One-Pot Formation of CC and CN Bonds through Palladium-Catalyzed Dual CH Activation: Synthesis of Phenanthridinones

Facile Synthesis of Alkylidene Phthalides by Rhodium-Catalyzed Domino C-H Acylation/Annulation of Benzamides with Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids

The Rh-catalyzed ortho-C(sp² )-H functionalization of 8-aminoquinoline-derived benzamides with aliphatic acyl fluorides generated in situ from the corresponding acids has been developed. This reaction initiated with 8-aminoquinoline-directed ortho-C(sp² )-H acylation, which was accompanied by subsequent intramolecular nucleophilic acyl substitution of amide group to produce alkylidene phthalides This approach exhibits high stereo-selectivity for Z-isomer products, and tolerates a variety of functional groups as well as aliphatic carboxylic acids with diverse structural scaffolds.

Nickel-Catalyzed Oxidative Decarboxylative Annulation for the Synthesis of Heterocycle-Containing Phenanthridinones

A nickel-catalyzed oxidative decarboxylative annulation reaction of simple benzamides and (hetero)aromatic carboxylates has been developed. This reaction provides access to a large array of phenanthridinones and their heterocyclic analogues, highlighting the utility and versatility of oxidative decarboxylative coupling strategies for C-C bond formation.

A Cross-Dehydrogenative Annulation Strategy towards Synthesis of Polyfluorinated Phenanthridinones with Copper

The first cross-dehydrogenative annulation of (hetero)aromatic amides with polyfluoro(hetero)arenes is presented. This operationally simple oxidative annulation process is mediated by inexpensive copper salt, accommodates a wide range of substrates with exquisite chemo- and regioselectivity profile, and produces demanding polyfluorinated phenanthridinones in high yields (up to 92 %). Using alkenyl amides under identical conditions, the synthesis of polyfluorinated 2-quinolones has also been accomplished. Given the importance of fluorinated heterocycles in the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery, this work is highly significant.

Novel 2,4-diaminopyrimidines bearing fused tricyclic ring moiety for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor

In this study, a series of novel 2,4-diaminopyrimidines bearing fused tricyclic ring moiety was described for ALK inhibitor. The pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,4-triazole, piperazine and phenanthridine moieties were employed at the 2-position of pyrimidine. Among the compounds synthesized, 28, 29, 36, and 42 showed promising anti-ALK activities in enzymatic- and cell-based assays. In vivo H3122 xenograft model study showed that compound 29 effectively suppressed ALK-driven tumor growth, similar to the extent of ceritinib, suggesting that it could be used for a novel ALK inhibitor development.

A Simple and Versatile Amide Directing Group for C-H Functionalizations

Achieving selective C-H activation at a single and strategic site in the presence of multiple C-H bonds can provide a powerful and generally useful retrosynthetic disconnection. In this context, a directing group serves as a compass to guide the transition metal to C-H bonds by using distance and geometry as powerful recognition parameters to distinguish between proximal and distal C-H bonds. However, the installation and removal of directing groups is a practical drawback. To improve the utility of this approach, one can seek solutions in three directions: 1) Simplifying the directing group, 2) using common functional groups or protecting groups as directing groups, and 3) attaching the directing group to substrates via a transient covalent bond to render the directing group catalytic. This Review describes the rational development of an extremely simple and yet broadly applicable directing group for Pd(II) , Rh(III) , and Ru(II) catalysts, namely the N-methoxy amide (CONHOMe) moiety. Through collective efforts in the community, a wide range of C-H activation transformations using this type of simple directing group have been developed.

Direct oxidative amidation of aldehydes with amines catalyzed by heteropolyanion-based ionic liquids under solvent-free conditions via a dual-catalysis process

A heteropolyanion-based ionic liquid catalyzed oxidative amidation of aldehydes with amines via a dual-catalysis pathway has been reported.

Microwave-assisted heteropolyanion-based ionic liquid promoted sustainable protocol to N-heteroaryl amides via N-directing dual catalyzed oxidative amidation of aldehydes

A procedure for the synthesis of N-heteroaryl amides directly from oxidative amidation of aldehydes catalyzed by heteropolyanion-based ionic liquids has been reported. The proposed N-directing dual-catalysis mechanism was briefly investigated.

Orchestrated triple C-H activation reactions using two directing groups: rapid assembly of complex pyrazoles

A sequential triple C-H activation reaction directed by a pyrazole and an amide group leads to the well-controlled construction of sterically congested dihydrobenzo[e]indazole derivatives. This cascade reaction demonstrates that the often problematic competing C-H activation pathways in the presence of multiple directing groups can be harvested by design to improve step economy in synthesis. Pyrazole as a relatively weak coordinating group is shown to direct Csp3-H activation for the first time.

Palladium(II)-catalyzed sequential C-H arylation/aerobic oxidative C-H amination: one-pot synthesis of benzimidazole-fused phenanthridines from 2-arylbenzimidazoles and aryl halides

Starting from 2-arylbenzimidazoles and aryl halides, an efficient palladium-based catalytic method for the synthesis of benzimidazole-fused phenanthridines has been developed. This reaction sequence comprises intermolecular C-H arylation and intramolecular aerobic oxidative C-H amination, involving the rupture of two C-H bonds, one C-X bond, and one N-H bond in one pot. The Pd(II)-Pd(IV)-Pd(II) and Pd(II)-Pd(0)-Pd(II) catalytic cycles work together under the reported conditions to generate phenanthridines with diverse substituents.

I2-Catalyzed diamination of acetyl-compounds for the synthesis of multi-substituted imidazoles

We have successfully developed the I₂-catalysed synthesis of substituted imidazole derivatives from amidines and ketones in good to excellent yields and 100% regioselectivity.

Ligand-enabled triple C-H activation reactions: one-pot synthesis of diverse 4-aryl-2-quinolinones from propionamides

Diverse 4-aryl-2-quinolinones are prepared from propionamides in one pot by ligand-promoted triple sequential C-H activation reactions and a stereospecific Heck reaction. In these cascade reactions, three new C-C bonds and one C-N bond are formed to rapidly build molecular complexity from propionic acid.