Rhodium(III)-catalyzed benzo[c]azepine-1,3(2H)-dione synthesis via tandem C–H alkylation and intermolecular amination of N-methoxylbenzamide with 3-bromo-3,3-difluoropropene

Route to Functionalized Tetrahydrobenzo[d]azepines via Re2O7-Mediated Intramolecular Friedel-Crafts Reaction

We describe a Re2O7-mediated intramolecular dehydrative Friedel-Crafts reaction for the efficient synthesis of various benzo-fused heterocycles such as benzazepines and benzazocines. This process is characterized by a broad substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, high efficiency, and high atom economy. The potential application of this methodology was exemplified by the facile preparation of a NMDA antagonist as well as a key intermediate en route to SKF 38393.

Cobalt(III)-catalyzed weakly coordinating arylurea-directed regioselective mono-olefination

Here, we developed an air-stable, earth-abundant cobalt(III)-catalyzed regioselective mono-olefination of arenes directed by urea under mild conditions through a cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) process. Under the optimized conditions, a high regioselectivity of mono-olefination was achieved with various electron-rich and electron-deficient arenes, which afforded E-alkenylated products (with yields of up to 90%). In contrast to the conditions used for noble-metal-catalyzed olefination directed by weakly coordinating groups, our reaction was operated under mild conditions, including mild temperature (40 °C) and non-metallic oxidant.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Synthesis of Quinazolin-4(3H)-ones with N-Methoxyamides as Synthesis Reagents

A practical method to synthesize quinoxalinones via intra/intermolecular amination using rhodium as the catalyst was developed. A wide variety of quinoxalinones were prepared from N-methoxybenzamides in moderate to excellent yields. Gram-scale reactions were also achieved, highlighting the synthetic importance of this new transformation.