Rhodium-Catalyzed meta -C−H Functionalization of Arenes

The Renaissance of Organo Nitriles in Organic Synthesis

In the arena of functional group-oriented organic synthesis, the nitrile or cyano functionality is of immense importance. The presence of nucleophilic N -atom, π-coordinating ability of the triple bond, and electrophilic C-center imparts unique and interesting reactivity. Owing to the ability of the nitrile to transform into various other functional groups or intermediates, the chemistry is very rich and diverse. In particular, the involvement of nitrile in numerous organic reactions such as inter- or intramolecular alkyne insertion, [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition with alkynes, [3 + 2] cycloaddition with azides, [4 + 2] cycloaddition with diene allow the synthesis of many important carbocycles and heterocycles. Furthermore, the nitrile serves as a directing group in many C-H bond functionalization reactions to introduce diverse functionality and participate as a radical acceptor in radical cascade strategies to obtain a large variety of functional molecules. This review mainly focuses on the reactivity and diverse synthetic application of the nitrile including C-H bond functionalization, alkyne insertion, cycloaddition, and thermal or photochemical cascade strategy. The objective of the current review aims at bringing out the striking collection of various nitrile-triggered organic transformations.

Decoding Directing Groups and Their Pivotal Role in C-H Activation

Synthetic organic chemistry has witnessed a plethora of functionalization and defunctionalization strategies. In this regard, C-H functionalization has been at the forefront due to the multifarious applications in the development of simple to complex molecular architectures and holds a brilliant prospect in drug development and discovery. Despite been explored tremendously by chemists, this functionalization strategy still enjoys the employment of novel metal catalysts as well metal-free organic ligands. Moreover, the switch to photo- and electrochemistry has widened our understanding of the alternative pathways via which a reaction can proceed and these strategies have garnered prominence when applied to C-H activation. Synthetic chemists have been foraging for new directing groups and templates for the selective activation of C-H bonds from a myriad of carbon-hydrogen bonds in aromatic as well as aliphatic systems. As a matter of fact, by varying the templates and directing groups, scientists found the answer to the challenge of distal C-H bond activation which remained an obstacle for a very long time. These templates have been frequently harnessed for selectively activating C-H bonds of natural products, drugs, and macromolecules decorated with multiple C-H bonds. This itself was a challenge before the commencement of this field as functionalization of a site other than the targeted site could modify and hamper the biological activity of the pharmacophore. Total synthesis and pharmacophore development often faces the difficulty of superfluous reaction steps towards selective functionalization. This obstacle has been solved by late-stage functionalization simply by harnessing C-H bond activation. Moreover, green chemistry and metal-free reaction conditions have seen light in the past few decades due to the rising concern about environmental issues. Therefore, metal-free catalysts or the usage of non-toxic metals have been recently showcased in a number of elegant works. Also, research groups across the world are developing rational strategies for directing group free or non-directed protocols that are just guided by ligands. This review encapsulates the research works pertinent to C-H bond activation and discusses the science devoted to it at the fundamental level. This review gives the readers a broad understanding of how these strategies work, the execution of various metal catalysts, and directing groups. This not only helps a budding scientist towards the commencement of his/her research but also helps a matured mind searching out for selective functionalization. A detailed picture of this field and its progress with time has been portrayed in lucid scientific language with a motive to inculcate and educate scientific minds about this beautiful strategy with an overview of the most relevant and significant works of this era. The unique trait of this review is the detailed description and classification of various directing groups and their utility over a wide substrate scope. This allows an experimental chemist to understand the applicability of this domain and employ it over any targeted substrate.

Chiral Transient Directing Group Strategies in Asymmetric Synthesis

The development of novel methodologies for catalytic enantioselective functionalization reactions enabled by chiral transient directing groups is accompanying in a paradigm shift in the field of asymmetric synthesis. In particular, these highly atom- and step-economic enantioinduction processes commonly proceed either via enantioselective C-H functionalization, or via enantioselective hydroarylation of the pro-chiral substrates generating point, axial or planar chirality. The use of the transient directing group strategy in C-H functionalizations precludes the stoichiometric installations and removal of directing groups and enables efficient, more compatible and economical chemical routes. This minireview highlights asymmetric transition-metal-catalyzed methodologies involving chiral transient directing groups together with the scope, utility and future perspective of the field.

Para-Selective Cyanation of Arenes by H-Bonded Template

The significance of site selective functionalization stands upon the superior selectivity, easy synthesis and diverse product utility. In this work, we demonstrate the para-selective introduction of versatile nitrile moiety, enabled by a detachable and reusable H-bonded auxiliary. The methodology holds its efficiency irrespective of substrate electronic bias. The conspicuous shift in the step energetics was probed by both experimental and computational mechanistic tools, which heralds the inception of para-deuteration. The synthetic impact of the methodology was highlighted with reusability of directing group and post synthetic modifications.

Accessing Remote meta- and para-C(sp2 )-H Bonds with Covalently Attached Directing Groups

Directing group assisted ortho-C-H activation has been known for the last few decades. In contrast, extending the same approach to achieve activation of the distal meta- and para-C-H bonds in aromatic molecules remained elusive for a long time. The main challenge is the conception of a macrocyclic transition state, which is needed to anchor the metal catalyst close to the target bond. Judicious modification of the chain length, the tether linkage, and the nature of the catalyst-coordinating donor atom has led to a number of successful studies in the last few years. This Review compiles the significant achievements made in this field of both meta- and para-selectivity using covalently attached directing groups, which are systematically classified on the basis of their mode of covalent attachment to the substrate as well as their chemical nature. This Review aims to create a more heuristic approach for recognizing the suitability of the directing groups for use in future organic transformations.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed C-H Alkynylation of N-Methylsulfoximines

A rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct C-H alkynylation of a wide range of N-methylsulfoximines with (bromoethynyl)triisopropylsilane has been developed. This protocol is compatible with both (S,S)-diaryl sulfoximines and (S,S)-alkyl aryl sulfoximines, and shows mild conditions, and good functional group tolerance. The synthetic utility of this method has been demonstrated by subsequent various transformations of the products.

Activation of Remote meta-C-H Bonds in Arenes with Tethered Alcohols: A Salicylonitrile Template

Palladium-catalyzed activation of remote meta-C-H bonds in arenes containing tethered alcohols was achieved with high regioselectivity by using a nitrile template. Computational studies on the macrocyclic transition state of the regioselectivity-determining C-H activation steps revealed that both the C-N-Ag angles and gauche comformations of phenyl ether play an extremely important role in the meta selectivity.