Metal-Catalyzed Ring-Opening of Alkylidenecyclopropanes: New Access to Building Blocks with an Acyclic Quaternary Stereogenic Center

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Diboration of Arylidenecyclopropanes to Access Chiral Skipped 1,4- and 1,3-Diboronates

Two enantioselective approaches to synthesize chiral skipped diboronate compounds have been developed, relying on copper-catalyzed one-pot asymmetric ring-opening diboration of arylidenecyclopropanes. A wide range of arylidenecyclopropanes react smoothly with HBpin in the presence of CuOAc and (R)-DTBM-Segphos, affording chiral 1,4-diboronates with high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). Meanwhile, a variety of arylidenecyclopropanes react selectively with HBpin and B2pin2 in the presence of CuOAc and (S,S)-Ph-BPE with the sequential addition of MeOH, providing chiral 1,3-diboronates with high enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee). These enantioenriched 1,3- and 1,4-diboronates can undergo various enantiospecific transformations with minimal loss of their enantiopurity. Mechanistic studies reveal that these two diboration processes start with CuH-catalyzed ring-opening hydroboration of arylidenecyclopropanes to form a mixture of Z/E-homoallyl boronate intermediates, which subsequently undergo enantioselective CuH-catalyzed second hydroboration or Cu-Bpin-catalyzed protoboration to produce chiral 1,4-diboronates or 1,3-diboronates, respectively.

Selective Access to Silacyclopentanes and Homoallylsilanes by La-Catalyzed Hydrosilylations of 1-Aryl Methylenecyclopropanes

Methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs) have emerged as versatile building blocks in synthetic chemistry because of their unique reactivity. However, metal-catalyzed hydrosilylation of MCPs has met with very limited successes. In this paper, catalytic selective hydrosilylations of MCPs with some primary silanes using an ene-diamido lanthanum ate complex as the catalyst were described. The catalytic reactions resulted in the selective formation of silacyclopentanes and (E)-homoallylsilanes, respectively, depending on the substituents on MCPs. The formation of silacyclopentanes via a catalytic cascade inter- and intramolecular hydrosilylation mechanism is strongly supported by the control and deuteration-labeling experiments and DFT calculations. The unique reactivity and selectivity could be attributed to the large lanthanum ion and ate structure of the catalyst.

Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage for Late-Stage Functionalization

Late-stage functionalization (LSF) introduces functional group or structural modification at the final stage of the synthesis of natural products, drugs, and complex compounds. It is anticipated that late-stage functionalization would improve drug discovery's effectiveness and efficiency and hasten the creation of various chemical libraries. Consequently, late-stage functionalization of natural products is a productive technique to produce natural product derivatives, which significantly impacts chemical biology and drug development. Carbon-carbon bonds make up the fundamental framework of organic molecules. Compared with the carbon-carbon bond construction, the carbon-carbon bond activation can directly enable molecular editing (deletion, insertion, or modification of atoms or groups of atoms) and provide a more efficient and accurate synthetic strategy. However, the efficient and selective activation of unstrained carbon-carbon bonds is still one of the most challenging projects in organic synthesis. This review encompasses the strategies employed in recent years for carbon-carbon bond cleavage by explicitly focusing on their applicability in late-stage functionalization. This review expands the current discourse on carbon-carbon bond cleavage in late-stage functionalization reactions by providing a comprehensive overview of the selective cleavage of various types of carbon-carbon bonds. This includes C-C(sp), C-C(sp2), and C-C(sp3) single bonds; carbon-carbon double bonds; and carbon-carbon triple bonds, with a focus on catalysis by transition metals or organocatalysts. Additionally, specific topics, such as ring-opening processes involving carbon-carbon bond cleavage in three-, four-, five-, and six-membered rings, are discussed, and exemplar applications of these techniques are showcased in the context of complex bioactive molecules or drug discovery. This review aims to shed light on recent advancements in the field and propose potential avenues for future research in the realm of late-stage carbon-carbon bond functionalization.

Palladium-Catalyzed Nucleophilic Reaction of Alkylidenecyclopropanes with β,γ-Unsaturated α-Ketoesters: Ligand-Controlled Divergent Synthesis

A palladium-catalyzed ligand-controlled selective 1,4-addition and cycloaddition reaction of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with alkylidenecyclopropanes (ACPs) has been developed. Using ACPs and β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters as starting materials, γ-dienyl-α-ketoesters and dihydro-2H-pyrans could be prepared selectively by modulating the ligand. A range of multisubstituted α-ketoesters and dihydro-2H-pyrans were obtained in moderate to excellent yields with excellent regioselectivities.

Copper-Catalyzed Hydroaminocarbonylation of Benzylidenecyclopropanes: Synthesis of γ,δ-Unsaturated Amides

Herein, we developed a copper-catalyzed hydroaminocarbonylation of benzylidenecyclopropanes under relatively mild conditions. A series of γ,δ-unsaturated amides with a broad range of functional groups were obatined in moderate to good...

The transition metal-catalysed hydroboration reaction

This review covers the development of the transition metal-catalysed hydroboration reaction, from its beginnings in the 1980s to more recent developments including earth-abundant catalysts and an ever-expanding array of substrates.

Stereospecific Reactions Leading to Allylboronic Esters Within Acyclic Systems Bearing Distant Stereocenters

The preparation of acyclic molecules featuring congested stereocenters in a 1,4-relationship in only three catalytic steps from commercially available building blocks is reported. This approach involves a diastereoselective diboration of alkenyl cyclopropyl methanol derivatives followed by a regioselective exergonic ring fragmentation. The starting materials can be prepared enantiomerically enriched and all substituents can be interconverted, therefore, this strategy allows a large variety of diversely functionalized allylboronic esters possessing distant tetrasubstituted stereocenters with high diastereoselectivity.

Methodologies and Strategies for Selective Borylation of C-Het and C-C Bonds

Organoborons have emerged as versatile building blocks in organic synthesis to achieve molecular diversity and as carboxylic acid bioisosteres with broad applicability in drug discovery. Traditionally, these compounds are prepared by the substitution of Grignard/lithium reagents with electrophilic boron species and Brown hydroboration. Recent developments have provided new routes for the efficient preparation of organoborons by applying reactions using chemical feedstocks with leaving groups. As compared to the previous methods that used organic halides (I, Br, and Cl), the direct borylation of less reactive C-Het and C-C bonds has become highly important to get efficiency and functional-group compatibility. This Review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of this topic, including (1) C-F bond borylation, (2) C-O bond borylation, (3) C-S bond borylation, (4) C-N bond borylation, and (5) C-C bond borylation. Considerable attention is given to the strategies and mechanisms involved. We expect that this Review will inspire chemists to discover more efficient transformations to expand this field.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Hydroacylation of Alkylidenecyclopropanes with Chelating Aldehydes for the Synthesis of γ,δ-Unsaturated Ketones

The first intermolecular ring-opening hydroacylation of alkylidenecyclopropanes with chelating aldehydes through a rhodium-catalyzed acrylamide-promoted protocol is reported. This highly efficient catalytic system enables the direct synthesis of a diverse range of linear γ,δ-unsaturated ketones. Good functional group compatibility is demonstrated for the completely atom-economical and remarkably selective proximal C-C bond cleavage process. Mechanistic studies reveal that the bidentate coordination of N,N-dimethylmethacrylamide (L1) to the acylrhodium intermediates might facilitate the cyclopropane ring fragmentation and isomerization.

Thermally-induced intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition of acrylamide-tethered alkylidenecyclopropanes

An efficient and highly regio- and diastereoselective synthetic method to cyclobutane-containing spiro[2.3]hexane fused with six-membered hetero-cycles has been disclosed via a thermally-induced intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition of acrylamide-tethered alkylidenecyclopropanes. The DFT calculations indicate that this intramolecular cycloaddition proceeds in a concerted manner and account for the product selectivity. These reactions exhibited excellent yields and functional group tolerance under metal free conditions.

Efficient and stereodivergent synthesis of unsaturated acyclic fragments bearing contiguous stereogenic elements

Synthetic organic strategies that enable the catalytic and rapid assembly of a large array of organic compounds possessing multiple stereocenters in acyclic systems are somewhat rare, especially when it comes to reaching today’s high standards of efficiency and selectivity. In particular, the catalytic preparation of a three-dimensional molecular layout of a simple acyclic hydrocarbon skeleton possessing several stereocenters from simple and readily available reagents still represents a vastly uncharted domain. Here, we report a rapid, modular, stereodivergent and diversity-oriented unified strategy to construct acyclic molecular frameworks bearing up to four contiguous and congested stereogenic elements, with remarkably high levels of stereocontrol and in only three catalytic steps from commercially available alkynes. A regio- and diastereoselective catalytic Heck migratory insertion reaction of alkenylcyclopropyl carbinols merging selective C–C bond cleavage of a cyclopropane represents the key step.

Zirconocene-Mediated Selective C-C Bond Cleavage of Strained Carbocycles: Scope and Mechanism

Several approaches using organozirconocene species for the remote cleavage of strained three-membered ring carbocycles are described. ω-Ene polysubstituted cyclopropanes, alkylidenecyclopropanes, ω-ene spiro[2.2]pentanes, and ω-ene cyclopropyl methyl ethers were successfully transformed into stereodefined organometallic intermediates, allowing an easy access to highly stereoenriched acyclic scaffolds in good yields and, in most cases, excellent selectivities. DFT calculations and isotopic labeling experiments were performed to delineate the origin of the obtained chemo- and stereoselectivities, demonstrating the importance of microreversibility.

Iridium-catalysed hydrosilylation of cyclopropanes via regioselective carbon-carbon bond cleavage

While cyclopropanes have been explored as synthetically valuable building blocks, their transformation without conjugated substituents or directly substituted heteroatoms remains challenging. The current study describes the iridium-catalysed ring-opening hydrosilylation of cyclopropanes. A nitrogen-based directing group was found to control the reactivity of iridium active species as well as the regiochemistry of carbon-carbon bond cleavage and hydrosilylation.

Rh-catalyzed regiodivergent hydrosilylation of acyl aminocyclopropanes controlled by monophosphine ligands

A Rh-catalyzed regiodivergent hydrosilylation of acyl aminocyclopropanes has been developed. Acyl aminocyclopropanes were reacted with hydrosilanes in the presence of Rh catalysts to afford ring-opened hydrosilylated adducts through carbon-carbon (C-C) bond cleavage of the cyclopropane ring. The regioselectivity of the addition of silanes (linear or branched) can be switched by changing the monophosphine ligand. This C-C bond cleavage/hydrosilylation methodology is applicable to the synthesis of silanediol precursors.

Zirconocene-assisted remote cleavage of C-C and C-O bonds: application to acyclic stereodefined metalated hydrocarbons

The molding of molecules through remote functionalisation has increasingly become popular as it provides original and flexible synthetic alternatives to classical retrosynthetic analysis. In this Perspective article, we summarise more than a decade of studies in the specific field of remote activation of inert C-C and C-O bonds using the unique abilities of organozirconocene species mainly from our own research group. By demonstrating that these reactions represent novel and powerful entries towards acyclic stereodefined reactive organometallic species, we aim to show the vast opportunities this concept-driven methodology discovery offers.

Enantioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Alkenylation of Trisubstituted Alkenols To Form Allylic Quaternary Centers

In this report, we describe the generation of remote allylic quaternary stereocenters β, γ, and δ relative to a carbonyl in high enantioselectivity. We utilize a redox-relay Heck reaction between alkenyl triflates and acyclic trisubstituted alkenols of varying chain-lengths. A wide array of terminal (E)-alkenyl triflates are suitable for this process. The utility of this functionalization is validated further by conversion of the products, via simple organic processes to access remotely functionalized chiral tertiary acid, amine, and alcohol products.

Pd-Catalyzed Carboamination of Alkylidenecyclopropanes: Synthesis of Congested Pyrrolidines and Piperidines

The synthesis of densely functionalized N-heterocycles is an ongoing challenge in chemical synthesis. Herein, we report an efficient method for the construction of pyrrolidine and piperidine scaffolds using a palladium-catalyzed carboamination of alkylidenecyclopropanes.

Modular, Catalytic Enantioselective Construction of Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters by Sequential Cross-Coupling Reactions

The catalytic Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling with chiral γ,γ-disubstituted allylboronates in the presence of RuPhos ligand occurs with high regioselectivity and enantiospecificity, furnishing nonracemic compounds with quaternary centers. Mechanistic experiments suggest that the reaction occurs by transmetalation with allyl migration, followed by rapid reductive elimination.

Remote functionalization of hydrocarbons with reversibility enhanced stereocontrol

Remote functionalization of hydrocarbons could be achieved through successive zirconocene-mediated allylic C-H bond activations followed by a selective C-C bond cleavage. Determination of the reaction mechanism by density functional theory (DFT) calculations shows that the high stereocontrol observed in this process results from a large number of energetically accessible equilibria feeding a preferred reactive channel that leads to the major product. A distinctive consequence of this pattern is that stereoselectivity is enhanced upon heating.

Rhodium(II)-catalyzed intramolecular cycloisomerizations of methylenecyclopropanes with N-sulfonyl 1,2,3-triazoles

A novel rhodium(II)-catalyzed tandem cycloisomerization of methylenecyclopropanes (MCPs) with N-sulfonyl 1,2,3-triazoles is disclosed. The reaction produces a series of highly functionalized polycyclic N heterocycles via a rhodium imino carbene intermediate. A distinct feature of this divergent synthesis is that different types of substrates control the reaction pathways. Moreover, several interesting transformations of these products to construct diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane derivatives are also reported.