Palladium-catalyzed bissilylation of arynes with cyclic disilanes: synthesis of benzo-annulated disilacarbocycles

Ring Expansion toward Disila-carbocycles via Highly Selective C-Si/C-Si Bond Cross-Exchange

Herein, we successfully inhibited the preferential homodimerization and C-Si/Si-H bond cross-exchange of benzosilacyclobutenes and monohydro-silacyclobutanes and achieved the first highly selective C-Si/C-Si bond cross-exchange reaction by deliberately tuning the Ni-catalytic system, which constitutes a powerful and atom-economical ring expansion method for preparing medium-sized cyclic compounds bearing two silicon atoms at the ring junction, which are otherwise inaccessible. The DFT calculation explicitly elucidated the pivotal role of Si-H bond at silacyclobutanes and the high ring strain of two substrates in realizing the two C-Si bonds cleavage and reformation in the catalytic cycle.

Copper-Catalyzed Aryne Insertion into the Carbon-Iodine Bond of Heteroaryl Iodides

Aryne insertions into the carbon-iodine bond of heteroaryl iodides has been achieved for the first time. This novel reaction provides an efficient pathway for the synthesis of valuable building blocks 2-iodoheterobiaryls from heteroaryl iodides and o-silylaryl triflates in excellent regioselectivity. The copper(I) catalyst, which bears a N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand, is essential to accomplish the reaction. Control reactions and DFT calculations indicate that the coordination of copper, as a Lewis acid, with nitrogen atoms of heteroaryl iodides mediates the insertion of arynes into heteroaryl carbon-iodine bonds.

Synergistic Palladium/Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Regio- and Stereo-divergent Bissilylation of Alkynoates: Scope, Mechanism, and Origin of Selectivity

Transition metal-catalyzed bissilylation reactions of alkynes with disilane reagents have become one of the most straightforward and efficient protocols to rapidly produce structurally diverse alkenyl silicon derivatives. In these reactions, the utilization of unsymmetrical disilane reagents provided the possibilities for reactivity enhancement as well as the synthetic merits in contrast to symmetrical disilane reagents. However, a major yet challenging objective is achieving precise control over the selectivity including the regioselectivity and the cis/trans-selectivity. Herein we realized the first divergent bissilylation of alkynoates with our developed air-stable disilane reagent 8-(2-substituted-1,1,2,2-tetramethyldisilanyl)quinoline (TMDQ) by means of synergistic Pd/Lewis acid catalytic system. The catalytic system precisely dictates the selectivity, resulting in the divergent synthesis of 1,2-bissilyl alkenes. The power of these 1,2-bissilyl alkenes serving as the key synthetic intermediates has been clearly demonstrated by rapid construction of diverse motifs and densely functionalized biologically active compounds. In addition, the origins of the switchable selectivities were well elucidated by experimental and computational studies on the reaction mechanism and were mainly attributed to different ligand steric effects, the use of the specific disilane reagent TMDQ and the different coordination modes of different Lewis acid with alkynoates.

pi-Extension of Heterocycles via a Pd-Catalyzed Heterocyclic Aryne Annulation: pi-Extended Donors for TADF Emitters

We report the annulation of heterocyclic building blocks to access pi-extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The method involves the trapping of short-lived hetarynes with catalytically-generated biaryl palladium intermediates and allows...

A platform for on-the-complex annulation reactions with transient aryne intermediates

Organometallic complexes are ubiquitous in chemistry and biology. Whereas their preparation has historically relied on ligand synthesis followed by coordination to metal centers, the ability to efficiently diversify their structures remains a synthetic challenge. A promising yet underdeveloped strategy involves the direct manipulation of ligands that are already bound to a metal center, also known as chemistry-on-the-complex. Herein, we introduce a versatile platform for on-the-complex annulation reactions using transient aryne intermediates. In one variant, organometallic complexes undergo transition metal-catalyzed annulations with in situ generated arynes to form up to six new carbon-carbon bonds. In the other variant, an organometallic complex bearing a free aryne is generated and intercepted in cycloaddition reactions to access unique scaffolds. Our studies, centered around privileged polypyridyl metal complexes, provide an effective strategy to annulate organometallic complexes and access complex metal-ligand scaffolds, while furthering the synthetic utility of strained intermediates in chemical synthesis.

Gold-Catalyzed Formal Hexadehydro-Diels-Alder/Carboalkoxylation Reaction Cascades

A dual gold-catalyzed hexadehydro-Diels-Alder/carboalkoxylation cascade reaction is reported. In this transformation, the gold catalyst participated in the hexadehydro-Diels-Alder step, switching the mechanism from a radical type to a cationic one, and then the catalyst activated the resulting aryne to form an ortho-Au phenyl cation species, which underwent a carboalkoxylation rearrangement rather than the expected aryne-ene reaction.

Arynes as Radical Acceptors: TEMPO-Mediated Cascades Comprising Addition, Cyclization, and Trapping

The application of arynes as radical acceptors is described. The stable radical TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine 1-oxyl) is shown to add to various ortho-substituted benzynes generating the corresponding aryl radicals which engage in 5-exo or 6-endo cyclizations. The cyclized radicals are eventually trapped by TEMPO. The introduced method provides ready access to various dihydrobenzofurans, oxindoles, and sultones by a conceptually novel approach.

Bis-silylation of internal alkynes enabled by Ni(0) catalysis

1,2-Bis-silyl alkenes have exciting synthetic potential for programmable sequential synthesis via manipulation of the two vicinal silyl groups. Transition metal-catalyzed bis-silylation of alkynes with disilanes is the most straightforward strategy to access such useful building blocks. However, this process has some limitations: (1) symmetric disilanes are frequently employed in most of the reactions to assemble two identical silyl groups, which makes chemoselective differentiation for stepwise downstream transformations difficult; (2) the main catalysts are low-valent platinum group transition metal complexes, which are expensive; and (3) internal alkynes remain challenging substrates with low inherent reactivity. Thus, the development of abundant metal-catalyzed bis-silylation of internal alkynes with unsymmetrical disilanes is of significance. Herein, we solve most of the aforementioned limitations in bis-silylation of unsaturated bonds by developing a strongly coordinating disilane reagent and a Ni(0) catalytic system. Importantly, we sufficiently realize the stepwise recognition of the two silyl groups, making this synthetic protocol of wide potential utility.

Bis-silylated alkenes offer the advantage of two functional handles with distinguished reactivity for downstream functionalization. Here, the authors report a nickel-catalyzed bis-silylation of internal alkynes to versatile silylated alkene intermediates which can be chemoselectively manipulated.

Synthesis, characterisation and electronic properties of naphthalene bridged disilanes

Synthesis of naphthalene bridged disilanes 2_R (R = Me, Ph) was performed via catalytic dehydrocoupling. Using RhCl(PPh₃)₃ as a catalyst, an intramolecular Si-Si bond was readily formed from the corresponding disilyl precursors 1_R (R = Me, Ph). For catalytic reactions using (C₆F₅)₃B(OH₂), bridged siloxanes (3_Ph and 3_Me) were observed. Attempts to install the 1,8-naphthalene bridge directly onto a disilane resulted in an unusual product (4), containing two silicon centres bridged through one naphthyl group, and another naphthyl group attached to a single Si centre. In order for this product to form, both a Si to Si hydrogen shift rearrangement as well as Si-Si bond cleavage occurred. The effects of phenyl and methyl substitutions on the structure and electronic properties of the synthesised compounds was investigated by single crystal X-ray diffraction, as well as IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopic analysis. In addition, theoretical UV-Vis absorption maxima were evaluated using density functional theory (TD-SCF) on a B3LYP/6-31(++)G** level of theory and compared with experimental UV-Vis spectroscopic data.

Sequential cycloaddition and ring expansion reaction of arynes and methylenebenzothiopheneones: synthesis of a benzo-fused eight-membered ring via sulfonium ylides

Efficient construction of benzo-fused eight-membered ring containing sulfur. New reaction profile with sulfonium ylides.

Copper-mediated 1,2-bis(trifluoromethylation) of arynes

We herein describe an unprecedented 1,2-bis(trifluoromethylation) of arynes with [CuCF3] in the presence of an oxidant DDQ. The method allows the rapid construction of a new class of 1,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)arenes in one-step from aryne precursors under mild conditions. Its synthetic utility has been demonstrated in the preparation of bis(trifluoromethylated) molecules with potential pharmaceutical and materials science applications. Mechanistic studies indicated the presence of an o-trifluoromethyl aryl radical intermediate via CF3 group transfer from [CuCF3] to the aryne.

Domino Aryne Annulation via a Nucleophilic-Ene Process

1,2-Benzdiyne equivalents possess the unique property that they can react with two arynophiles through iteratively generated 1,2- and 2,3-aryne intermediates. Upon rational modification on the second leaving group of these aryne precursors, a domino aryne annulation approach was developed through a nucleophilic-ene reaction sequence. Various benzo-fused N-heterocyclic frameworks were achievable under transition metal-free conditions with a broad substrate scope.

A domino reaction of 2-isocyanophenyloxyacrylate and aryne to synthesize arenes with vicinal olefin and benzoxazole

An unusual domino reaction of 2-isocyanophenyloxyacrylate and aryne has been disclosed. The present strategy experiences nucleophilic addition, Michael addition, carbon–oxygen cleavage, and cyclization, thus enabling the quick aryne vicinal difunctionalization by the installation of a benzoxazole and an olefin.

Copper Catalysis for Synthesizing Main-Group Organometallics Containing B, Sn or Si

A copper complex has proven to be a potent catalyst for forming a C-B bond via diborylation of arynes and alkynes, affording vic-diborylarenes and vic-diborylalkenes with high efficiency. A boryl-substituted organocopper species, which is intermediately generated in the diborylation, has been found to be captured by a tin or a carbon electrophile, leading to three-component borylstannylation or carboboration, in which C-B and C-Sn (or C) bonds are constructed simultaneously. Furthermore, reducing the Lewis acidity of the boron center with 1,8-diaminonaphthalene decisively alters the regiochemical behavior of the borylcopper species, enabling the installation of a boryl moiety to occur at an internal carbon of terminal alkynes in borylstannylation and protoboration. Copper catalysis for C-Sn and C-Si bond-forming processes via distannylation, hydrostannylation and silylstannylation, as well as silver catalysis for a C-B bond-forming reaction, is also described.

Reaction of arynes with sulfoxides

A S-O bond insertion reaction of sulfoxides with arynes is reported. This reaction represents a rare instance of semipolar single bond insertion in aryne chemistry. The study of mechanism indicates that a sulfur ylide triggered by aryne is the key intermediate, which further transfers its methylene group to carbonyl compounds to give epoxides and thioethers through a sequential process.

Synthesis of benzisoxazolines by the coupling of arynes with nitrones

A variety of substituted benzisoxazolines have been synthesized by the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of nitrones and arynes. The reaction scope is broad, the reaction conditions are mild, and the process tolerates a variety of functional groups.

Synthesis of 2H-indazoles by the [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition of sydnones with arynes

A rapid and efficient synthesis of 2H-indazoles has been developed using a [3 + 2] dipolar cycloaddition of sydnones and arynes. A series of 2H-indazoles have been prepared in good to excellent yields using this protocol, and subsequent Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions can be applied to the halogenated products to generate a structurally diverse library of indazoles.