Calcium(II)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Hydroarylation of Deactivated Styrenes in Hexafluoroisopropanol

Synthesis of Unprotected β-Arylethylamines by Iron(II)-Catalyzed 1,2-Aminoarylation of Alkenes in Hexafluoroisopropanol

β-Arylethylamines are prevalent structural motifs in molecules exhibiting biological activity. Here we report a sequential one-pot protocol for the 1,2-aminoarylation of alkenes with hydroxylammonium triflate salts and (hetero)arenes. Unlike existing methods, this reaction provides a direct entry to unprotected β-arylethylamines with remarkable functional group tolerance, allowing key drug-oriented functional groups to be installed in a two-step process. The use of hexafluoroisopropanol as a solvent in combination with an iron(II) catalyst proved essential to reaching high-value nitrogen-containing molecules.

Unified Approach to Diverse Fused Fragments via Catalytic Dehydrative Cyclization

A range of highly functionalized polycyclic fragments have been synthesized, employing a catalytic dehydrative cyclization. A range of nucleophiles are shown to be successful, with the reaction producing numerous high value motifs.

Unbiased C3‐Electrophilic Indoles: Triflic Acid Mediated C3‐Regioselective Hydroarylation of N−H Indoles**

The direct dearomative addition of arenes to the C3 position of unprotected indoles is reported under operationally simple conditions, using triflic acid at room temperature. The present regioselective hydroarylation is a straightforward manner to generate an electrophilic indole at the C3 position from unbiased indoles in sharp contrast to previous strategies. This atom‐economical method delivers biologically relevant 3‐arylindolines and 3,3‐spiroindolines in high yields and regioselectivities from both intra‐ and intermolecular processes. DFT computations suggest the stabilization of cationic or dicationic intermediates with H‐bonded (TfOH)_n clusters.

Indole Editing Enabled by HFIP-Mediated Ring-Switch Reactions of 3-Amino-2-Hydroxyindolines

This work reports the novel reactivity of hemiaminal as a precursor for indole editing at the multi-site. The HFIP-promoted indole editing of indoline hemiaminals affords 2-arylindoles through a ring-switch sequence. The key to success of this transformation is to use a cyclic hemiaminal as an α-amino aldehyde surrogate under transient tautomeric control. This transformation features mild reaction conditions and good yields with broad functional group tolerance. The utility of this transformation is presented through the one-pot protocol and the synthesis of isocryptolepine.

Calcium Bistriflimide-Mediated Sulfur(VI)-Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx): Mechanistic Insights toward Instigating Catalysis

We report a mechanistic investigation of calcium bistriflimide-mediated sulfur(VI)–fluoride exchange (SuFEx) between sulfonyl fluorides and amines. We determine the likely pre-activation resting state—a calcium bistriflimide complex with ligated amines—thus allowing for corroborated calculation of the SuFEx activation barrier at ∼21 kcal/mol, compared to 21.5 ± 0.14 kcal/mol derived via kinetics experiments. Transition state analysis revealed: (1) a two-point calcium-substrate contact that activates the sulfur(VI) center and stabilizes the leaving fluoride and (2) a 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane additive that provides Brønsted-base activation of the nucleophilic amine. Stable Ca–F complexes upon sulfonamide formation are likely contributors to inhibited catalytic turnover, and a proof-of-principle redesign provided evidence that sulfonamide formation is feasible with 10 mol % calcium bistriflimide.

We report a computational and experimental mechanistic study of sulfur(VI)-fluoride exchange mediated by a calcium salt. Ca²⁺ activates the substrate via two critical Lewis acid−base interactions. Stable fluoride-ligated Ca²⁺ complexes are formed upon sulfonamide formation, and computations indicate that heat and/or fluoride scavengers will facilitate regeneration of the active Ca²⁺ species. These calculations guided an experimental redesign, thus demonstrating improved catalytic efficiency using 10 mol % Ca²⁺.

Silver-Catalysed Hydroarylation of Highly Substituted Styrenes

Hydroarylation is an effective strategy to rapidly increase the complexity of organic structures by transforming flat alkene moieties into three-dimensional frameworks. Many strategies have already been developed to achieve the hydroarylation of styrenes, however most of these reports examine the hydroarylation of unpolar, β-mono- or β-unsubstituted styrenes, while exploring mainly electron-rich benzene nucleophiles. Herein, we report a mild and general catalytic system for the selective hydroheteroarylation of multiply substituted styrenes and heteroaromatic styrenes. Mechanistic analysis of the reaction led to the discovery of commercially available 2,2':5',2''-terthiophene as a key reagent.

Chemoselective Borane-Catalyzed Hydroarylation of 1,3-Dienes with Phenols

A B(C₆ F₅ )₃ -catalyzed hydroarylation of a series of 1,3-dienes with various phenols has been established through a combination of theoretical and experimental investigations, affording structurally diverse ortho-allyl phenols. DFT calculations show that the reaction proceeds through a borane-promoted protonation/Friedel-Crafts pathway involving a π-complex of a carbocation-anion contact ion pair. This protocol features simple and mild reaction conditions, broad functional-group tolerance, and low catalyst loading. The obtained ortho-allyl phenols could be further converted into flavan derivatives using B(C₆ F₅ )₃ with good cis diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, this transformation was applied in the late-stage modification of pharmaceutical compounds.