Palladium-Catalyzed Diarylation of Isocyanides with Tetraarylleads for the Selective Synthesis of Imines and α-Diimines

C-H functionalization enabled by multiple isocyanides

Past decades have witnessed significant advance of isocyanides as a class of versatile organic synthons as well as their broad applications in multi-component reactions (MCRs) and other tandem reactions. Reactions involving multiple isocyanides allow the construction of molecules with further diversification and complexity, while C-H functionalization emphasizes the advantages of high atom economy, broad substrate availability and great synthetic efficiency. This promising synergistic strategy of C-H functionalization involving multiple isocyanides provides a variety of valuable synthetic methods for organic chemists' toolbox and offers considerable potential in pharmaceutical chemistry and materials science as well. The present review outlines in detail various reaction types of C-H functionalization enabled by multiple isocyanides, and the relevant mechanistic rationale is discussed.

New Water-Soluble (Iminomethyl)benzenesulfonates Derived from Biogenic Amines for Potential Biological Applications

In this paper, a highly efficient and straightforward method for synthesizing novel Schiff bases was developed by reacting selected biogenic amines with sodium 2-formylbenzene sulfonate and sodium 3-formylbenzene sulfonate. 1H and 13C NMR, IR spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectrometry were used to characterize the new compounds. The main advantages of the proposed procedure include simple reagents and reactions carried out in water or methanol and at room temperature, which reduces time and energy. Moreover, it was shown that the obtained water-soluble Schiff bases are stable in aqueous solution for at least seven days. Additionally, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of synthesized Schiff bases were tested.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Diarylation of Isocyanides with Triarylbismuthines for the Selective Synthesis of Imine Derivatives

The transition-metal-catalyzed diarylation of isocyanides with triarylbismuthines was investigated in detail, and rhodium catalysts such as [RhCl(nbd)]₂ were found to selectively afford N-alkyl diaryl ketimines. On the other hand, palladium-catalyzed diarylation proceeded with the incorporation of two molecules of isocyanide, preferentially yielding N,N’-dialkyl or N,N’-diaryl α-diimines. In addition, a cascade synthesis of 2,3-diarylquinoxalines starting from the palladium-catalyzed diarylation of isocyanides with triarylbismuthines was successfully achieved.

Nickel-promoted oxidative domino Csp3-H/N-H bond double-isocyanide insertion reaction to construct pyrrolin-2-ones

The first nickel-catalyzed oxidative domino C_sp3-H/N-H double isocyanide insertion reaction of acetamides with isocyanides has been developed for the synthesis of pyrrolin-2-one derivatives. A wide range of acetamides bearing various functional groups are compatible with this reaction system by utilizing Ni(acac)₂ as a catalyst. In this transformation, isocyanide could serve as a C1 connector and insert into the inactive C_sp3-H bond, representing an effective way to construct heterocycles.

Recent Advances in Palladium-Catalyzed Isocyanide Insertions

Isocyanides have long been known as versatile chemical reagents in organic synthesis. Their ambivalent nature also allows them to function as a CO-substitute in palladium-catalyzed cross couplings. Over the past decades, isocyanides have emerged as practical and versatile C1 building blocks, whose inherent N-substitution allows for the rapid incorporation of nitrogeneous fragments in a wide variety of products. Recent developments in palladium catalyzed isocyanide insertion reactions have significantly expanded the scope and applicability of these imidoylative cross-couplings. This review highlights the advances made in this field over the past eight years.