Direct and Waste-Free Amidations and Cycloadditions by Organocatalytic Activation of Carboxylic Acids at Room Temperature

Organoboron catalysis for direct amide/peptide bond formation

Amides and peptides are ubiquitous functional groups found in several natural and artificial materials, and they are essential for the advancement of life and material sciences. In particular, their relevance in clinical medicine and drug discovery has increased in recent years. Dehydrative condensation of readily available carboxylic acids with amines is the most "direct" method for amide synthesis; however, this methodology generally requires a stoichiometric amount of condensation agent (coupling reagent). Catalytic direct dehydrative amidation has become an "ideal" methodology for synthesizing amides from the perspective of green chemistry, with water as the only byproduct in principle, high atom efficiency, environmentally friendly, energy saving, and safety. Conversely, organoboron compounds, such as boronic acids, which are widely used in various industries as coupling reagents for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions or pharmaceutical structures, are environmentally friendly molecules that have low toxicity and are easy to handle. Based on the chemical properties of organoboron compounds, they have potential Lewis acidity and the ability to form reversible covalent bonds with dehydration, making them attractive as catalysts. This review explores studies on the development of direct dehydrative amide/peptide bond formation reactions from carboxylic acids using organoboron catalysis, classifying them based on chemical bonding and catalysis over approximately 25 years, from the early developmental days to 2023.

Development of boronic acid catalysts for direct amidation of aromatic carboxylic acids using fluorescence-based screening

Direct amidation of carboxylic acids with amines holds significant importance; therefore, catalytic processes involving boronic acids have undergone extensive investigation. However, studies focused on the amidation of aromatic carboxylic acids remain limited. In this study, we introduce a fluorescence-based screening methodology employing an anthracene derivative probe, facilitating the rapid evaluation of various amidation catalysts. Using this approach, boronic acids were evaluated for their catalytic potential. Our findings reveal that 2-hydroxyphenylboronic acid (C7), previously deemed inefficient for aliphatic acids, effectively catalyzes the amidation of aromatic acids. The catalysts identified through this method consistently achieved high yields, reaching up to 98% across a broad spectrum of substrates.

Boron-Catalyzed Michael Reaction of Donor-Acceptor Carboxylic Acid Pairs Enabling Direct Synthesis of 1,5-Dicarboxylic Acids

A boron-catalyzed Michael reaction using pairs of carboxylic acids was developed. The reaction occurs through dual activation of the two substrates by a boron catalyst, which facilitates boron enolate formation from the donor carboxylic acid with simultaneous activation of the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid as the acceptor. α-Aryl and α-alkenyl carboxylic acids were applicable as donors. The versatility and utility of this reaction were demonstrated by the direct use of pharmaceuticals as donor carboxylic acids.

Acidity Constants of Boronic Acids as Simply as Possible: Experimental, Correlations, and Prediction

The wide use of boronic compounds, especially boronic acids and benzoxaboroles, in virtually all fields of chemistry is related to their specific properties. The most important of them are the ability to form cyclic esters with diols and the complexation of anions. In both cases, the equilibrium of the reaction depends mainly on the acidity of the compounds, although other factors must also be taken into account. Quantification of the acidity (pKa value) is a fundamental factor considered when designing new compounds of practical importance. The aim of the current work was to collect available values of the acidity constants of monosubstituted phenylboronic acids, critically evaluate these data, and supplement the database with data for missing compounds. Measurements were made using various methods, as a result of which a fast and reliable method for determining the pKa of boronic compounds was selected. For an extensive database of monosubstituted phenylboronic acids, their correlation with their Brønsted analogues-namely carboxylic acids-was examined. Compounds with ortho substituents do not show any correlation, which is due to the different natures of both types of acids. Nonetheless, both meta- and para-substituted compounds show excellent correlation. From a practical point of view, acidity constants are best determined from the Hammett equation. Computational approaches for determining acidity constants were also analyzed. In general, the reported calculated values are not compatible with experimental ones, providing comparable results only for selected groups of compounds.

Boron catalysis in a designer enzyme

Enzymes play an increasingly important role in improving the benignity and efficiency of chemical production, yet the diversity of their applications lags heavily behind chemical catalysts as a result of the relatively narrow range of reaction mechanisms of enzymes. The creation of enzymes containing non-biological functionalities facilitates reaction mechanisms outside nature's canon and paves the way towards fully programmable biocatalysis1-3. Here we present a completely genetically encoded boronic-acid-containing designer enzyme with organocatalytic reactivity not achievable with natural or engineered biocatalysts4,5. This boron enzyme catalyses the kinetic resolution of hydroxyketones by oxime formation, in which crucial interactions with the protein scaffold assist in the catalysis. A directed evolution campaign led to a variant with natural-enzyme-like enantioselectivities for several different substrates. The unique activation mode of the boron enzyme was confirmed using X-ray crystallography, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and 11B NMR spectroscopy. Our study demonstrates that genetic-code expansion can be used to create evolvable enantioselective enzymes that rely on xenobiotic catalytic moieties such as boronic acids and access reaction mechanisms not reachable through catalytic promiscuity of natural or engineered enzymes.

Emergent Organoboron Acid Catalysts

Organoboron acids are stable, organic-soluble Lewis acids with potential application as catalysts for a wide variety of chemical reactions. In this review, we summarize the utility of boronic and borinic acids, as well as boric acid, as catalysts for organic transformations. Typically, the catalytic processes exploit the Lewis acidity of trivalent boron, enabling the reversible formation of a covalent bond with oxygen. Our focus is on recent developments in the catalysis of dehydration, carbonyl condensation, acylation, alkylation, and cycloaddition reactions. We conclude that organoboron acids have a highly favorable prospectus as the source of new catalysts.

Borane-Pyridine: An Efficient Catalyst for Direct Amidation

Borane-pyridine acts as an efficient (5 mol%) liquid catalyst, providing improved solubility for the direct amidation of a wide range of aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids and amines to form secondary and tertiary carboxamides. Tolerance of potentially incompatible halo, nitro, and alkene functionalities has been demonstrated.

Hydroxy-directed peptide bond formation from α-amino acid-derived inert esters enabled by boronic acid catalysis

A boronic acid-catalyzed peptide bond formation from α-amino acid methyl esters is described. The catalysis showed high chemoselectivity for β-hydroxy-α-amino esters, affording the peptides in high to excellent yields with high functional group tolerance. This hydroxy-directed peptide bond formation could be applicable to oligopeptide syntheses. This is the first successful example of organoboron-catalyzed peptide bond formation from α-amino acid-derived inert esters.

Synthesis of amides directly from carboxylic acids and hydrazines

The method for amide bond synthesis described here utilizes carboxylic acids and hydrazines in the presence of a catalytic amount of ZnCl2. This is the first report that highlights the use of hydrazine as an amine partner for amide synthesis directly with carboxylic acids. Ammonia (gas) is the only by-product in this method. The methodology is simple and could help in the synthesis of peptides and natural product derivatives.

Aryl boronic acid-controlled divergent ring-contraction and ring-opening/isomerization reaction of tert-cyclobutanols enabled by nickel catalysis

In this work, we wish to present a nickel-catalyzed divergent ring-contraction and ring-opening/isomerization reaction of tert-cyclobutanols. The key to control these two different reaction pathways is to choose appropriate boronic acid, where the use of phenylboronic acid and pyrimidin-5-ylboronic acid enables a ring-contraction and ring-opening reaction/isomerization, respectively. Both cyclopropyl aryl methanones and 1-aryl butan-1-ones could be selectively obtained.

Chemoselective N-Acylation of Amines with Acylsilanes under Aqueous Acidic Conditions

We report a facile method for forming amide bonds between acylsilanes and a wide range of amines in the presence of a mild chlorinating agent under aqueous acidic conditions. The reaction is highly chemoselective, as exemplified by the late-stage modification of a panel of approved drugs and natural products containing reactive functionalities.

KOH-promoted cascade C-Cl bond activation and amidation of trichloromethyl aromatic compounds with formamides in water

A KOH-promoted cascade C-Cl bond activation and amidation of trichloromethyl aromatic compounds with formamides using water as a solvent has been developed. This methodology suggested an alternative synthetic approach for the synthesis of aryl amide compounds in the absence of catalysts, additives and organic solvents. In addition, the yields of gram-scale reactions are good and provide a basis for synthetic application.

Development of fluorous boronic acid catalysts integrated with sulfur for enhanced amidation efficiency

A thermally stable, fluorous sulfur-containing boronic acid catalyst has been developed and was shown to efficiently promote dehydrative condensation between carboxylic acids and amines under environmentally friendly conditions. The methodology can be applied to aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic acids as well as primary and secondary amines. N-Boc protected amino acids were also successfully coupled in good yields with very little racemization. The catalyst could be reused four times with no significant loss of activity.

Expeditious Access to the B3NO2 Heterocycle Enabling Modular Derivatization

DATB (1,3-dioxa-5-aza-2,4,6-triborinane) is a unique six-membered heterocycle exhibiting proficient catalytic activity in direct dehydrative amidation. Reported herein is an improved synthetic protocol for DATB derivatives featuring a concise two-step chromatography-free process. Suzuki-Miyaura coupling assembled 2,6-dibromoaniline derivatives and 1,2-phenylenediboronic acid to afford dimeric B-spiroborate salts. Acidic untying of the spiroborates gave rise to the DATB ring system with various substituents.

Heterocyclic Boron Acid Catalyzed Dehydrative Amidation of Aliphatic/Aromatic Carboxylic Acids with Amines

A commercially available and versatile dehydrative amidation catalyst, featuring a thianthrene boron acid structure, has been developed. The catalyst shows high catalytic activity to both aliphatic and less reactive aromatic carboxylic acid substrates, including several bioactive or clinical molecules with a carboxylic acid group.

Less Is More: N(BOH)2 Configuration Exhibits Higher Reactivity than the B3NO2 Heterocycle in Catalytic Dehydrative Amide Formation

Diboron substructures have emerged as a promising scaffold for the catalytic dehydrative amidation of carboxylic acids and amines. This Letter describes the design, synthesis, and evaluation of the first isolable N(BOH)₂ compound as an amidation catalyst. The new catalyst outperforms the previously reported B₃NO₂ heterocycle catalyst, with respect to turnover frequency, albeit the former gradually decomposes upon exposure to amines. This work opens up an avenue for designing a better catalyst for direct amidation.

Boron-Catalyzed α-Functionalizations of Carboxylic Acids

Catalytic, chemoselective, and asymmetric α-functionalizations of carboxylic acids promise up-grading simple feedstock materials to value-added functional molecules, as well as late-stage structural diversifications of multifunctional molecules, such as drugs and their leads. In this personal account, we describe boron-catalyzed α-functionalizations of carboxylic acids developed in our group (five reaction types). The reversible boron carboxylate formation is key to the acidification of the α-protons and enolization using mild organic bases, allowing for chemoselective and asymmetric bond formations of carboxylic acids. The ligand effects on reactivity and stereoselectivity, substrate scopes, and mechanistic insights are summarized.

Functionalized Tetrazoles as Latent Active Esters in the Synthesis of Amide Bonds

We report the use of N-2,4-dinitrophenyltetrazoles as latent active esters (LAEs) in the synthesis of amide bonds. Activating the tetrazole generates an HOBt-type active ester without the requirement for exogenous coupling agents. The methodology was widely applicable to a range of substrates, with up to quantitative yields obtained. The versatility and functional group tolerance were exemplified with the one-step synthesis of various pharmaceutical agents and the N-acylation of resin-bound peptides.

Zirconium-Based Catalysts in Organic Synthesis

Zirconium is a silvery-white malleable and ductile metal at room temperature with a crustal abundance of 162 ppm. Its compounds, showing Lewis acidic behavior and high catalytic performance, have been recognized as a relatively cheap, low-toxicity, stable, green, and efficient catalysts for various important organic transformations. Commercially available inorganic zirconium chloride was widely applied as a catalyst to accelerate amination, Michael addition, and oxidation reactions. Well-designed zirconocene perfluorosulfonates can be applied in allylation, acylation, esterification, etc. N-Chelating oganozirconium complexes accelerate polymerization, hydroaminoalkylation, and CO₂ fixation efficiently. In this review, the applications of both commercially available and synthesized zirconium catalysts in organic reactions in the last 5 years are highlighted. Firstly, the properties and application of zirconium and its compounds are simply introduced. After presenting the superiority of zirconium compounds, their applications as catalysts to accelerate organic transformations are classified and presented in detail. On the basis of different kinds of zirconium catalysts, organic reactions accelerated by inorganic zirconium catalysts, zirconium catalysts bearing Cp, and organozirconium catalysts without Cp are summarized, and the plausible reaction mechanisms are presented if available.

Photoinduced carbamoylation reactions: unlocking new reactivities towards amide synthesis

The preparation of amide-containing compounds is among the most interesting and challenging topics for the synthetic community. Such relevance is given by their reactive aspects explored in the context of organic synthesis and by the direct application of these compounds as pharmaceuticals and useful materials, and their key roles in biological structures. A simple and straightforward strategy for the amide moiety installation is the use of carbamoyl radicals - this nucleophilic one-electron intermediate is prone to undergo a series of transformations, providing a range of structurally relevant derivatives. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the field from the perspective of photoinduced protocols. To this end, their synthetic applications are organized accordingly to the nature of the radical precursor (formamides through HAT, 4-substituted-1,4-dihydropyridines, oxamic acids, and N-hydroxyphthalimido esters), the mechanistic aspects also being highlighted. The discussion also includes a recent approach proceeding via photolytic C-S cleavage of dithiocarbamate-carbamoyl intermediates. By exploring fundamental concepts, this material aims to offer an understanding of the topic, which will encourage and facilitate the design of new synthetic strategies applying the carbamoyl radical.

Elucidating the Role of Antisolvents on the Surface Chemistry and Optoelectronic Properties of CsPbBrxI3-x Perovskite Nanocrystals

Colloidal lead-halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs) have emerged over the past decade as leading candidates for efficient next-generation optoelectronic devices, but their properties and performance critically depend on how they are purified. While antisolvents are widely used for purification, a detailed understanding of how the polarity of the antisolvent influences the surface chemistry and composition of the NCs is missing in the field. Here, we fill this knowledge gap by studying the surface chemistry of purified CsPbBrxI3-x NCs as the model system, which in itself is considered a promising candidate for pure-red light-emitting diodes and top-cells for tandem photovoltaics. Interestingly, we find that as the polarity of the antisolvent increases (from methyl acetate to acetone to butanol), there is a blueshift in the photoluminescence (PL) peak of the NCs along with a decrease in PL quantum yield (PLQY). Through transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements, we find that these changes in PL properties arise from antisolvent-induced iodide removal, which leads to a change in halide composition and, thus, the bandgap. Using detailed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements along with density functional theory calculations, we propose that more polar antisolvents favor the detachment of the oleic acid and oleylamine ligands, which undergo amide condensation reactions, leading to the removal of iodide anions from the NC surface bound to these ligands. This work shows that careful selection of low-polarity antisolvents is a critical part of designing the synthesis of NCs to achieve high PLQYs with minimal defect-mediated phase segregation.

CO2 -Promoted Direct Acylation of Amines and Phenols by the Activation of Inert Thioacid Salts

Herein a carbon dioxide-promoted synthetic approach for the direct amidation between unactivated thioacid salts and amines under mild conditions was developed for a wide range of substrates. The method afforded amides in good to excellent yields under transition-metal-free and activation-reagent-free conditions, in sharp contrast to early methodologies on amide synthesis based on transition-metal catalysis. The method offered a greener and transition metal-free protocol applicable to pharmaceuticals preparations. Phenolic compounds were also found to be suitable acylation substrates with potassium thiosulfide KHS as the only byproduct. Moreover, this approach was applied to amide synthesis of valuable bio-active molecules such as moclobemide, melatonin, and a fungicide. Insights into the reaction mechanism involving carbon dioxide were provided through NMR spectroscopy and computational calculations. A plausible mechanism was proposed that involves weak interactions between carbon dioxide and potassium thioacetate in a dynamic equilibrium state formation of a six-membered ring.

Amide Bonds Meet Flow Chemistry: A Journey into Methodologies and Sustainable Evolution

Formation of amide bonds is of immanent importance in organic and synthetic medicinal chemistry. Its presence in "traditional" small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients, in linear or cyclic oligo- and polypeptidic actives, including pseudopeptides, has led to the development of dedicated synthetic approaches for the formation of amide bonds starting from, if necessary, suitably protected amino acids. While the use of solid supported reagents is common in traditional peptide synthesis, similar approaches targeting amide bond formation in continuous-flow mode took off more significantly, after a first publication in 2006, only a couple of years ago. Most efforts rely upon the transition of traditional approaches in flow mode, or the combination of solid-phase peptide synthesis principles with flow chemistry, and advantages are mainly seen in improving space-time yields. This Review summarizes and compares the various approaches in terms of basic amide formation, peptide synthesis, and pseudopeptide generation, describing the technological approaches and the advantages that were generated by the specific flow approaches. A final discussion highlights potential future needs and perspectives in terms of greener and more sustainable syntheses.

Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTM) as a Reagent for Direct Amidation of Carboxylic Acids

Methyltrimethoxysilane [MTM, CH₃Si(OMe)₃] has been demonstrated to be an effective, inexpensive, and safe reagent for the direct amidation of carboxylic acids with amines. Two simple workup procedures that provide the pure amide product without the need for further purification have been developed. The first employs an aqueous base-mediated annihilation of MTM. The second involves simple product crystallization from the reaction mixture providing a low process mass intensity direct amidation protocol.

Atom-economic amide synthesis by using an iron-substituted polyoxometalate catalyst

We report an efficient and economical amidation strategy by using a polyoxometalate-based iron catalyst that affords the corresponding amide products in good yields. All of the aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic substrates are produced in high yields without additional base or organic ligands. Most importantly, the first example of heterogeneous iron(III)-catalyzed formation of the diamides is developed.

Acetylation of alcohols and amines under visible light irradiation: diacetyl as an acylation reagent and photosensitizer

An unprecedented strategy for the acetylation of alcohols and amines using diacetyl as both an acylation reagent and a photosensitizer was well developed.

Secondary-sphere modification in proline catalysis: Old friend, new connection

In this work, we exploit our strategy of in situ secondary-sphere modification of organocatalysts to improve the reactivity and selectivity of amino catalysts. Herein, the carboxylic acid moiety of proline...

Cp*Rh(III)/boron hybrid catalysis for directed C-H addition to β-substituted α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids

The C-H bond addition reaction of 2-phenylpyridine derivatives with α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids catalyzed by Cp*Rh(III)/BH₃·SMe₂ is reported. Activation of C-H bonds with the rhodium catalyst and activation of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids with the boron catalyst cooperatively work, and a BINOL-urea hybrid ligand significantly improved the reactivity. With the optimized hybrid catalytic system, various β-disubstituted carboxylic acids were obtained under mild reaction conditions.

Siloxy Esters as Traceless Activators of Carboxylic Acids: Boron-Catalyzed Chemoselective Asymmetric Aldol Reaction*

The catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction is among the most useful reactions in organic synthesis. Despite the existence of many prominent reports, however, the late-stage, chemoselective, catalytic, asymmetric aldol reaction of multifunctional substrates is still difficult to achieve. Herein, we identified that in situ pre-conversion of carboxylic acids to siloxy esters facilitated the boron-catalyzed direct aldol reaction, leading to the development of carboxylic acid-selective, catalytic, asymmetric aldol reaction applicable to multifunctional substrates. Combining experimental and computational studies rationalized the reaction mechanism and led to the proposal of Si/B enediolates as the active species. The silyl ester formation facilitated both enolization and catalyst turnover by acidifying the α-proton of substrates and attenuating poisonous Lewis bases to the boron catalyst.

Biphasic electrochemical peptide synthesis

The large amount of waste derived from coupling reagents is a serious drawback of peptide synthesis from a green chemistry viewpoint. To overcome this issue, we report an electrochemical peptide synthesis in a biphasic system. Anodic oxidation of triphenylphosphine (Ph₃P) generates a phosphine radical cation, which serves as the coupling reagent to activate carboxylic acids, and produces triphenylphosphine oxide (Ph₃P Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> O) as a stoichiometric byproduct. In combination with a soluble tag-assisted liquid-phase peptide synthesis, the selective recovery of desired peptides and Ph₃PO was achieved. Given that methods to reduce Ph₃PO to Ph₃P have been reported, Ph₃PO could be a recyclable byproduct unlike byproducts from typical coupling reagents. Moreover, a commercial peptide active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), leuprorelin, was successfully synthesized without the use of traditional coupling reagents.

The large amount of waste derived from coupling reagents is a serious drawback of peptide synthesis from a green chemistry viewpoint.

Protodeboronation of (Hetero)Arylboronic Esters: Direct versus Prehydrolytic Pathways and Self-/Auto-Catalysis

The kinetics and mechanism of the base-catalyzed hydrolysis (ArB(OR)₂ → ArB(OH)₂) and protodeboronation (ArB(OR)₂ → ArH) of a series of boronic esters, encompassing eight different polyols and 10 polyfluoroaryl and heteroaryl moieties, have been investigated by in situ and stopped-flow NMR spectroscopy (¹⁹F, ¹H, and ¹¹B), pH-rate dependence, isotope entrainment, ²H KIEs, and KS-DFT computations. The study reveals the phenomenological stability of boronic esters under basic aqueous-organic conditions to be highly nuanced. In contrast to common assumption, esterification does not necessarily impart greater stability compared to the corresponding boronic acid. Moreover, hydrolysis of the ester to the boronic acid can be a dominant component of the overall protodeboronation process, augmented by self-, auto-, and oxidative (phenolic) catalysis when the pH is close to the pK_a of the boronic acid/ester.

Perfluoro octanoic acid-modified magnetic hyperbranched polyamideamine as a sorbent for the extraction of fluorine-containing pesticides from water samples

Perfluoro octanoic acid was modified on the surface of magnetic hyperbranched polyamideamine by acid amine condensation. The morphology and chemical composition of perfluoro octanoic acid-modified magnetic hyperbranched polyamideamine was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, particle size analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Perfluoro octanoic acid-modified magnetic hyperbranched polyamideamine was applied in magnetic solid phase extraction for the separation and enrichment of four fluorine-containing pesticides (indoxacarb, metaflumizone, cyflumetofen, and cyhalothrin). The magnetic solid phase extraction method based on perfluoro octanoic acid-modified magnetic hyperbranched polyamideamine has low method detection limits (0.30-0.49 μg/L), a satisfactory coefficient of determination (0.9995-0.9999), wide linear ranges (2.5-250 μg/L), and good repeatability (intraday: 2.6-4.7%; interday: 1.1-7.9%). The enrichment factors and extraction efficiences varied from 55 to 76 and 69 to 96%, respectively. The sorbent-to-sorbent reproducibility was in the range of 3.2-7.6%, indicating that the synthesis of the sorbent was reliable. For the detection of actual water samples, the relative recoveries were in the range from 80.1 to 114.4% with relative standard deviations less than 9.6%. The calculation results of quantum chemistry calculations showed that after the modification of perfluoro octanoic acid, the interaction between the sorbent and four fluorine-containing pesticides was stronger.

Activation of Aryl Carboxylic Acids by Diboron Reagents towards Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Decarbonylative Borylation

The Ni-catalyzed decarbonylative borylation of (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids with B₂ cat₂ has been achieved without recourse to any additives. This Ni-catalyzed method exhibits a broad substrate scope covering poorly reactive non-ortho-substituted (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids, and tolerates diverse functional groups including some of the groups active to Ni⁰ catalysts. The key to achieve this decarbonylative borylation reaction is the choice of B₂ cat₂ as a coupling partner that not only acts as a borylating reagent, but also chemoselectively activates aryl carboxylic acids towards oxidative addition of their C(acyl)-O bond to Ni⁰ catalyst via the formation of acyloxyboron compounds. A combination of experimental and computational studies reveals a detailed plausible mechanism for this reaction system, which involves a hitherto unknown concerted decarbonylation and reductive elimination step that generates the aryl boronic ester product. This mode of boron-promoted carboxylic acid activation is also applicable to other types of reactions.

Amide bond formation: beyond the dilemma between activation and racemisation

The development of methods for amide bond formation without recourse to typical condensation reagents has become an emerging research area and has been actively explored in the past quarter century. Inspired by the structure of vitamin B12, we have developed a metal-templated macrolactamisation that generates a new wave towards classical macrolactam synthesis. Further, distinct from the extensively used methods with condensation reagents or catalysts based on catalyst/reagent control our metal-catalysed methods based on substrate control can effectively address long-standing challenges such as racemisation in the field of peptide chemistry. In addition, the substrate-controlled strategy demonstrates the feasibility of "remote" peptide bond-forming reaction catalysed by a metal-ligand complex. Moreover, an originally designed hydrosilane/aminosilane system can avoid not only racemisation but also unnecessary waste production. This feature article documents our discovery and application of our original approaches in amide bond formation.

Discovery, characterization and engineering of ligases for amide synthesis

Coronatine and related bacterial phytotoxins are mimics of the hormone jasmonyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile), which mediates physiologically important plant signalling pathways1-4. Coronatine-like phytotoxins disrupt these essential pathways and have potential in the development of safer, more selective herbicides. Although the biosynthesis of coronatine has been investigated previously, the nature of the enzyme that catalyses the crucial coupling of coronafacic acid to amino acids remains unknown1,2. Here we characterize a family of enzymes, coronafacic acid ligases (CfaLs), and resolve their structures. We found that CfaL can also produce JA-Ile, despite low similarity with the Jar1 enzyme that is responsible for ligation of JA and L-Ile in plants5. This suggests that Jar1 and CfaL evolved independently to catalyse similar reactions-Jar1 producing a compound essential for plant development4,5, and the bacterial ligases producing analogues toxic to plants. We further demonstrate how CfaL enzymes can be used to synthesize a diverse array of amides, obviating the need for protecting groups. Highly selective kinetic resolutions of racemic donor or acceptor substrates were achieved, affording homochiral products. We also used structure-guided mutagenesis to engineer improved CfaL variants. Together, these results show that CfaLs can deliver a wide range of amides for agrochemical, pharmaceutical and other applications.

Ammonia-borane as a Catalyst for the Direct Amidation of Carboxylic Acids

Ammonia-borane serves as an efficient substoichiometric (10%) precatalyst for the direct amidation of both aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids. In situ generation of amine-boranes precedes the amidation and, unlike the amidation with stoichiometric amine-boranes, this process is facile with 1 equiv of the acid. This methodology has high functional group tolerance and chromatography-free purification but is not amenable for esterification. The latter feature has been exploited to prepare hydroxyl- and thiol-containing amides.

Biomimetic Approaches to the Synthesis of Natural Disesquiterpenoids: An Update

Natural disesquiterpenoids represent a small group of secondary metabolites characterized by complex molecular scaffolds and interesting pharmacological profiles. In the last decade, more than 400 new disesquiterpenoids have been discovered and fully characterized, pointing out once more the "magic touch" of nature in the design of new compounds. The perfect blend of complex and unique architectures and biological activity has made sesquiterpene dimers an attractive and challenging synthetic target, inspiring organic chemists to find new and biomimetic approaches to replicate the efficiency and the selectivity of natural processes under laboratory conditions. In this work, we present a review covering the literature from 2010 to 2020 reporting all the efforts made in the total synthesis of complex natural disesquiterpenoids.

Zirconium-catalysed direct substitution of alcohols: enhancing the selectivity by kinetic analysis

Kinetic analysis was used as a tool for rational optimization of catalytic direct substitution of alcohols to enable selective formation of ethers, thioethers, and Friedel–Crafts alkylation products using a moisture-tolerant and commercially available Zr complex.