Mechanism of the Nucleophilic Substitution of Acyl Electrophiles using Lithium Organocuprates

Synthesis of (-)-Cotylenol, a 14-3-3 Molecular Glue Component

Small molecules that modulate the 14-3-3 protein-protein interaction (PPI) network represent valuable therapeutics and tool compounds. However, access has been lost to 14-3-3 PPI molecular glues of the cotylenin class, leading to investigations into the practical chemical syntheses of congeners and analogues. Here we report a concise synthesis of (-)-cotylenol via a 10-step asymmetric entry into a diversifiable 5-8-5 core. This route features a mild Liebeskind-Srogl fragment coupling that tolerates unprecedented steric hindrance to produce a highly congested ketone, and a tandem Claisen-ene cascade that establishes the 8-membered ring. Late-stage control of stereochemistry and functionality leads to (-)-cotylenol and sets the stage for focused library synthesis.

Direct Synthesis of Tri-/Difluoromethyl Ketones from Carboxylic Acids by Cross-Coupling with Acyloxyphosphonium Ions

A simple and straightforward approach to the synthesis of trifluoromethyl and difluoromethyl ketones from widely available carboxylic acids is disclosed. The transformation utilizes an acyloxyphosphonium ion as the active electrophile, conveniently generated in situ from the carboxylic acid substrate by using commodity chemicals. The utility of the reaction system is exemplified by its chemoselectivity, with tolerance to a variety of important functional groups. The late-stage functionalization of carboxylic acid active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutically relevant compounds is also discussed.

Copper-Catalyzed Coupling of Acyl Chlorides with gem-Difluorinated Organozinc Reagents via Acyl Dithiocarbamates

A cross-coupling of acyl chlorides with gem-difluorinated organozinc reagents affording difluorinated ketones is described. In the reaction, acyl chlorides are first treated with potassium dithiocarbamate to generate S-acyl dithiocarbamates, which couple with organozincs in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst.

Synthesis of ketones via organolithium addition to acid chlorides using continuous flow chemistry

An efficient method for the synthesis of ketones using organolithium and acid chlorides under continuous flow conditions has been developed.

NiXantphos: a deprotonatable ligand for room-temperature palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings of aryl chlorides

Although the past 15 years have witnessed the development of sterically bulky and electron-rich alkylphosphine ligands for palladium-catalyzed cross-couplings with aryl chlorides, examples of palladium catalysts based on either triarylphosphine or bidentate phosphine ligands for efficient room temperature cross-coupling reactions with unactivated aryl chlorides are rare. Herein we report a palladium catalyst based on NiXantphos, a deprotonatable chelating aryldiphosphine ligand, to oxidatively add unactivated aryl chlorides at room temperature. Surprisingly, comparison of an extensive array of ligands revealed that under the basic reaction conditions the resultant heterobimetallic Pd–NiXantphos catalyst system outperformed all the other mono- and bidentate ligands in a deprotonative cross-coupling process (DCCP) with aryl chlorides. The DCCP with aryl chlorides affords a variety of triarylmethane products, a class of compounds with various applications and interesting biological activity. Additionally, the DCCP exhibits remarkable chemoselectivity in the presence of aryl chloride substrates bearing heteroaryl groups and sensitive functional groups that are known to undergo 1,2-addition, aldol reaction, and O-, N-, enolate-α-, and C(sp²)–H arylations. The advantages and importance of the Pd–NiXantphos catalyst system outlined herein make it a valuable contribution for applications in Pd-catalyzed arylation reactions with aryl chlorides.

A computational study of lithium cuprate mixed aggregates

Lithium dialkylcuprates may potentially form mixed aggregates with many species in solution. Those include excess alkyllithium used to prepare the cuprate, lithium halide, and lithium cyanide from cuprate preparation and from coupling reactions with alkyl halides, higher order cuprates, and species resulting from incomplete cuprate reactions. The M06 DFT method was used to elucidate the structures and energies of formation of potential mixed aggregates. A comparison was made to available experimental data.

Hydroxyphosphine ligand for nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling through nickel/magnesium bimetallic cooperation

We report here that hydroxyphosphine ligands (PO ligands) significantly accelerate nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of unreactive aryl electrophiles and Grignard reagents. The new catalytic system based on the nickel-PO-Grignard combination allows facile activation of unreactive aryl halides such as fluorides, chlorides, polyfluorides, and polychlorides as well as phenol derivatives such as carbamates and phosphates to give the corresponding cross-coupling products in good to excellent yields. We ascribe the high catalytic activity to a nickel phosphine/magnesium alkoxide bimetallic species that forms from the nickel precatalyst, the PO ligand, and the Grignard reagent and undergoes activation of the aryl-X bond by a cooperative push-pull action of the nucleophilic nickel and Lewis acidic magnesium centers. This mechanistic conjecture was corroborated by kinetic isotope effect experiments and density functional theory calculations. Being distinct from the conventional three-centered mechanism for oxidative addition, the proposed mechanism for the C-X bond activation offers a new concept for the design of cross-coupling reactions as well as other homogeneous catalyses involving activation of electrophilic substrates.