Cooperation of biopolymer chitosan with hydrogen peroxide for ipso-hydroxylation of arylboronic acids under green conditions

Aerobic Oxidative Hydroxylation of Arylboronic Acids under Visible-Light Irradiation without Metal Catalysts or Additives

Phenols are versatile synthetic intermediates and key structural motifs in many natural products and biologically active compounds. We herein report a visible-light-induced aerobic oxidative hydroxylation of arylboronic acids/pinacol esters using air as oxidant and without using any catalysts and base, etc., additives, providing a green entry to a variety of phenols in a highly efficient and concise fashion. This novel reaction is enabled by photoactivation of an electron donor-acceptor complex, in which THF serves as both the solvent and electron donor. DFT studies indicated that the oxidation process involves a concerted hydrogen abstraction transfer from THF and dehydroxylation of boronic acid undergoing spin crossover from triplet to singlet to produce an active peroxoboronic acid intermidiate. Salient merits of this chemistry include broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance, gram-scale synthesis, and versatile late-stage functionalizations as well as the use of air, visible light, and catalyst- and additive-free conditions. This strategy introduces a novel photoreaction mode with the aid of a solvent, offering a succinct and environmentally sustainable route for synthesizing phenols. The strong practicability and highly efficient access to modifying complex biorelevant molecules bode well for the potential applications of this chemistry in pharmaceutical chemistry.

Copper(II) NHC Catalyst for the Formation of Phenol from Arylboronic Acid

Arylboronic acids are commonly used in modern organic chemistry to form new C-C and C-heteroatom bonds. These activated organic synthons show reactivity with heteroatoms in a range of substrates under ambient oxidative conditions. This broad reactivity has limited their use in protic, renewable solvents like water, ethanol, and methanol. Here, we report our efforts to study and optimize the activation of arylboronic acids by a copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex in aqueous solution and in a range of alcohols to generate phenol and aryl ethers, respectively. The optimized reactivity showcases the ability to make targeted C-O bonds, but also identifies conditions where water and alcohol activation could be limiting for C-C and C-heteroatom bond-forming reactions. This copper(II) complex shows strong reactivity toward arylboronic acid activation in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The relationship between product formation and temperature and catalyst loading are described. Additionally, the effects of buffer, pH, base, and co-solvent are explored with respect to phenol and ether generation reactions. Characterization of the new copper(II) NCN-pincer complex by X-ray crystallography, HR-MS, cyclic voltammetry, FT-IR and UV-Vis spectral studies is reported.

A scalable and green one-minute synthesis of substituted phenols

A mild, green and highly efficient protocol was developed for the synthesis of substituted phenols via ipso-hydroxylation of arylboronic acids in ethanol. The method utilizes the combination of aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant and H₂O₂/HBr as the reagent under unprecedentedly simple and convenient conditions. A wide range of arylboronic acids were smoothly transformed into substituted phenols in very good to excellent yields without chromatographic purification. The reaction is scalable up to at least 5 grams at room temperature with one-minute reaction time and can be combined in a one-pot sequence with bromination and Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling to generate more diverse, highly substituted phenols.

Oxidative Hydroxylation of Aryl Boronic Acid Catalyzed by Co-porphyrin Complexes via Blue-Light Irradiation

Oxidative reactions often require unstable and environmentally harmful oxidants; therefore, the investigation of safer alternatives is urgent. Here, the hydroxylation of aryl boronic acid in the presence of Co-complexes is demonstrated. Tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) Co(II)-porphyrin was combined with biodegradable polymers such as chitosan catalyzed hydroxylation of phenyl boronic acids to form phenol derivatives under blue-light irradiation. This catalytic system can be used as an eco-friendly oxidation process that does not release oxidizing agents into the atmosphere.