Alcohols as Substrates in Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Arylation, Alkylation, and Related Reactions

Alcohols are abundant and attractive feedstock molecules for organic synthesis. Many methods for their functionalization require them to first be converted into a more activated derivative, while recent years have seen a vast increase in the number of complexity-building transformations that directly harness unprotected alcohols. This Review discusses how transition metal catalysis can be used toward this goal. These transformations are broadly classified into three categories. Deoxygenative functionalizations, representing derivatization of the C-O bond, enable the alcohol to act as a leaving group toward the formation of new C-C bonds. Etherifications, characterized by derivatization of the O-H bond, represent classical reactivity that has been modernized to include mild reaction conditions, diverse reaction partners, and high selectivities. Lastly, chain functionalization reactions are described, wherein the alcohol group acts as a mediator in formal C-H functionalization reactions of the alkyl backbone. Each of these three classes of transformation will be discussed in context of intermolecular arylation, alkylation, and related reactions, illustrating how catalysis can enable alcohols to be directly harnessed for organic synthesis.

Catalytic Synthesis of Silanols by Hydroxylation of Hydrosilanes: From Chemoselectivity to Enantioselectivity

As a crucial class of functional molecules in organosilicon chemistry, silanols are found valuable applications in the fields of modern science and will be a potentially powerful framework for biologically active compounds or functional materials. It has witnessed an increasing demand for non-natural organosilanols, as well as the progress in the synthesis of these structural features. From the classic preparative methods to the catalytic selective oxidation of hydrosilanes, electrochemical hydrolysis of hydrosilanes, and then the construction of the most challenging silicon-stereogenic silanols. This review summarized the progress in the catalyzed synthesis of silanols via hydroxylation of hydrosilanes in the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the latest elegant developments in the desymmetrization strategy for the enantioselective synthesis of silicon-stereogenic silanols from dihydrosilanes.

Transition Metal-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Five- and Six-Membered Benzo O-heterocycles

Enantiomerically enriched five- and six-membered benzo oxygen heterocycles are privileged architectures in functional organic molecules. Over the last several years, many effective methods have been established to access these compounds. However, comprehensive documents cover updated methodologies still in highly demand. In this review, recent transition metal catalyzed transformations lead to chiral five- and six-membered benzo oxygen heterocycles are presented. The mechanism and chirality transfer or control processes are also discussed in details.

Highly Stereospecific Cyclizations of Homoallylic Silanols

We demonstrate that di-tert-butylsilanols are competent nucleophiles for the intramolecular interception of palladium π-allyl species. In these reactions, allyl ethyl carbonates are the best precursors for the formation of palladium π-allyl intermediates, and [(Cinnamyl)PdCl]₂/BINAP is superior to other Pd salt/ligand framework combinations. Our optimized protocol is compatible with a variety of silanol substrates. Importantly, the cyclization is perfectly stereospecific, proceeding via an anti-syn mechanism, which stands in contrast to reported analogous reactions of alcohols and phenols, known to proceed via an anti-anti mechanism. The alkenes in the product dioxasilinanes serve as blank slates for further functionalization.

Palladium-Catalyzed Regioselective Intermolecular Hydroalkoxylation of 1-Arylbutadienes

An efficient method for the synthesis of (E)-(3-alkoxybut-1-enyl)benzenes by Pd-catalyzed regioselective intermolecular hydroalkoxylation of 1-arylbutadienes has been developed. This method can be executed in a simple operation with no dry reaction conditions required and having tolerance to a wide range of substrates. Chloromethyl methyl ether (MOMCl) as an additive was found to be essential for the success of the reaction.

Cinnamoyl amide type chiral P,olefin ligands for Pd-catalyzed reactions

We synthesized cinnamoyl amide type chiral P,olefin ligand (S)-4. We successfully obtained separable diastereomers of 4d and demonstrated Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions of indoles using (S,aS)-4d as a chiral ligand with high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).

Recent Advances in Enantioselective Pd-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution: From Design to Applications

This Review compiles the evolution, mechanistic understanding, and more recent advances in enantioselective Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution and decarboxylative and oxidative allylic substitutions. For each reaction, the catalytic data, as well as examples of their application to the synthesis of more complex molecules, are collected. Sections in which we discuss key mechanistic aspects for high selectivity and a comparison with other metals (with advantages and disadvantages) are also included. For Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution, the catalytic data are grouped according to the type of nucleophile employed. Because of the prominent position of the use of stabilized carbon nucleophiles and heteronucleophiles, many chiral ligands have been developed. To better compare the results, they are presented grouped by ligand types. Pd-catalyzed asymmetric decarboxylative reactions are mainly promoted by PHOX or Trost ligands, which justifies organizing this section in chronological order. For asymmetric oxidative allylic substitution the results are grouped according to the type of nucleophile used.

The Discovery of Multifunctional Chiral P Ligands for the Catalytic Construction of Quaternary Carbon/Silicon and Multiple Stereogenic Centers

The development of highly effective chiral ligands is a key topic in enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity in metal-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis. Traditionally, the difficulty of ligand synthesis, insufficient accuracy in controlling the stereoselectivity, and poor universality of the systems often become obstacles in this field. Using the concept of nonequivalent coordination to the metal, our group has designed and synthesized a series of new chiral catalysts to access various carbon/silicon and/or multiple stereogenic centers containing products with excellent chemo-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity.In this Account, we summarize a series of new phosphine ligands with multiple stereogenic centers that have been developed in our laboratory. These ligands exhibited good to excellent performance in the transition-metal-catalyzed enantioselective construction of quaternary carbon/silicon and multiple stereogenic centers. In the first section, notable examples of the design and synthesis of new chiral ligands by non-covalent interaction-based multisite activation are described. The integrations of axial chirality, atom-centered chirality, and chiral anions and multifunctional groups into a single scaffold are individually highlighted, as represented by Ar-BINMOLs and their derivative ligands, HZNU-Phos, Fei-Phos, and Xing-Phos. In the second, third, and fourth sections, the enantioselective construction of quaternary carbon stereocenters, multiple stereogenic centers, and silicon stereogenic centers using our newly developed chiral ligands is summarized. These sections refer to detailed reaction information in the chiral-ligand-controlled asymmetric catalysis based on the concept of nonequivalent coordination with multisite activation. Accordingly, a wide array of transition metal and main-group metal catalysts has been applied to the enantioselective synthesis of chiral heterocycles, amino acid derivatives, cyclic ketones, alkenes, and organosilicon compounds bearing one to five stereocenters.This Account shows that this new model of multifunctional ligand-controlled catalysts exhibits excellent stereocontrol and catalytic efficiency, especially in a stereodivergent and atom-economical fashion. Furthermore, a brief mechanistic understanding of the origin of enantioselectivity from our newly developed chiral catalyst systems could inspire further development of new ligands and enhancement of enantioselective synthesis by asymmetric metal catalysis.

Novel Chiral Ligands for Palladium-catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation/ Asymmetric Tsuji-Trost Reaction: A Review

Background:

Asymmetric catalysis holds a prestigious role in organic syntheses since a long time and chiral inductors such as ligands have been used to achieve the utmost desired results at this pitch. The asymmetric version of Tsuji-Trost allylation has played a crucial role in enantioselective synthesis. Various chiral ligands have been known for Pdcatalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation (AAA) reactions and exhibited excellent catalytic potential. The use of chiral ligands as asymmetric inductors has widened the scope of Tsuji-Trost allylic alkylation reactions.

Conclusion:

Therefore, in this review article, a variety of chiral inductors or ligands have been focused for palladium catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation (Tsuji-Trost allylation) and in this regard, recently reported literature (2013-2017) has been described. The use of ligands causes the induction of enantiodiscrimination to the allylated products, therefore, the syntheses of various kinds of ligands have been targeted by many research groups to employ in Pd-catalyzed AAA reactions.

A readily accessible and modular carbohydrate-derived thioether/selenoether-phosphite ligand library for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitutions

A large library of thioether/selenoether-phosphite ligands have been tested in the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reaction. The presented ligands are derived from cheap and available carbohydrates and they are air-stable solids and easy to handle. Their highly modular nature has made it possible to achieve excellent enantioselectivities in the substitution of a range of hindered and unhindered substrates (ees up to 99% and 91%, respectively). In addition, twelve C-, N- and O-nucleophiles can be efficiently introduced, independently of their nature. Among the whole library, ligands that contain an additional chiral centre in the alkyl backbone chain next to the phosphite group and an enantiopure biaryl phosphite group provided the best enantioselectivities. In general, there is a cooperative effect between these two chiral elements, and therefore, a matched combination between them is necessary to achieve the highest enantioselectivities. However, in the case of cyclic substrates, this cooperative effect is less pronounced and advantageously, both enantiomers of the product can be obtained by setting up the desired configuration of the biaryl phosphite group. Studies of the key Pd-π-allyl intermediates allowed us to better understand the enantioselectivities obtained experimentally.

Spiro Indane-Based Phosphine-Oxazolines as Highly Efficient P,N Ligands for Enantioselective Pd-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation of Indoles and Allylic Etherification

A series of indane-based phosphine-oxazoline ligands with a spirocarbon stereogenic center were examined for palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of indoles. Under optimized conditions, high yields (up to 98%) and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) were obtained with a broad scope of indole derivatives. The ligand was determined to be the most efficient P,N-ligand for this reaction. Moreover, the ligand was also efficient for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic etherification with hard aliphatic alcohols as nucleophiles.

Palladium-catalyzed tandem allylic substitution/cyclization and cascade hydrosilylated reduction: the influence of reaction parameters and hydrosilanes on the stereoselectivity

Pd-catalyzed AAA of 1,2-bifunctional nucleophiles and one-pot tandem allylic cyclization/reduction gave corresponding heterocycle products with promising enantioselectivity in good yields.

Adaptable P-X Biaryl Phosphite/Phosphoroamidite-Containing Ligands for Asymmetric Hydrogenation and C-X Bond-Forming Reactions: Ligand Libraries with Exceptionally Wide Substrate Scope

In this personal review, we present our efforts in the design of ligand libraries for the discovery of suitable metal catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation and C-X bond-forming reactions.

Fei-Phos ligand-controlled asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic substitutions with structurally diverse nucleophiles: scope and limitations

The asymmetric palladium-catalysed alkylation of structurally diverse nucleophiles, including alcohols, activated methylene compounds, indoles, and aromatic amines, led to the formation of corresponding products in good yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).

Palladium-catalyzed Si–C bond-forming silylation of aryl iodides with hydrosilanes: an enhanced enantioselective synthesis of silicon-stereogenic silanes by desymmetrization

An enantioselective Pd-catalyzed silicon–carbon bond-forming silylation reaction of aryl iodides with hydrosilanes for the synthesis of silicon-stereogenic silanes has been developed with good enantioselectivity under mild conditions.

A mechanistic study on multifunctional Fei-Phos ligand-controlled asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic substitutions

Mechanistic studies were performed for the clarification of the role of multifunctional Fei-Phos in allylic substitution reactions, in which it is proved to be a diphosphine-controlled catalytic asymmetric allylic alkylation.

Base-promoted [1,4]-Wittig rearrangement of chalcone-derived allylic ethers leading to aromatic β-benzyl ketones

Strong base promoted [1,4]-Wittig rearrangement of allylic ethers was developed in this work, in which the reaction provided a facile approach to the synthesis of aromatic β-benzyl ketones under controllable radical reaction conditions.

Palladium/sulfoxide–phosphine-catalyzed highly enantioselective allylic etherification and amination

Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic etherification and amination with a wide range of O- and N-nucleophiles using a chiral sulfoxide–phosphine ligand have been developed (up to 97% yield, 98.5% ee).