Palladium-Catalyzed Highly Regioselective Aromatic Substitution of Benzylic Ammonium Salts with Amines

Access to 2-Alkyltropones via Organic Base-Catalyzed Tandem Deamination and Aldol Condensation of Tropinone-Derived Quaternary Ammonium Salts

The tropone skeleton exists in a number of natural products and bioactive substances, and currently, the applications of substituted tropones are significantly limited by their preparative methods. Herein, we report a very convenient method to access 2-alkyltropones via organic base-catalyzed tandem reaction of tropinone-derived quaternary ammonium salts. Tropinone methiodide reacted with a wide variety of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane to afford structurally diverse 2-alkyltropones in moderate to excellent yields with extremely high site selectivity. The reaction employs readily available feedstocks and reagents, is free of transition metals and compatible with water and air, tolerates a variety of functional groups, and can be easily scaled up. Moreover, the products are amenable to various synthetic transformations. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction proceeded via tandem deamination, aldol condensation, and isomerization.

Palladium-catalyzed C-H dimethylamination of 1-chloromethyl naphthalenes with N,N-dimethylformamide as the dimethyl amino source

Palladium-catalyzed remote C-H dimethylamination of 1-chloromethylnaphthalenes using N,N-dimethylformamide as the dimethylamino source is described for the first time. The dimethylamination took place exclusively at the 4-position of 1-chloromethylnaphthalenes in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran under mild conditions to afford 1-(N,N-dimethylamino)-4-alkylnaphthalenes in good to high yields. The halogen atom remained intact during the dimethylamination of 1-chloromethylnaphthalenes. A P,N bidentate ligand was conveniently synthesized and successfully utilized as the ligand in the Kumada-Corriu reaction.

Visible-light-induced C(sp3)-C(sp3) bond formation via radical/radical cross-coupling

Radical/radical cross-coupling remains challenging due to diffusion control issues. Herein, we report a visible-light-induced radical/radical cross-coupling reaction of quaternary ammonium salts and Hantzschs via C-N and C-C bond cleavage. The current synthetic approach furnishes 1,2-diphenylethanes in moderate to good yields and provides a method for the construction of the C(sp³)-C(sp³) bond.

Palladium-Catalyzed Para-C-H Bond Amination of 2-Aryl Chloromethylbenzenes

Palladium-catalyzed para-C-H bond amination of 2-aryl chloromethylbenzenes is described for the first time. The reactions of 2-aryl chloromethylbenzenes with cyclic amines proceeded smoothly in the presence of Pd(acac)₂, tri(2-furyl)phosphine, and NaH in tetrahydrofuran at 40 °C to provide para-C-H bond aminated products in satisfactory to high yields with acceptable regioselectivity in most cases. The electronic property of the substituents linked to the benzene rings did not significantly influence the reactivity of the 2-aryl chloromethylbenzene substrates and the reaction regioselectivity.

Pd-Catalyzed 1,4-Carboamination of Bicyclic Bromoarenes with Diazo Compounds and Amines

A palladium-catalyzed 1,4-carboamination of bromoarenes with diazo compounds and amines was developed. This reaction proceeds through a palladium-carbene that then generates a π-benzylpalladium intermediate, forming ipso C-C and para C-N bonds on bromoarenes in a regioselective manner. The successful application of this transformation to the rapid synthesis of an antitumor agent demonstrates its synthetic utility.

Base-promoted direct E-selective olefination of organoammonium salts with sulfones toward stilbenes and conjugated 1,3-dienes

A base-promoted direct deaminative olefination of organoammonium salts was developed. Only mediated by KO^tBu, a series of benzyl and cinnamyl ammonium salts reacted smoothly with sulfones, producing the valuable stilbenes and related 1,3-diene derivatives in good to high yields with good functional group tolerance and excellent E-selectivity. With this developed method, biologically active resveratrol and DMU-212 were also successfully prepared, which further demonstrates the practicality of this reaction.

Pd-catalyzed allylative dearomatisation using Grignard reagents

Pd-catalyzed allylative dearomatisation of naphthyl halides is shown to be feasible by employing Grignard reagents. The high reactivity of the nucleophile allows for fast reactions and low catalyst loading, while a plethora of successfully substituted compounds illustrate the broad scope. Five membered heteroaromatic compounds are also demonstrated to be reactive under similar conditions.

Dearomatisation of benzylic halides have been achieved using Grignard reagents resulting in good isolated yields in short reaction times.

Highly Regioselective Aromatic C-H Allylation of N-(Arylmethyl)sulfonimides with Allyl Grignard Reagents Involving Benzylic C-N Cleavage

A new pair of reaction partners has been established for the aromatic C-H functionalization of benzyl electrophiles with nucleophiles via palladium-catalyzed benzylic C-N cleavage. A range of N-(1-naphthylmethyl)sulfonimides, N-(2-thienylmethyl)sulfonimides, and N-(2-furanylmethyl)sulfonimides smoothly underwent palladium-catalyzed aromatic C-H allylation with allyl Grignard reagents at room temperature, delivering structurally diverse substituted 1-allylnaphthalenes and 2-allylheteroarenes in moderate to excellent yields with extremely high regioselectivities. Replacing the N-(arylmethyl)sulfonimide with an (arylmethyl)ammonium salt, an arylmethyl chloride, or an arylmethyl phosphate as the benzyl electrophile leads to a dramatic erosion of the regioselectivity.

Palladium-Catalyzed Stereoselective Difunctionalization of Bicyclic Alkenes with Organoammonium Salts and Organoboronic Compounds

A palladium-catalyzed difunctionalization of bicyclic alkenes with organoammonium salts and organoboronic compounds was reported. A wide range of functionalized cyclic products, including those bearing functional groups, were produced stereoselectively in good to excellent yields. The gram-scale experiment, one-pot operation, and synthetic application of β-borylated products further demonstrated the synthetic value of this new reaction in organic synthesis.

Recent Advances in the Pd-Catalyzed Coupling of Arylhydrazines and Ammonium Salts via C-N Bond Cleavage

Both arylhydrazines and quaternary ammonium salts are readily accessible or commercially available chemicals that show versatile reactivity in Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions via C-N bond cleavage. A tremendous array of coupling reactions involving reaction partners such as organoborons, aryl silanes, alkenes, alkynes, arylation or alkylation reagents in C-H functionalization and carbonylation reactions are summarized, in which arylhydrazines or quaternary ammonium salts function as aryl or alkyl donors. This account mainly focuses on recent advances in Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions with arylhydrazines or quaternary ammonium salts via C-N bond cleavage, including mechanistic elucidations.

Palladium-catalyzed direct reductive cross-coupling of aryltrimethylammonium salts with aryl bromides

Palladium-catalyzed direct reductive cross-coupling of aryltrimethylammonium salts with aryl bromides proceeded efficiently in a one-pot manner in the presence of Mg turnings, LiCl, and TMEDA in THF to afford the corresponding biaryl compounds.

Chemical transformations of quaternary ammonium salts via C–N bond cleavage

The reaction of quaternary ammonium salts via C–N bond cleavage to construct C–C, C–H and C–heteroatom bonds is summarized.