Ni-Catalyzed Synthesis of Thiocarboxylic Acid Derivatives

Photocatalytic O- to S-Rearrangement of Tertiary Cyclopropanols

Despite the importance of heteroatom-substituted cyclopropane derivatives in drug design and organic synthesis, cyclopropanethiols remain critically underexplored. Inspired by the wide use of the Newman-Kwart rearrangement to access valuable thiophenols from phenol feedstocks, we report the development of a photocatalytic approach for efficient ambient temperature aliphatic O- to S-rearrangement on tertiary cyclopropanol derivatives. After demonstrating that a range of cyclopropanethiols-that are difficult to access by other methods-can be obtained with this strategy, we show that these rearranged products can be easily hydrolyzed and further derivatized. We conclude this study with mechanistic findings that enabled an initial extension of this approach toward other classes of aliphatic alcohols.

Redox-Active Thiocarbonyl Auxiliaries in Ni-Catalyzed Cross-Couplings of Aliphatic Alcohols

ConspectusThe Barton-McCombie deoxygenation reaction first established the use of O-alkyl thiocarbonyl derivatives as powerful redox-active agents for C(sp3)-O reduction. In recent years, first-row transition metals capable of engaging with alkyl radical intermediates generated from O-alkyl thiocarbonyl derivatives using alternative stoichiometric radical precursors have been developed. Given the ability of select Ni catalysts to both participate in single-electron oxidative addition pathways and intercept alkyl radical intermediates, our group has investigated the use of O-alkyl thiocarbonyl derivatives as electrophiles in novel cross-coupling reactions. After describing related work in this area, this Account will first summarize our entry point into this field. Here, we used the cyclopropane ring as a reporter of leaving group reactivity to aid in the design and optimization of a novel redox-active O-thiocarbamate leaving group for C(sp3)-O arylation. Motivation for this pursuit was driven by the propensity of the cyclopropane ring to undergo ring opening under polar (2e) oxidative addition pathways or to be maintained under single-electron (1e) conditions. Using these guiding principles, we developed a method for the deoxygenative arylation of cyclopropanol derivatives using a Ni catalyst without the need for a stoichiometric external reductant or photocatalyst. We next summarize our evaluation of an alternative redox-active O-thiocarbonyl imidazole auxiliary in a related deoxygenative cross-coupling. This work demonstrated an extension of our initial approach to the deoxygenative arylation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohol derivatives. A brief mechanistic investigation revealed that this reaction likely proceeds via a distinct mechanism involving direct homolytic C(sp3)-O bond cleavage. We conclude this Account with a summary of work aimed toward a unique approach for thiocarboxylic acid derivative synthesis. This project was inspired by the efficiency of thionoester generation under most of the reaction conditions evaluated in our prior investigations. Using alcohol, amine, or thiol starting materials, which were activated with convenient thiocarbonyl sources in a single step, we optimized for a Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling capable of providing access to a range of thionoester, thioamide, or dithioester products. In summary, our work has revealed the potential of redox-active thiocarbonyl auxiliaries in Ni-catalyzed cross-couplings with C(sp3)-O electrophiles. We anticipate that the continued investigation of aliphatic thiocarbonyl derivatives as radical precursors with alternative single-electron inputs will be an area of continued growth in the years to come.