N ‐Acyl‐Glutarimides: Privileged Scaffolds in Amide N–C Bond Cross‐Coupling

Cross-Electrophile Coupling: Principles, Methods, and Applications in Synthesis

Cross-electrophile coupling (XEC), defined by us as the cross-coupling of two different σ-electrophiles that is driven by catalyst reduction, has seen rapid progression in recent years. As such, this review aims to summarize the field from its beginnings up until mid-2023 and to provide comprehensive coverage on synthetic methods and current state of mechanistic understanding. Chapters are split by type of bond formed, which include C(sp3)-C(sp3), C(sp2)-C(sp2), C(sp2)-C(sp3), and C(sp2)-C(sp) bond formation. Additional chapters include alkene difunctionalization, alkyne difunctionalization, and formation of carbon-heteroatom bonds. Each chapter is generally organized with an initial summary of mechanisms followed by detailed figures and notes on methodological developments and ending with application notes in synthesis. While XEC is becoming an increasingly utilized approach in synthesis, its early stage of development means that optimal catalysts, ligands, additives, and reductants are still in flux. This review has collected data on these and various other aspects of the reactions to capture the state of the field. Finally, the data collected on the papers in this review is offered as Supporting Information for readers.

Pd-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Pyramidalized N-Mesyl Amides by a Tandem N-C(O)/C-C Bond Activation

The Suzuki-Miyaura biaryl cross-coupling is the pivotal technology for carbon-carbon coupling in pharmaceutical, polymer, and agrochemical fields. A long-standing challenge has been the development of efficient precursors for the decarbonylative cross-coupling of amide bonds. Herein, we report a highly chemoselective palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of N-mesyl amides for the synthesis of biaryls by a tandem N-C(O)/C-C bond activation with high selectivity for decarbonylative cleavage. The results demonstrate the first example of a decarbonylative coupling (-CO) of amide bonds activated by an atom-economic, low-cost, and benign N-pyramidalized mesyl group (>30 examples). The reaction shows high generality and functional group tolerance and can be applied in late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals. Notably, N-mesyl amides are significantly more reactive than other classes of amides in the decarbonylative Suzuki cross-coupling manifold. Density functional theory (DFT) studies demonstrate considerably lower barrier for rate-limiting transmetalation using N-mesyl amides. The study establishes N-mesyl amides as versatile precursors for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling to afford valuable biaryls and opens the door to deploy N-mesyl amides in challenging cross-couplings of amides by decarbonylation.

Classes of Amides that Undergo Selective N-C Amide Bond Activation: The Emergence of Ground-State Destabilization

Ground-state destabilization of the N-C(O) linkage represents a powerful tool to functionalize the historically inert amide bond. This burgeoning reaction manifold relies on the availability of amide bond precursors that participate in weakening of the nN → π*C=O conjugation through N-C twisting, N pyramidalization, and nN electronic delocalization. Since 2015, acyl N-C amide bond activation through ground-state destabilization of the amide bond has been achieved by transition-metal-catalyzed oxidative addition of the N-C(O) bond, generation of acyl radicals, and transition-metal-free acyl addition. This Perspective summarizes contributions of our laboratory in the development of new ground-state-destabilized amide precursors enabled by twist and electronic activation of the amide bond and synthetic utility of ground-state-destabilized amides in cross-coupling reactions and acyl addition reactions. The use of ground-state-destabilized amides as electrophiles enables a plethora of previously unknown transformations of the amide bond, such as acyl coupling, decarbonylative coupling, radical coupling, and transition-metal-free coupling to forge new C-C, C-N, C-O, C-S, C-P, and C-B bonds. Structural studies of activated amides and catalytic systems developed in the past decade enable the view of the amide bond to change from the "traditionally inert" to "readily modifiable" functional group with a continuum of reactivity dictated by ground-state destabilization.

Direct C(sp3)-H Acylation by Mechanistically Controlled Ni/Ir Photoredox Catalysis

ConspectusSynthetic chemists have consistently aimed to develop efficient methods for synthesizing ketones, which are essential building blocks in organic chemistry and play significant roles in bioactive molecules. Recent efforts have focused on using photoredox catalysis, which enables previously inaccessible activation modes, to synthesize ketones through the cross-coupling of an acyl electrophile and simple C(sp3)-H bonds. Over the past few years, we have worked on developing effective and versatile approaches for directly acylating activated hydrocarbons to forge ketones.Initially, thioesters were explored as the acyl source to achieve the direct acylation of ethers, but an unexpected thioesterification reaction was observed instead. To gain insights into this reactivity, we conducted the optimization of reaction conditions, substrate scope evaluation, and mechanistic studies. Drawing from our understanding of Ni/Ir photocatalysis obtained in this study, we subsequently developed a method for the direct acylation of simple hydrocarbons. The use of less-reactive amides as the acyl electrophiles was found to be critical for suppressing undesired pathways. This seemingly counterintuitive reactivity was carefully studied, revealing a substrate-assisted reaction mechanism in which the suppressed oxidative addition leads to early-stage nickel oxidation and C-H activation.To address the drawbacks of this method, which primarily arose from decarbonylative and transmetallative side pathways, we employed N-acyllutidiniums as the acyl electrophile. This prevented undesired decomposition pathways, enabling the use of α-chiral acyl substrates with the retention of their stereochemistry, particularly those derived from α-amino acids. The developed versatile methodology allowed us to access a diverse range of α-amino ketones and their homologues.Despite the elegant utility of Ni/photoredox catalysis in developing new synthetic methodologies, the precise behavior of nickel catalysts under redox conditions is incompletely understood. To gain insight into this behavior and develop new chemical reactions, we used a combination of experimental and computational methods. Our investigations revealed that devised adjustments to the reaction conditions in nickel/photoredox catalysis can result in significant differences in the reaction outcomes, providing chemists with opportunities to tailor reactions through carefully designed mechanistic strategies. We believe that continued efforts to study and apply nickel redox modulation will lead to the discovery of additional organic transformations.

Formal Cross-Coupling of Amines and Carboxylic Acids to Form sp3-sp2 Carbon-Carbon Bonds

Amines and carboxylic acids are abundant synthetic building blocks that are classically united to form an amide bond. To access new pockets of chemical space, we are interested in the development of amine-acid coupling reactions that complement the amide coupling. In particular, the formation of carbon-carbon bonds by formal deamination and decarboxylation would be an impactful addition to the synthesis toolbox. Here, we report a formal cross-coupling of alkyl amines and aryl carboxylic acids to form C(sp3)-C(sp2) bonds following preactivation of the amine-acid building blocks as a pyridinium salt and N-acyl-glutarimide, respectively. Under nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling conditions, a diversity of simple and complex substrates are united in good to excellent yield, and numerous pharmaceuticals are successfully diversified. High-throughput experimentation was leveraged in the development of the reaction and the discovery of performance-enhancing additives such as phthalimide, RuCl3, and GaCl3. Mechanistic investigations suggest phthalimide may play a role in stabilizing productive Ni complexes rather than being involved in oxidative addition of the N-acyl-imide and that RuCl3 supports the decarbonylation event, thereby improving reaction selectivity.

"Stereoelectronic Deprotection of Nitrogen": Recovering Nucleophilicity with a Conformational Change

Ureas are often thought of as "double amides" due to the obvious structural similarity of these functional groups. The main structural feature of an amide is its planarity, which is responsible for the conjugation between the nitrogen atom and carbonyl moiety and the decrease of amide nucleophilicity. Consequently, since amides are poor nucleophiles, ureas are often thought of as poor nucleophiles as well. Herein, we demonstrate that ureas can be distinctly different from amides. These differences can be amplified by rotation around one of the ureas' C-N bonds, which switches off the amide resonance and recovers the nucleophilicity of one of the nitrogen atoms. This conformational change can be further facilitated by the judicious introduction of steric bulk to disfavor the planar conformation. This change in reactivity is an example of "stereoelectronic deprotection," a concept when the desired reactivity of a functional group is produced by a conformational change rather than a chemical modification. This concept may be used complementarily to the traditional protecting groups. We also demonstrate both the viability and the utility of this concept by the synthesis of unusual 2-oxoimidazolium salts possessing quaternary nitrogen atoms at the urea moiety.

Structure and Additive-free Transamidation of Planar N-Cyano Amides

Although transamidation of amides generally requires metals, additives, or harsh conditions, we present here a facile transamidation of N-cyano amides with various amines at ambient temperature without any additive. N-cyano amides preferred the trans conformation and have a reduced double bond character revealed by crystal analysis. The DFT study indicates that the transamidation reaction proceeds through the direct attack of amine on the amide carbonyl since the LUMO (or LUMO+1) is located at the carbonyl moiety.

Amide N-C Bond Activation: A Graphical Overview of Acyl and Decarbonylative Coupling

This Graphical Review provides an overview of amide bond activation achieved by selective oxidative addition of the N-C(O) acyl bond to transition metals and nucleophilic acyl addition, resulting in acyl and decarbonylative coupling together with key mechanistic details pertaining to amide bond distortion underlying this reactivity manifold.

Mechanical Activation of Zero-Valent Metal Reductants for Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Coupling

The cross-electrophile coupling of either twisted-amides or heteroaryl halides with alkyl halides, enabled by ball-milling, is herein described. The operationally simple nickel-catalyzed process has no requirement for inert atmosphere or dry solvents and delivers the corresponding acylated or heteroarylated products across a broad range of substrates. Key to negating the necessity of inert reaction conditions is the mechanical activation of the raw metal terminal reductant: manganese in the case of twisted amides and zinc for heteroaryl halides.

Selective Conversion of Unactivated C-N Amide Bond to C-C bond via Steric and Electronic Resonance Destabilization

The chemo- and site-selective reaction at the particular C-N amide bond among a sea of other amides is a significant and long-standing challenge. Although the use of twisted amides has been demonstrated for modifications of inert C-N amide bonds, none of these methods can selectively activate a particular amide bond for C-C bond formation in the presence of similar amides. Using density functional theory as a guide, we report the first site-selective C-C bond modification of a particular C-N amide bond in polyamides with a low twist angle by combining ground-state steric distortion with electronic activation.

Transamidation of thioamides with nucleophilic amines: thioamide N-C(S) activation by ground-state-destabilization

Thioamides are 'single-atom' isosteres of amide bonds that have found broad applications in organic synthesis, biochemistry and drug discovery. In this New Talent themed issue, we present a general strategy for activation of N-C(S) thioamide bonds by ground-state-destabilization. This concept is outlined in the context of a full study on transamidation of thioamides with nucleophilic amines, and relies on (1) site-selective N-activation of the thioamide bond to decrease resonance and (2) highly chemoselective nucleophilic acyl addition to the thioamide CS bond. The follow-up collapse of the tetrahedral intermediate is favored by the electronic properties of the amine leaving group. The ground-state-destabilization concept of thioamides enables weakening of the N-C(S) bond and rationally modifies the properties of valuable thioamide isosteres for the development of new methods in organic synthesis. We fully expect that in analogy to the burgeoning field of destabilized amides introduced by our group in 2015, the thioamide bond ground-state-destabilization activation concept will find broad applications in various facets of chemical science, including metal-free, metal-catalyzed and metal-promoted reaction pathways.

Palladium-catalyzed cascade Heck-type cyclization and reductive aminocarbonylation for the synthesis of functionalized amides

A palladium-catalyzed Heck/carbonylative cyclization process has been explored for the synthesis of functionalized amides. By using nitroarenes as readily accessible nitrogen sources, a variety of amide products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields with good functional group compatibility. Furthermore, a late-stage modification of a natural molecule is also achieved by this protocol.

Decarbonylative Sonogashira Cross-Coupling: Fruitful Marriage of Alkynes with Carboxylic Acid Electrophiles

The Sonogashira cross-coupling is one of the most fundamental C-C bond forming reactions, wherein the strategic value of the alkyne moiety has found widespread application at the frontiers of organic chemistry, materials science and drug discovery as the cornerstone building block of chemical synthesis. Although traditional variants of Sonogashira cross-coupling involve aryl halides and pseudohalides as electrophiles, recently, tremendous advances have been made in the unconventional disconnection exploiting common carboxylic acids by decarbonylation/transmetalation pathway. This manifold (1) permits to take advantage of carboxylic acids as a ubiquitous class of substrates in organic synthesis that are derived from an orthogonal pool of precursors to aryl halides and pseudohalides, (2) combines the benefits of the palladium catalyzed C(sp²)-C(sp) coupling of terminal alkynes with the inherent presence of the carboxylic acid moiety in pharmaceuticals, natural products and organic materials. In this highlight article, we summarize recent progress generated by the decarbonylative Sonogashira cross-coupling of carboxylic acid electrophiles to produce arylalkynes and conjugated enynes as a novel avenue for chemical synthesis, whereby a large number of chemical reactions critically rely on transformations of alkynes.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Amides via Highly Chemoselective N-C Cleavage

Although cross-coupling reactions of amides by selective N-C cleavage are one of the most powerful and burgeoning areas in organic synthesis due to the ubiquity of amide bonds, the development of mechanochemical, solid-state methods remains a major challenge. Herein, we report the first mechanochemical strategy for highly chemoselective, solvent-free palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of amides by N-C bond activation. The method is conducted in the absence of external heating, for short reaction time and shows excellent chemoselectivity for σ N-C bond activation. The reaction shows excellent functional group tolerance and can be applied to late-stage functionalization of complex APIs and sequential orthogonal cross-couplings exploiting double solventless solid-state methods. The results extend mechanochemical reaction environments to advance the chemical repertoire of N-C bond interconversions to solid-state environmentally friendly mechanochemical methods.

Nucleophilic Substitution at the Guanidine Carbon Center via Guanidine Cyclic Diimide Activation

Despite the electron-deficient nature of the guanidine carbon centers, nucleophilic reactions at these sites have been underdeveloped because of the resonance stabilization of the guanidine group. We propose a guanidine C-N bond substitution strategy entailing the formation of guanidine cyclic diimide (GCDI) structures, which effectively destabilize the resonance structure of the guanidine group. In the presence of acid additives, the guanidine carbon center of GCDIs undergoes nucleophilic substitution reactions with various amines and alcohols.

Unlocking Amides through Selective C-N Bond Cleavage: Allyl Bromide-Mediated Divergent Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Functional Groups

We report a new set of reactions based on the unlocking of amides through simple treatment with allyl bromide, creating a common platform for accessing a diverse range of nitrogen-containing functional groups such as primary amides, sulfonamides, primary amines, N-acyl compounds (esters, thioesters, amides), and N-sulfonyl esters. The method has potential industrial applicability, as demonstrated through gram-scale syntheses in batch and in a continuous flow system.

Decarbonylative Fluoroalkylation at Palladium(II): From Fundamental Organometallic Studies to Catalysis

This Article describes the development of a decarbonylative Pd-catalyzed aryl-fluoroalkyl bond-forming reaction that couples fluoroalkylcarboxylic acid-derived electrophiles [R_FC(O)X] with aryl organometallics (Ar-M'). This reaction was optimized by interrogating the individual steps of the catalytic cycle (oxidative addition, carbonyl de-insertion, transmetalation, and reductive elimination) to identify a compatible pair of coupling partners and an appropriate Pd catalyst. These stoichiometric organometallic studies revealed several critical elements for reaction design. First, uncatalyzed background reactions between R_FC(O)X and Ar-M' can be avoided by using M' = boronate ester. Second, carbonyl de-insertion and Ar-R_F reductive elimination are the two slowest steps of the catalytic cycle when R_F = CF₃. Both steps are dramatically accelerated upon changing to R_F = CHF₂. Computational studies reveal that a favorable F₂C-H---X interaction contributes to accelerating carbonyl de-insertion in this system. Finally, transmetalation is slow with X = difluoroacetate but fast with X = F. Ultimately, these studies enabled the development of an (SPhos)Pd-catalyzed decarbonylative difluoromethylation of aryl neopentylglycol boronate esters with difluoroacetyl fluoride.

Acyclic Twisted Amides

In this contribution, we provide a comprehensive overview of acyclic twisted amides, covering the literature since 1993 (the year of the first recognized report on acyclic twisted amides) through June 2020. The review focuses on classes of acyclic twisted amides and their key structural properties, such as amide bond twist and nitrogen pyramidalization, which are primarily responsible for disrupting nN to π*C═O conjugation. Through discussing acyclic twisted amides in comparison with the classic bridged lactams and conformationally restricted cyclic fused amides, the reader is provided with an overview of amidic distortion that results in novel conformational features of acyclic amides that can be exploited in various fields of chemistry ranging from organic synthesis and polymers to biochemistry and structural chemistry and the current position of acyclic twisted amides in modern chemistry.

Nickel-Catalyzed Oxidative Transamidation of Tertiary Aromatic Amines with N-Acylsaccharins

The use of tertiary amines as surrogates for secondary amines has prominent advantages in terms of stabilization and ease of handling. A Ni-catalyzed transamidation of N-acylsaccharins with tertiary aromatic amines is reported. By using tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the terminal oxidant, this reaction permits selective cleavage of the C(sp3)–N bonds of unsymmetrical tertiary aromatic amines depending on the sizes of the alkyl substituents.

Evaluation of Cyclic Amides as Activating Groups in N-C Bond Cross-Coupling: Discovery of N-Acyl-δ-valerolactams as Effective Twisted Amide Precursors for Cross-Coupling Reactions

The development of efficient methods for facilitating N-C(O) bond activation in amides is an important objective in organic synthesis that permits the manipulation of the traditionally unreactive amide bonds. Herein, we report a comparative evaluation of a series of cyclic amides as activating groups in amide N-C(O) bond cross-coupling. Evaluation of N-acyl-imides, N-acyl-lactams, and N-acyl-oxazolidinones bearing five- and six-membered rings using Pd(II)-NHC and Pd-phosphine systems reveals the relative reactivity order of N-activating groups in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. The reactivity of activated phenolic esters and thioesters is evaluated for comparison in O-C(O) and S-C(O) cross-coupling under the same reaction conditions. Most notably, the study reveals N-acyl-δ-valerolactams as a highly effective class of mono-N-acyl-activated amide precursors in cross-coupling. The X-ray structure of the model N-acyl-δ-valerolactam is characterized by an additive Winkler-Dunitz distortion parameter Σ(τ+χ_N) of 54.0°, placing this amide in a medium distortion range of twisted amides. Computational studies provide insight into the structural and energetic parameters of the amide bond, including amidic resonance, N/O-protonation aptitude, and the rotational barrier around the N-C(O) axis. This class of N-acyl-lactams will be a valuable addition to the growing portfolio of amide electrophiles for cross-coupling reactions by acyl-metal intermediates.

Activation of Aryl Carboxylic Acids by Diboron Reagents towards Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Decarbonylative Borylation

The Ni-catalyzed decarbonylative borylation of (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids with B₂ cat₂ has been achieved without recourse to any additives. This Ni-catalyzed method exhibits a broad substrate scope covering poorly reactive non-ortho-substituted (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids, and tolerates diverse functional groups including some of the groups active to Ni⁰ catalysts. The key to achieve this decarbonylative borylation reaction is the choice of B₂ cat₂ as a coupling partner that not only acts as a borylating reagent, but also chemoselectively activates aryl carboxylic acids towards oxidative addition of their C(acyl)-O bond to Ni⁰ catalyst via the formation of acyloxyboron compounds. A combination of experimental and computational studies reveals a detailed plausible mechanism for this reaction system, which involves a hitherto unknown concerted decarbonylation and reductive elimination step that generates the aryl boronic ester product. This mode of boron-promoted carboxylic acid activation is also applicable to other types of reactions.

Acylation of electrophilic bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes via Co/Ni-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling

Cyclobutane scaffold is appreciated in medicinal chemistry for its strained, well-defined three-dimensional structure. Consequently, methods for the synthesis of cyclobutyl derivatives have become highly desired, particularly those offering access to compounds with new patterns of substituents. Herein, an acylation of electrophilic strained molecules at the bridgehead carbon with [Formula: see text]-acyl-glutarimides is reported. For this, the polarity-reversal strategy based on cobalt catalysis that enables the generation of cyclobutyl radicals in a strain release event was harnessed. These nucleophilic species, in the presence of a Ni-complex, couple with [Formula: see text]-acyl-glutarimides to give cyclobutyl ketones in decent yields.

Palladium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Acylative Heck Reactions with Imides as Acyl Electrophiles

We disclose palladium-catalyzed, intermolecular, acylative Heck reactions that use imides as acyl electrophiles. The catalyst generated from [Pd(allyl)Cl]₂ and DPEphos promotes the reaction between N-benzoylglutarimides and norbornene in the presence of silver phosphate. The acylative Heck reaction encompasses an array of N-benzoylglutarimide electrophiles that contain electron-donating, halogenated, and electron-withdrawing substituents to generate α,β-unsaturated ketones in moderate to high yields (25-82%). The bicylic α,β-unsaturated ketones are readily transformed into polycyclic architectures via thermal hetero-Diels-Alder reactions that occur by the dimerization of the α,β-unsaturated ketones.

Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Esters by Selective O-C(O) Cleavage Mediated by Air- and Moisture-Stable [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 Precatalysts: Catalyst Evaluation and Mechanism

The cross-coupling of aryl esters has emerged as a powerful platform for the functionalization of otherwise inert acyl C-O bonds in chemical synthesis and catalysis. Herein, we report a combined experimental and computational study on the acyl Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl esters mediated by well-defined, air- and moisture-stable Pd(II)-NHC precatalysts [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2. We present a comprehensive evaluation of [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 precatalysts and compare them with the present state-of-the-art [(Pd(NHC)allyl] precatalysts bearing allyl-type throw-away ligands. Most importantly, the study reveals [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 as the most reactive precatalysts discovered to date in this reactivity manifold. The unique synthetic utility of this unconventional O-C(O) cross-coupling is highlighted in the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals and sequential chemoselective cross-coupling, providing access to valuable ketone products by a catalytic mechanism involving Pd insertion into the aryl ester bond. Furthermore, we present a comprehensive study of the catalytic cycle by DFT methods. Considering the clear advantages of [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 precatalysts on several levels, including facile one-pot synthesis, superior atom-economic profile to all other Pd(II)-NHC catalysts, and versatile reactivity, these should be considered as the 'first-choice' catalysts for all routine applications in ester O-C(O) bond activation.

Ring Opening/Site Selective Cleavage in N-Acyl Glutarimide to Synthesize Primary Amides

A LiOH-promoted hydrolysis selective C-N cleavage of twisted N-acyl glutarimide for the synthesis of primary amides under mild conditions has been developed. The reaction is triggered by a ring opening of glutarimide followed by C-N cleavage to afford primary amides using 2 equiv of LiOH as the base at room temperature. The efficacy of the reactions was considered and administrated for various aryl and alkyl substituents in good yield with high selectivity. Moreover, gram-scale synthesis of primary amides using a continuous flow method was achieved. It is noted that our new methodology can apply under both batch and flow conditions for synthetic and industrial applications.

Rh-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Cross-Coupling between o-Carboranes and Twisted Amides: A Regioselective, Additive-Free, and Concise Late-Stage Carboranylation

The convenient cross-coupling of sp² or sp³ carbons with a specific boron vertex on carborane cage represents significant synthetic values and insurmountable challenges. In this work, we report an Rh-catalyzed reaction between o-carborane and N-acyl-glutarimides to construct various B_cage -C bonds. Under the optimized condition, the removable imine directing group (DG) leads to B(3)- or B(3,6)-C couplings, while the pyridyl DG leads to B(3,5)-Ar coupling. In particular, an unexpected rearrangement of amide reagent is observed in pyridyl directed B(4)-C(sp³ ) formation. This scalable protocol has many advantages, including easy access, the use of cheap and widely available coupling agents, no requirement of an external ligand, base or oxidant, high efficiency, and a broad substrate scope. Leveraging the Rh^I dimer and twisted amides, this method enables straightforward access to diversely substituted and therapeutically important carborane derivatives at boron site, and provides a highly valuable vista for carborane-based drug screening.

Reductive Arylation of Amides via a Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura-Coupling and Transfer-Hydrogenation Cascade

We report a means to achieve the addition of two disparate nucleophiles to the amide carbonyl carbon in a single operational step. Our method takes advantage of non-precious-metal catalysis and allows for the facile conversion of amides to chiral alcohols via a one-pot Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling/transfer-hydrogenation process. This study is anticipated to promote the development of new transformations that allow for the conversion of carboxylic acid derivatives to functional groups bearing stereogenic centers via cascade processes.

Divergent Coupling of Benzocyclobutenones with Indoles via C-H and C-C Activations

Highly selective divergent coupling reactions of benzocyclobutenones and indoles, in which the chemoselectivity is controlled by catalysts, are reported herein. The substrates undergo C2(indole)-C8(benzocyclobutenone) coupling to produce benzylated indoles and benzo[b]carbazoles in the Ni- and Ru-catalyzed reactions. A completely different selectivity pattern C2(indole)-C2(benzocyclobutenone) coupling to form arylated indoles is observed in the Rh-catalyzed reaction. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest C-H and C-C activations in the reaction pathway. Synthetic utility of this protocol is demonstrated by the selective synthesis of three different types of carbazoles from the representative products.

Esterification of Tertiary Amides: Remarkable Additive Effects of Potassium Alkoxides for Generating Hetero Manganese-Potassium Dinuclear Active Species

A catalyst system of mononuclear manganese precursor 3 combined with potassium alkoxide served as a superior catalyst compared with our previously reported manganese homodinuclear catalyst 2 a for esterification of not only tertiary aryl amides, but also tertiary aliphatic amides. On the basis of stoichiometric reactions of 3 and potassium alkoxide salt, kinetic studies, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we clarified a plausible reaction mechanism in which in situ generated manganese-potassium heterodinuclear species cooperatively activates the carbonyl moiety of the amide and the OH moiety of the alcohols. We also revealed details of the reaction mechanism of our previous manganese homodinuclear system 2 a, and we found that the activation free energy (ΔG≠ ) for the manganese-potassium heterodinuclear complex catalyzed esterification of amides is lower than that for the manganese homodinuclear system, which was consistent with the experimental results. We further applied our catalyst system to deprotect the acetyl moiety of primary and secondary amines.

Nickel-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Synthesis of Fluoroalkyl Thioethers

This report describes the development of a nickel-catalyzed decarbonylative reaction for the synthesis of fluoroalkyl thioethers (R_FSR) from the corresponding thioesters. Readily available, inexpensive, and stable fluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (R_FCO₂H) serve as the fluoroalkyl (R_F) source in this transformation. Stoichiometric organometallic studies reveal that R_F-S bond-forming reductive elimination is a challenging step in the catalytic cycle. This led to the identification of diphenylphosphinoferrocene as the optimal ligand for this transformation. Ultimately, this method was applied to the construction of diverse fluoroalkyl thioethers (R_FSR), with R = both aryl and alkyl.

Non-Classical Amide Bond Formation: Transamidation and Amidation of Activated Amides and Esters by Selective N–C/O–C Cleavage

In the past several years, tremendous advances have been made in non-classical routes for amide bond formation that involve transamidation and amidation reactions of activated amides and esters. These new methods enable the formation of extremely valuable amide bonds via transition-metal-catalyzed, transition-metal-free, or metal-free pathways by exploiting chemoselective acyl C–X (X = N, O) cleavage under mild conditions. In a broadest sense, these reactions overcome the formidable challenge of activating C–N/C–O bonds of amides or esters by rationally tackling nN → π*C=O delocalization in amides and nO → π*C=O donation in esters. In this account, we summarize the recent remarkable advances in the development of new methods for the synthesis of amides with a focus on (1) transition-metal/NHC-catalyzed C–N/C–O bond activation, (2) transition-metal-free highly selective cleavage of C–N/C–O bonds, (3) the development of new acyl-transfer reagents, and (4) other emerging methods.

1 Introduction

2 Transamidation of Amides

2.1 Transamidation by Metal–NHC Catalysis (Pd–NHC, Ni–NHC)

2.2 Transition-Metal-Free Transamidation via Tetrahedral Intermediates

2.3 Reductive Transamidation

2.4 New Acyl-Transfer Reagents

2.5 Tandem Transamidations

3 Amidation of Esters

3.1 Amidation of Esters by Metal–NHC Catalysis (Pd–NHC, Ni–NHC)

3.2 Transition-Metal-Free Amidation of Esters via Tetrahedral Intermediates

3.3 Reductive Amidation of Esters

4 Transamidations of Amides by Other Mechanisms

5 Conclusions and Outlook

Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Amides Using Well-Defined, Air- and Moisture-Stable Nickel/NHC (NHC = N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Complexes

In this Special Issue on N-Heterocyclic Carbenes and Their Complexes in Catalysis, we report the first example of Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of amides catalyzed by well-defined, air- and moisture-stable nickel/NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes. The selective amide bond N–C(O) activation is achieved by half-sandwich, cyclopentadienyl [CpNi(NHC)Cl] complexes. The following order of reactivity of NHC ligands has been found: IPr > IMes > IPaul ≈ IPr*. Both the neutral and the cationic complexes are efficient catalysts for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of amides. Kinetic studies demonstrate that the reactions are complete in < 1 h at 80 °C. Complete selectivity for the cleavage of exocyclic N-acyl bond has been observed under the experimental conditions. Given the utility of nickel catalysis in activating unreactive bonds, we believe that well-defined and bench-stable [CpNi(NHC)Cl] complexes will find broad application in amide bond and related cross-couplings of bench-stable acyl-electrophiles.