α,β-Dehydrogenation of esters with free O H and N H functionalities via allyl-palladium catalysis

Unified Total Synthesis of the Limonoid Alkaloids: Strategies for the De Novo Synthesis of Highly Substituted Pyridine Scaffolds

Highly substituted pyridine scaffolds are found in many biologically active natural products and therapeutics. Accordingly, numerous complementary de novo approaches to obtain differentially substituted pyridines have been disclosed. This article delineates the evolution of the synthetic strategies designed to assemble the demanding tetrasubstituted pyridine core present in the limonoid alkaloids isolated from Xylocarpus granatum, including xylogranatopyridine B, granatumine A and related congeners. In addition, NMR calculations suggested structural misassignment of several limonoid alkaloids, and predicted their C3-epimers as the correct structures, which was further validated unequivocally through chemical synthesis. The materials produced in this study were evaluated for cytotoxicity, anti-oxidant effects, anti-inflammatory action, PTP1B and Nlrp3 inflammasome inhibition, which led to compelling anti-inflammatory activity and anti-oxidant effects being discovered.

Selective desaturation of amides: a direct approach to enamides

C(sp³)–H bond desaturation has been an attractive strategy in organic synthesis. Enamides are important structural fragments in pharmaceuticals and versatile synthons in organic synthesis. However, the dehydrogenation of amides usually occurs on the acyl side benefitting from enolate chemistry like the desaturation of ketones and esters. Herein, we demonstrate an Fe-assisted regioselective oxidative desaturation of amides, which provides an efficient approach to enamides and β-halogenated enamides.

A novel and regioselective N-α,β-desaturation and dehydrogenative N-β-halogenation of amides was developed. This chemistry with high selectivity and broad substrate scope provides an efficient approach to enamides from simple amides.

Metal-Free Stereoselective Synthesis of (E)- and (Z)-N-Monosubstituted β-Aminoacrylates via Condensation Reactions of Carbamates

N-monosubstituted β-aminoacrylates are building blocks, which have been used in the preparation of amino acids and pharmaceuticals. Two efficient, stereoselective methods of preparation, via acid- or base-promoted condensation reactions of carbamates, are described. The base-promoted reaction is E-selective, while acid catalysis can, through the choice of solvent, selectively form E or Z. The acid-catalyzed E-selective process proceeds through a crystallization obviating the need for chromatographic purification.

Platinum-Catalyzed α,β-Desaturation of Cyclic Ketones through Direct Metal-Enolate Formation

The development of a platinum-catalyzed desaturation of cyclic ketones to their conjugated α,β-unsaturated counterparts is reported in this full article. A unique diene-platinum complex was identified to be an efficient catalyst, which enables direct metal-enolate formation. The reaction operates under mild conditions without using strong bases or acids. Good to excellent yields can be achieved for diverse and complex scaffolds. A wide range of functional groups, including those sensitive to acids, bases/nucleophiles, or palladium species, are tolerated, which represents a distinct feature from other known desaturation methods. Mechanistically, this platinum catalysis exhibits a fast and reversible α-deprotonation followed by a rate-determining β-hydrogen elimination process, which is different from the prior Pd-catalyzed desaturation method. Promising preliminary enantioselective desaturation using a chiral-diene-platinum complex has also been obtained.

Dehydrogenative Pd and Ni Catalysis for Total Synthesis

The development of novel synthetic methods remains a cornerstone in simplifying complex molecule synthesis. Progress in the field of transition metal catalysis has enabled new mechanistic strategies to achieve difficult chemical transformations, increased the value of abundant chemical building blocks, and pushed the boundaries of creative and strategic route design to improve step economy in multistep synthesis. Methodologies to introduce an olefin into saturated molecules continue to be essential transformations because of the plethora of reactions available for alkene functionalization. Of particular importance are dehydrogenation reactions adjacent to electron-withdrawing groups such as carbonyls, which advantageously provide activated olefins that can be regioselectively manipulated. Palladium catalysis occupies a central role in the most widely adopted carbonyl dehydrogenation reactions, but limits to the scope of these protocols persist.In this Account, we describe our group's contributions to the area of transition-metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation using palladium catalysis and more sustainable and economical nickel catalysis. These metals are used in conjunction with allyl and aryl halides or pseudohalides that serve as oxidants to access a unique mechanistic approach for one-step α,β-dehydrogenation of various electron-withdrawing groups, including ketones, esters, nitriles, amides, carboxylic acids, and electron-deficient heteroarenes. The pivotal reaction parameters that can be modified to influence reaction efficiency are highlighted, including base and oxidant structure as well as ligand and salt additive effects. This discussion is expected to serve as a guide for troubleshooting challenging dehydrogenation reactions and provide insight for future reaction development in this area.In addition to enabling dehydrogenation reactions, our group's allyl-Pd and -Ni chemistry can be used for C-C and C-X bond-forming reactions, providing novel disconnections with practical applications for expediting multistep synthesis. These transformations include a telescoped process for ketone α,β-vicinal difunctionalization; an oxidative enone β-functionalization, including β-stannylation, β-silylation, and β-alkylation; and an oxidative cycloalkenylation between unstabilized ketone enolates and unactivated alkenes. These bond-forming methodologies broaden the range of transformations accessible from abundant ketone, enone, and alkene moieties. Both the dehydrogenation and C-C and C-X bond-forming methodologies have been implemented in our group's total synthesis campaigns to provide step-efficient synthetic routes toward diverse natural products.Through the lens of multistep synthesis, the utility and robustness of our dehydrogenation and dehydrogenative functionalization methodologies can be better appreciated, and we hope that this Account will inspire practitioners to apply our methodologies to their own synthetic challenges.

Palladium-catalyzed α,β-dehydrogenation of acyclic ester equivalents promoted by a novel electron deficient phosphinooxazoline ligand

A unique example of Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative dehydrogenation of fully substituted N-acyl allyl enol carbonates is enabled by a new electron deficient phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligand. The reaction proceeds from the Z-enol carbonate to provide dehydrogenation products exclusively in high E/Z selectivity, while the E-enol carbonate provides the α-allylation product with only minor dehydrogenation. The reaction proceeds with a broad scope of (Z)-enol carbonates derived from N-acyl indoles to furnish acyclic formal α,β-unsaturated ester equivalents.

Allyl-Nickel Catalysis Enables Carbonyl Dehydrogenation and Oxidative Cycloalkenylation of Ketones

We herein disclose the first report of a first-row transition metal-catalyzed α,β-dehydrogenation of carbonyl compounds using allyl-nickel catalysis. This development overcomes several limitations of previously reported allyl-palladium-catalyzed oxidation, and is further leveraged for the development of an oxidative cycloalkenylation reaction that provides access to bicycloalkenones with fused, bridged, and spirocyclic ring systems using unactivated ketone and alkene precursors.

Platinum-Catalyzed Desaturation of Lactams, Ketones, and Lactones

The development of a general platinum-catalyzed desaturation of N-protected lactams, ketones, and lactones to their conjugated α,β-unsaturated counterparts is reported. The reaction operates under mildly acidic conditions at room temperature or 50 °C. It is scalable and tolerates a wide range of functional groups. The complementary reactivity to the palladium-catalyzed desaturation is demonstrated in the efficient conversion of iodide, bromide, and sulfur-containing substrates.