N,N-dimethylamine group on o-indolyl-N,N-dimethylarylamines was found to act as both the directing group and reactive component in this C-H carbonylative cyclization reaction. Furthermore, a unique C-H oxidation/carbonylative lactonization of diarylmethylamines is firstly demonstrated under modified reaction conditions, which could be easily applicable to the one-step synthesis of multi-substituted phthalides bearing an N,O-ketal skeleton that is difficult to access by previously reported methods. Mechanistic studies implicate that Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed C-H oxidation/carbonylative lactonization is a sequential reaction system via Cu-catalyzed C(sp3)-H oxidation and Pd-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation of the C(sp2)-H bond. It was found that trace amounts of water are essential to promote the Cu-catalyzed C(sp3)-H oxidation of diarylmethylamine for the formation of the hydroxyl group, which could act as an in situ-formed directing group in the intramolecular carbonylative lactonization step.

Understanding the Activity and Enantioselectivity of Acetyl-Protected Aminoethyl Quinoline Ligands in Palladium-Catalyzed β-C(sp3)-H Bond Arylation Reactions

Chiral acetyl-protected aminoalkyl quinoline (APAQ) ligands were recently discovered to afford highly active and enantioselective palladium catalysts for the arylation of methylene C(sp³)-H bonds, and herein, we investigate the origins of these heightened properties. Unprecedented amide-bridged APAQ-Pd dimers were predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Comparison of structural features between APAQ-Pd complexes and an acetyl-protected aminoethylpyridine APAPy-Pd complex strongly suggests that the high activity of the former originates from the presence of the quinoline ring, which slows the formation of the off-cycle palladium dimer. Furthermore, steric topographic maps for a representative subset of monomeric, monoligated palladium complexes allowed us to draw a unique parallel between the three-dimensional structures of these catalysts and their reported asymmetric induction in β-C(sp³)-H bond arylation reactions. Finally, cooperative noncovalent interactions present between the APAQ ligand and the substrate were identified as a crucial factor for imparting selectivity between chemically equivalent methylenic C(sp³)-H bonds prior to concerted metalation deprotonation activation.

Kinetic Resolution via Rh-Catalyzed C-C Activation of Cyclobutanones at Room Temperature

Herein we describe the development of a highly selective kinetic resolution of cyclobutanones via a Rh-catalyzed "cut-and-sew" reaction with selectivity factor up to 785. This reaction takes place at room temperature with excellent efficiency. Various trans-5,6-fused bicycles and C2-substituted cyclobutanones were obtained with excellent ee's that can be further used as chiral building blocks. DFT calculations reveal the crucial roles of the DTBM-segphos ligand in stabilizing the rate- and enantioselectivity-determining C-C oxidative addition transition state via favorable ligand-substrate dispersion interactions.

Metal-supported and -assisted stereoselective cooperative photoredox catalysis

In this perspective, we review those stereoselective photocatalytic reactions that use synergy between photoredox catalysts and transition metal catalysts. In particular, we highlight the orchestrated interaction between two and more metals which not only enhance the turnover numbers, but also lead to increased selectivities. Aspects of green chemistry and sustainable developments are included. In this review, C-C, C-O, C-N and C-S forming reactions are discussed and a perspective on future developments is given.

MnO2 @Fe3 O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles as Efficient and Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Benzylic sp3 C-H Oxidation

Herein, we report a highly chemoselective and efficient heterogeneous MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ MNP catalyst for the oxidation of benzylic sp³ C-H group of ethers using TBHP as a green oxidant to afford ester derivatives in high yield under batch/continuous flow module. This catalyst was also effective for the benzylic sp³ C-H group of methylene derivatives to furnish the ketone in high yield which can be easily integrated into continuous flow condition for scale up. The catalyst is fully characterized by spectroscopic techniques and it was found that 0.424 % MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ catalyzes the reaction; the magnetic nanoparticles of this catalyst could be easily recovered from the reaction mixture. The recovered catalyst was recycled for twelve cycles without any loss of the catalytic activity. The advantages of MnO₂ @Fe₃ O₄ MNP are its catalytic activity, easy preparation, recovery, and recyclability, gram scale synthesis with a TOF of up to 14.93 h^-1 and low metal leaching during the reaction.

Oxidant speciation and anionic ligand effects in the gold-catalyzed oxidative coupling of arenes and alkynes

The mechanism of the gold-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling of arenes and alkynes has been studied in detail combining stoichiometric experiments with putative reaction intermediates and DFT calculations. Our data suggest that ligand exchange between the alkyne, the Au(i)-catalyst and the hypervalent iodine reagent is responsible for the formation of both an Au(i)-acetylide complex and a more reactive "non-symmetric" I(iii) oxidant responsible for the crucial Au(i)/Au(iii) turnover. Further, the reactivity of the in situ generated Au(iii)-acetylide complex is governed by the nature of the anionic ligands transferred by the I(iii) oxidant: while halogen ligands remain unreactive, acetato ligands are efficiently displaced by the arene to yield the observed Csp2-Csp cross-coupling products through an irreversible reductive elimination step. Finally, the nature of competitive processes and catalyst deactivation pathways has also been unraveled. This detailed investigation provides insights not only on the specific features of the species involved in oxidative gold-catalyzed cross couplings but also highlights the importance of both ancillary and anionic ligands in the reactivity of the key Au(iii) intermediates.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C-H Functionalization: A Practical Access to Optically Active Indoline Derivatives

Ru(II)-catalyzed enantioselective C-H activation/hydroarylation has been developed for the first time, allowing for highly enantioselective synthesis of indoline derivatives via catalytic C-H activation. Commercially available Ru(II) arene complexes and chiral α-methylamines were employed as highly enantioselective catalysts. Based on a sterically rigidified chiral transient directing group, multisubstituted indolines were produced in up to 92% yield with 96% ee. Further transformation of the resulting 4-formylindoline enables access to an optically active tricyclic compound that is of potential biological and pharmaceutical interest.