Manganese-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative [4+2] Annulation of NH Imines and Alkynes by CH/NH Activation

Manganese-Catalyzed Hydrogenative Desulfurization of Thioamides

Earth-abundant transition metal catalysis has emerged as an important alternative to noble transition metal catalysis in hydrogenation reactions. However, there has been no Earth-abundant transition metal catalyzed hydrogenation of thioamides reported so far, presumably due to the poisoning of catalysts by sulfur-containing molecules. Herein, we described the first manganese-catalyzed hydrogenative desulfurization of thioamides to amines or imines. The key to success is the use of MnBr(CO)₅ instead of commonly-employed pincer-manganese catalysts, together with simple NEt₃ and CuBr. This protocol features excellent selectivity on sole cleavage of the C=S bond of thioamides, in contrast to the only known Ru-catalyzed hydrogenation of thioamides, and unprecedented chemo-selectivity tolerating vulnerable functional groups such as nitrile, ketone, aldehyde, ester, sulfone, nitro, olefin, alkyne and heterocycle, which are usually susceptible to common hydride-type reductive protocols.

Manganese-Catalyzed C(sp2)-H Alkylation of Indolines and Arenes with Unactivated Alkyl Bromides

Selective C(sp 2 ) - H bond alkylation of indoline, carbazole and (2-pyridinyl)arenes with unactivated alkyl bromides is achieved using MnBr 2 catalyst in the absence of an external ligand. The alkylation uses a simple LiHMDS base and avoids the necessity of Grignard reagent, unlike other Mn-catalyzed C - H functionalization. This reaction proceeded either through a five- or a less-favored six-membered metallacycle, and tolerated diverse functionalities, including alkenyl, alkynyl, silyl, aryl ether, pyrrolyl, indolyl, carbazolyl and alkyl bearing fatty alcohol and polycyclic-steroid moieties. Alkylation follows a single electron transfer (SET) pathway involving 1e oxidative addition of alkyl bromide and a rate-limiting C-H metalation.

Copper-catalyzed [2+3]-annulation of N-H imines with vinyl azides: access to polyaryl 2H-imidazoles

A practical method for the synthesis of 2H-imidazoles via a [2+3] annulation of N-H imines with vinyl azides using a copper catalyst is developed. In this conversion, environmentally friendly oxygen is used as the sole oxidant and N2 and H2O are the only by-products. The catalytic transformation, operating under mild conditions, is operationally simple and is considered as a readily available catalytic system having good substrate and functional compatibility with high atom-efficiency without the need for additional ligands or additives.

A Highly Efficient Dimeric Manganese-Catalyzed Selective Hydroarylation of Internal Alkynes

We have developed a general and site-predictable manganese-catalyzed hydroarylation of internal alkynes in the presence of water, under an air atmosphere without the involvement of ligand. The unique catalytic feature of this reaction is highlighted by comparison with other widely used transition metal catalysts including palladium, rhodium, nickel, or copper. The simple operation, high efficiency and excellent functional group compatibility make this protocol practical for more than 90 structurally diverse internal alkynes, overcoming the influence of both electronic and steric effect of alkynes. Its exclusive regio- and chemoselectivity originates from the unique reactivity of the manganese-based catalyst towards an inherent double controlled strategy of sterically hindered propargyl alcohols without the installing of external directing groups. Its synthetic robustness and practicality have been illustrated by the concise synthesis of bervastatin, a hypolipidemic drug, and late-stage modification of complex alkynes with precise regioselectivity.

Iron-Catalyzed ortho C-H Arylation and Methylation of Pivalophenone N-H Imines

Iron-catalyzed ortho C-H arylation and methylation reactions of pivalophenone N-H imines are reported. The pivaloyl N-H imine proved an excellent directing group for the arylation with diarylzinc reagents in the presence of an iron-diphosphine catalyst and 2,3-dichlorobutane at room temperature. A similar catalytic system also allowed methylation with Me₃ Al at 70 °C. The pivaloyl imine of the product could be readily converted to a cyano group, thus allowing convenient preparation of ortho-functionalized benzonitriles.

Synthesis of Quinolines Through Acceptorless Dehydrogenative Coupling Catalyzed by Rhenium PN(H)P Complexes

A practical and sustainable synthesis of substituted quinolines was achieved through the annulation of 2-aminobenzyl alcohol with various secondary alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, or nitriles, under hydrogen-borrowing conditions. Under the catalysis of well-defined rhenium complexes bearing tridentate diphosphinoamino ligands, the reaction proceeded efficiently (31 examples were isolated with yields up to 96 %) affording a variety of quinoline derivatives.

Delineating the critical role of acid additives in Mn-catalysed C-H bond functionalisation processes

Addition of co-catalytic Cy2NH to Mn-catalysed C-H bond activation reactions suggests that the conjugate acid, Cy2NH2X, influences catalysis. Here, acids are shown to positively influence C-H bond alkenylation catalysis involving alkynes. For certain types of alkynes an acid additive is critical to catalysis. In stark contrast, acids retard catalysis involving acrylates. [Cy2NH2]X salts also play a key role in thwarting catalyst degradation to manganese clusters. Our findings enable unreactive substrates to be alkenylated.

Mechanistic Insight into Catalytic Redox-Neutral C-H Bond Activation Involving Manganese(I) Carbonyls: Catalyst Activation, Turnover, and Deactivation Pathways Reveal an Intricate Network of Steps

Manganese(I) carbonyl-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of 2-phenylpyridine and related compounds containing suitable metal directing groups has recently emerged as a potentially useful synthetic methodology for the introduction of various groups to the ortho position of a benzene ring. Preliminary mechanistic studies have highlighted that these reactions could proceed via numerous different species and steps and, moreover, potentially different catalytic cycles. The primary requirement for typically 10 mol % catalyst, oftentimes the ubiquitous precursor catalyst, BrMn(CO)₅, has not yet been questioned nor significantly improved upon, suggesting catalytic deactivation may be a serious issue to be understood and resolved. Several critical questions are further raised by the species responsible for providing a source of protons in the protonation of vinyl-manganese(I) carbonyl intermediates. In this study, using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, we provide comprehensive answers to the key mechanistic questions concerning the Mn(I) carbonyl-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of 2-phenylpyridine and related compounds. Our results enable the explanation of alkyne substrate dependencies, i.e., internal versus terminal alkynes. We found that there are different catalyst activation pathways for BrMn(CO)₅, e.g., terminal alkynes lead to the generation of Mn^I-acetylide species, whose formation is reminiscent of Cu^I-acetylide species proposed to be of critical importance in Sonogashira cross-coupling processes. We have unequivocally established that alkyne, 2-phenylpyridine, and water can facilitate hydrogen transfer in the protonation step, leading to the liberation of protonated alkene products.

Selective Hydroarylation of 1,3-Diynes Using a Dimeric Manganese Catalyst: Modular Synthesis of Z-Enynes

The transition-metal-catalyzed selective hydroarylation of unsymmetrical alkynes represents the state-of-art in organic chemistry, and still mainly relies on the use of precious late-transition-metal catalysts. Reported herein is an unprecedented Mn^I -catalyzed hydroarylation of unsymmetrical 1,3-diyne alcohols with commercially available arylboronic acids with predictive selectivity. This method addresses the challenges in regio-, stereo-, and chemoselectivity. It offers a general, convenient and practical strategy for the modular synthesis of multisubstituted Z-configurated conjugated enynes. This protocol is distinguished by its operational simplicity, complete selectivity, excellent functional-group compatibility, and gram-scale potential. A dimeric Mn^I species, Mn₂ (CO)₈ Br₂ , was proven to be a much more efficient catalyst precursor than Mn(CO)₅ Br.

Manganese-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation Reactions

Over the past few decades, manganese-catalyzed hydrosilylation of C=O or C=C/C≡C unsaturated bonds have undergone enormous developments. In this focus review, the hydrosilylation reactions of alkenes, alkynes, and carbonyl-containing substrates catalyzed by manganese complexes are summarized. Moreover, the mechanisms of the manganese-catalyzed hydrosilylation are briefly discussed.

Continuous Visible-Light Photoflow Approach for a Manganese-Catalyzed (Het)Arene C-H Arylation

Manganese photocatalysts enabled versatile room-temperature C-H arylation reactions by means of continuous visible-light photoflow, thus allowing for efficient C-H arylations in 30 minutes with ample scope. The robustness of the manganese-catalyzed photoflow strategy was shown by visible light-induced gram-scale synthesis, clearly outperforming the batch performance.

Divergent Coupling of Anilines and Enones by Integration of C-H Activation and Transfer Hydrogenation

Cp*Rh^III /Ir^III complexes are known to play important roles in both C-H activation and transfer hydrogenation (TH). However, these two areas evolved separately. They have been integrated in redox- and chemodivergent coupling reactions of N-pyridylanilines with enones. The iridium-catalyzed coupling with enones leads to the efficient synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines through TH from ⁱ PrOH. Counterintuitively, ⁱ PrOH does not serve as the sole hydride source, and the major reaction pathway involves disproportionation of a dihydroquinoline intermediate, followed by the convergent and iterative reduction of quinolinium species.