2-(Fluorophenyl)pyridines by the Suzuki–Miyaura method: Ag2O accelerates coupling over undesired ipso substitution (SNAr) of fluorine

Regioselective and late-stage polyfluoroarylation of arenes with diverse fluoroaryl nucleophiles via Pd-catalysis

Dehydrogenative coupling of arenes with fluoroaryl nucleophiles enables the efficient synthesis of fluoroaromatic compounds from readily available starting materials.

Electrochemical borylation of carboxylic acids

A simple electrochemically mediated method for the conversion of alkyl carboxylic acids to their borylated congeners is presented. This protocol features an undivided cell setup with inexpensive carbon-based electrodes and exhibits a broad substrate scope and scalability in both flow and batch reactors. The use of this method in challenging contexts is exemplified with a modular formal synthesis of jawsamycin, a natural product harboring five cyclopropane rings.

The 2-Pyridyl Problem: Challenging Nucleophiles in Cross-Coupling Arylations

Azine-containing biaryls are ubiquitous scaffolds in many areas of chemistry, and efficient methods for their synthesis are continually desired. Pyridine rings are prominent amongst these motifs. Transition-metal-catalysed cross-coupling reactions have been widely used for their synthesis and functionalisation as they often provide a swift and tuneable route to related biaryl scaffolds. However, 2-pyridine organometallics are capricious coupling partners and 2-pyridyl boron reagents in particular are notorious for their instability and poor reactivity in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. The synthesis of pyridine-containing biaryls is therefore limited, and methods for the formation of unsymmetrical 2,2'-bis-pyridines are scarce. This Review focuses on the methods developed for the challenging coupling of 2-pyridine nucleophiles with (hetero)aryl electrophiles, and ranges from traditional cross-coupling processes to alternative nucleophilic reagents and novel main group approaches.

Palladium-Catalyzed Homocoupling of Highly Fluorinated Arylboronates: Studies of the Influence of Strongly vs Weakly Coordinating Solvents on the Reductive Elimination Process

C-C reductive elimination from [PdL₂(C₆F₅)₂] to form polyfluorinated biaryls has been a challenge for over 50 years. Thus, palladium-catalyzed homocoupling of arylboronates (Ar_F-Bpin) containing two ortho-fluorine substituents is very difficult, as the reaction typically stops at the [PdL₂(Ar_F)₂] stage after two transmetalation steps. The transmetalated complexes cis-[Pd(MeCN)₂(C₆F₅)₂] (3a), cis-[Pd(MeCN)₂(2,4,6-C₆F₃H₂)₂] (3b), and cis-[Pd(MeCN)₂(2,6-C₆F₂H₃)₂] (3e) have been isolated from the reaction of Ar_F-Bpin with Pd(OAc)₂ in acetonitrile solvent, with no homocoupling observed. However, catalytic homocoupling proceeds smoothly in a "weakly coordinating" arene solvent as long as no ancillary ligands or coordinating solvents are present. DFT computations reveal that the active catalyst formed by arene solvent coordination leads to an overall reduced barrier for the reductive elimination step compared to the formation of stable [PdL₂(Ar_F)₂] complexes in the presence of a donor ligand or solvent L.

Selective direct C–H polyfluoroarylation of electron-deficient N-heterocyclic compounds

An efficient protocol of C2-selective direct C–H polyfluoroarylation of six-membered N-heterocyclic compounds with polyfluorobenzoic acid via corresponding N-methyl quaternary ammonium salts.

Weakly nucleophilic potassium aryltrifluoroborates in palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura reactions: relative reactivity of K[4-RC6F4BF3] and the role of silver-assistance in acceleration of transmetallation

Small differences in the reactivity of weakly nucleophilic potassium aryltrifluoroborates are revealed in the silver-assisted Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of K[4-RC₆F₄BF₃] (R = H, Bu, MeO, EtO, PrO, iPrO, BuO, t-BuO, CH₂=CHCH₂O, PhCH₂O, PhCH₂CH₂O, PhO, F, pyrazol-1-yl, pyrrol-1-yl, and indol-1-yl) with ArX (4-BrC₆H₄CH₃, 4-IC₆H₄F and 3-IC₆H₄F). An assumed role of silver(I) compounds Ag_mY (Y = O, NO₃, SO₄, BF₄, F) consists in polarization of the Pd–X bond in neutral complex ArPdL_nX with the generation of the related transition state or formation of [ArPdL_n][XAg_mY] with a highly electrophilic cation and subsequent transmetallation with the weakly nucleophilic borate. Efficiency of Ag_mY as a polarizing agent decreases in order Ag₂O > AgNO₃ ≈ Ag₂SO₄ > Ag[BF₄] > AgF. No clear correlation between the reactivity of K[4-RC₆F₄BF₃] and substituent electron parameters, σ_I and σ_R°, of the aryl group 4-RC₆F₄ was found.

Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Benzylic Bromides Under Microwave Conditions

A procedure for benzylic Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling under microwave conditions has been developed. These conditions allowed for heterocyclic compounds to be coupled. Optimum conditions found were Pd(OAc)(2), JohnPhos as the catalyst and ligand, potassium carbonate as base, and DMF as the solvent. Using these conditions, a library of structurally diverse compounds was synthesized.

Pd-catalyzed direct cross-coupling of electron-deficient polyfluoroarenes with heteroaromatic tosylates

We report a Pd-catalyzed direct cross-coupling of electron-deficient polyfluoroarenes with heteroaromatic tosylates. The notable features of this reaction are its high reaction efficiency, excellent chemoselectivity, operational simplicity, and mild reaction conditions. We have applied this protocol to prepare the semiconducting materials in a highly efficient manner.

A new palladium precatalyst allows for the fast Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of unstable polyfluorophenyl and 2-heteroaryl boronic acids

Boronic acids which quickly deboronate under basic conditions, such as polyfluorophenylboronic acid and five-membered 2-heteroaromatic boronic acids, are especially challenging coupling partners for Suzuki-Miyaura reactions. Nevertheless, being able to use these substrates is highly desirable for a number of applications. Having found that monodentate biarylphosphine ligands can promote these coupling processes, we developed a precatalyst that forms the catalytically active species under conditions where boronic acid decomposition is slow. With this precatalyst, Suzuki-Miyaura reactions of a wide range of (hetero)aryl chlorides, bromides, and triflates with polyfluorophenyl, 2-furan, 2-thiophene, and 2-pyrroleboronic acids and their analogues proceed at room temperature or 40 °C in short reaction times to give the desired products in excellent yields.

A survey of the syntheses of active pharmaceutical ingredients for antiretroviral drug combinations critical to access in emerging nations

It has been roughly 25 years since the threat posed by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) became widely known. The cumulative death toll from HIV/AIDS is now greater than 25 million. There are approximately 33 million people living worldwide with this disease, of whom about 68% (22.5 million) live in sub-Saharan Africa (http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm). A number of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs have been approved for treatment of HIV/AIDS. Inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase (RTIs) include the nucleoside/nucleotide drugs zidovudine, lamivudine, abacavir, didanosine, stavudine, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Non-nucleoside RTIs include nevirapine, efavirenz and etravirine. Inhibitors of HIV protease (PIs) include saquinavir, ritonavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, indinavir, fosamprenavir and atazanavir. Enfuvirtide inhibits the HIV fusion protein. The CCR5 chemokine antagonist maraviroc and the integrase inhibitor raltegravir were very recently approved by the US FDA. Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) have been formulated to increase tolerability, convenience and compliance. First-line drug combinations are offered to treatment-naive patients, while second-line drugs are reserved for those who no longer respond adequately to first-line therapy. In developing countries a modest but increasing fraction of those infected have access to ARVs. The Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative estimates that 2.4 million of the nearly 8 million individuals needing treatment in developing nations have access to some drugs. First-line FDCs used in resource-poor settings are largely combinations of two nucleoside RTIs and a non-nucleoside RTI or PI. The effectiveness of these combinations decreases over time, requiring a switch to combinations that retain potency in the presence of viral resistance. Increasing access to second-line FDCs and new developments in first-line ARV therapy are cost challenges. In high-income countries the cost of ARV therapy is largely irrelevant, except for "advanced salvage" drugs such as enfuvirtide. In resource-poor settings cost is a huge factor that limits drug access, resulting in high rates of new infection and subsequent mortality. IP coverage, where granted, can keep access prices for essential ARVs higher than would otherwise be the case. Large, innovator companies have made drugs available at prices very close to the cost of manufacturing for "lowest income" countries. Generic providers in India and elsewhere provide the largest supply of drugs for the developing world. The recent issuance of Voluntary and Compulsory Licenses (VLs, CLs) through the World Trade Organization's TRIP (Treaty Respecting Intellectual Property) provisions arguably contribute to bringing down access prices. The utilization of improved science, pooled purchasing and intelligent procurement practices all definitely contribute to access. This work surveys the production processes for several critical ARVs. These are discussed in terms of scale up, raw material/intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) costs. In some cases new routes to APIs or critical intermediates are needed. Based on potential new chemistries, there are significant opportunities to reduce cost for a number of critical ARVs.

Suzuki−Miyaura Coupling Reaction Using Pentafluorophenylboronic Acid

[reaction: see text] We have found new conditions for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction applicable to pentafluorophenylboronic acid (C(6)F(5)B(OH)(2)) (1), which is an inactive substrate under normal conditions. The reactions of 1 with phenyl iodide or bromide under Pd(PPh(3))(4)/CsF/Ag(2)O or Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(t-Bu)(3)/CsF/Ag(2)O catalytic system conditions gave 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-1,1'-biphenyl (3a) in more than 90% yields. Combination of CsF and Ag(2)O was essential for promoting these reactions.