Synthesis of Fluorescent 4‐Azapyrenes by Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Dual C−H Bond Activation and Annulation

Synthesis and Properties of 4- and 10-Benzoyl-1-azapyrenes

A series of 4- and 10-benzoyl-1-azapyrenes were prepared by a combination of Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and Brønsted-acid-mediated alkyne-carbonyl-metathesis (ACM). The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the products were studied and compared to theoretical results.

Pd-catalyzed regioselective rollover dual C-H annulation cascade: facile approach to phenanthrene derivatives

Annulations of unsaturated systems through C-H activation represent a powerful tool for producing multicyclic scaffolds. Having coordinating centers in both annulation partners (a dual coordination strategy) would afford remarkable selectivities in the outcomes. Along this concept, we report herein a Pd-catalyzed regioselective rollover cascade dual C-H annulation of o-arylphenols with alkynols for constructing phenanthrene scaffolds. Control, KIE and deuteration studies were conducted to determine the reaction mechanism, and downstream transformations and scaled-up reactions were carried out to assess the robustness of the transformation.

1,3-Diynes: A Versatile Precursor in Transition-Metal Catalyzed (Mediated) C-H Functionalizations

Transition metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization of diverse arenes with alkyne units has attracted enormous attention for decades since they provide straightforward access to various functionalization/annulations, which are commonly present in bioactive compounds and natural products. Recently, conjugated alkynes (1,3-diynes) have been utilized as key coupling partner in many C-H activation reactions due to their versatile characteristic properties. The presence of two C≡C bonds in conjugated 1,3-diyne brings the new diversity in synthetic transformations, such as chemo-, regioselective pathways, mono-bis functionalizations, cascade annulations, etc. Herein, we summarized the latest developments in the realm of transition-metal-catalyzed C-H functionalizations of diverse arenes with 1,3-diynes. Moreover, we highlighted the diverse transformations, conditions, mechanisms and applications of the corresponding reaction in detail.

Synthesis and Properties of 1-Azapyrenes

A straightforward method for the synthesis of a series of hitherto unknown 1-azapyrenes is reported, which relies on a combination of Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with Brønsted acid-mediated cycloisomerization reactions. The methodology is highly modular and allows an efficient synthesis of various substituted products in high yields. The structural, electrochemical, and photophysical properties of 1-azapyrenes have been studied by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and fluorescence spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.