Platinum-Catalyzed Double Acylation of 2-(Aryloxy)pyridines via Direct C–H Activation

C-H acylation of aniline derivatives with α-oxocarboxylic acids using ruthenium catalyst

An efficient and convenient synthetic strategy for ruthenium(II)-catalyzed ortho-acylation of N-(2-pyridyl)-anilines using α-oxycarboxylic acids as acyl sources is described. The procedure can smoothly proceed under mild conditions, showing good functional group tolerance. Valuable ortho-acylated aniline products have been obtained with moderate to good yields. Furthermore, the reaction could be easily scaled up to the gram scale.

A Shuttle Catalysis: Elucidating a True Reaction Mechanism Involved in the Palladium Xantphos-Assisted Transposition of Aroyl Chloride and Aryl Iodide Functional Groups

A thorough DFT study was performed to unravel the true mechanism involved in the Pd(0)-catalyzed functional group transposition between aroyl chlorides and aryl iodides. Two different experimental groups proposed different mechanisms for the functional group transposition reaction. A careful assessment of experimental findings and thorough computational studies endorsed that the functional group transposition proceeds via phosphonium salt formation and ligand-enabled C-P bond metathesis, leading to the formation of the PhI and the intermediate 2. After the formation of the intermediate 2, the transposition of functional groups takes place through the interpalladium ligand exchange mechanism, where two palladium centers act as shuttle catalysts. In short, both C-P bond metathesis and interpalladium ligand exchange steps are crucial in the functional group transposition mechanism.

Ru(II)-Catalyzed Difunctional Pyridyloxy-Directed Regio- and Stereospecific Addition of Carboxylic Acids to Internal Alkynes

A highly efficient Ru(II)-catalyzed regio- and stereospecific hydro-oxycarbonylation of unsymmetrical internal alkynes bearing a difunctional 2-pyridyloxy directing group with carboxylic acids has been developed, which provides allylic (Z)-enol esters in good to excellent yields with a broad substrate scope under mild conditions. The difunctional directing group can be diversely derivatized, particularly undergoing allylic substitution with various nucleophiles to afford β-functionalized (Z)-enol esters without directing groups.

Decoding Directing Groups and Their Pivotal Role in C-H Activation

Synthetic organic chemistry has witnessed a plethora of functionalization and defunctionalization strategies. In this regard, C-H functionalization has been at the forefront due to the multifarious applications in the development of simple to complex molecular architectures and holds a brilliant prospect in drug development and discovery. Despite been explored tremendously by chemists, this functionalization strategy still enjoys the employment of novel metal catalysts as well metal-free organic ligands. Moreover, the switch to photo- and electrochemistry has widened our understanding of the alternative pathways via which a reaction can proceed and these strategies have garnered prominence when applied to C-H activation. Synthetic chemists have been foraging for new directing groups and templates for the selective activation of C-H bonds from a myriad of carbon-hydrogen bonds in aromatic as well as aliphatic systems. As a matter of fact, by varying the templates and directing groups, scientists found the answer to the challenge of distal C-H bond activation which remained an obstacle for a very long time. These templates have been frequently harnessed for selectively activating C-H bonds of natural products, drugs, and macromolecules decorated with multiple C-H bonds. This itself was a challenge before the commencement of this field as functionalization of a site other than the targeted site could modify and hamper the biological activity of the pharmacophore. Total synthesis and pharmacophore development often faces the difficulty of superfluous reaction steps towards selective functionalization. This obstacle has been solved by late-stage functionalization simply by harnessing C-H bond activation. Moreover, green chemistry and metal-free reaction conditions have seen light in the past few decades due to the rising concern about environmental issues. Therefore, metal-free catalysts or the usage of non-toxic metals have been recently showcased in a number of elegant works. Also, research groups across the world are developing rational strategies for directing group free or non-directed protocols that are just guided by ligands. This review encapsulates the research works pertinent to C-H bond activation and discusses the science devoted to it at the fundamental level. This review gives the readers a broad understanding of how these strategies work, the execution of various metal catalysts, and directing groups. This not only helps a budding scientist towards the commencement of his/her research but also helps a matured mind searching out for selective functionalization. A detailed picture of this field and its progress with time has been portrayed in lucid scientific language with a motive to inculcate and educate scientific minds about this beautiful strategy with an overview of the most relevant and significant works of this era. The unique trait of this review is the detailed description and classification of various directing groups and their utility over a wide substrate scope. This allows an experimental chemist to understand the applicability of this domain and employ it over any targeted substrate.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free Catalytic C-H Methylation

The mechanochemical, solvent-free, highly regioselective, rhodium-catalyzed C-H methylation of (hetero)arenes is reported. The reaction shows excellent functional-group compatibility and is demonstrated to work for the late-stage C-H methylation of biologically active compounds. The method requires no external heating and benefits from considerably shorter reaction times than previous solution-based C-H methylation protocols. Additionally, the mechanochemical approach is shown to enable the efficient synthesis of organometallic complexes that are difficult to generate conventionally.

Palladium-catalyzed sequential acylation/annulation of indoles with acyl chlorides using primary amine as the directing group

An efficient, palladium(ii)-catalyzed, C(sp²)–H acylation/annulation of indoles with acyl chlorides for the synthesis of substituted indolo[1,2-a]quinazolines is reported.

Structures and photophysical properties of two luminescent bipyridine compounds: 2',6'-difluoro-6-[3-(pyridin-2-yloxy)phenyl]-2,3'-bipyridine and 2',6'-dimethoxy-6-[3-(pyridin-2-yloxy)phenyl]-2,3'-bipyridine

The title compounds, C₂₁H₁₃F₂N₃O (1) and C₂₃H₁₉N₃O₃ (2), have been synthesized by typical cross-coupling reactions. Both compounds have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Bipyridine 1 exhibits a fully extended structure in which the terminal pyridine rings are oriented away from each other, while bipyridine 2 displays a bent structure in which terminal pyridine rings are oriented in the same direction. Several intermolecular interactions lead to the formation of two- and three-dimensional supramolecular networks in the crystal structures of 1 and 2, respectively. Compound 1 bears fluorine substituents and emits a strong fluorescence with λ_max = 325 nm, while methoxy-substituted compound 2 displays red-shifted emissions with λ_max = 366 nm. The emissions observed in both compounds originate from phenyl- and 2,3'-bipyridine-based π-π* transitions, according to theoretical calculations. Both compounds have high triplet energies (T₁) ranging from 2.64 to 2.65 eV, which makes them potential host materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Introducing an α-Keto Ester Functional Group through Pt-Catalyzed Direct C-H Acylation with Ethyl Chlorooxoacetate

Platinum-catalyzed selective C-H acylation of 2-aryloxypyridines with ethyl chlorooxoacetate provides an efficient way of introducing an α-keto ester functional group. The reaction is oxidant-free, additive-free, and, more significantly, free of any decarbonylative side reactions. The reaction tolerates a variety of substituents from strongly electron-donating to strongly electron-withdrawing groups. Double acylation is feasible for 2-phenoxypyridine and its derivatives with only one substituent at the para position. Although the reaction of 2-(2-methylphenoxy)pyridine with ethyl malonyl chloride did not produce the desired β-keto ester, the reaction with ethyl succinyl chloride proceeded smoothly to give the γ-keto ester. Ethyl chlorooxoacetate is much more reactive than ethyl succinyl chloride in this Pt-catalyzed C-H acylation reaction.

Theoretical Probe to the Mechanism of Pt-Catalyzed C-H Acylation Reaction: Possible Pathways for the Acylation Reaction of a Platinacycle

Density functional theory (DFT) and nudged elastic band (NEB) theory have been used to study the possible pathways for the acylation of cycloplatinated complex A derived from 2-phenoxypyridine, which is conceived as the key step in the platinum-catalyzed acylation of 2-aryloxypyridines. Geometry optimization indicates that the previously proposed intermediate, an arenium ion species as a result of analogous aromatic substitution, is not an energy minimum, but rather cationic Pt-arene η²-complex E is obtained as a stable intermediate. NEB simulations suggest that the minimum energy pathway for the acylation reaction has energy barrier of 33.6 kcal/mol and consists of the following steps: (1) Nucleophilic substitution at acetyl chloride by the platinum of the reactant A forms five-coordinate Pt(IV) acylplatinum complex B with an energy barrier of 21.7 kcal/mol. (2) B undergoes 1,2-acyl migration from the platinum to the cyclometalated carbon through a three-membered platinacycle transition state to give Pt-arene η²-complex E with an energy barrier of 14.0 kcal/mol. (3) E undergoes ligand exchange with chloride to form neutral Pt-arene η²-complex F. (4) F undergoes ligand substitution with acetonitrile to give the product and the energy barrier is small (10.6 kcal/mol). The rate-determining step is the 1,2-acyl migration step. It is interesting to note that intermediate F was not included in the proposed mechanism but was identified by the NEB simulations. Five-coordinate Pt(IV) acylplatinum complex B undergoes barrierless ligand coordination with chloride to form neutral formal oxidative addition acylplatinum complex D; however, D is less stable than reactant A by 2.9 kcal/mol, which also implies that the isolation of an oxidative addition product Pt(IV) complex may be very challenging. The direct reductive elimination of D to form product P has a higher energy barrier (36.6 kcal/mol).

A practical ortho-acylation of aryl iodides enabled by moisture-insensitive activated esters via palladium/norbornene catalysis

Herein reported is a practical Catellani-type ortho-acylation of aryl iodides enabled by employing moisture-insensitive esters as the electrophile via C(O)–O bond cleavage.

Palladium-Catalyzed Carboxylate-Assisted Ethoxycarboxylation of Aromatic Acids To Synthesize Monoethyl Phthalate Derivatives with Ethyl Bromodifluoroacetate

A novel and efficient approach for direct carbonation of aromatic acids with ethyl bromodifluoroacetate as the carbonyl source is reported. A broad range of substrates bearing various functional groups were tolerated, leading to monoalkyl phthalate derivatives in moderate to good yields.

A comprehensive overview of directing groups applied in metal-catalysed C-H functionalisation chemistry

The present review is devoted to summarizing the recent advances (2015-2017) in the field of metal-catalysed group-directed C-H functionalisation. In order to clearly showcase the molecular diversity that can now be accessed by means of directed C-H functionalisation, the whole is organized following the directing groups installed on a substrate. Its aim is to be a comprehensive reference work, where a specific directing group can be easily found, together with the transformations which have been carried out with it. Hence, the primary format of this review is schemes accompanied with a concise explanatory text, in which the directing groups are ordered in sections according to their chemical structure. The schemes feature typical substrates used, the products obtained as well as the required reaction conditions. Importantly, each example is commented on with respect to the most important positive features and drawbacks, on aspects such as selectivity, substrate scope, reaction conditions, directing group removal, and greenness. The targeted readership are both experts in the field of C-H functionalisation chemistry (to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made in the last years) and, even more so, all organic chemists who want to introduce the C-H functionalisation way of thinking for a design of straightforward, efficient and step-economic synthetic routes towards molecules of interest to them. Accordingly, this review should be of particular interest also for scientists from industrial R&D sector. Hence, the overall goal of this review is to promote the application of C-H functionalisation reactions outside the research groups dedicated to method development and establishing it as a valuable reaction archetype in contemporary R&D, comparable to the role cross-coupling reactions play to date.

Directed ortho-Metalation and Anionic ortho-Fries Rearrangement of Polycyclic Aromatic O-Carbamates: Regioselective Synthesis of Substituted Chrysenes

A general method for the regioselective synthesis of a series of ortho-substituted chrysenyl N, N-diethyl- O-carbamates by the directed ortho-metalation (D oM) strategy is reported. The starting O-carbamates were prepared from the corresponding chrysenols, available by oxidative photochemical cyclization or directed remote metalation tactics. Chrysen-1-yl and chrysene-3-yl ring site selectivity of directed ortho-metalation (D oM) and anionic ortho-Fries rearrangement (A oF) protocols, with s-BuLi/TMEDA, followed by electrophilic quench using a selection of electrophiles, were observed, leading to new chrysenyl derivatives. 5-Chrysenyl N,N-diethyl- O-carbamate underwent instant A oF rearrangement even at -100 °C to furnish chrysenyl o-hydroxycarboxamide. Iterative D oM reactions were carried out to gain insight into the regioselectivity factors.

New activation mechanism for half-sandwich organometallic anticancer complexes

The Cp ^x C-H protons in certain organometallic Rh^III half-sandwich anticancer complexes [(η⁵-Cp ^x )Rh(N,N')Cl]⁺, where Cp ^x = Cp*, phenyl or biphenyl-Me₄Cp, and N,N' = bipyridine, dimethylbipyridine, or phenanthroline, can undergo rapid sequential deuteration of all 15 Cp* methyl protons in aqueous media at ambient temperature. DFT calculations suggest a mechanism involving abstraction of a Cp* proton by the Rh-hydroxido complex, followed by sequential H/D exchange, with the Cp* rings behaving like dynamic molecular 'twisters'. The calculations reveal the crucial role of p_π orbitals of N,N'-chelated ligands in stabilizing deprotonated Cp ^x ligands, and also the accessibility of Rh^I-fulvene intermediates. They also provide insight into why biologically-inactive complexes such as [(Cp*)Rh^III(en)Cl]⁺ and [(Cp*)Ir^III(bpy)Cl]⁺ do not have activated Cp* rings. The thiol tripeptide glutathione (γ-l-Glu-l-Cys-Gly, GSH) and the activated dienophile N-methylmaleimide, (NMM) did not undergo addition reactions with the proposed Rh^I-fulvene, although they were able to control the extent of Cp* deuteration. We readily trapped and characterized Rh^I-fulvene intermediates by Diels-Alder [4+2] cyclo-addition reactions with the natural biological dienes isoprene and conjugated (9Z,11E)-linoleic acid in aqueous media, including cell culture medium, the first report of a Diels-Alder reaction of a metal-bound fulvene in aqueous solution. These findings will introduce new concepts into the design of organometallic Cp* anticancer complexes with novel mechanisms of action.

Regioselective C–H chlorination: towards the sequential difunctionalization of phenol derivatives and late-stage chlorination of bioactive compounds

Palladium-catalyzed C–H chlorination of phenol derivatives and late-stage chlorination of diflufenican and estrone.