N,N-Dimethylacetamide (DMA) as a Methylene Synthon for Regioselective Linkage of Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine

Iron-Catalyzed Sulfonylmethylation of Imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines with N,N-Dimethylacetamide and Sodium Sulfinates

Functionalized imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines are important scaffolds in pharmaceuticals. Herein, we present an efficient 3-sulfonylmethylation protocol for imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines by sodium sulfinates in DMA and H2O (2:1) via an FeCl3-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction. Various sulfonylmethyl imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines were thus afforded in high yields with excellent functional group tolerance. A plausible oxidation-addition mechanism was proposed.

DMSO-DCE Triggered Chemodivergent C-Methylenation of Electron-Rich Arenes: An Easy Access to Diarylmethanes

The chemodivergent property of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) along with 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) was exploited for the incorporation of a methylene group to form diarylmethanes through a dearomatization/rearomatization process. Methyl(methylene)sulfonium ions (CH2=S+-Me) were generated by simple heating of commonly used solvents such as DMSO and DCE. These ions were subsequently trapped by electron-rich arenes and heteroarenes, resulting in the synthesis of both symmetrical and unsymmetrical diarylmethanes. This protocol was further extended to access N-methylenamides by reacting 2-naphthol with amides or nitriles in the presence of DMSO and DCE.

Ketosulfonylmethylenation and sulfonylethyleneation of imidazoheterocycles with dimethylformamide as a methylene source

A hitherto unreported ketosulfonylmethylenation occurring at the C-3 position of imidazoheterocycles, with dimethylformamide as the methylene source was described. Using CoCl2·6H2O or Fe(acac)3 as efficient and inexpensive catalysts, some important biologically active methylenated compounds were prepared, with high efficacy, favorable functional group compatibilities, and a broad substrate scope.

Ru(II)-Catalyzed Synthesis of Fused Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-chromenones and Methylene-Tethered Bis-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and Regioselective O-Acetoxylation of Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines

Herein, we disclose an unprecedented protocol via ruthenium-catalyzed annulation for the synthesis of 6H-chromeno[4',3':4,5]imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-6-one, and functionalized 2-(3-formylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2-yl)phenyl acetate has been revealed by intramolecular chelation-assisted C-H activation. Additionally, a one-pot approach for creating bis(2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)methane (BIP) has been realized through ruthenium catalysis with the use of formic acid. This method was used in gram-scale synthesis of BIP and step-economical late-stage functionalization of a marketed drug, zolimidine, in good yield.

Direct α-methylenation of triazines to terminal olefins with DMA

We report an efficient metal (Cu or Ni)-catalysed α-methylenation of triazines to terminal olefins using DMA as a one-carbon source. Various substituted triazine derivatives are suitable for this reaction.

Methylene-Tethered Arylsulfonation and Benzotriazolation of Aryl/Heteroaryl C-H Bonds with DMSO as a One-Carbon Surrogate

The Selectfluor-mediated approach toward the synthesis of methylene-tethered arylsulfonation and benzotriazolation of imidazopyridines has been described. The reaction involves imidazopyridine, aryl sulfinate, or benzotriazole and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the presence of Selectfluor, where DMSO acts as a one-carbon synthon. The protocol has been extended to the methylene-tethered arylsulfonation and benzotriazolation of β-naphthols. The mechanistic insights show that the intermediate 3-((methylthio)methyl)-2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine is generated from imidazopyridine, DMSO, and Selectfluor. The nucleophilic displacement by the aryl sulfinate salt or benzotriazole on the intermediate afforded the product.

KIO4 -mediated Selective Hydroxymethylation/Methylenation of Imidazo-Heteroarenes: A Greener Approach

Herein, we report a KIO₄ -mediated, sustainable and chemoselective approach for the one-pot C(sp² )-H bond hydroxymethylation or methylenation of imidazo-heteroarenes with formaldehyde, generated in situ via the oxidative cleavage of ethylene glycol or glycerol (renewable reagents) through the Malaprade reaction. In the presence of ethylene glycol, a series of 3-hydroxymethyl-imidazo-heteroarenes was obtained in good to excellent yields. These compounds are important intermediates to access pharmaceutical drugs, e.g., Zolpidem. Furthermore, by using glycerol, bis(imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)methane derivatives were selectively obtained in good to excellent yields.

Hypervalent iodine mediated synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ethers: consecutive methylene linkage and insertion of ethylene glycol

Hypervalent iodine mediated selective synthesis of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ethers using ethylene glycol as a methoxy ethanol source as well as solvent under metal-free conditions is described.

Copper Ferrite Superparamagnetic Nanoparticle-Catalyzed Cross-coupling Reaction to Form Diindolylmethane (DIM): Effect of Experimental Parameters

Superparamagnetic copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles were utilized as a heterogenous catalyst for the cross-coupling reaction of indole to form 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM) as the desirable product. High reaction yield, at around 82%, was achieved under optimal conditions. The CuFe2O4 material could be easily separated from the reaction mixture by an external magnetic field and could be reutilized several times without a significant decrease in catalytic activity. We also showed that no sites of catalyst material leached into reaction solution was detected. To our best knowledge, the above cross-coupling reaction was not previously conducted under catalysis of superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Direct Csp3-H methylenation of 2-arylacetamides using DMF/Me2NH-BH3 as the methylene source

A direct Csp3-H methylenation of 2-arylacetamides using DMF/Me2NH-BH3 as the methylene source was developed. The formyl group of DMF delivered the carbon and one hydrogen atoms, and the Me2NH-BH3 donated the remaining one hydrogen atom. This protocol offers a new alternative to make useful 2-arylacrylamides from simple starting materials.

3d Transition Metals for C-H Activation

C-H activation has surfaced as an increasingly powerful tool for molecular sciences, with notable applications to material sciences, crop protection, drug discovery, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Despite major advances, the vast majority of these C-H functionalizations required precious 4d or 5d transition metal catalysts. Given the cost-effective and sustainable nature of earth-abundant first row transition metals, the development of less toxic, inexpensive 3d metal catalysts for C-H activation has gained considerable recent momentum as a significantly more environmentally-benign and economically-attractive alternative. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview on first row transition metal catalysts for C-H activation until summer 2018.

Introducing tetramethylurea as a new methylene precursor: a microwave-assisted RuCl3-catalyzed cross dehydrogenative coupling approach to bis(indolyl)methanes

The microwave-assisted synthesis of symmetrical/unsymmetrical bis(indolyl)methanes using tetramethylurea as a methylene source.

In(OTf)3 assisted synthesis of β-carboline C-3 tethered imidazo[1,2-a]azine derivatives

Synthesis of β-carboline based natural products and synthetic derivatives is one of the frontier areas of research owing to their medicinal properties.

H2O2/DMSO-Promoted Regioselective Synthesis of 3,3'-Bisimidazopyridinylmethanes via Intermolecular Oxidative C(sp(2))-H Bond Activation of Imidazoheterocycles

In the past decade, metal-free approaches for C-C bond formation have attracted a great deal of attention due to their ease of use and low cost. This report represents a novel and metal-free synthesis of 3,3'-bisimidazopyridinylmethanes via intermolecular oxidative C(sp(2))-H bond functionalization of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines with dimethyl sulfoxide as the carbon synthon (CH2) using H2O2 as a mild oxidant under air. A library of 3,3'-bis(2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)methanes has been achieved in good to excellent yields. The present methodology has been successfully applied to imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles and imidazo[2,1-b]benzothiazoles. Furthermore, the current approach was also extended for the synthesis of unsymmetrical 3,3'-bisimidazopyridinylmethanes under optimized reaction conditions. A mechanistic pathway is proposed on the basis of experiments with radical scavengers and DMSO-d6 and ESI-MS observations.