The Barton ester free-radical reaction: a brief review of applications

Decarboxylative Alkylation of Carboxylic Acids with Easily Oxidizable Functional Groups Catalyzed by an Imidazole-Coordinated Fe3 Cluster under Visible Light Irradiation

Decarboxylative alkylation of carboxylic acids with easily oxidizable functional groups such as phenol and indole functionalities was achieved using a catalytic amount of basic iron(III) acetate, Fe(OAc)2(OH), in the presence of benzimidazole under 427 nm LED irradiation. Kinetic analyses of this catalytic reaction revealed that the reaction rate is first-order in alkenes and is linearly correlated with the light intensity; the faster reaction rate for the benzimidazole-ligated species was consistent with the increased absorbance in the visible light region. Wide functional group tolerance for the easily oxidizable groups is ascribed to the weak oxidation ability of the in situ-generated oxo-bridged iron clusters compared with other iron(III) species.

Visible photons as ideal reagents for the activation of coloured organic compounds

In recent decades, the traceless nature of visible photons has been exploited for the development of efficient synthetic strategies for the photoconversion of colourless compounds, namely, photocatalysis, chromophore activation, and the formation of an electron donor/acceptor (EDA) complex. However, the use of photoreactive coloured organic compounds is the optimal strategy to boost visible photons as ideal reagents in synthetic protocols. In view of such premises, the present review aims to provide its readership with a collection of recent photochemical strategies facilitated via direct light absorption by coloured molecules. The protocols have been classified and presented according to the nature of the intermediate/excited state achieved during the transformation.

Nucleophilic Organocatalyst for Photochemical Carbon Radical Generation via SN2 Substitution

Photochemical generation of radicals is a powerful way to construct various molecules. But most of these methods rely on initiators or the redox properties of radical precursors. Herein, we report a photochemical organic catalyst that reacts with benzyl halide to generate carbon radical via an SN2 pathway. This nucleophilic catalyst can be easily prepared and is bench-stable. The SN2 process does not rely on the redox properties of halides, showing potential synthetic utility. Control experiments and UV-vis spectroscopic analysis indicate that the SN2 substitution adduct is the key intermediate.

Radical Mediated Decarboxylation of Amino Acids via Photochemical Carbonyl Sulfide (COS) Elimination

Herein, we present the first examples of amino acid decarboxylation via photochemically activated carbonyl sulfide (COS) elimination of the corresponding thioacids. This method offers a mild approach for the decarboxylation of amino acids, furnishing N-alkyl amino derivatives. The methodology was compatible with amino acids displaying both polar and hydrophobic sidechains and was tolerant towards widely used amino acid-protecting groups. The compatibility of the reaction with continuous-flow conditions demonstrates the scalability of the process.

Mechanisms for radical reactions initiating from N-hydroxyphthalimide esters

Due to their ease of preparation, stability, and diverse reactivity, N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) esters have found many applications as radical precursors. Mechanistically, NHPI esters undergo a reductive decarboxylative fragmentation to provide a substrate radical capable of engaging in diverse transformations. Their reduction via single-electron transfer (SET) can occur under thermal, photochemical, or electrochemical conditions and can be influenced by a number of factors, including the nature of the electron donor, the use of Brønsted and Lewis acids, and the possibility of forming charge-transfer complexes. Such versatility creates many opportunities to influence the reaction conditions, providing a number of parameters with which to control reactivity. In this perspective, we provide an overview of the different mechanisms for radical reactions involving NHPI esters, with an emphasis on recent applications in radical additions, cyclizations and decarboxylative cross-coupling reactions. Within these reaction classes, we discuss the utility of the NHPI esters, with an eye towards their continued development in complexity-generating transformations.

Arylazo sulfones: multifaceted photochemical reagents and beyond

The photochemical action of arylazo sulfones under visible light irradiation has recently gained considerable attention for the construction of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in organic synthesis. The inherent dyedauxiliary group (-N2SO2R) embedded in the reagent is responsible for the absorption of visible light even in the absence of a photocatalyst, additive or oxidant, leading to the generation of three different radicals, viz. aryl (carbon-centred), sulfonyl (sulphur-centred) and diazenyl (nitrogen-centred) radicals, under different reaction conditions. Encountering a reagent with such a versatile behaviour is quite rare, which makes arylazo sulfones a highly interesting class of compounds. The mild reaction conditions under which these reagents can operate are an added advantage. Recently, they are also being used as non-ionic photoacid generators (PAGs), electron acceptors, and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and imination reagents in a number of synthetic transformations. They have displayed substantial damaging effect on the structure of DNA in the presence of light which can lead to their use as phototoxic pharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. Moreover, their photochemistry is also being exploited in polymerization reactions (as photoinitiators) and in materials chemistry (surface modification).

Total syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin

Tetrodotoxin and congeners are specific voltage-gated sodium channel blockers that exhibit remarkable anesthetic and analgesic effects. Here, we present a scalable asymmetric syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin from the abundant chemical feedstock furfuryl alcohol. The optically pure cyclohexane skeleton is assembled via a stereoselective Diels-Alder reaction. The dense heteroatom substituents are established sequentially by a series of functional group interconversions on highly oxygenated cyclohexane frameworks, including a chemoselective cyclic anhydride opening, and a decarboxylative hydroxylation. An innovative SmI2-mediated concurrent fragmentation, an oxo-bridge ring opening and ester reduction followed by an Upjohn dihydroxylation deliver the highly oxidized skeleton. Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative alkyne cleavage and formation of the hemiaminal and orthoester under acidic conditions enable the rapid assembly of Tetrodotoxin, anhydro-Tetrodotoxin, 9-epiTetrodotoxin, and 9-epi lactone-Tetrodotoxin.

Generation and Coupling of Radical Species from α-Alkoxy Bridgehead Carboxylic Acid, Selenide, Telluride, Acyl Selenide, and Acyl Telluride

α-Alkoxy bridgehead radicals enable intermolecular construction of sterically congested C-C bonds due to their sterically accessible nature. We implemented these radical species into total syntheses of various densely oxygenated natural products and demonstrated their exceptional versatility. Herein, we employed different precursors to generate the same α-alkoxy bridgehead radical and compared the efficacy of the precursors for coupling reactions. Specifically, the bridgehead radical of the trioxaadamantane structure was formed from α-alkoxy carboxylic acid, selenide/telluride, and acyl selenide/acyl telluride, and reacted with 4-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)cyclopent-2-en-1-one and 5-oxo-1-cyclopentene-1-carbonitrile. The efficiency of the bridgehead radical formation and subsequent coupling reaction significantly depended on the structures of the precursors and acceptors as well as the reaction conditions. Our findings provide new insights for selecting the appropriate substrates of key coupling reactions in the total synthesis of complex natural products.

Visible-Light-Mediated Divergent and Regioselective Vicinal Difunctionalization of Styrenes with Arylazo Sulfones

Activated by visible light, arylazo sulfones can serve as multifaceted reactants and are employed in diazenylation, sulfonylation, and arylation reactions under (photo)catalyst-free conditions. Such versatile reactivity enabled us to develop an operationally simple, regioselective, and tunable difunctionalization of styrenes with arylazo sulfones to produce α-sulfonyl arylhydrazones and 1,2-alkoxyarylated products in moderate to excellent yields. Furthermore, such difunctionalized products have been exploited as key building blocks for the synthesis of various heterocycles.

Effect of Arylazo Sulfones on DNA: Binding, Cleavage, Photocleavage, Molecular Docking Studies and Interaction with A375 Melanoma and Non-Cancer Cells

A set of arylazo sulfones, known to undergo N-S bond cleavage upon light exposure, has been synthesized, and their activity in the dark and upon irradiation towards DNA has been investigated. Their interaction with calf-thymus DNA has been examined, and the significant affinity observed (most probably due to DNA intercalation) was analyzed by means of molecular docking "in silico" calculations that pointed out polar contacts, mainly via the sulfonyl moiety. Incubation with plasmid pBluescript KS II revealed DNA cleavage that has been studied over time and concentration. UV-A irradiation considerably improved DNA damage for most of the compounds, whereas under visible light the effect was slightly lower. Moving to in vitro experiments, irradiation was found to slightly enhance the death of the cells in the majority of the compounds. Naphthylazosulfone 1 showed photo-disruptive effect under UV-A irradiation (IC50 ~13 μΜ) followed by derivatives 14 and 17 (IC50 ~100 μΜ). Those compounds were irradiated in the presence of two non-cancer cell lines and were found equally toxic only upon irradiation and not in the dark. The temporal and spatial control of light, therefore, might provide a chance for these novel scaffolds to be useful for the development of phototoxic pharmaceuticals.

Radical generation enabled by photoinduced N-O bond fragmentation

Recent advances in synthetic chemistry have seen a resurgence in the development of methods for visible light-mediated radical generation. Herein, we report the development of a photoactive ester based on a quinoline N-oxide core structure, that provides a strong oxidant in its excited state. The heteroaromatic N-oxide provides access to primary, secondary, and tertiary radical intermediates, and its application toward the development of a photochemical Minisci alkylation is reported.

Biomimetic total synthesis of (-)-galanthamine via intramolecular anodic aryl-phenol coupling

(-)-Galanthamine as a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease has attracted synthetic chemists for decades. However, previous total synthetic and biomimetic approaches often use stoichiometric oxidants (metal oxidants or hypervalent iodine) to prepare the target product. Anodic oxidative coupling offers a sustainable alternative method which is, for the first time, successfully applied to the total synthesis of (-)-galanthamine. We report a new asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-galanthamine by using an anodic aryl-phenol coupling as the key synthetic step.

Wonderful fusion of organofluorine chemistry and decarboxylation strategy

Decarboxylation strategy has been emerging as a powerful tool for the synthesis of fluorine-containing organic compounds that play important roles in various fields such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials science. Considerable progress in decarboxylation has been made over the past decade towards the construction of diverse valuable fluorinated fine chemicals for which the fluorinated part can be brought in two ways. The first way is described as the reaction of non-fluorinated carboxylic acids (and their derivatives) with fluorinating reagents, as well as fluorine-containing building blocks. The second way is dedicated to the exploration and the use of fluorine-containing carboxylic acids (and their derivatives) in decarboxylative transformations. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the development and applications of decarboxylative radical, nucleophilic and cross-coupling strategies in organofluorine chemistry.

Fragment Coupling Reactions in Total Synthesis That Form Carbon-Carbon Bonds via Carbanionic or Free Radical Intermediates

Fragment coupling reactions that form carbon-carbon bonds are valuable transformations in synthetic design. Advances in metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in the early 2000s brought a high level of predictability and reliability to carbon-carbon bond constructions involving the union of unsaturated fragments. By comparison, recent years have witnessed an increase in fragment couplings proceeding via carbanionic and open-shell (free radical) intermediates. The latter has been driven by advances in methods to generate and utilize carbon-centered radicals under mild conditions. In this Review, we survey a selection of recent syntheses that have implemented carbanion- or radical-based fragment couplings to form carbon-carbon bonds. We aim to highlight the strategic value of these disconnections in their respective settings and to identify extensible lessons from each example that might be instructive to students.

Decarboxylative Halogenation of Organic Compounds

Decarboxylative halogenation, or halodecarboxylation, represents one of the fundamental key methods for the synthesis of ubiquitous organic halides. The method is based on conversion of carboxylic acids to the corresponding organic halides via selective cleavage of a carbon-carbon bond between the skeleton of the molecule and the carboxylic group and the liberation of carbon dioxide. In this review, we discuss and analyze major approaches for the conversion of alkanoic, alkenoic, acetylenic, and (hetero)aromatic acids to the corresponding alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, and (hetero)aryl halides. These methods include the preparation of families of valuable organic iodides, bromides, chlorides, and fluorides. The historic and modern methods for halodecarboxylation reactions are broadly discussed, including analysis of their advantages and drawbacks. We critically address the features, reaction selectivity, substrate scopes, and limitations of the approaches. In the available cases, mechanistic details of the reactions are presented, and the generality and uniqueness of the different mechanistic pathways are highlighted. The challenges, opportunities, and future directions in the field of decarboxylative halogenation are provided.

Recent progress on electrochemical synthesis involving carboxylic acids

Carboxylic acids are not only essential sections of medicinal molecules, natural products and agrochemicals but also basic building blocks for organic synthesis. However, high temperature, expensive catalysts and excess oxidants are normally required for carboxylic acid group transformations. Therefore, more eco-friendly and efficient methods are urgently needed. Organic electrochemistry, as an environmentally friendly and sustainable synthetic method, can potentially avoid the above problems and is favored by more and more organic chemists. This review summarized the recent progress on the electrochemical synthesis of carboxylic acids to construct more complex compounds, emphasizing the development of electrosynthesis methodologies and mechanisms in order to attract more chemists to recognize the importance and applications of electrochemical synthesis.

Phenylene-bridged bis(benzimidazolium) (BBIm2+): a dicationic organic photoredox catalyst

A dicationic photoredox catalyst composed of phenylene-bridged bis(benzimidazolium) (BBIm2+) was designed, synthesised and demonstrated to promote the photochemical decarboxylative hydroxylation and dimerisation of carboxylic acids. The catalytic activity of BBIm2+ was higher than that for a monocation analogue, suggesting that the dicationic nature of BBIm2+ plays a key role in these decarboxylative reactions. The rate constant for the decay of the triplet-triplet absorption of the excited BBIm2+ increased with increasing concentration of the carboxylate anion with a saturated dependence, suggesting that photoinduced electron transfer occurs within the ion pair complex composed of the triplet excited state of BBIm2+ and a carboxylate anion.

Dyedauxiliary Groups, an Emerging Approach in Organic Chemistry. The Case of Arylazo Sulfones

The number of research papers that report photocatalyst-free protocols is currently increasing. Among the different approaches proposed, the conversion of a strong C-X bond of a stable substrate into a photolabile reactive moiety has been recently proposed. In this Synopsis, we introduce the so-dubbed dyedauxiliary group strategy by focusing on arylazo sulfones that are bench stable and visible-light responsive derivatives of anilines that have been exploited as precursors of a wide range of intermediates, including carbon-centered radicals as well as aryl cations.

Generation of Alkyl Radicals: From the Tyranny of Tin to the Photon Democracy

Alkyl radicals are key intermediates in organic synthesis. Their classic generation from alkyl halides has a severe drawback due to the employment of toxic tin hydrides to the point that "flight from the tyranny of tin" in radical processes was considered for a long time an unavoidable issue. This review summarizes the main alternative approaches for the generation of unstabilized alkyl radicals, using photons as traceless promoters. The recent development in photochemical and photocatalyzed processes enabled the discovery of a plethora of new alkyl radical precursors, opening the world of radical chemistry to a broader community, thus allowing a new era of photon democracy.

Enantiospecific electrochemical rearrangement for the synthesis of hindered triazolopyridinone derivatives

Triazolopyridinone derivatives are of high value in both medicinal and material chemistry. However, the chiral or hindered triazolopyridinone derivatives remain an underexplored area of chemical space because they are difficult to prepare via conventional methods. Here we report an electrochemical rearrangement for the efficient synthesis of otherwise inaccessible triazolopyridinones with diverse alkyl carboxylic acids as starting materials. This enables the efficient preparation of more than 60 functionalized triazolopyridinones under mild conditions in a sustainable manner. This method is evaluated for the late stage modification of bioactive natural products, amino acids and pharmaceuticals, and it is further applied to the decagram scale preparation of enantiopure triazolopyridinones. The control experiments support a mechanism involving an oxidative cyclization and 1,2-carbon migration. This facile and scalable rearrangement demonstrates the power of electrochemical synthesis to access otherwise-inaccessible triazolopyridinones and may find wide application in organic, material and medicinal chemistry.

Chiral and hindered triazolopyridinone derivatives are an underexplored area of chemical space mainly due to their challenging synthesis via classical methods. Here, the authors report an electrochemical rearrangement for the synthesis of triazolopyridinones using diverse, available alkyl carboxylic acids as starting materials.

A review of thermal homogeneous catalytic deoxygenation reactions for valuable products

To remove high oxygen content is important to make high quality oil and valuable products. In this paper, the research on homogeneous catalytic deoxygenation reactions, including decarboxylation (DCX)/decarbonylation (DCN), hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is reviewed. Based on DCX/DCN, the classic radical reactions such as the Barton decarboxylation, Henkel, Hunsdiecker and Kochi reactions were introduced, the practice and overall performance are also discussed. In addition, the different reaction pathways and mechanisms were demonstrated and the key chemical processes have been selected from the literature as examples to elaborate the critical emphasis on the mechanistic understanding. The applications of the catalytic deoxygenation reactions for high-value products have also been highlighted. Overall, this review provides insight discussions on the DO issues and progresses in homogeneous catalytic aspects.

Efficient Semi-Synthesis of Natural δ-( R)-Tocotrienols from a Renewable Vegetal Source

Recent studies have highlighted the biological potential of tocotrienols, a vitamin E subfamily. The major natural sources of tocotrienols are complex mixtures requiring particularly challenging purification processes. The present study describes efficient semi-synthetic strategies toward relevant δ-( R)-tocotrienol derivatives, using as a starting material δ-( R)-garcinoic acid, the major vitamin E derivative isolated from Garcinia kola nuts, a renewable vegetal source.

Visible Light-Promoted C–C Bond Formation from Hydroxyaryls in Water

An eco-friendly and direct arylation of hydroxyaryls in water using photoinduced reactions with different substrates (1-bromo-2-naphthol, 1-iodo-2-naphthol, N-(2-iodophenyl)acetamide, 5-bromouracil, 2-iodo-N-methylbenzamide, and 2-iodobenzamide) was studied. For example, π-expanded coumarins, compounds with potential optical applications, were synthesized in very high yield, without the use of toxic reagents, in a one-pot reaction. In addition, we demonstrate that the irradiation source (halogen lamp) can be efficiently replaced by an LED without altering the reaction yield.

Boronate, trifluoroborate, sulfone, sulfinate and sulfonate congeners of oseltamivir carboxylic acid: Synthesis and anti-influenza activity

Tamiflu readily undergoes endogenous hydrolysis to give oseltamivir carboxylic acid (OC) as the active anti-influenza agent to inhibit the viral neuraminidase (NA). GOC is derived from OC by replacing the 5-amino group with a guanidino group. In this study, OC and GOC congeners with the carboxylic acid bioisosteres of boronic acid, trifluoroborate, sulfone, sulfinic acid, sulfonic acid and sulfonate ester were first synthesized, starting with conversion of OC to a Barton ester, followed by halodecarboxylation to give the iodocyclohexene, which served as a pivotal intermediate for palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions with appropriate diboron and thiol reagents. The enzymatic and cell-based assays indicated that the GOC congeners consistently displayed better NA inhibition and anti-influenza activity than the corresponding OC congeners. The GOC sulfonic acid congener (7a) was the most potent anti-influenza agent, showing EC₅₀ = 2.2 nM against the wild-type H1N1 virus, presumably because the sulfonic acid 7a was more lipophilic than GOC and exerted stronger interactions on the three arginine residues (R118, R292 and R371) in the NA active site. Although the trifluoroborates, sulfones and sulfonate esters did not have acidic proton, they still exhibited appreciable NA inhibitory activity, indicating that the polarized B-F and S→O bonds still made sufficient interactions with the tri-arginine motif.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Alkylation of Silyl Enol Ethers To Synthesize Functionalized Aryl Alkyl Ketones

Photoredox-catalyzed decarboxylative alkylation of silyl enol ethers has been developed. Diverse functionalized aryl alkyl ketones were afforded in modest to good yields using N-(acyloxy)phthalimide as an easy access alkyl radical source under mild and operationally simple conditions. The excellent performance of drug molecules such as fenbufen and indomethacin and naturally occurring carboxylic acids such as stearic acid and dehydrocholic acid further demonstrated the practicability of the reaction.

Recent Advances in Photodecarboxylations Involving Phthalimides

Owing to their favourable photophysical and electrochemical properties, phthalimides undergo a variety of highly efficient photodecarboxylation reactions. These transformations have been applied to the synthesis of macrocyclic compounds as well as bioactive addition adducts. N-Acetoxyphthalimides are versatile precursors to imidyl and alkyl radicals through photodecarboxylation and have subsequently been used for a variety of coupling reactions. The generally mild reaction conditions make these reactions attractive for green chemical applications. The process protocols were successfully transferred to novel photoreactor devices, among these falling film or continuous flow reactors.

Visible-light promoted arene C–H/C–X lactonizationviacarboxylic radical aromatic substitution

Photocatalytic carboxylic radical aromatic substitution enables the synthesis of diversely substituted coumarins by inert C–X bond cleavage under mild conditions.

Selective Carbonyl-C(sp3 ) Bond Cleavage To Construct Ynamides, Ynoates, and Ynones by Photoredox Catalysis

Carbon-carbon bond cleavage/functionalization is synthetically valuable, and selective carbonyl-C(sp³ ) bond cleavage/alkynylation presents a new perspective in constructing ynamides, ynoates, and ynones. Reported here is the first alkoxyl-radical-enabled carbonyl-C(sp³ ) bond cleavage/alkynylation reaction by photoredox catalysis. The use of novel cyclic iodine(III) reagents are essential for β-carbonyl alkoxyl radical generation from β-carbonyl alcohols, including alcohols with high redox potential (Epox >2.2 V vs. SCE in MeCN). β-Amide, β-ester, and β-ketone alcohols yield ynamides, ynoates, and ynones, respectively, for the first time, with excellent regio- and chemoselectivity under mild reaction conditions.

Nickel-Catalyzed Barton Decarboxylation and Giese Reactions: A Practical Take on Classic Transforms

Two named reactions of fundamental importance and paramount utility in organic synthesis have been reinvestigated, the Barton decarboxylation and Giese radical conjugate addition. N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) based redox-active esters were found to be convenient starting materials for simple, thermal, Ni-catalyzed radical formation and subsequent trapping with either a hydrogen atom source (PhSiH3 ) or an electron-deficient olefin. These reactions feature operational simplicity, inexpensive reagents, and enhanced scope as evidenced by examples in the realm of peptide chemistry.