Efficient Synthesis of Biologically Interesting 3,4-Diaryl-Substituted Succinimides and Maleimides: Application of Iron-Catalyzed Carbonylations

Ligand-Free Iron-Catalyzed Carbonylation of Aryl Iodides with Alkenyl Boronic Acids: Access to α,β-Unsaturated Ketones

The application of earth-abundant and low-toxicity iron catalysts as replacements for palladium in carbonylative coupling reactions remains challenging and largely unexplored. Reported here is a highly efficient iron-catalyzed carbonylation of aryl iodides with alkenyl boronic acids under ligand-free conditions, enabling the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated ketones even at atmospheric CO pressure. The broad applicability, including its effectiveness with α-branched enones and biologically active molecules, along with high yields and selectivity, underlines the general applicability of this catalytic system.

Catalyst-Free, Three-Component Synthesis of Amidinomaleimides

Maleimide and amidine functionalities often appear in medicinal and natural product targets. We describe a catalyst-free, three-component coupling reaction for the synthesis of amidinomaleimides. This one-pot reaction fuses a broad range of secondary amines and aldehydes with azidomaleimides. The conditions are mild, simple, modular, high yielding, and amenable to aqueous solvents. Most reaction products can be sufficiently purified without column chromatography. The synthesis creates complex, multifunctional molecules with four different molecules, including a tripeptide, arrayed around an amidinomaleimide core.

Iron-Catalyzed Aminoalkylative Carbonylative Cyclization of Alkenes toward α-Tetralones

Carbonylative multifunctionalization of alkenes is an efficient approach to introduce multiple functional groups into one molecule from easily available materials. Herein, we developed an iron-catalyzed radical relay carbonylative cyclization of alkenes with acetamides. Various α-tetralones can be constructed in moderate yields from readily available substrates with an earth-abundant iron salt as the catalyst.

Palladium-Catalyzed Tandem Cyclization of Bromoalkynes, Anilines and CO: Access to 1,3-Substituted Maleimides

A novel palladium-catalyzed three-component carbonylation reaction for the assembly of various 1,3-substituted maleimide derivatives from haloalkynes and simple anilines. The nucleophilic addition reaction of haloalkynes, anilines and CO, and insertion of carbonyl have been achieved sequentially in this reaction. The high chemo- and regioselectivities, as well as no need of expensive ligands or additives further illustrate the synthetic value of this approach.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Shearilicine

Herein we report the first total synthesis of the indole diterpenoid natural product shearilicine by an 11-step sequence via a generalizable precursor to the highly oxidized subclass of indole diterpenoids. A native chiral auxiliary strategy was employed to access the target molecule in an enantiospecific fashion. The formation of the key carbazole substructure was achieved through a mild intramolecular Heck cyclization, wherein a computational study revealed noncovalent substrate-ligand and ligand-ligand interactions that promoted migratory insertion.

Metal-free, I2-promoted direct synthesis of 2-cyano-substituted maleimides via a unique 3,3-dicyano-2-arylacrylic acid intermediate

A robust, I₂-mediated cyclization reaction was developed for the synthesis of 2-cyano-substituted maleimides from arylethylidene malononitriles and amines via unique a 3,3-dicyano-2-arylacrylic acid intermediate. The reaction duration was short and devoid of an expensive transition-metal catalyst, ligands or toxic carbon monoxide. We executed an I₂/DMSO-mediated desirable oxidation of the C(sp³)-H bond of the carbonyl precursor followed by the formation of a 3,3-dicyano-2-arylacrylic acid intermediate. Use of readily available starting materials under mild and operationally simple reaction conditions are the major advantages of this strategy.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Carbonylative Multifunctionalization of Alkynes

Currently, the construction of new carbon-carbon bonds and value-added structures in an atom- and step economical manner has become a continuous pursuit in the synthetic chemistry community. Since the first transition-metal-catalyzed hydroformylation of ethylene was reported by Otto Roelen in the 1930s, impressive progress has been achieved in the carbonylative functionalization of unsaturated C-C bonds. In contrast to alkenes, the carbonylative functionalization of alkynes offers tremendous potential for the construction of multisubstituted carbonyl-containing derivatives because of their two independently addressable π-systems. This review provides a timely and necessary investigation of transition-metal-catalyzed carbonylative mutifunctionalization of alkynes with the exclusion of carbonylative hydrofunctionalizations. Different transition metals including palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, iron, copper, etc. were applied to the development of novel carbonylative transformation. Various C-C, C-N, C-O, C-S, C-B, C-Si, and carbon-halogen bonds were formed efficiently and give the corresponding tri- or tetrasubstituted α,β-unsaturated ketones, diesters, and heterocycles.

Palladium-Catalyzed Domino Aminocarbonylation of Alkynols: Direct and Selective Synthesis of Itaconimides

The first direct and selective synthesis of substituted itaconimdes by palladium-catalyzed aminocarbonylation of alkynols is reported. Key to the success of this transformation is the use of a novel catalyst system involving ligand L11 and appropriate reaction conditions. In the protocol here presented, easily available propargylic alcohols react with N-nucleophiles including aryl- and alkylamines as well as aryl hydrazines to provide a broad variety of interesting heterocycles with high catalyst activity and excellent selectivity. The synthetic utility of the protocol is demonstrated in the synthesis of natural product 11 with aminocarbonylation as the key step. Mechanistic studies and control experiments reveal the crucial role of the hydroxyl group in the substrate for the control of selectivity.

Organic synthesis with the most abundant transition metal–iron: from rust to multitasking catalysts

The promising aspects of iron in synthetic chemistry are being explored for three-four decades as a green and eco-friendly alternative to late transition metals. This present review unveils these rich iron-chemistry towards different transformations.

Synthesis of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by carbonylation reactions

Carbonylation reactions represent one of the most important tool box for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds which are key building blocks in organic chemistry. This paper summarizes the most important advances in this field.

Carbonylation of C-N Bonds in Tertiary Amines Catalyzed by Low-Valent Iron Catalysts

The first iron catalysts able to promote the formal insertion of CO into the C-N bond of amines are reported. Using low-valent iron complexes, including K₂ [Fe(CO)₄ ], amides are formed from aromatic and aliphatic amines, in the presence of an iodoalkane promoter. Inorganic Lewis acids, such as AlCl₃ and Nd(OTf)₃ , have a positive influence on the catalytic activity of the iron salts, enabling the carbonylation at a low pressure of CO (6 to 8 bars).

Synthesis, Structure, and Catalytic Reactivity of Pd(II) Complexes of Proline and Proline Homologs

Palladium(II) acetate reacts with proline and proline homologs in acetone/water to yield square planar bis-chelated palladium amino acid complexes. These compounds are all catalytically active with respect to oxidative coupling of olefins and phenylboronic acids. Some enantioselectivity is observed and formation of products not reported in other Pd(II) oxidative couplings is seen. The crystal structures of nine catalyst complexes were obtained. Extended lattice structures arise from N-H••O or O••(HOH)••O hydrogen bonding. NMR, HRMS, and single-crystal XRD data obtained on all are evaluated.

Non-noble metal-catalysed carbonylative transformations

The main achievements on non-noble metal (Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni) catalysed carbonylative transformations have been summarized and discussed.

Palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative carbonylation of alkynes with amines: a general access to substituted maleimides

A catalytic oxidative carbonylation reaction was developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted maleimides from alkynes and amines with air as a green oxidant.

Selective and tunable synthesis of 3-arylsuccinimides and 3-arylmaleimides from arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates and maleimides

A highly efficient and tunable synthetic strategy for 3-arylsuccinimides or 3-arylmaleimides has been developed from arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates and maleimides with satisfactory yields in the presence of TiCl₃ or CuCl.

Synthesis and antifungal evaluation of a series of maleimides

BACKGROUND

Maleimides, both natural and synthesised, have good biological activities. In a continuous effort to discover new maleimides with good antifungal activities, the authors have synthesised a series of 3,4-dichloro-, 3-methyl and non-substituted maleimides based on previous studies. The compounds were biologically evaluated against the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclorotiorum.

RESULTS

Of the 63 compounds evaluated, 25 compounds had interesting inhibitory potency with EC50 < 10 µg mL(-1). N-(3,5-Dichlorophenyl)-3,4-dichloromaleimide (EC50 = 1.11 µg mL(-1)) and N-octyl-3-methylmaleimide (EC50 = 1.01 µg mL(-1)) were more potent than the commercial fungicide dicloran (EC50 = 1.72 µg mL(-1)). The results showed that compounds exhibiting log P values within the range 2.4-3.0 displayed the best results in terms of fungicidal activity, and this seemed, therefore, to be the optimum range for this physicochemical parameter.

CONCLUSION

The present work demonstrates that some maleimides can be used as potential lead compounds for developing novel antifungal agents against S. sclerotiorum.

Transition-metal-catalyzed carbonylation reactions of olefins and alkynes: a personal account

Carbon monoxide was discovered and identified in the 18th century. Since the first applications in industry 80 years ago, academic and industrial laboratories have broadly explored CO's use in chemical reactions. Today organic chemists routinely employ CO in organic chemistry to synthesize all kinds of carbonyl compounds. Despite all these achievements and a century of carbonylation catalysis, many important research questions and challenges remain. Notably, apart from academic developments, industry applies carbonylation reactions with CO on bulk scale. In fact, today the largest applications of homogeneous catalysis (regarding scale) are carbonylation reactions, especially hydroformylations. In addition, the vast majority of acetic acid is produced via carbonylation of methanol (Monsanto or Cativa process). The carbonylation of olefins/alkynes with nucleophiles, such as alcohols and amines, represent another important type of such reactions. In this Account, we discuss our work on various carbonylations of unsaturated compounds and related reactions. Rhodium-catalyzed isomerization and hydroformylation reactions of internal olefins provide straightforward access to higher value aldehydes. Catalytic hydroaminomethylations offer an ideal way to synthesize substituted amines and even heterocycles directly. More recently, our group has also developed so-called alternative metal catalysts based on iridium, ruthenium, and iron. What about the future of carbonylation reactions? CO is already one of the most versatile C1 building blocks for organic synthesis and is widely used in industry. However, because of CO's high toxicity and gaseous nature, organic chemists are often reluctant to apply carbonylations more frequently. In addition, new regulations have recently made the transportation of carbon monoxide more difficult. Hence, researchers will need to develop and more frequently use practical and benign CO-generating reagents. Apart from formates, alcohols, and metal carbonyls, carbon dioxide also offers interesting options. Industrial chemists seek easy to prepare catalysts and patent-free ligands/complexes. In addition, non-noble metal complexes will interest both academic and industrial researchers. The novel Lucite process for methyl methacrylate is an important example of an improved catalyst. This reaction makes use of a specific palladium/bisphosphine catalyst, which led to the successful implementation of the technology. More active and productive catalysts for related carbonylations of less reactive olefins would allow for other large scale applications of this methodology. From an academic point of view, researchers continue to look for selective reactions with more functionalized olefins. Finally, because of the volatility of simple metal carbonyl complexes, carbonylation reactions today remain a domain of homogeneous catalysis. The invention of more stable and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts or metal-free carbonylations (radical carbonylations) will be difficult, but could offer interesting challenges for young chemists.

1-Ethyl-2-phenyl-3-[2-(trimethylsilyl)ethynyl]-1H-indole

The title compound, C₂₁H₂₃NSi, was synthesized by Sonogashira-type reaction of 1-ethyl-3-iodo-2-phenyl-1H-indole with tri­methyl­silyl­acetyl­ene. The indole ring system is nearly planar [maximum atomic deviation = 0.0244 (15) Å] and is oriented at a dihedral angle of 51.48 (4)° with respect to the phenyl ring. The supramolecular aggregation is completed by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions of the methylene and phenyl groups with the benzene and pyrrole rings of the indole ring system. The methyl groups of the tri­methyl­silyl unit are equally disordered over two sets of sites.

3,4-Bis[1-(prop-2-yn-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione

In the title mol­ecule, C₂₆H₁₇N₃O₂, both indole ring systems are essentially planar, with maximum deviations of 0.019 (2) and 0.033 (1) Å for the N atoms, and form dihedral angles of 34.40 (9) and 45.06 (8)° with the essentially planar pyrrole ring [maximum deviation = 0.020 (2) Å]. The dihedral angle between the two indole ring systems is 58.78 (6)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers and generating R₂²(8) rings. Weak π–π stacking inter­actions, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.983 (2) Å, are also observed.

Reactive iron carbonyl reagents via reaction of metal alkoxides with Fe(CO)5 or Fe2(CO)9: synthesis of cyclobutenediones via double carbonylation of alkynes

Alkoxy bases such as t-BuOK react with Fe(CO)(5) to give reactive iron carbonyl intermediates that in turn react with alkynes at 70 °C in THF to give 1,2-cyclobutenediones in 70-93% yields after CuCl(2)·2H(2)O oxidation. A novel 1,2-diacyloxyferrole derivative was isolated in the reaction of diphenylacetylene with Fe(CO)(5)/t-BuOK in the presence of acetyl chloride in contrast to the formation of a 1,4-diacyloxyferrole complex formed in the reaction using Fe(CO)(5)/Me(3)NO. The Fe(2)(CO)(9)/t-BuOK reagent system also converts the alkynes to corresponding cyclobutenediones in 63-90% yields under similar reaction conditions.