Sustainable Aerobic Bromination with Controllable Chemoselectivity

The formation of C-Br(s) is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic synthesis. Oxidative bromination is a "green" way to achieve it. Aerobic bromination has drawn great interest in the past decades, while the poor substrate scope and selectivity, low efficiency, and the use of metal catalyst still confine its application. In this article, we establish a transition-metal-free aerobic bromination promoted by ionic liquid in a catalytic amount with controllable chemoselectivity toward numbers of C-Br(s) formed, and both NaBr/AcOH and HBr(aq) could be used as the bromine source. This methodology shows high efficiency and has a broad substrate scope for various kinds of C-H(s). We also validate this system by the gram-scale (one-pot) synthesis of functional molecules and direct recycle of the catalyst. The possible radical pathway of this catalysis is also presented with evidence.

Synthetic Access to Aromatic α-Haloketones

α-Haloketones play an essential role in the synthesis of complex N-, S-, O-heterocycles; of which some exhibit a remarkable biological activity. Research further illustrated that α-bromo-, α-chloro-, and α-iodoketones are key precursors for blockbuster pharmacological compounds. Over the past twenty years, substantial advances have been made in the synthesis of these industrially relevant building blocks. Efforts have focused on rendering the synthetic protocols greener, more effective and versatile. In this survey, we summarised and thoroughly evaluated the progress of the field, established in the past two decades, in terms of generality, efficacy and sustainability.

Artificial sugar saccharin and its derivatives: role as a catalyst

The primary objective of this review was to demonstrate the significance of artificial sugar saccharin and its derivatives as catalysts for a wide variety of organic transformations. The application of saccharin and its derivatives represents a greener and superior catalytic approach for reactions. In particular, we were interested in bringing together the literature pertaining to these saccharin derivatives from a catalysis perspective. The present review reports synthesis of saccharin and its derivatives such as saccharin-N-sulfonic acid, sodium saccharin, N-halo saccharin, saccharin lithium-bromide, N-formyl saccharin, N-acyl saccharin, N-nitrosaccharin, N-SCF₃ saccharin, N-fluorosultam, N-phenylselenosaccharin, N-thiocyanatosaccharin palladium saccharin, DMAP-saccharin, and [Bmim]Sac. This catalytic application of saccharin and its derivatives includes reactions such as the Biginelli reaction, Paal-Knorr pyrrole synthesis, azo-coupling reaction, halogenations, domino Knoevenagel, Michael, deoximation reaction, catalytic condensation, functional group protection and oxidation etc. Also, these saccharin derivatives act as a source of CO, NH₂, SCN, SCF₃ and nitro groups. We reported all the available data on saccharin and its derivatives acting as a catalyst from 1957 to date.

Organic Dye-Catalyzed, Visible-Light Photoredox Bromination of Arenes and Heteroarenes Using N-Bromosuccinimide

A variety of arenes and heteroarenes are brominated in good to excellent yields using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) under mild and practical conditions. According to mechanistic investigations described within, the reaction is speculated to proceed via activation of NBS through a visible-light photoredox pathway utilizing erythrosine B as a photocatalyst. A photo-oxidative approach effectively amplifies the positive polarization on the bromine atom of the NBS reagent. This increase in the electrophilic nature of NBS results in drastically reduced reaction times and diversion from competing light-promoted reactive pathways.

Dibromination of alkenes with LiBr and H2O2 under mild conditions

Activation of H₂O₂ by LiBr and AcOH is efficiently achieved for dibromination of alkenes in high yields and selectivity.

Highly selective Wacker reaction of styrene derivatives: a green and efficient aerobic oxidative process promoted by benzoquinone/NaNO2/HClO4 under mild conditions

A green and efficient catalytic redox system for the aerobic oxidative Wacker oxidation of styrene derivatives at room temperature using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant without copper chloride has been developed. The newly developed system exhibited excellent catalytic activity for the smooth transformation of terminal styrene derivatives to the desired methyl ketones with up to 96% yield and >99% selectivity.

Copper-catalyzed aromatic C-H bond halogenation with lithium halides under aerobic conditions

A concise and practical Cu-catalyzed protocol for the preparation of chloro- and bromoarenes via C-H bond activation has been developed. The advantages of this strategy are the employment of cheap Cu(NO3)2·3H2O, LiX and O2, and its compatibility with both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents on aryl rings.

Efficient NO Equivalent for Activation of Molecular Oxygen and Its Applications in Transition-Metal-Free Catalytic Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation

tert-Butyl nitrite (TBN) was identified as an efficient NO equivalent for the activation of molecular oxygen. The unique property of TBN enabled TEMPO-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation to be performed in high-volume efficiency. Up to a 16,000 turnover number was achieved in this transition-metal-free aerobic catalytic system. Under the optimal reaction conditions, various alcohols were converted into their corresponding carbonyl compounds with TEMPO/HBr/TBN as catalyst. The newly developed method was suitable for the oxidation of solid substrate alcohols with high melting point and/or low solubility under the help of minimum solvent to form a slurry.