C(spn )-X (n=1-3) Bond Activation by Palladium

Palladium-Catalyzed C(sp3)-H Activation in A Monoterpene-Based Compound Under Mild Conditions: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Mechanistic Study

A rare example of the palladium-catalyzed sp3 C-H bond activation in a monoterpene-based compound has been observed in the reaction of PdCl2 with a (+)-3-carene-based ligand HL (HL=N-((1aS,3S,7bR)-1,1,3-trimethyl-7-phenyl-5-(pyridin-2-yl)-1a,2,3,7b-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopropa[f]quinolin-3-yl)acetamide), which yielded the [PdLCl] complex. In contrast to the vast majority of C(sp3)-H activation reactions which require prolonged heating and mixing due to the inert character of the corresponding bond, the reaction reported herein proceeds rapidly under mild conditions. A theoretical insight into the ligand deprotonation has been performed by DFT calculations. The mechanism of the C-H activation involves (i) simultaneous coordination of the CH3 group of HL to the Pd2+ ion and decoordination of the Cl- anion with consequent formation of a Cl⋅⋅⋅H-N hydrogen bond with the amide group, (ii) approximation of the out-of-sphere Cl- anion to one of the hydrogen atoms of the CH3 group mediated by the crane motion of the amide group and (iii) the ejection of the HCl molecule, which increases the entropy of the system and serves as a driving force for the reaction.

Backside versus Frontside SN2 Reactions of Alkyl Triflates and Alcohols

Nucleophilic substitution reactions are elementary reactions in organic chemistry that are used in many synthetic routes. By quantum chemical methods, we have investigated the intrinsic competition between the backside SN2 (SN2-b) and frontside SN2 (SN2-f) pathways using a set of simple alkyl triflates as the electrophile in combination with a systematic series of phenols and partially fluorinated ethanol nucleophiles. It is revealed how and why the well-established mechanistic preference for the SN2-b pathway slowly erodes and can even be overruled by the unusual SN2-f substitution mechanism going from strong to weak alcohol nucleophiles. Activation strain analyses disclose that the SN2-b pathway is favored for strong alcohol nucleophiles because of the well-known intrinsically more efficient approach to the electrophile resulting in a more stabilizing nucleophile-electrophile interaction. In contrast, the preference of weaker alcohol nucleophiles shifts to the SN2-f pathway, benefiting from a stabilizing hydrogen bond interaction between the incoming alcohol and the leaving group. This hydrogen bond interaction is strengthened by the increased acidity of the weaker alcohol nucleophiles, thereby steering the mechanistic preference toward the frontside SN2 pathway.

Rational Tuning of the Reactivity of Three-Membered Heterocycle Ring Openings via SN 2 Reactions

The development of small-molecule covalent inhibitors and probes continuously pushes the rapidly evolving field of chemical biology forward. A key element in these molecular tool compounds is the "electrophilic trap" that allows a covalent linkage with the target enzyme. The reactivity of this entity needs to be well balanced to effectively trap the desired enzyme, while not being attacked by off-target nucleophiles. Here we investigate the intrinsic reactivity of substrates containing a class of widely used electrophilic traps, the three-membered heterocycles with a nitrogen (aziridine), phosphorus (phosphirane), oxygen (epoxide) or sulfur atom (thiirane) as heteroatom. Using quantum chemical approaches, we studied the conformational flexibility and nucleophilic ring opening of a series of model substrates, in which these electrophilic traps are mounted on a cyclohexene scaffold (C6 H10 Y with Y=NH, PH, O, S). It was revealed that the activation energy of the ring opening does not necessarily follow the trend that is expected from C-Y leaving-group bond strength, but steeply decreases from Y=NH, to PH, to O, to S. We illustrate that the HOMONu -LUMOSubstrate interaction is an all-important factor for the observed reactivity. In addition, we show that the activation energy of aziridines and phosphiranes can be tuned far below that of the corresponding epoxides and thiiranes by the addition of proper electron-withdrawing ring substituents. Our results provide mechanistic insights to rationally tune the reactivity of this class of popular electrophilic traps and can guide the experimental design of covalent inhibitors and probes for enzymatic activity.