Recent progress in catalytic acyloxylation of C(sp 3 )‐H bonds

Palladium-Catalyzed C(sp3)-H Nitrooxylation of Aliphatic Carboxamides with Practical Oxidants

Here we report the palladium-catalyzed β-C(sp3)-H nitrooxylation of aliphatic carboxamides using a modified quinoline auxiliary. Notably, Al(NO3)3·9H2O was used as a nitrate source as well as a practical oxidant. The 5-chloro-8-aminoquinoline auxiliary was nitrated in situ during the reaction, which may enhance its directing ability and help its removal. The reaction has a broad substrate scope with a variety of aliphatic carboxamides. The multiple substituted auxiliary can be easily removed and recovered. Two C-H-insertion palladacycle intermediates were isolated and characterized to elucidate the mechanism.

Emerging Trends in Copper-Promoted Radical-Involved C-O Bond Formations

The C-O bond is ubiquitous in biologically active molecules, pharmaceutical agents, and functional materials, thereby making it an important functional group. Consequently, the development of C-O bond-forming reactions using catalytic strategies has become an increasingly important research topic in organic synthesis because more conventional methods involving strong base and acid have many limitations. In contrast to the ionic-pathway-based methods, copper-promoted radical-mediated C-O bond formation is experiencing a surge in research interest owing to a renaissance in free-radical chemistry and photoredox catalysis. This Perspective highlights and appraises state-of-the-art techniques in this burgeoning research field. The contents are organized according to the different reaction types and working models.

Palladium-Mediated C(sp3)-H Bond Activation of N-Methyl-N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzamide: Direct Arylation/Alkylation and Mechanistic Investigation

Herein, we present a facile synthetic methodology to produce a range of N-(CH₂-aryl/alkyl)-substituted N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzamides via palladium-mediated C(sp³)-H bond activation. The N-methyl-N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzamide precursor was first reacted with palladium(II) acetate in a stoichiometric manner to obtain the key dinuclear palladacycle intermediates, whose structures were elucidated by mass spectrometric, NMR spectroscopic, and X-ray crystallographic studies in detail. The subsequent C(sp³)-H bond functionalizations on the N-methyl group of the starting substrate show facile productions of the corresponding N-(CH₂-aryl/alkyl)-substituted N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzamides with good functional group tolerance. A plausible mechanism was proposed based on density functional theory calculations in conjunction with kinetic isotope effect experiments. Finally, the synthetic transformation from the prepared N-(CH₂-aryl)-N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzamides through debenzoylation to N-(CH₂-aryl)-2-aminopyridine was successfully demonstrated.

Photoredox/Copper Dual-Catalyzed Benzylic C-H Esterification via Radical-Polar Crossover

Herein, we report a distinctive photoredox/copper dual-catalyzed esterification of benzylic C-H bonds through the combination of photoredox-mediated hydrogen atom transfer and Cu(II)-mediated radical-polar crossover. This methodology demonstrates a high functional group tolerance (>40 examples) and moderate to good yields with structurally diverse benzylic C-H substrates. Notably, stoichiometric amounts of carboxylic acids are used as coupling partners, which allows the synthesis of structurally diverse benzylic esters and the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals.