Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Pyrazolidines, Pyrazolines and Pyrazoles via Divergent Reaction of β-CF3-1,3-Enynes with Hydrazines

γ-CF3-Allenamides versus 3-CF3-Cyclopentenylamines: Substituent-Controlled Divergent Reaction of β-CF3-1,3-Enynamides with β-Dicarbonyl Compounds

A distinctive N-substituent-controlled regioselective 1,4-hydrocarbonation or 1,4-hydrocarbonation/5-endo-trig cyclization cascade reaction of β-CF3-1,3-enynamides with β-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of a simple base is reported. β-CF3-1,3-enynamides having a Ts group N-substituent produce γ-CF3-allenamides via a 1,4-hydrocarbonation process, whereas β-CF3-1,3-enynamides bearing a Ms group N-substituent lead to 3-CF3-cyclopentenylamines through a 1,4-hydrocarbonation/5-endo-trig cyclization cascade process.

Divergent Synthesis of F- and CF3-Containing N-Fused Heterocycles Enabled by Fragmentation Cycloaddition of β-CF3-1,3-Enynes with N-Aminopyridiniums Ylides

The two novel cyclization modes of β-CF3-1,3-enynes are presented herein for the divergent construction of F- and CF3-containing N-fused heterocycles. Fluorinated pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridines were afforded from β-CF3-1,3-enynes with N-aminopyridiniums ylides via detrifluoromethylative [2 + 3] cyclizations, followed by fluorine transfer from a CF3 unit. Whereas reaction with N-aminoisoquinoliniums ylides gave CF3-substituted pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline by unprecedented fragmentation [3 + 2]-cycloadditions. Additionally, gram-scale experiments and synthetic utility are demonstrated by further derivatization of fluorinated heterocycles.

Ir(iii)/Ag(i)-catalyzed directly C-H amidation of arenes with OH-free hydroxyamides as amidating agents

A versatile Ir(iii)-catalyzed C-H amidation of arenes by employing readily available and stable OH-free hydroxyamides as a novel amidation source. The reaction occurred with high efficiency and tolerance of a range of functional groups. A wide scope of aryl OH-free hydroxyzamides, including conjugated and challenging non-conjugated OH-free hydroxyzamides, were capable of this transformation and no addition of an external oxidant is required. This protocol provided a simple, straightforward and economic method to a variety N-(2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)alkyl)amide derivates with good to excellent yield. Mechanistic study demonstrated that reversible C-H bond functionalisation might be involved in this reaction.

Selective and controllable amination and defluoroamidation of α-trifluoromethylstyrene

We present a blueprint for the amination and defluoroamidation of α-trifluoromethylstyrene. This practical protocol presents a general method for the diversity-oriented synthesis of vicinal trifluoromethyl amines and gem-difluoro alkenes from α-trifluoromethylstyrene maintaining excellent chemoselectivity. The synthetic strategy features outstanding atom economy and wide functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions.

3-Trifluoromethyl Pyrrole Synthesis Based on β-CF3-1,3-Enynamides

A new metal-free method for the rapid, productive, and scalable preparation of 3-trifluoromethyl pyrroles has been developed. It is based on the electrophilic nature of the double bond of β-CF3-1,3-enynamides due to the electron-withdrawing characteristics of the trifluoromethyl groups and the strong nucleophilic nature of alkyl primary amines. Evidence for the highly regioselective 1,4-hydroamination was observed after the isolation and characterization of the allenamide intermediate.

Base-Controlled Divergent Synthesis of Fluorine-Containing Benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazines from 2-Mercaptobenzimidazoles and β-CF3-1,3-Enynes

A base-controlled divergent cyclization between 2-mercaptobenzimidazoles and β-CF3-1,3-enynes providing either trifluoromethylated or fluorinated benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazines has been developed. The β-CF3-1,3-enyne, as a three-carbon synthon, underwent a 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0] undec-7-ene (DBU)-catalyzed tandem hydroamination/intramolecular hydrothiolation to give CF3-substituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazine, whereas reaction with KOH afforded fluorinated 4H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazine exclusively. In addition, the synthetic utility of this methodology was showcased through a variety of downstream derivatizations.

Annulative Aminosulfonylation of Unactivated Alkenes for Accessing Pyrazolines via Multicomponent SO2 Insertion

A direct arylsulfonylation of β,γ-unsaturated hydrazones method, in which sulfonated pyrazolines are accessed by a three-component reaction of β,γ-unsaturated hydrazones, DABSO, and aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, has been developed without external oxidants or catalysts. This transformation is triggered by the formation of arylsulfonyl radicals in situ from the reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates and DABSO, and is enabled by controllable generation of C center radical, in which DABSO was utilized as the sulfone source and an oxidant in this radical-mediated cascaded reaction. A wide range of substrates can be applied in this process to afford pyrazolines in good yield, and it is amenable for gram-scale synthesis.

Copper-Promoted Aerobic Oxidative [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of N,N-Disubstituted Hydrazines with Alkynoates: Access to Substituted Pyrazoles

A copper-promoted aerobic oxidative [3+2] cycloaddition reaction for the synthesis of various substituted pyrazoles from N,N-disubstituted hydrazines with alkynoates in the presence of bases is developed. This work involves a direct C(sp³)-H functionalization and the formation of new C-C/C-N bonds. In this strategy, inexpensive and easily available Cu₂O serves as the promoter and air acts as the green oxidant. The reaction exhibits the advantages of high atom and step economy, high regioselectivity, and easy operation.

Swapping Copper-Catalytic Process: Selective Access to Pyrazoles and Conjugated Ketimines from Oxime Acetates and Cyclic Sulfamidate Imines

A powerful CuCl-catalyzed sequential one-pot reaction of aryl methyl ketoxime acetates with cyclic N-sulfonyl imines followed by elimination in the presence of base is reported. This hydrazine-free method conveniently makes C-C and N-N bonds via a radical cleavage of the N-O bond, delivering a special class of C3-hydroxyarylated pyrazoles in good yields. Surprisingly, while employing CuI as a catalyst instead of CuCl, the reaction proceeds through a non-radical pathway which embodies a new tactic for the high-yielding access to value-added conjugated N-unsubstituted ketimines. Moreover, additive-free approach to sulfamidate-fused-pyrazoles was achieved by successfully catalyzing addition and oxidative N-N bond-making reactions by CuI and CuCl, respectively. Significantly, our novel technique could convert the prepared ketimines into the pharmacologically recognized 6H-benzo[c]chromene frameworks.

Versatile Fluorine-Containing Building Blocks: β-CF3-1,3-enynes

The development of diversity-oriented synthesis based on fluorine-containing building blocks has been one of the hot research fields in fluorine chemistry. β-CF₃-1,3-enynes, as one type of fluorine-containing building blocks, have attracted more attention in the last few years due to their distinct reactivity. Numerous value-added trifluoromethylated or non-fluorinated compounds which have biologically relevant structural motifs, such as O-, N-, and S-heterocycles, carboncycles, fused polycycles, and multifunctionalized allenes were synthesized from these fluorine-containing building blocks. This review summarizes the most significant developments in the area of synthesis of organofluorine compounds based on β-CF₃-1,3-enynes, providing a detailed overview of the current state of the art.

Divergent Synthesis of Fluorinated Alkenes, Allenes, and Enynes via Reaction of 2-Trifluoromethyl-1,3-enynes with Carbon Nucleophiles

Herein, inorganic base K₃PO₄ promoted divergent synthesis of CF₃-substituted allenes, cyclopentenes, alkynes, and fluorinated enynes via regioselective nucleophilic addition of carbon nucleophiles to 2-trifluoromethyl-1,3-enynes was developed. With the choice of different carbon nucleophiles, various fluorinated compounds could be obtained under K₃PO₄/DMF reaction system. When malononitriles were used as nucleophiles, CF₃-substituted allenes, cyclopentenes, and alkynes could be obtained, respectively. By using 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds as nucleophiles, ring-monofluorinated 4H-pyrans could be prepared, and 1,1-difluoro-1,3-enynes could be furnished with the participation of diethyl malonate. Moreover, these five kinds of fluorinated allenes, alkenes, and enynes are valuable building blocks.

An automated method for graph-based chemical space exploration and transition state finding

Algorithms that automatically explore the chemical space have been limited to chemical systems with a low number of atoms due to expensive involved quantum calculations and the large amount of possible reaction pathways. The method described here presents a novel solution to the problem of chemical exploration by generating reaction networks with heuristics based on chemical theory. First, a second version of the reaction network is determined through molecular graph transformations acting upon functional groups of the reacting. Only transformations that break two chemical bonds and form two new ones are considered, leading to a significant performance enhancement compared to previously presented algorithm. Second, energy barriers for this reaction network are estimated through quantum chemical calculations by a growing string method, which can also identify non-octet species missed during the previous step and further define the reaction network. The proposed algorithm has been successfully applied to five different chemical reactions, in all cases identifying the most important reaction pathways.

Formal [4+1] Annulation of Azoalkenes with CF3-Imidoyl Sulfoxonium Ylides and Dual Double Bond Isomerization Cascade: Synthesis of Trifluoromethyl-Containing Pyrazole Derivatives

A straightforward strategy for the metal-free construction of trifluoromethyl-containing pyrazole derivatives has been achieved from readily available α-halo hydrazones and CF₃-imidoyl sulfoxonium ylides. The cascade transformation proceeds through the formal [4+1] cycloaddition followed by an unexpected dual double bond isomerization. The protocol features mild conditions, easy operation, excellent substrate compatibility, and good regioselectivity. The synthetic utility is demonstrated by scale-up reaction and further elaboration of the obtained pyrazole products.

Recent Advances in Synthesis and Properties of Pyrazoles

Pyrazole-containing compounds represent one of the most influential families of N-heterocycles due to their proven applicability and versatility as synthetic intermediates in preparing relevant chemicals in biological, physical-chemical, material science, and industrial fields. Therefore, synthesizing structurally diverse pyrazole derivatives is highly desirable, and various researchers continue to focus on preparing this functional scaffold and finding new and improved applications; this review highlights some of the most recent and strategic examples regarding the synthesis and properties of different pyrazole derivatives, mainly reported from 2017–present. The discussion involves strategically functionalized rings (i.e., amines, carbaldehydes, halides, etc.) and their use in forming various fused systems, predominantly bicyclic cores with 5:6 fusion taking advantage of our experience in this field and the more recent investigations of our research group.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Structurally Sophisticated Spirocyclic Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole Derivatives Bearing a Chiral Quaternary Carbon Center

A carbene-catalyzed enantio- and diastereoselective [2 + 4] cycloaddition reaction is developed for quick and efficient access to structurally complex multicyclic pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole molecules. The reaction tolerates a broad scope of substrates bearing various substitution patterns, with the multicyclic pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole products afforded in generally good to excellent yields and optical purities. The chiral molecules obtained from this approach has found promising applications in the development of novel bacteriacides for plant protection.

Radical coupling reactions of hydrazines via photochemical and electrochemical strategies

Hydrazines are versatile building blocks in organic synthesis.

DMSO as a C1 Source for [2 + 2 + 1] Pyrazole Ring Construction via Metal-Free Annulation with Enaminones and Hydrazines

A cascade reaction between enaminones, hydrazines, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted pyrazoles catalyzed by molecular iodine in the presence of Selectfluor has been realized. DMSO plays a dual role as the C₁ source and the reaction medium. In addition, the synthesis of 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrazoles using aldehydes as alternative C₁ building blocks has also been achieved.