Aminoarenethiolato-copper(I) as (pre-)catalyst for the synthesis of diaryl ethers from aryl bromides and sequential C–O/C–S and C–N/C–S cross coupling reactions

Organosulphur and organoselenium compounds as emerging building blocks for catalytic systems for O-arylation of phenols, a C-O coupling reaction

Diaryl ethers form an important class of organic compounds. The classic copper-mediated Ullmann diaryl ether synthesis has been known for many years and involves the coupling of phenols with aryl halides. However, the use of high reaction temperature, high catalyst loading and expensive ligands has created a need for the development of alternative catalytic systems. In the recent past, organosulphur and organoselenium compounds have been used as building blocks for developing homogeneous, heterogeneous and nanocatalysts for this C-O coupling reaction. Homogeneous catalytic systems include preformed complexes of metals with organosulphur and organoselenium ligands. The performance of such complexes is influenced dramatically by the nature of the chalcogen (S or Se) donor site of the ligand. Nanocatalytic systems (including Pd₁₇Se₁₅, Pd₁₆S₇ and Cu_1.8S) have been designed using a single-source precursor route. Heterogeneous catalytic systems contain either metal (Cu or Pd) or metal chalcogenides (Pd₁₇Se₁₅ or Cu_1.8S) as catalytically active species. This article aims to cover the simple and straightforward methodologies and approaches that are adopted for developing catalytically relevant organosulfur and organoselenium ligands, their homogeneous metal complexes, heterogeneous and nanocatalysts. The effects of chalcogen (S or Se) donor, halogen (Cl/Br/I) of aryl halide, nature (electron withdrawing or electron donating) of substituents present on the aromatic ring of aryl halides or substituted phenols and position (ortho or para) of substitution on the results of catalytic reactions have been critically analyzed and summarized. The effect of composition (Pd₁₇Se₁₅ or Pd₁₆S₇) on the performance of nanocatalytic systems is also highlighted. Substrate scope has also been discussed in all three types of catalysis. The superiority of heterogeneous catalytic systems (e.g., Pd₁₇Se₁₅ immobilised on graphene oxide) indicates the bright future possibilities for the development of efficient catalytic systems using similar or tailored ligands for this reaction.

Ni(II) Precatalysts Enable Thioetherification of (Hetero)Aryl Halides and Tosylates and Tandem C-S/C-N Couplings

Ni‐catalyzed C−S cross‐coupling reactions have received less attention compared with other C‐heteroatom couplings. Most reported examples comprise the thioetherification of most reactive aryl iodides with aromatic thiols. The use of C−O electrophiles in this context is almost uncharted. Here, we describe that preformed Ni(II) precatalysts of the type NiCl(allyl)(PMe₂Ar’) (Ar’=terphenyl group) efficiently couple a wide range of (hetero)aryl halides, including challenging aryl chlorides, with a variety of aromatic and aliphatic thiols. Aryl and alkenyl tosylates are also well tolerated, demonstrating, for the first time, to be competent electrophilic partners in Ni‐catalyzed C−S bond formation. The chemoselective functionalization of the C−I bond in the presence of a C−Cl bond allows for designing site‐selective tandem C−S/C−N couplings. The formation of the two C‐heteroatom bonds takes place in a single operation and represents a rare example of dual electrophile/nucleophile chemoselective process.

Development of a Convergent Large-Scale Synthesis for Venetoclax, a First-in-Class BCL-2 Selective Inhibitor

The process development of a new synthetic route leading to an efficient and robust synthetic process for venetoclax (1: the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in Venclexta) is described. The redesigned synthesis features a Buchwald-Hartwig amination to construct the core ester 23c in a convergent fashion by connecting two key building blocks (4c and 26), which is then followed by a uniquely effective saponification reaction of 23c using anhydrous hydroxide generated in situ to obtain 2. Finally, the coupling of the penultimate core acid 2 with sulfonamide 3 furnishes drug substance 1 with consistently high quality. The challenges and solutions for the key Pd-catalyzed C-N cross-coupling will also be discussed in detail. The improved synthesis overcomes many of the initial scale-up challenges and was accomplished in 46% overall yield from 3,3-dimethyldicyclohexanone (6), more than doubling the overall yield of the first generation route. The new process was successfully implemented for producing large quantities of 1 with >99% area purity.

Total Syntheses of Lobaric Acid and Its Derivatives from the Antarctic Lichen Stereocaulon alpinum

The first total syntheses of the natural products lobaric acid (1) and its derivatives isolated from the Antarctic lichen Stereocaulon alpinum are reported in this study. Lobarin (3), with a pseudodepsidone structure, was synthesized first in 11 steps by utilizing an Ullmann aryl ether coupling reaction, and lobaric acid was synthesized in an additional three steps by a seven-membered lactonization reaction. Various derivatives were also obtained from the prepared lobaric acid, and the synthetic compounds exhibited significant PTP1B inhibitory activities.

The first report on the preparation of peptide nanofibers decorated with zirconium oxide nanoparticles applied as versatile catalyst for the amination of aryl halides and synthesis of biaryl and symmetrical sulfides

We have reported the preparation of peptide nanofibers decorated with zirconium oxide nanoparticles as a catalyst for the amination of aryl halides and synthesis of biaryl and symmetrical sulfides.

Synthesis of copper nanoparticles supported on a microporous covalent triazine polymer: an efficient and reusable catalyst for O-arylation reaction

Cu NPs immobilized on a microporous covalent triazine polymer obtained by a cost-effective synthesis method were evaluated as a catalyst for Ullmann coupling of O-arylation.

Heterogeneous O-arylation of nitroarenes with substituted phenols over a copper immobilized mesoporous silica catalyst

Highly efficient heterogeneous mesoporous silica based Cu-catalyst has been designed forO-arylation of phenol using nitroarene to afford unsymmetrical diarylethers. It can be recycled up to 5 times without any significant loss of catalytic activity.

Copper(i) 5-phenylpyrimidine-2-thiolate complexes showing unique optical properties and high visible light-directed catalytic performance

Copper(i) 5-phenylpyrimidine-2-thiolate complexes exhibit intriguing luminescence properties and excellent visible light-directed catalytic activity towards aerobic oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids.

Application of nickel ferrite and cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles in C–O bond formation: a comparative study between their catalytic activities

Magnetic reusable nickel- and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were used as catalysts for the first time in the C–O coupling reaction successfully.

Barberry fruit extract assisted in situ green synthesis of Cu nanoparticles supported on a reduced graphene oxide–Fe3O4 nanocomposite as a magnetically separable and reusable catalyst for the O-arylation of phenols with aryl halides under ligand-free conditions

In situ synthesis of copper nanoparticles (NPs) supported on a reduced graphene oxide (RGO)–Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite was carried out with barberry fruit extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent.

Cu(I)/Cu(III) catalytic cycle involved in Ullmann-type cross-coupling reactions

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions for C–heteroatom bond formation have attracted numerous research groups in the past 15 years aiming at finding more efficient methodologies under milder conditions. The use of auxiliary ligands has tremendously improved Ullmann-type couplings although a general methodology for different heteroatom-nucleophiles is still lacking. Mechanistic insights are seen as a clue for designing new effective, broad-scope and general methodologies. In this review we describe the widely discussed mechanistic options for this reaction and the use of model compounds to unravel key mechanistic aspects for copper-catalyzed C–heteroatom transformations. Stable aryl-Cu(III) species in model systems are shown to be reliable active catalysts in the coupling of a broad nucleophile scope such as phenols, amides, sulfides, selenides, phosphites, halides and also activated methylene susbtrates for carbon–carbon couplings.