Testing Phosphanes in the Palladium Catalysed Allylation of Secondary and Primary Amines

Selective monoallylation of anilines to N-allyl anilines using reusable zirconium dioxide supported tungsten oxide solid catalyst

The monoallylation of aniline to give N-allyl aniline is a fundamental transformation process that results in various kinds of valuable building block allyl compounds, which can be used in the production of pharmaceuticals and electronic materials. For decades, sustainable syntheses have been gaining much attention, and the employment of allyl alcohol as an allyl source can follow the sustainability due to the formation of only water as a coproduct through dehydrative monoallylation. Although the use of homogeneous metal complex catalysts is a straightforward choice for the acceleration of dehydrative monoallylation, the use of soluble catalysts tends to contaminate products. We herein present a 10 wt% WO3/ZrO2 catalyzed monoallylation process of aniline to give N-allyl anilines in good yields with excellent selectivity, which enables the continuous selective flow syntheses of N-allyl aniline with 97-99% selectivity. The performed detailed study about the catalytic mechanism suggests that the dispersed WO3 with the preservation of the W(vi) oxidation state of 10 wt% WO3/ZrO2 with appropriate acidity and basicity is crucial for the monoallylation. The inhibition of the over allylation of the N-allyl anilines is explained by the unwilling contact of the N-allyl aniline with the active sites of WO3/ZrO2 due to the steric hindrance.

α-Cationic Phospholes: Synthesis and Applications as Ancillary Ligands

A series of structurally differentiated α‐cationic phospholes containing cyclopropenium, imidazolium, and iminium substituents has been synthesized by reaction of chlorophosphole 1 with the corresponding stable carbenes. Evaluation of the donor properties of these compounds reveals that their strong π‐acceptor character is heavily influenced by the nature of the cationic group. The coordination chemistry of these newly prepared ligands towards Au^I centers is also described and their unique electronic properties exploited in catalysis. Interestingly, α‐cationic phosphole containing catalysts were not only able to accelerate model cycloisomerization reactions, but also to efficiently discriminate between concurrent reaction pathways, avoiding the formation of undesired product mixtures.

A General Route to β-Substituted Pyrroles by Transition-Metal Catalysis

An atom-efficient route to pyrroles substituted in the β-position has been achieved in four high yielding steps by a combination of Pd, Ru, and Fe catalysis with only water and ethene as side-products. The reaction is general and gives pyrroles substituted in the β-position with linear and branched alkyl, benzyl, or aryl groups in overall good yields. The synthetic route includes a Pd-catalyzed monoallylation step of amines with substituted allylic alcohols that proceeds to yield the monoallylated products in moderate to excellent yields. In a second step, unsymmetrical diallylated aromatic amines are generated from the reaction of a second allylic alcohol with high selectivity in moderate to good yields by control of the reaction temperature. Ru-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis performed on the diallylated aromatic amines yields the pyrrolines substituted in the β-position in excellent yields. By addition of ferric chloride to the reaction mixture, a selective aromatization to yield the corresponding pyrroles substituted in the β-position was achieved. A reaction mechanism involving a palladium hydride, generated from insertion of palladium to O-H of an allyl alcohol, that is responsible for the C-O bond cleavage to generate the π-allyl intermediate is proposed.

Phosphole-based ligands in catalysis

This review provides an overview of phosphole-based ligand families (monophospholes, multidentate hybrid phosphole ligands, diphosphole and 2,2′-biphosphole-based ligands) and their potential in metal- and organo-catalyzed reactions (asymmetric reactions included).

A computationally designed titanium-mediated amination of allylic alcohols for the synthesis of secondary allylamines

A direct amination on allylic alcohols under mild conditions was enlightened by computational investigations and implemented in secondary allylamines synthesis.

Equilibrium Study of Pd(dba)2 and P(OPh)3 in the Pd-Catalyzed Allylation of Aniline by Allyl Alcohol

Reaction of Pd(dba)₂ and P(OPh)₃ shows a unique equilibrium where the Pd[P(OPh)₃]₃ complex is favored over both Pd(dba)[P(OPh)₃]₂ and Pd[P(OPh)₃]₄ complexes at room temperature. At a lower temperature, Pd[P(OPh)₃]₄ becomes the most abundant complex in solution. X-ray studies of Pd[P(OPh)₃]₃ and Pd(dba)[P(OPh)₃]₂ complexes show that both complexes have a trigonal geometry with a Pd-P distance of 2.25 Å due to the π-acidity of the phosphite ligand. In solution, pure Pd(dba)[P(OPh)₃]₂ complex equilibrates to the favored Pd[P(OPh)₃]₃ complex, which is the most stable complex of those studied, and also forms the most active catalytic species. This catalyst precursor dissociates one ligand to give the reactive Pd[P(OPh)₃]₂, which performs an oxidative addition of nonmanipulated allyl alcohol to generate the π-allyl-Pd[P(OPh)₃]₂ intermediate according to ESI-MS studies.

The regio- and stereospecific intermolecular dehydrative alkoxylation of allylic alcohols catalyzed by a gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complex

A 1:1 mixture of [AuCl(IPr)] (IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidine) and AgClO(4) catalyzes the intermolecular dehydrative alkoxylation of primary and secondary allylic alcohols with aliphatic primary and secondary alcohols to form allylic ethers. These transformations are regio- and stereospecific with preferential addition of the alcohol nucleophile at the γ-position of the allylic alcohol syn to the departing hydroxyl group and with predominant formation of the E stereoisomer. The minor α regioisomer is formed predominantly through a secondary reaction manifold involving regioselective γ-alkoxylation of the initially formed allylic ether rather than by the direct α-alkoxylation of the allylic alcohol.

An efficient and convenient palladium catalyst system for the synthesis of amines from allylic alcohols

A novel catalyst system for efficient amination of allylic alcohols with aryl and alkyl amines is presented. By applying a convenient combination consisting of Pd(OAc)(2)/1,10-phenanthroline, a variety of allylic alcohols reacted smoothly to give the corresponding secondary and tertiary amines in good to excellent yields with high regioselectivity. The usefulness of our protocol is demonstrated in the one-step synthesis of the antifungal drug naftifine and the calcium channel blocker flunarizine.

Gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular amination of allylic alcohols with alkylamines

A 1:1 mixture of (1)AuCl [1 = P(t-Bu)(2)o-biphenyl] and AgSbF(6) catalyzes the intramolecular amination of allylic alcohols with alkylamines to form substituted pyrrolidine and piperidine derivatives. Gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization of (R,Z)-8-(N-benzylamino)-3-octen-2-ol (96% ee, 95% de) led to isolation of (R,E)-1-benzyl-2-(1-propenyl)piperidine in 99% yield with 96% ee, consistent with the net syn addition of the amine relative to the departing hydroxyl group.

Highly efficient and regioselective allylation with allylic alcohols catalyzed by [Mo(3)S(4)Pd(eta(3)-allyl)] clusters

A highly efficient and regioselective allylation reaction of amines and active methylene compounds directly using allylic alcohols under mild conditions catalyzed by the novel cubane-type sulfido [(Cp*Mo)(3)(mu(3)-S)(4)Pd(eta(3)-allyl)][PF(6)](2) clusters has been developed. A variety of allylic alcohols and nucleophiles including amines and active methylene compounds are investigated, and in the case of allylic alcohols bearing substituents at either the alpha- or gamma-position only linear products are obtained.

Gold(I)-catalyzed amination of allylic alcohols with cyclic ureas and related nucleophiles

A 1:1 mixture of [P(t-Bu)(2)-o-biphenyl]AuCl and AgSbF(6) catalyzes the intermolecular amination of allylic alcohols with 1-methylimidazolidin-2-one and related nucleophiles that, in the case of gamma-unsubstituted or gamma-methyl-substituted allylic alcohols, occurs with high gamma-regioselectivity and syn-stereoselectivity.

Protonation of a xantphos-phosphole ligand. Intramolecular trapping of a P-H phospholium salt

Protonation of a bidentate xantphos-phosphole ligand by HBF(4) affords only one enantiomer of a cyclic phospholium dihydropholene structure. DFT calculations allowed us to establish that protonation initially takes place at the phosphorus atom of the phosphole moiety to afford a transient P-H phospholium salt, which in turn protonates the C=C double bond of the second phosphole unit.

Infrared spectroscopy of organometallic ions in the gas phase: from model to real world complexes

Gas phase mid-infrared spectroscopy of molecular ions can nowadays be performed with high performance mass spectrometers coupled to free electron lasers (FEL). The wide and continuous tunability of highly intense FELs in the mid-infrared region can be exploited for performing infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy of molecular ions. This review will focus on gas phase IRMPD spectroscopic investigations aiming at probing the structure and the reactivity of transition metal complexes. The performance of infrared spectroscopy for characterizing the coordination mode of polydentate ligands and the spin state of the metal will be illustrated. Infrared spectroscopy has also been exploited to probe the reactivity of metal complexes, and a special attention will be given to the infrared spectroscopy of reactive intermediates.