Copper-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Potassium Polyfluorobenzoates with Aryl Iodides and Bromides

An Efficient and Sustainable Approach to Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling Using Silica Coated Magnetic Copper Nanocatalyst for the Synthesis of Internal Alkynes

A highly efficient magnetically separable copper nanocatalyst has been developed for decarboxylative cross-coupling reaction for the alkynylation of haloarenes using alkynoic acid as a reaction partner. The chemical nature, morphology, size, and magnetic properties of the prepared nanocatalyst were studied by SEM, TEM, EDS, FT-IR, VSM, and ICP techniques. Remarkably, this catalyst represents the first successful copper based heterogeneous system for this type of coupling that provides a low-cost, stable, and environmentally friendly magnetically recoverable entity that can be re-used for seven consecutive runs without appreciable loss in its catalytic performance.

Transition-Metal-Free Coupling of Polyfluorinated Arenes and Functionalized, Masked Aryl Nucleophiles

A chemoselective C(sp²)−C(sp²) coupling of sufficiently electron‐deficient fluorinated arenes and functionalized N‐aryl‐N’‐silyldiazenes as masked aryl nucleophiles is reported. The fluoride‐promoted transformation involves the in situ generation of the aryl nucleophile decorated with various sensitive functional groups followed by a stepwise nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr). These reactions typically proceed at room temperature within minutes. This catalytic process allows for the functionalization of both coupling partners, furnishing highly fluorinated biaryls in good yields.

Copper(I)-catalyzed alkylation of polyfluoroarenes through Direct C-H bond functionalization

The copper(I)-catalyzed alkylation of electron-deficient polyfluoroarenes with N-tosylhydrazones and diazo compounds has been developed. This reaction uses readily available starting materials and is operationally simple, thus representing a practical method for the construction of C(sp(2) )-C(sp(3) ) bonds with polyfluoroarenes through direct C-H bond functionalization. Mechanistically, copper(I) carbene formation and subsequent migratory insertion are proposed as the key steps in the reaction pathway.

Carboxylic acids as traceless directing groups for the rhodium(III)-catalyzed decarboxylative C-H arylation of thiophenes

A rhodium(III)-catalyzed carboxylic acid directed decarboxylative C-H/C-H cross-coupling of carboxylic acids with thiophenes has been developed. With a slight adjustment of the reaction conditions based on the nature of the substrates, aryl carboxylic acids with a variety of substituents could serve as suitable coupling partners, and a broad variety of functional groups were tolerated. This method provides straightforward access to biaryl scaffolds with diverse substitution patterns, many of which have conventionally been synthesized through lengthy synthetic sequences. An illustrative example is the one-step gram-scale synthesis of a biologically active 3,5-substituted 2-arylthiophene by way of the current method.

Sterically Demanding Unsymmetrical Diaryl-λ(3)-iodanes for Electrophilic Pentafluorophenylation and an Approach to α-Pentafluorophenyl Carbonyl Compounds with an All-Carbon Stereocenter

A sterically demanding unsymmetrical pentafluorophenyl-triisopropylphenyl-λ(3)-iodane was developed as an effective reagent for the electrophilic pentafluorophenylation of various β-keto esters and a β-keto amide. 17 examples of α-pentafluorophenylated 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds 3 having a quaternary carbon center are provided. The resulting compounds were nicely transformed into chiral α-pentafluorophenyl ketones with an all-carbon stereogenic center in high yields and high enantioselectivities using asymmetric organocatalysis (up to 98 % ee) or asymmetric metal catalysis (up to 82 % ee).

One-pot decarboxylative acylation of N-, O-, S-nucleophiles and peptides with 2,2-disubstituted malonic acids

Monocarbonyl activation of 2,2-disubstituted malonic acids with benzotriazole leads to decarboxylation of one of the carboxy groups and formation of a CH bond. Intermediate carbonyl benzotriazoles then readily acylate nucleophilic reagents and peptides resulting in libraries of conjugates and peptidomimetics.

Enantioselective formation of cyano-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters: desymmetrization by copper-catalyzed N-arylation

The enantioselective construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters is one of the most challenging fields in asymmetric synthesis. An asymmetric desymmetrization strategy offers an indirect and efficient method for the formation of all-carbon stereocenters. An enantioselective formation of cyano-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters in 1,2,3,4,-tetrahydroquinolines and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepines by copper-catalyzed desymmetric N-arylation is demonstrated. The cyano group at the prochiral center plays a key role for the high enantioselectivity and works as an important functional group for further transformations. DFT studies provide a model which successfully accounts for the origin of enantioselectivity.

A highly efficient palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative ortho-acylation of azobenzenes with α-oxocarboxylic acids: direct access to acylated azo compounds

Avoiding additives: A highly efficient and mild Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative ortho-acylation of azobenzenes with α-oxocarboxylic acids was developed that provides an alternative route to acylated azo compounds. This decarboxylative acylation process was completed in the absence of any additives at ambient temperature, to afford the acylated azobenzenes in moderate to good yields.

Mechanism of the Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of α-imino esters: decarboxylation via free carboxylate ion

The Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of α-(diphenylmethylene)imino esters (1) or allyl diphenylglycinate imines (2) is an efficient method to construct new C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)) bonds. The detailed mechanism of this reaction was studied by theoretical calculations [ONIOM(B3LYP/LANL2DZ+p:PM6)] combined with experimental observations. The overall catalytic cycle was found to consist of three steps: oxidative addition, decarboxylation, and reductive allylation. The oxidative addition of 1 to [(dba)Pd(PPh(3))(2)] (dba = dibenzylideneacetone) produces an allylpalladium cation and a carboxylate anion with a low activation barrier of +9.1 kcal mol(-1). The following rate-determining decarboxylation proceeds via a solvent-exposed α-imino carboxylate anion rather than an O-ligated allylpalladium carboxylate with an activation barrier of +22.7 kcal mol(-1). The 2-azaallyl anion generated by this decarboxylation attacks the face of the allyl ligand opposite to the Pd center in an outer-sphere process to produce major product 3, with a lower activation barrier than that of the minor product 4. A positive linear Hammett correlation [ρ = 1.10 for the PPh(3) ligand] with the observed regioselectivity (3 versus 4) supports an outer-sphere pathway for the allylation step. When Pd combined with the bis(diphenylphosphino)butane (dppb) ligand is employed as a catalyst, the decarboxylation still proceeds via the free carboxylate anion without direct assistance of the cationic Pd center. Consistent with experimental observations, electron-withdrawing substituents on 2 were calculated to have lower activation barriers for decarboxylation and, thus, accelerate the overall reaction rates.