A new direction in C-H alkenylation: silanol as a helping hand

Single-Atom Manganese-Catalyzed Oxygen Evolution Drives the Electrochemical Oxidation of Silane to Silanol

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER), characterized by a four-electron transfer kinetic process, represents a significant bottleneck in improving the efficiency of hydrogen production from water electrolysis. Consequently, extensive research efforts have been directed towards identifying single-atom electrocatalysts with exceptional OER performance. Despite the comprehensive understanding of the OER mechanism, its application to other valuable synthetic reactions has been limited. Herein, we leverage the MOOH intermediate, a key species in the Mn-N-C single-atom catalyst (Mn-SA@NC), which can be cyclically delivered in the OER. We exploit this intermediate' s capability to facilitate electrophilic transfer with silane, enabling efficient silane oxidation under electrochemical conditions. The SAC electrocatalytic system exhibits remarkable performance with catalyst loadings as low as 600 ppm and an exceptional turnover number of 9132. Furthermore, the catalytic method demonstrates stability under a 10 mmol flow chemistry setup. By serving as an OER electrocatalyst, the Mn-SA@NC drives the entire reaction, establishing a practical Mn SAC-catalyzed organic electrosynthesis system. This synthesis approach not only presents a promising avenue for the utilization of electrocatalytic OER but also highlights the potential of SACs as an attractive platform for organic electrosynthesis investigations.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Hydrolytic Cleavage of the Silicon-Carbon Bond of Silacyclobutanes to Access Silanols

Herein, we report the first rhodium-catalyzed hydrolytic cleavage of the silicon-carbon bond in silacyclobutanes using water as the reactant. A series of silacyclobutanes could be employed in this reaction in the presence of the Rh/BINAP complex, resulting in the corresponding silanols in good yields. Additionally, a chiral 1,1,4,4-tetraaryl-2,3-O-isopropylidene-l-threitol-derived phosphoramidite ligand could be used in this reaction to yield Si-stereogenic silanol with promising enantioselectivity.

Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of S-S Bond-Containing Silanols from SCBs and Trisulfide-1,1-dioxides

In this work, an efficient method for the copper-catalyzed ring-opening hydrolysis of silacyclobutanes to silanols was developed. This strategy has the advantages of friendly reaction conditions, simple operation, and good functional group compatibility. No additional additives are required in the reaction, and the S-S bond can also be introduced into the organosilanol compounds in one step. Furthermore, the success at the gram scale demonstrates the great potential of the developed protocol for practical industrial applications.

Visible-light-driven oxidation of organosilanes by a charge-transfer complex

Direct oxidation of organosilanes is one of the most straightforward ways to access silanols. Herein, we describe a novel photo-induced strategy for oxidation of organosilanes to access silanols, promoted by a photoactive charge-transfer complex (CTC) between sodium benzenesulfinate and molecular O₂. A streamlined sequence transformation of organosilanes to silyl ethers was also readily achieved. This developed protocol represents the first example of CTC-based oxidation of organosilanes, offering a facile approach to access a series of silanol and silyl ether products.

Visible Light-Mediated Organoboron-Catalyzed Metal-Free Synthesis of Silanols from Silanes

Herein, a four-coordinated organoboron compound, aminoquinoline diarylboron (AQDAB), is utilized as the photocatalyst in the oxidation of silane to silanol. This strategy effectively oxidizes Si-H bonds, affording Si-O bonds. Generally, the corresponding silanols can be obtained in moderate to good yields at room temperature under oxygen atmospheres, representing a green protocol to complement the existing preparation methods for silanols.

Base-Controlled Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular 'One Substrate - Five Reactions' of 5-Benzyl-1-(2-halobenzyl)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ones

Achieving site-selectivity and chemoselectivity is enormously challenging for substrates with multi-reactive sites in organic reactions. One kind of model substrates, 5-benzyl-1-(2-halobenzyl)-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-ones with six reactive sites were chosen as the examples to probe their intramolecular four kinds of five reactions including C(sp³ )-H arylation, C(sp² )-H arylation, reductive Heck reaction, and domino Heck reaction/alkylation of aryl C(sp² )-H bonds through variation of the reaction conditions. Screening of the reaction conditions showed that the different bases controlled the palladium-catalyzed intramolecular site-selectivity and chemoselectivity of the substrates: (i) Cesium carbonate (Cs₂ CO₃ ) promoted the benzyl C(sp³ )-H arylation of the substrates providing dihydropyrazolo[1,5-b]isoquinolin-2(1H)-ones at 100 °C, and isomerization of the dihydropyrazolo[1,5-b]isoquinolin-2(1H)-ones gave isoquinoline derivatives at a higher temperature (140 °C); (ii) Sodium acetate (NaOAc) mediated the aryl C(sp² )-H arylation of the substrates affording seven-membered biphenyl N-heterocycles; (iii) Sodium dichloroacetate (Cl₂ HCCO₂ Na) facilitated occurrence of the reductive Heck reaction of the substrates affording 1H-pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindol-2(8H)-ones; (iv) Sodium trifluoroacetate (F₃ CCO₂ Na) assisted performance of the domino Heck reaction/aryl C(sp² )-H alkylation of the substrates leading to the spiro heterocycles. The 'one substrate - multiple reactions - multiple products' strategy greatly reduces cost, increases diversity of products, provides more opportunity for screening of pharmaceutical molecules, and enriches modern organic synthetic chemistry.

Chiral Silanols: Strategies and Tactics for Their Synthesis

Silanols are valuable and important compounds, which have found widespread applications in the field of materials science, synthetic chemistry, and medicinal chemistry. Although a handful of approaches have been developed for the synthesis of various silanols, access to enantioenriched silicon-stereogenic silanols remains underdeveloped. This Concept article intends to summarize and highlight recent advances in the construction of silicon-stereogenic silanols and endeavors to encourage further research in this area.

Cobalt-catalyzed highly selective hydroxylation of organohydrosilanes and hydrosiloxanes

The highly selective and scalable dehydrogenative hydroxylation of hydrosilanes, featuring a low loading of the Earth-abundant cobalt catalyst, water as the green oxidant, and good generality for various hydrosilanes, is reported.

Photocatalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling of silanes with alcohols and water

An efficient method for the dehydrogenative coupling of silanes with alcohols under photocatalysis was developed. The reaction proceeded in the presence of Ru(bpy)₃Cl₂ (0.5 mol%) under visible light irradiation in acetonitrile at room temperature. The developed methodology was also applicable for the synthesis of silanols using water as a coupling partner.

BF3-OEt2 Catalyzed C3-Alkylation of Indole: Synthesis of Indolylsuccinimidesand Their Cytotoxicity Studies

A simple and efficient BF₃-OEt₂ promoted C3-alkylation of indole has been developed to obtain3-indolylsuccinimidesfrom commercially available indoles and maleimides, with excellent yields under mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, anti-proliferative activity of these conjugates was evaluated against HT-29 (Colorectal), Hepg2 (Liver) and A549 (Lung) human cancer cell lines. One of the compounds, 3w, having N,N-Dimethylatedindolylsuccinimide is a potent congener amongst the series with IC₅₀ value 0.02 µM and 0.8 µM against HT-29 and Hepg2 cell lines, respectively, and compound 3i was most active amongst the series with IC₅₀ value 1.5 µM against A549 cells. Molecular docking study and mechanism of reaction have briefly beendiscussed. This method is better than previous reports in view of yield and substrate scope including electron deficient indoles.

Selective Electrochemical Hydrolysis of Hydrosilanes to Silanols via Anodically Generated Silyl Cations

The first electrochemical hydrolysis of hydrosilanes to silanols under mild and neutral reaction conditions is reported. The practical protocol employs commercially available and cheap NHPI as a hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) mediator and operates at room temperature with high selectivity, leading to various valuable silanols in moderate to good yields. Notably, this electrochemical method exhibits a broad substrate scope and high functional-group compatibility, and it is applicable to late-stage functionalization of complex molecules. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction appears to proceed through a nucleophilic substitution reaction of an electrogenerated silyl cation with H₂ O.

Synthesis of a Gold-Metal Oxide Core-Satellite Nanostructure for In Situ SERS Study of CuO-Catalyzed Photooxidation

This work reports on an assembling-calcining method for preparing gold-metal oxide core-satellite nanostructures, which enable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic detection of chemical reactions on metal oxide nanoparticles. By using the nanostructure, we study the photooxidation of Si-H catalyzed by CuO nanoparticles. As evidenced by the in situ spectroscopic results, oxygen vacancies of CuO are found to be very active sites for oxygen activation, and hydroxide radicals (*OH) adsorbed at the catalytic sites are likely to be the reactive intermediates that trigger the conversion from silanes into the corresponding silanols. According to our finding, oxygen vacancy-rich CuO catalysts are confirmed to be of both high activity and selectivity in photooxidation of various silanes.

Selective Enzymatic Oxidation of Silanes to Silanols

Compared to the biological world's rich chemistry for functionalizing carbon, enzymatic transformations of the heavier homologue silicon are rare. We report that a wild-type cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450BM3 from Bacillus megaterium, CYP102A1) has promiscuous activity for oxidation of hydrosilanes to give silanols. Directed evolution was applied to enhance this non-native activity and create a highly efficient catalyst for selective silane oxidation under mild conditions with oxygen as the terminal oxidant. The evolved enzyme leaves C-H bonds present in the silane substrates untouched, and this biotransformation does not lead to disiloxane formation, a common problem in silanol syntheses. Computational studies reveal that catalysis proceeds through hydrogen atom abstraction followed by radical rebound, as observed in the native C-H hydroxylation mechanism of the P450 enzyme. This enzymatic silane oxidation extends nature's impressive catalytic repertoire.

Improved Production and Biophysical Analysis of Recombinant Silicatein-α

Silicatein-α is a hydrolase found in siliceous sea sponges with a unique ability to condense and hydrolyse silicon–oxygen bonds. The enzyme is thus of interest from the perspective of its unusual enzymology, and for potential applications in the sustainable synthesis of siloxane-containing compounds. However, research into this enzyme has previously been hindered by the tendency of silicatein-α towards aggregation and insolubility. Herein, we report the development of an improved method for the production of a trigger factor-silicatein fusion protein by switching the previous hexahistidine tag for a Strep-II tag, resulting in 244-fold improvement in protein yield compared to previous methods. Light scattering and thermal denaturation analyses show that under the best storage conditions, although oligomerisation is never entirely abolished, these nanoscale aggregates of the Strep-tagged protein exhibit improved colloidal stability and solubility. Enzymatic assays show that the Strep-tagged protein retains catalytic competency, but exhibits lower activity compared to the His₆-tagged protein. These results suggest that the hexahistidine tag is capable of non-specific catalysis through their imidazole side chains, highlighting the importance of careful consideration when selecting a purification tag. Overall, the Strep-tagged fusion protein reported here can be produced to a higher yield, exhibits greater stability, and allows the native catalytic properties of this protein to be assessed.

σ-H-H, σ-C-H, and σ-Si-H Bond Activation Catalyzed by Metal Nanoparticles

Activation of H-H, Si-H, and C-H bonds through σ-bond coordination has grown in the past 30 years from a scientific curiosity to an important tool in the functionalization of hydrocarbons. Several mechanisms were discovered via which the initially σ-bonded substrate could be converted: oxidative addition, heterolytic cleavage, σ-bond metathesis, electrophilic attack, etc. The use of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in this area is a more recent development, but obviously nanoparticles offer a much richer basis than classical homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for tuning reactivity for such a demanding process as C-H functionalization. Here, we will review the surface chemistry of nanoparticles and catalytic reactions occurring in the liquid phase, catalyzed by either colloidal or supported metal NPs. We consider nanoparticles prepared in solution, which are stabilized and tuned by polymers, ligands, and supports. The question we have addressed concerns the differences and similarities between molecular complexes and metal NPs in their reactivity toward σ-bond activation and functionalization.

A comprehensive overview of directing groups applied in metal-catalysed C-H functionalisation chemistry

The present review is devoted to summarizing the recent advances (2015-2017) in the field of metal-catalysed group-directed C-H functionalisation. In order to clearly showcase the molecular diversity that can now be accessed by means of directed C-H functionalisation, the whole is organized following the directing groups installed on a substrate. Its aim is to be a comprehensive reference work, where a specific directing group can be easily found, together with the transformations which have been carried out with it. Hence, the primary format of this review is schemes accompanied with a concise explanatory text, in which the directing groups are ordered in sections according to their chemical structure. The schemes feature typical substrates used, the products obtained as well as the required reaction conditions. Importantly, each example is commented on with respect to the most important positive features and drawbacks, on aspects such as selectivity, substrate scope, reaction conditions, directing group removal, and greenness. The targeted readership are both experts in the field of C-H functionalisation chemistry (to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made in the last years) and, even more so, all organic chemists who want to introduce the C-H functionalisation way of thinking for a design of straightforward, efficient and step-economic synthetic routes towards molecules of interest to them. Accordingly, this review should be of particular interest also for scientists from industrial R&D sector. Hence, the overall goal of this review is to promote the application of C-H functionalisation reactions outside the research groups dedicated to method development and establishing it as a valuable reaction archetype in contemporary R&D, comparable to the role cross-coupling reactions play to date.

Silylation reactions on nanoporous gold via homolytic Si-H activation of silanes

We report compelling evidences that dihydrosilanes are activated in a homolytic fashion on the surface of nanoporous gold (NPG), which produces hydrogen radical and silicon moieties covalently linked to the surface of the NPG. This new reactivity has led to the development of novel silylation reactions on gold.

Si–H bond activation is an important process implicated in many useful synthetic applications including silylation and transfer hydrogenation reactions. Herein we discovered homolytic activation of Si–H bonds on the surface of nanoporous gold (NPG), forming hydrogen radicals and [Au]–[Si] intermediates. By virtue of this new reactivity, we achieved highly selective mono and sequential alcoholysis of dihydrosilane. In addition, the amphiphilic nature of the [Au]–[Si] intermediate allows for a new bis-silylation reaction of cyclic ethers. The present work showcased that the surface reactivity of nanocatalysts may provide exciting opportunity for new reaction discovery.

Recombinant silicateins as model biocatalysts in organosiloxane chemistry

The family of silicatein enzymes from marine sponges (phylum Porifera) is unique in nature for catalyzing the formation of inorganic silica structures, which the organisms incorporate into their skeleton. However, the synthesis of organosiloxanes catalyzed by these enzymes has thus far remained largely unexplored. To investigate the reactivity of these enzymes in relation to this important class of compounds, their catalysis of Si-O bond hydrolysis and condensation was investigated with a range of model organosilanols and silyl ethers. The enzymes' kinetic parameters were obtained by a high-throughput colorimetric assay based on the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl silyl ethers. These assays showed unambiguous catalysis with k_cat/K_m values on the order of 2-50 min^-1 μM^-1 Condensation reactions were also demonstrated by the generation of silyl ethers from their corresponding silanols and alcohols. Notably, when presented with a substrate bearing both aliphatic and aromatic hydroxy groups the enzyme preferentially silylates the latter group, in clear contrast to nonenzymatic silylations. Furthermore, the silicateins are able to catalyze transetherifications, where the silyl group from one silyl ether may be transferred to a recipient alcohol. Despite close sequence homology to the protease cathepsin L, the silicateins seem to exhibit no significant protease or esterase activity when tested against analogous substrates. Overall, these results suggest the silicateins are promising candidates for future elaboration into efficient and selective biocatalysts for organosiloxane chemistry.

Palladium(ii)-catalyzed ortho-C–H olefination of phenylalanine and phenylethylamine derivatives directed by removable picolinamide group

Palladium-catalyzed ortho-C–H olefination of phenylalanine and phenylethylamine derivatives assisted by a removable picolinamide group has been achieved.

A bentonite–gold nanohybrid as a heterogeneous green catalyst for selective oxidation of silanes

A highly efficient, green and recyclable heterogeneous bentonite–gold nanohybrid catalyst was developed for the selective oxidation of silanes.

Direct Synthesis of Protoberberine Alkaloids by Rh-Catalyzed C-H Bond Activation as the Key Step

A one-pot reaction of substituted benzaldehydes with alkyne-amines by a Rh-catalyzed C-H activation and annulation to afford various natural and unnatural protoberberine alkaloids is reported. This reaction provides a convenient route for the generation of a compound library of protoberberine salts, which recently have attracted great attention because of their diverse biological activities. In addition, pyridinium salt derivatives can also be formed in good yields from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and amino-alkynes. This reaction proceeds with excellent regioselectivity and good functional group compatibility under mild reaction conditions by using O2 as the oxidant.

Palladium-catalyzed direct alkenylation of 2-methyl-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones using oxygen as the oxidant

A direct C-3 alkenylation of 2-methyl-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones through palladium-catalyzed C–H activation using oxygen as the terminal oxidant has been developed.