Chiral Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Enantioselective Phosphonylation of Allylamine via Oxidative Dehydrogenation Coupling

Dehydrogenative α,γ-Diphosphinylation of Allylamines Enabled by Photoinduced Cobaloxime Catalysis

A regioselective radical α,γ-diphosphinylation of allylamines with secondary phosphine oxides by photoinduced cobaloxime catalysis is described. The reaction tolerates a wide range of allylamines and phosphine oxides, affording α-amino diphosphine dioxides in moderate to good yields with hydrogen evolution. The synthesis of new diphosphine monoxide and diphosphine ligands and the promising antitumor activities of products demonstrate the great potential applications of this approach in catalysis and drug discovery. The detailed mechanism studies indicate that this reaction likely proceeds through a dehydrogenative allylic phosphinylation and nucleophilic addition process.

Photoinduced Remote C(sp3)-H Phosphonylation of Amides

The present study reports an unprecedented protocol for the phosphonylation of unactivated C(sp3)-H bonds. By utilizing 1 mol % 4DPAIPN (1,2,3,5-tetrakis(diphenylamino)-4,6-dicyanobenzene) as the catalyst, satisfactory yields of γ-phosphonylated amides are obtained through a visible-light-induced reaction between N-((4-cyanobenzoyl)oxy)alkanamides and 9-fluorenyl o-phenylene phosphite at room temperature. This protocol demonstrates broad substrate scope and wide functional group compatibility.

Turning Enantiomeric Relationships into Diastereomeric Ones: Self-Resolving α-Ureidophosphonates and Their Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis

Controlling chiral recognition and chiral information transfer has major implications in areas ranging from drug design and asymmetric catalysis to supra- and macromolecular chemistry. Especially intriguing are phenomena associated with chiral self-recognition. The design of systems that show self-induced recognition of enantiomers, i.e., involving homochiral versus heterochiral dimers, is particularly challenging. Here, we report the chiral self-recognition of α-ureidophosphonates and its application as both a powerful analytical tool for enantiomeric ratio determination by NMR and as a convenient way to increase their enantiomeric purity by simple achiral column chromatography or fractional precipitation. A combination of NMR, X-ray, and DFT studies indicates that the formation of homo- and heterochiral dimers involving self-complementary intermolecular hydrogen bonds is responsible for their self-resolving properties. It is also shown that these often unnoticed chiral recognition phenomena can facilitate the stereochemical analysis during the development of new asymmetric transformations. As a proof of concept, the enantioselective organocatalytic hydrophosphonylation of alkylidene ureas toward self-resolving α-ureidophosphonates is presented, which also led us to the discovery of the largest family of self-resolving compounds reported to date.

Synthesis of α-Aminophosphonates via Phosphonylation of an Aryne-Imine Adduct

Multicomponent phosphonylation is accomplished upon the reaction of an imine with an aryne generated in situ in the presence of a dialkyl phosphite. This transition-metal-free protocol shows a broad substrate scope, providing a variety of α-aminophosphonates in moderate to good yields. A plausible mechanism for the reaction is proposed based on a deuterium exchange experiment.

Visible-light-induced ligand-free RuCl3 catalyzed C-H phosphorylation in water

Visible-light-induced C-H phosphorylation of para-C_Ar-H and heteroarenes was realized using cost-effective RuCl₃ as a catalyst. The reaction conditions are green and environmentally friendly, using water as a solvent at room temperature and without ligands. A broad range of highly functional organophosphorus compounds were obtained via a cross-dehydrogenation-coupling (CDC) reaction. In addition, we also proved that RuCl₃ is a photocatalyst via its absorption spectrum and on/off light experiments.

Manganese(iii)-promoted tandem phosphinoylation/cyclization of 2-arylindoles/2-arylbenzimidazoles with disubstituted phosphine oxides

A simple and practical method for the synthesis of phosphoryl-substituted indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-6(5H)-ones and benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-6(5H)-ones through manganese(iii)-promoted tandem phosphinoylation/cyclization of 2-arylindoles or 2-arylbenzimidazoles with disubstituted phosphine oxides was developed. In this transformation, new C-P bond and C-C bond were constructed simultaneously under silver-free conditions, exhibiting a broad substrate scope. It was noted that not only diarylphosphine oxides but also dialkyl and arylalkyl-phosphine oxides were compatible with the conditions.

Copper-catalysed oxidative α-C(sp3)–H nitroalkylation of (hetero)arene-fused cyclic amines

Under aerobic copper catalysis, a direct α-C(sp³)–H nitroalkylation of N-unsubstituted (hetero)arene-fused cyclic amines with nitroalkanes has been demonstrated.

Palladium-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling for the synthesis of α-amino ketones

A novel oxidative cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of α-aryl α-amino ketones in the presence of palladium catalysts using T⁺BF₄⁻ as an oxidant has been developed. This transformation was achieved by direct C–H oxidation of α-aminocarbonyl compounds and arylation. The mild reaction has a broad reaction scope and gives desired α-aryl α-amino ketones in moderate to excellent yields.

A novel oxidative cross-coupling reaction for the synthesis of α-aryl α-amino ketones in the presence of palladium catalysts using T⁺BF₄⁻ as an oxidant has been developed.

Oxidative C(sp3)–H amidation of tertiary arylamines with nitriles

The first amidation of tertiary arylamines with nitriles via a cascade dehydrogenation/heterocoupling/addition reaction has been developed.

New Approaches for Biaryl-Based Phosphine Ligand Synthesis via P═O Directed C-H Functionalizations

Given the important influence of phosphine ligands in transition metal-catalyzed reactions, chemists have searched for straightforward and efficient methodologies for the synthesis of diverse phosphine ligands. Although significant progress has been made in this aspect over the past decades, the development of new phosphorus-containing ligands with properties superior to their predecessors remains a central task for chemists. Recently, researchers have demonstrated that biphenyl monophosphine ligands function as highly efficient ligands for transition-metal-catalyzed organic transformations, especially for reactions where chelating bisphosphine ligands cannot be used. In 1998, Buchwald introduced a new class of air-stable phosphine ligands based on the dialkylbiaryl phosphine backbone. These ligands have been successfully used for a wide variety of palladium-catalyzed carbon-carbon, carbon-nitrogen, and carbon-oxygen construction processes as well as serving as supporting ligands for a number of other reactions. At the same time, the use of the biphenyl monophosphine ligands often allows reactions to proceed with short reaction times and low catalyst loadings and under mild reaction conditions. However, the synthesis of chiral biphenyl monophosphine ligands, especially those the chirality of which is due to biaryl axial chirality, is very limited. In this Account, we summarize our methodologies for the synthesis of this kind of biphenyl monophosphine ligands including the P═O directed C-H functionalization, P═O directed diastereoselective C-H functionalization, P═O directed enantioselective C-H functionalization, and metal-free diastereoselective radical oxidative C-H amination under mild reaction conditions. With these methods, a series of biphenyl phosphine ligand precursors containing achiral or axially chiral centers and precursors possessing both axial chirality and a chirogenic phosphorus center with different electronic properties and steric effect have been obtained under different reaction conditions. For the preparation of chiral biphenyl monophosphine ligands, which not only possess axial chirality but in many cases also possess chirality at phosphorus, the primary means of introducing chirality is through the use of the menthyl phenylphosphinate. As a chiral auxiliary group, the menthyl phenylphosphinate has some unique features: (i) it is easy to prepare; (ii) the products contain both axial chirality and central chirality on the phosphorus atom; (iii) the menthyl group could easily be transformed into other functional groups, which is crucial for the diversity of the corresponding biphenyl ligands. In our reaction, the P═O group not only acts as the directing group but also facilitates the construction of the phosphine ligands. In addition, the application of these products in asymmetric catalysis has also been studied with good results obtained in some reactions. The further application of these ligands, especially the chiral biphenyl monophosphine ligands in catalysis reactions is underway in our laboratory, and we hope different kinds of reactions will be achieved with these ligands.

Enantioselective Hydrophosphonylation of in Situ Generated N-Acyl Ketimines Catalyzed by BINOL-Derived Phosphoric Acid

An efficient route to pharmacologically interesting isoindolinone-based α-amino phosphonates is described via asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of in situ generated ketimines catalyzed by BINOL-derived phosphoric acid. The reaction proceeds smoothly at ambient temperature affording a variety of α-amino phosphonates with a quaternary stereogenic center embedded in isoindolinone motif in high yields with excellent enantiomeric ratios (up to 98.5:1.5 er). Several interesting transformations of the products into valuable synthetic intermediates are also depicted.

Oxidative cross-coupling reaction by scandium catalysis for synthesis of α-alkyl α-amino acid ester derivatives

A novel oxidative cross-coupling reaction between N-arylglycine esters and alkyl boronic acid esters was developed by scandium catalysis.

An efficient asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of unsaturated amides catalyzed by rare-earth metal amides [(Me3Si)2N]3RE(μ-Cl)Li(THF)3 with phenoxy-functionalized chiral prolinols

An asymmetric hydrophosphonylation reaction of diethyl phosphite with α,β-unsaturated amides catalyzed by [(Me₃Si)₂N]₃RE(μ-Cl)Li(THF)₃ with H₂Lⁿ ((S)-2,4-R₂-6-[[2-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]methyl]phenol) was disclosed.

One-pot synthesis of α-aminophosphonates via a cascade sequence of allylamine isomerization/hydrophosphonylation

A Rh/Ni-catalyzed cascade sequence of allylamine isomerization and hydrophosphonylation to synthesize α-aminophosphonates has been disclosed.