Interweaving Visible-Light and Iron Catalysis for Nitrene Formation and Transformation with Dioxazolones

Selective N=S Coupling Reactions of N-Methoxy Arylamides and Sulfoxides Catalyzed by Iron Salt

An iron-catalyzed selective N=S coupling of N-methoxy amides and sulfoxides has been developed and was found to be a highly efficient method for the synthesis of N-acyl sulfoximines. Electron-donating as well as electron-withdrawing groups on the phenyl ring are tolerated, and even sensitive substituents are compatible. The current catalytic transformation was conducted under an air atmosphere and can be easily scaled up to a gram scale with a catalyst loading of only 1 mol %. In this case, both coupling partners are used in their native forms, thus obviating prior functionalization and activation.

Photoinduced Group Transposition via Iridium-Nitrenoid Leading to Amidative Inner-Sphere Aryl Migration

We herein report a fundamental mechanistic investigation into photochemical metal-nitrenoid generation and inner-sphere transposition reactivity using organometallic photoprecursors. By designing Cp*Ir(hydroxamate)(Ar) complexes, we induced photo-initiated ligand activation, allowing us to explore the amidative σ(Ir-aryl) migration reactivity. A combination of experimental mechanistic studies, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the metal-to-ligand charge transfer enables the σ(N-O) cleavage, followed by Ir-acylnitrenoid generation. The final inner-sphere σ(Ir-aryl) group migration results in a net amidative group transposition.

Visible-Light-Promoted Enantioselective α-Amidation of Aldehydes by Harnessing Organo-Iron Dual Catalysis

The strategic integration of organocatalysis with transition-metal catalysis to achieve otherwise unattainable stereoselective transformations may serve as a powerful synthetic tool. Herein, we present a synthetically versatile α-amidation of aldehydes by leveraging dual iron and chiral enamine catalysis in an enantioselective manner (up to >99:1 er). Experimental and computational studies have led us to propose a new mechanistic platform, wherein visible-light-promoted LMCT generates [Fe(II)Cl3-], which effectively activates dioxazolones to form an iron-acylnitrenoid radical that inserts into chiral enamine intermediates.

Asymmetric Intramolecular Amination Catalyzed with Cp*Ir-SPDO via Nitrene Transfer for Synthesis of Spiro-Quaternary Indolinone

An asymmetric intramolecular spiro-amination to high steric hindering α-C-H bond of 1,3-dicarbonyl via nitrene transfer using inactive aryl azides has been carried out by developing a novel Cp*Ir(III)-SPDO (spiro-pyrrolidine oxazoline) catalyst, thereby enabling the first successful construction of structurally rigid spiro-quaternary indolinone cores with moderate to high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. DFT computations support the presence of double bridging H-F bonds between [SbF6]- and both the ligand and substrate, which favors the plane-differentiation of the enol π-bond for nitrenoid attacking. These findings open up numerous opportunities for the development of new asymmetric nitrene transfer systems.

Electrosynthesis of iminophosphoranes and applications in nickel catalysis

P(v) iminophosphorane compounds are accessed via electrochemical oxidation of commercially available P(iii) phosphines, including mono-, di- and tri-dentate phosphines, as well as chiral phosphines. The reaction uses inexpensive bis(trimethylsilyl)carbodiimide as an efficient and safe aminating reagent. DFT calculations, cyclic voltammetry, and NMR studies provide insight into the reaction mechanism. The proposed mechanism reveals a special case of sequential paired electrolysis. DFT calculations of the frontier orbitals of an iminophosphorane are compared with those of the analogous phosphines and phosphine oxides. X-ray crystallographic studies of the ligands as well as a Ni-coordination complex provide structural insight for these ligands. The utility of these iminophosphoranes as ligands is demonstrated in nickel-catalyzed cross-electrophile couplings including C(sp2)-C(sp3) and C(sp2)-C(sp2) couplings, an electrochemically driven C-N cross-coupling, and a photochemical arylative C(sp3)-H functionalization. In some cases, these new ligands provide improved performance over commonly used sp2-N-based ligands (e.g. 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine).

Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT)-Mediated Remote Desaturation Enabled by Fe/Cr-H Cooperative Catalysis

An iron/chromium system (Fe(OAc)2, CpCr(CO)3H) catalyzes the preparation of β,γ- or γ,δ-unsaturated amides from 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones. An acyl nitrenoid iron complex seems likely to be responsible for C-H activation. A cascade of three H• transfer steps appears to be involved: (i) the abstraction of H• from a remote C-H bond by the nitrenoid N, (ii) the transfer of H• from Cr to N, and (iii) the abstraction of H• from a radical substituent by the Cr•. The observed kinetic isotope effects are consistent with the proposed mechanism if nitrenoid formation is the rate-determining step. The Fe/Cr catalysts can also desaturate substituted 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones to 3,5-dienamides.

Cooperative Fe/Co-Catalyzed Remote Desaturation for the Synthesis of Unsaturated Amide Derivatives

Unsaturated amides represent common functional groups found in natural products and bioactive molecules and serve as versatile synthetic building blocks. Here, we report an iron(II)/cobalt(II) dual catalytic system for the syntheses of distally unsaturated amide derivatives. The transformation proceeds through an iron nitrenoid-mediated 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) mechanism. Subsequently, the radical intermediate undergoes hydrogen atom abstraction from vicinal methylene by a cobaloxime catalyst, efficiently yielding β,γ- or γ,δ-unsaturated amide derivatives under mild conditions. The efficiency of Co-mediated HAT can be tuned by varying different auxiliaries, highlighting the generality of this protocol. Remarkably, this desaturation protocol is also amenable to practical scalability, enabling the synthesis of unsaturated carbamates and ureas, which can be readily converted into various valuable molecules.

Intramolecular Carboxyamidation of Alkyne-Tethered O-Acylhydroxamates through Formation of Fe(III)-Nitrenoids

We developed intramolecular carboxyamidations of alkyne-tethered O-acylhydroxamates followed by either thermally induced spontaneous or 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine-catalyzed O→O or O→N acyl group migration. Under iron-catalyzed conditions, the carboxyamidation products were generated in high yield from both Z-alkene and arene-tethered substrates. DFT calculations indicate that the iron-catalyzed carboxyamidation proceeds via a stepwise mechanism involving iron-imidyl radical cyclization followed by intramolecular acyloxy transfer from the iron center to the alkenyl radical center to furnish the cis-carboxyamidation product. Upon treatment with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine, the Z-alkene-tethered carboxyamidation products underwent selective O→O acyl migration to generate 2-acyloxy-5-acyl pyrroles. Thermal O→N acyl migration occurs during carboxyamidation if the Z-alkene linker contains an alkyl or an aryl substituent at the β-position of the carbonyl group. On the other hand, the arene linker-containing compounds selectively undergo O→N acyl migration to generate N-acyl-3-acylisoindolinones, and the corresponding O→O acyl migration forming isoindole derivatives was not observed.

Amidative β-Scission of Alcohols Enabled by Dual Catalysis of Photoredox Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer and Inner-Sphere Ni-Nitrenoid Transfer

The photoredox/Ni dual catalysis is an appealing strategy to enable unconventional C-heteroatom bond formation. While significant advances have been achieved using this system, intermolecular C(sp3)-N bond formation has been relatively underdeveloped due to the difficulty in C(sp3)-N reductive elimination. Herein, we present a new mechanistic approach that utilizes dioxazolones as the Ni(II)-nitrenoid precursor to capture carbon-centered radicals by merging proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) with nickel catalysis, thus forming synthetically versatile N-alkyl amides using alcohols. Based on mechanistic investigations, the involvement of (κ2-N,O)Ni(II)-nitrenoid species was proposed to capture photoredox PCET-induced alkyl radicals, thereby playing a pivotal role to enable the C(sp3)-N bond formation.

Ligand-Promoted Iron-Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer for the Synthesis of Hydrazines and Triazanes through N-Amidation of Arylamines

Herein, we report that bulky alkylphosphines such as PtBu3 can switch the roles from actor to spectator ligands to promote the FeCl2 -catalyzed N-amidation reaction of arylamines with dioxazolones, giving hydrazides in high efficiency and chemoselectivity. Mechanistic studies indicated that the phosphine ligands could facilitate the decarboxylation of dioxazolones on the Fe center, and the hydrogen bonding interactions between the arylamines and the ligands on Fe nitrenoid intermediates might play a role in modulating the delicate interplay between the phosphine ligand, arylamine, and acyl nitrene N, favoring N-N coupling over N-P coupling. The new ligand-promoted N-amidation protocols offer a convenient way to access various challenging triazane compounds via double or sequential N-amidation of primary arylamines.

A Formal γ-C-H Functionalization of Carboxylic Acids Guided by Metal-Nitrenoids as an Unprecedented Mechanistic Motif

Harnessing the key intermediates in metal-catalyzed reactions is one of the most essential strategies in the development of selective organic transformations. The nitrogen group transfer reactivity of metal-nitrenoids to ubiquitous C-H bonds allows for diverse C-N bond formation to furnish synthetically valuable aminated products. In this study, we present an unprecedented reactivity of iridium and ruthenium nitrenoids to generate remote carbocation intermediates, which subsequently undergo nucleophile incorporation, thus developing a formal γ-C-H functionalization of carboxylic acids. Mechanistic investigations elucidated a unique singlet metal-nitrenoid reactivity to initiate an abstraction of γ-hydride to form the carbocation intermediate that eventually reacts with a broad range of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nucleophiles, as well as biorelevant molecules. Alternatively, the same intermediate can lead to deprotonation to afford β,γ-unsaturated amides in a less nucleophilic solvent.

Mechanochemical Iron-Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer Reactions: Direct Synthesis of N-Acyl Sulfonimidamides from Sulfinamides and Dioxazolones

A mechanochemical synthesis of sulfonimidamides by iron(II)-catalyzed exogenous ligand-free N-acyl nitrene transfer to sulfinamides is reported. The one-step method tolerates a wide range of sulfinamides with various substituents under solvent-free ambient conditions. Compared to its solution-phase counterpart, this mechanochemical approach shows better conversion and chemoselectivity. Mechanistic investigations by ESI-MS revealed the generation of crucial nitrene iron intermediates.

Visible-Light-Driven Iron-Catalyzed Decarboxylative C-N Coupling Reaction of Alkyl Carboxylic Acids with NaNO2

An efficient visible-light-driven iron-catalyzed decarboxylative C-N coupling reaction of alkyl carboxylic acids with NaNO2 under mild conditions was developed. The reaction proceeds under photosensitizer-free conditions and features good to excellent yields, broad functional group tolerance, and an easy operation procedure. Preliminary mechanistic investigations showed that visible-light-driven iron catalysis not only achieved oxidative decarboxylation of alkyl carboxylic acids to alkyl radicals but also promoted the reduction of NO2- to NO, thus leading to the C-N radical coupling reaction.

Visible-light-induced iron-catalyzed reduction of nitroarenes to anilines

An efficient visible-light-induced iron-catalyzed reduction of nitroarenes to anilines by using N-ethylmorpholine (NEM) as a reductant under mild conditions has been developed. The reaction proceeds with photosensitizer-free conditions and features good to excellent yields and broad functional group tolerance. Preliminary mechanistic investigations showed that this reaction was conducted via ligand-to-metal (NEM to Fe3+) charge transfer and nitro triplet biradical-induced hydrogen atom transfer processes.

Hypervalent Iodine Mediated Synthesis of Sulfinamidines from Sulfenamides

In this study, we present a novel, efficient method for the oxidative amination of sulfenamides using diacetoxyiodobenzene (PhI(OAc)2) and amines under basic conditions. This innovative technique streamlines the synthesis of sulfinamidines under mild, metal-free conditions, achieving outstanding yields of up to 99%. Furthermore, we propose possible pathways that elucidate the observed molecular sequence of events in this reaction. This cutting-edge approach not only advances the synthesis of valuable sulfinamidine compounds but also expands the synthetic toolbox available to chemists, paving the way for future discoveries in organic synthesis and potential applications in medicinal chemistry.

Hypervalent Iodine-Mediated Synthesis of Sulfinimidate Esters from Sulfenamides

In this study, we present a novel and efficient approach for the oxidative esterification of sulfenamides using phenyliodonium diacetate, enabling the synthesis of sulfinimidate esters and sulfilimines under mild and metal-free conditions, with yields reaching up to 99%. The protocol is readily scalable and compatible with a diverse range of substrates and functional groups, and we demonstrate its potential for late-stage functionalization of pharmacologically relevant molecules. Furthermore, we propose a plausible reaction mechanism to account for the observed sequence of events.

Azide-Free Synthesis of N-Alkyliminophosphoranes from Phosphines and Hydroxylamine Derivatives

A broadly applicable and efficient method for the synthesis of N-alkyliminophosphoranes from phosphines that does not use potentially hazardous alkyl azides is reported. Under iron catalysis, a hydroxylamine-derived triflic acid salt oxidizes phosphines to a wide range of iminophosphorane triflic acid salts. Diphosphines afford phosphine-iminophosphoranes that can serve as ligands in transition metal complexes. The developed method can be employed in the synthesis of mixed diiminophosphoranes and in a traceless Staudinger ligation.

Nitrene transfer reaction with hydroxylamine derivatives

Recent progress on catalytic nitrene transfer reactions with hydroxylamine derivatives as prevalent precursors is summarized in this highlight. The salient features of these N-O derived nitrene transfer reagents are that they are readily available, bench-stable, and can be facilely activated by a range of transition metal-catalysts under mild conditions. The application of these reagents in transition metal-catalysis has led to many new amidation or amination reactions, such as C-H insertions and aziridination of olefins. These reagents have also been applied in difunctionalisation of unsaturated bonds, dearomative amination of indoles, and formation of N-X bonds. Moreover, the recent achievements in photocatalysis and enzyme catalysis further emphasize the importance of these appealing reagents. This highlight provides an overview of these reactions reported in recent years. Challenges and potential opportunities for future developments are also discussed.

Iron-catalyzed dual decarboxylative coupling of α-amino acids and dioxazolones under visible-light to access amide derivatives

An iron-catalyzed decarboxylative C-N coupling of α-amino acids with dioxazolones is described herein to synthesize amide derivatives under visible-light. The desired products can be given in good to excellent yields under simple, mild, and oxidant-free conditions. This protocol provides a practical route for the transformation of α-amino acids to the corresponding amides. Computational studies were carried out to shed light on the mechanism of this reaction.

Cycloisomerization of Alkyne-Tethered N-Acyloxycarbamates to 2-(3H)Oxazolones through Nitrenoid-Mediated Carboxyamidation

The cycloisomerization of alkyne-tethered N-benzoyloxycarbamates to 2-(3H)oxazolones is described. Two catalytic systems are tailored for intramolecular 5-exo-alkyne carboxyamidation and concomitant alkene isomerization. PtCl₂ /CO (5 mol%, toluene, 100 °C) promotes both carboxyamidation and alkene isomerization but has a limited substrate scope. On the other hand, FeCl₃ (5 mol%, CH₃ CN, 100 °C) promotes carboxyamidation effectively but a cocatalyst is required for the exocyclic alkene isomerization. Thus, a two-step one-pot protocol has been developed for a broader reaction scope, which involves FeCl₃ -catalyzed carboxyamidation and base-induced alkene isomerization. Crossover experiments suggest that these reactions proceed mainly through a mechanism involving acylnitrenoid intermediates rather than carbenoid intermediates.

Synthesis of N-acyl sulfenamides via copper catalysis and their use as S-sulfenylating reagents of thiols

Sulfur-heteroatom bonds such as S-S and S-N are found in a variety of natural products and often play important roles in biological processes. Despite their widespread applications, the synthesis of sulfenamides, which feature S-N bonds that may be cleaved under mild conditions, remains underdeveloped. Here, we report a method for synthesis of N-acyl sulfenamides via copper-catalyzed nitrene-mediated S-amidation reaction of thiols with dioxazolones. This method is efficient, convenient, and broadly applicable. Moreover, the resulting N-acetyl sulfenamides are highly effective S-sulfenylation reagents for the synthesis of unsymmetrical disulfides under mild conditions. The S-sulfenylation protocol enables facile access to sterically demanding disulfides that are difficult to synthesize by other means.

Iron/Photosensitizer Hybrid System Enables the Synthesis of Polyaryl-Substituted Azafluoranthenes

Photosensitization of organometallics is a privileged strategy that enables challenging transformations in transition-metal catalysis. However, the usefulness of such photocatalyst-induced energy transfer has remained opaque in iron-catalyzed reactions despite the intriguing prospects of iron catalysis in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we demonstrate the use of iron/photosensitizer-cocatalyzed cycloaddition to synthesize polyarylpyridines and azafluoranthenes, which have been scarcely accessible using the established iron-catalyzed protocols. Mechanistic studies indicate that triplet energy transfer from the photocatalyst to a ferracyclic intermediate facilitates the thermally demanding nitrile insertion and accounts for the distinct reactivity of the hybrid system. This study thus provides the first demonstration of the role of photosensitization in overcoming the limitations of iron catalysis.

Copper-Catalyzed, Aerobic Synthesis of NH-Sulfonimidamides from Primary Sulfinamides and Secondary Amines

NH-Sulfonimidamides are prepared by copper-catalyzed coupling of primary sulfinamides with secondary amines. Neither a ligand nor an additive is needed, and air is the terminal oxidant. The reactions occur at room temperature, show good functional group tolerance, and lead to products in good yields. A sulfanenitrile is proposed as an intermediate in this oxidative amination.

Photoredox Catalytic Phosphine-Mediated Deoxygenation of Hydroxylamines Enables the Construction of N-Acyliminophosphoranes

The chemistry of phosphoranyl radicals has received increasing attention in recent years. Here, we report the generation of amidyl radicals through photocatalytic deoxygenation of hydroxylamines with triphenylphosphine. This methodology offers a novel and convenient route to a diverse range of N-acyliminophosphoranes in moderate to good yields under visible-light photoredox conditions. Fluorescence quenching experiments suggest that the excited-state of the organic photocatalyst (4CzIPN) was oxidatively quenched by a Cu(II) salt.

Reaction of Amide and Sodium Azide for the Synthesis of Acyl Azide, Urea, and Iminophosphorane

Amides reacted with NaN₃ to give the acyl azides in DMF at 25 °C and produce the symmetrical ureas in THF/H₂O at 80 °C via the sequential reaction of acyl substitution and Curtius rearrangement. All acyl azides were also obtained from the secondary amides via sequential reaction of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride and NaN₃. In addition, keto-stabilized iminophosphoranes were prepared from a one-pot reaction of amides, NaN₃, and phosphines.

Iron(II)-Catalyzed Nitrene Transfer Reaction of Sulfoxides with N-Acyloxyamides

An iron(II)-catalyzed nitrene transfer reaction of sulfoxides with N-acyloxyamides has been developed, leading to the efficient construction of N-acyl sulfoximines with high functional-group compatibility. The current catalytic transformation was carried out under an air atmosphere at ambient temperature and could be scaled up to gram scale with a catalyst loading of 1 mol %. Application of the methodology was demonstrated by facile C-H acetoxylation and olefination using the N-acyl sulfoximine as the directing group.

Iron-Catalyzed Intramolecular Arene C(sp2 )-H Amidations under Mechanochemical Conditions

In a ball mill, FeBr3 -catalyzed intramolecular amidations lead to 3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinones in good to almost quantitative yields. The reactions do not require a solvent and are easy to perform. No additional ligand is needed for the iron catalyst. Both 4-substituted aryl and β-substituted dioxazolones provide products with high selectivity. Mechanistically, an electrophilic spirocyclization followed by C-C migration explains the formation of rearranged products.

Recent advances in visible light-induced C(sp3)–N bond formation

Synthetic chemists have long focused on selective C(sp ³)-N bond-forming approaches in response to the high value of this motif in natural products, pharmaceutical agents and functional materials. In recent years, visible light-induced protocols have become an important synthetic platform to promote this transformation under mild reaction conditions. These photo-driven methods rely on converting visible light into chemical energy to generate reactive but controllable radical species. This Review highlights recent advances in this area, mostly after 2014, with an emphasis placed on C(sp ³)-H bond activations, including amination of olefins and carbonyl compounds, and cross-coupling reactions.

Reaction of Dioxazolones with Boronic Acids: Copper-Mediated Synthesis of N-Aryl Amides via N-Acyl Nitrenes

Dioxazolones, as direct amide sources, have been used with boronic acids in the presence of copper(I) chloride to access N-aryl amides at room temperature. The versatility of the developed reaction is proven by ample scope having a wide range of functional group tolerance. The reaction optimization conditions revealed that a fluorine additive demonstrated improved reactivity toward the intended transformation. The addition of triphenylphosphine resulted in N-acyl iminophosphorane, suggesting the involvement of an N-acyl nitrene intermediate.

Photoredox/Iron Dual-Catalyzed Insertion of Acyl Nitrenes into C-H Bonds

In this work, the use of N-acyloxybenzamides as efficient acyl nitrene precursors under photoredox/iron dual catalysis is reported. The resulting acyl nitrenes could be captured by various types of C-H bonds and S- or P-containing molecules. Mechanism investigations suggested that the formation of the acyl nitrene from the N-acyloxybenzamide occurs by a photoredox process, and it is believed that in this redox process oxidative N-H bond cleavage of the N-acyloxybenzamide occurs prior to reductive N-O bond cleavage of the N-acyloxybenzamide.

Visible-Light-Induced Decarboxylation of Dioxazolones to Phosphinimidic Amides and Ureas

A visible-light-induced external catalyst-free decarboxylation of dioxazolones was realized for the bond formation of N=P and N-C bonds to access phosphinimidic amides and ureas. Various phosphinimidic amides and ureas (47 examples) were synthesized with high yields (up to 98%) by this practical strategy in the presence of the system's ppm Fe.

Photoinduced Transition-Metal-Free Chan-Evans-Lam-Type Coupling: Dual Photoexcitation Mode with Halide Anion Effect

Herein, we report a photoinduced transition-metal-free C(aryl)-N bond formation between 2,4,6-tri(aryl)boroxines or arylboronic acids as an aryl source and 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones (dioxazolones) as an amide coupling partner. Chloride anion, either generated in situ by photodissociation of chlorinated solvent molecules or added separately as an additive, was found to play a critical cooperative role, thereby giving convenient access to a wide range of synthetically versatile N-arylamides under mild photo conditions. The synthetic virtue of this transition-metal-free Chan-Evans-Lam-type coupling was demonstrated by large-scale reactions, synthesis of 15N-labeled arylamides, and applicability toward biologically relevant compounds. On the basis of mechanistic investigations, two distinctive photoexcitations are proposed to function in the current process, in which the first excitation involving chloro-boron adduct facilitates the transition-metal-free activation of dioxazolones by single electron transfer (SET), and the second one enables the otherwise-inoperative 1,2-aryl migration of the thus-formed N-chloroamido-borate adduct.

Construction of N-Acyliminophosphoranes via Iron(II)-Catalyzed Imidization of Phosphines with N-Acyloxyamides

Employing FeCl₂ as a cheap and readily available catalyst, a facile imidization of phosphines with N-acyloxyamides is described, affording synthetically useful N-acyliminophosphoranes with high functional group tolerance. The transformation is easily performed under an air atmosphere at room temperature and could be scaled up to gram scale with a catalyst loading of 1 mol %. The iminophosphoranyl moiety in the product was further utilized as an effective directing group for controllable ortho C(sp²)-H bond amidations under Rh(III) catalysis.

Recent Advances in Decarboxylative Conversions of Cyclic Carbonates and Beyond

In recent years, functionalized cyclic organic carbonates have emerged as valuable building blocks for the construction of interesting and useful molecules upon decarboxylation under transition-metal catalysis. By employing suitable catalytic systems, the development of chemo-, regio-, stereo- and enantioselective methods for the synthesis of useful and interesting compounds has advanced greatly. On the basis of previous research on this topic, this short review highlights the synthetic potential of cyclic carbonates under transition-metal catalysis over the last two years.

1 Introduction

2 Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Decarboxylation of Vinyl Cyclic Carbonates

3 Zwitterionic Enolate Chemistry Based On Transition-Metal Catalysis

4 Decarboxylation of Alkynyl Cyclic Carbonates and Dioxazolones

5 Conclusions and Perspectives

Iridium-Catalyzed Amidation of In Situ Prepared Silyl Ketene Acetals to Access α-Amino Esters

Disclosed herein is a convenient Ir-catalyzed amidation of esters to access α-amido esters. Initially prepared silyl ketene acetals are directly employed, without separate purification, for subsequent amidation with an oxycarbonylnitrenoid precursor using the Cp*(LX)Ir(III) catalyst. The α-amidation was facile for both α-aryl and α-alkyl esters. Density functional theory studies revealed that the generation of a putative Ir-nitrenoid is facilitated by the chelation of the countercation additive during the N-O bond cleavage of the nitrene precursor.

Access to β-Lactams via Iron-Catalyzed Olefin Oxyamidation Enabled by the π-Accepting Phthalocyanine Ligand

Herein, we report the development of an iron-catalyzed olefin oxyamidation by utilizing tethered dioxazolones as the nitrenoid precursor to produce valuable β-lactam scaffolds. Mechanistic studies revealed that a relatively strong π-accepting ability of the phthalocyanine ligand is critical in generating the key triplet iron-imidyl radical intermediate to enable the 4-exo-trig-lactamization with the incorporation of oxygen nucleophiles in high diastereoselectivity. This cyclization approach was readily extended to the highly efficient γ-lactam synthesis (TON > 300).

Selective Photocatalyst for styrene epoxidation with atmospheric O2 using covalent organic frameworks

Fe@POG-OH was synthetized and used to photo-catalyze styrene epoxidation with high selectivity and high conversion at room temperature. O2˙− plays crucial roles in the effective and selective oxidation of styrene to styrene oxide.

Electricity-driven redox-neutral C(sp3)–H amidation with N-alkoxyamide as an amidating reagent

An electrochemical redox-neutral C(sp3)–H amidation was developed with N-alkoxyamide as an amidating reagent. Under sequential paired electrolysis, N-alkoxyamides showed higher reactivity compared to the direct reaction of primary amides.