Asymmetric palladium-catalyzed carboamination reactions for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched 2-(arylmethyl)- and 2-(alkenylmethyl)pyrrolidines

Rh(III)-Catalyzed Diastereo- and Enantioselective Regiodivergent (Hetero)Arylamidation of (Homo)Allylic Sulfides

A rhodium-catalyzed 3-component conjunctive diastereo- and regioselective arylamidation of (homo)allylic sulfides, organon boronic acids, and dioxazolones is reported. These reactions deliver the 1,2-insertion and 2,1-insertion arylamidation products, respectively, for allylic sulfides and homoallylic sulfides. The enantioselective arylamidation of terminal and internal allylic sulfides is achieved, furnishing various 1,3-N,S compounds featuring one or two contiguous stereocenters in high yields and with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies suggest a change in the turnover-limiting and selectivity-determining steps induced by the native and easily removable sulfide group.

Synthesis of Bis-Heterocycles Bearing Methyleneindole Motifs by Pd-Catalyzed Domino Reaction

A highly robust, general, and practically simple palladium-catalyzed domino bicyclization strategy is presented to synthesize nitrogen-containing bis-heterocycles bearing methylene indole motifs from alkyne-tethered carbamoyl chlorides and β,γ- or γ,δ-unsaturated hydrazones. The salient features of this transformation include broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, ease for scale-up, and convenient conversion.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed 1,2-Diaminations of Olefins: Synthetic Methodologies and Mechanistic Studies

1,2-Diamines are synthetically important motifs in organo-catalysis, natural products, and drug research. Continuous utilization of transition-metal based catalyst in direct 1,2-diamination of olefines, in contrast to metal-free transformations, with numerous impressive advances made in recent years (2015-2023). This review summarized contemporary research on the transition-metal catalyzed/mediated [e. g., Cu(II), Pd(II), Fe(II), Rh(III), Ir(III), and Co(II)] 1,2-diamination (asymmetric and non-asymmetric) especially emphasizing the recent synthetic methodologies and mechanistic understandings. Moreover, up-to-date discussion on (i) paramount role of oxidant and catalyst (ii) key achievements (iii) generality and uniqueness, (iv) synthetic limitations or future challenges, and (v) future opportunities are summarized related to this potential area.

Ligand-Enabled Carboamidation of Unactivated Alkenes through Enhanced Organonickel Electrophilicity

Catalytic carboamination of alkenes is a powerful synthetic tool to access valuable amine scaffolds from abundant and readily available alkenes. Although a number of synthetic approaches have been developed to achieve the rapid buildup of molecular complexity in this realm, the installation of diverse carbon and nitrogen functionalities onto unactivated alkenes remains underdeveloped. Here we present a ligand design approach to enable nickel-catalyzed three-component carboamidation that is applicable to a wide range of alkenyl amine derivatives via a tandem process involving alkyl migratory insertion and inner-sphere metal-nitrenoid transfer. With this method, various nitrogen functionalities can be installed into both internal and terminal unactivated alkenes, leading to differentially substituted diamines that would otherwise be difficult to access. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the tailored Ni(cod)(BQiPr) precatalyst modulates the electronic properties of the presumed π-alkene-nickel intermediate via the quinone ligand, leading to enhanced carbonickelation efficiency across the unactivated C═C bond. These findings establish nickel's ability to catalyze multicomponent carboamidation with a high efficiency and exquisite selectivity.

Synthesis of Tetrahydrofurans and Pyrrolidines by Copper-Catalyzed Oxy/Aminoarylation of Alkenes

An efficient copper-catalyzed inter/intramolecular oxy/aminoarylation of γ-hydroxy/aminoalkenes with diaryliodonium triflates is reported. Simple activation of these arylating agents with copper(II) triflate in dichloromethane triggers a smooth activation of the alkene, which is simultaneously trapped by the internal nucleophile, yielding, depending upon its nature, a range of highly substituted tetrahydrofurans and pyrrolidines. The cyclization was moreover found to be stereospecific, with diastereoisomeric alkenes yielding diastereoisomers of the cyclized product, and could be extended to oxyalkynylation.

Photochemical Alkene Trifluoromethylimination Enabled by Trifluoromethylsulfonylamide as a Bifunctional Reagent

Herein, we disclose a facile and versatile trifluoromethylimination of alkene with a rationally designed N-(diphenylmethylene)-1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonamide as a bench-stable and readily accessible carboamination reagent. Enabled by an energy transfer (EnT) process, an array of alkenes were able to be facilely CF₃-iminated under metal-free photocatalytic conditions. The mild reaction conditions and good functional group compatibility render this protocol highly valuable for the difunctionalization of olefins with structural complexity and diversity.

Metal-free photosensitized radical relay 1,4-carboimination across two distinct olefins

Intermolecular carboamination of olefins offers a powerful platform for the rapid construction of structurally complex amines from abundant feedstocks. However, these reactions often require transition-metal catalysis, and are mainly limited to 1,2-carboamination. Herein, we report a novel radical relay 1,4-carboimination across two distinct olefins with alkyl carboxylic acid-derived bifunctional oxime esters via energy transfer catalysis. The reaction is highly chemo- and regioselective, and multiple C-C and C-N bonds were formed in a single orchestrated operation. This mild and metal-free method features a remarkably broad substrate scope with excellent tolerance of sensitive functional groups, therefore providing easy access to structurally diverse 1,4-carboiminated products. Moreover, the obtained imines could be easily converted into valuable biologically relevant free γ-amino acids.

Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Iminoarylation of Oxime Ester-Tethered Alkenes: Rapid Entrance to Diverse Functionalized Pyrrolines

Herein, we disclose a general and practical iminoarylation of alkenes by nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling of unsaturated oxime esters with readily available aryl halides, providing an expedient approach for constructing pyrroline derivatives. The absence of organometallic reagents enables the reaction to occur under mild conditions with a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. Moreover, other C-based electrophiles, including alkenyl, alkynyl and alkyl halides, or pseudohalides, were also competent substrates for this reaction.

Palladium/PC-Phos-Catalyzed Asymmetric Heck/Tsuji-Trost Reactions of Amino-Tethered 1,3-Cyclohexadiene with Aryl and Alkenyl Halides

Chiral perhydroindoles are found in a number of natural products and biologically active compounds. Therefore, the development of new asymmetric methodology for rapid access to this core is of high importance. Herein, we reported a highly regio- and diastereo-selective palladium/PC-Phos-catalyzed asymmetric Heck/Tsuji-Trost reactions of readily available amino tethered 1,3-cyclohexadienes with aryl and alkenyl halides, delivering various functionalized chiral hexahydroindoles in good yields with high enantioselectivity. The application of this reaction to the concise synthesis of (-)-α-Lycorane was demonstrated. DFT computation results indicate that the difference in ΔE_dis of two migration insertion transition states determines the enantioselectivity of the reaction.

Heteroatoms Induce Localization of the Electric Field and Promote a Wide Potential-Window Selectivity Towards CO in the CO2 Electroreduction

Carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO2 RR) is a sustainable way of producing carbon-neutral fuels. Product selectivity in CO2 RR is regulated by the adsorption energy of reaction-intermediates. Here, we employ differential phase contrast-scanning transmission electron microscopy (DPC-STEM) to demonstrate that Sn heteroatoms on a Ag catalyst generate very strong and atomically localized electric fields. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) results verified that the localized electric field enhances the adsorption of *COOH, thus favoring the production of CO during CO2 RR. The Ag/Sn catalyst exhibits an approximately 100 % CO selectivity at a very wide range of potentials (from -0.5 to -1.1 V, versus reversible hydrogen electrode), and with a remarkably high energy efficiency (EE) of 76.1 %.

A Counterion/Ligand-Tuned Chemo- and Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Intermolecular Radical 1,2-Carboamination of Alkenes

The copper-catalyzed enantioselective intermolecular radical 1,2-carboamination of alkenes with readily accessible alkyl halides is an appealing strategy for producing chiral amine scaffolds. The challenge arises from the easily occurring atom transfer radical addition between alkyl halides and alkenes and the issue of enantiocontrol. We herein describe a radical alkene 1,2-carboamination with sulfoximines in a highly chemo- and enantioselective manner. The key to the success of this process is the conceptual design of a counterion/highly sterically demanded ligand coeffect to promote the ligand exchange of copper(I) with sulfoximines and forge chiral C-N bonds between alkyl radicals and the chiral copper(II) complex. The reaction covers alkenes bearing distinct electronic properties, such as aryl-, heteroaryl-, carbonyl-, and aminocarbonyl-substituted ones, and various radical precursors, including alkyl chlorides, bromides, iodides, and the CF₃ source. Facile transformations deliver many chiral amine building blocks of interest in organic synthesis and related areas.

Enantioselective Reductive N-Cyclization-Alkylation Reaction of Alkene-Tethered Oxime Esters and Alkyl Iodides by Nickel Catalysis

Asymmetric cross-electrophile difunctionalization of tethered alkenes has become a powerful tool for the production of chiral cyclic scaffolds; however, the current studies all focus on carbocyclization reactions. Herein, we report an N-cyclization-alkylation reaction and thus showcase the potential of heterocyclization for accessing new enantioenriched cyclic architectures. This work establishes a new approach for enantioselective aza-Heck cyclization/cross-coupling sequence, which remains a long-standing unsolved challenge for the synthetic community. The reaction proceeds with primary, secondary, and a few tertiary alkyl iodides, and the use of newly defined ligands gave highly enantioenriched pyrrolines with improved molecular diversity under mild conditions. The presence of imine functionality allows for further structural variations.

Recent Advances in 1,2-Amino(hetero)arylation of Alkenes

Alkene amino(hetero)arylation presents a highly efficient and straightforward strategy for direct installation of amino groups and heteroaryl rings across a double bond simultaneously. An extensive array of practical transformations has been developed via alkene difunctionalization approach to access a broad range of medicinally valuable (hetero)arylethylamine motifs. This review presents recent progress in 1,2-amino(hetero)arylation of alkenes organized in three different modes. First, intramolecular transformations employing C, N-tethered alkenes will be introduced. Next, two-component reactions will be discussed with different combination of precursors, N-tethered alkenes and external aryl precursor, C-tethered alkenes and external amine precursor, or C, N-tethered reagents, and alkenes. Last, three-component intermolecular amino(hetero)arylation reactions will be covered.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,2-Carboamidation of Alkenes Enables Access to Chiral 2,3-Dihydro-3-benzofuranmethanamides

Through the initial screening and further rational design of chiral cyclopentadienyl ligands, a chiral rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective 1,2-carboamidation of aromatic tethered alkenes was developed, enabling the asymmetric preparation of various chiral 2,3-dihydro-3-benzofuranmethanamides with an enantioenriched all-carbon quaternary center at the β position of amide. This robust transformation has a broad functional group tolerance, excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98.5:1.5 er), and a mild reaction conditions, releasing CO₂ as the single byproduct.

Synthesis of dihydropyrazoles enabled by Pd-catalyzed carboamination of alkenyl hydrazones with alkenyl and aryl halides

The synthesis of dihydropyrazoles enabled by Pd-catalyzed carboamination of alkenyl hydrazones with alkenyl or aryl halides is described. This method provides a practical and efficient route towards the synthesis of functionalized dihydropyrazoles.

Palladium-catalyzed regiodivergent arylamination/aryloxygenation of allenamide

In regiodivergent arylamination/aryloxygenation of allenamides, use of Cy2NMe caused 2,1-arylamination and the corresponding alkenes were formed with excellent Z configuration. Whereas, utilizing Ag2CO3 caused 2,3-aryloxygenation via an unexpected CO2 insertion from Ag2CO3.

Directed nickel-catalyzed regio- and diastereoselective arylamination of unactivated alkenes

Few methods have been reported for intermolecular arylamination of alkenes, which could provide direct access to important arylethylamine scaffolds. Herein, we report an intermolecular syn-1,2-arylamination of unactivated alkenes with arylboronic acids and O-benzoylhydroxylamine electrophiles with Ni(II) catalyst. The cleavable bidentate picolinamide directing group facilitates formation of stabilized 4-, 5- or 6-membered nickelacycles and enables the difunctionalization of diverse alkenyl amines with high levels of regio-, chemo- and diastereocontrol. This general and practical protocol is compatible with broad substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. The utility of this method is further demonstrated by the site-selective modification of pharmaceutical agents.

Construction of Atropisomeric 3-Arylindoles via Enantioselective Cacchi Reaction

The de novo construction of axially chiral 3-arylindoles bearing a C(3)-C(aryl) chiral axis has been realized by Pd-catalyzed enantioselective Cacchi reaction between aryl bromides and o-alkynylanilines. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed Three-Component Syn-Carboamination of Alkenes Using Arylboronic Acids and Dioxazolones

Herein we report a Rh(III)-catalyzed three-component carboamination of alkenes from readily available aryl boronic acids as a carbon source and dioxazolones as nitrogen electrophiles. This protocol provides facile access to valuable amine products including α-amino acid derivatives in good yield and regioselectivity without the need for a directing functionality. A series of experiments suggest a mechanism in which the Rh(III) catalyst undergoes transmetalation with the aryl boronic acid followed by turnover limiting, alkene migratory insertion into the Rh(III)-aryl bond. Subsequently, fast Rh-nitrene formation provides the syn-carboamination product selectively after reductive elimination and proto-demetalation. Importantly, the protocol provides 3-component coupling products in preference to a variety of 2-component undesired by-products.

Palladium-Catalyzed Ring-Closing Reaction for the Synthesis of Saturated N-Heterocycles with Aminodienes and N,O-Acetals

An efficient palladium-catalyzed ring-closing reaction of aminodienes with N,O-acetals for the synthesis of saturated N-heterocycles is described. The reaction is consistently operated at room temperature and tolerates a wide range of functional groups with volatile MeOH as the sole byproduct. This method provides rapid and practical access to a broad range of saturated N-heterocycles with diverse structural backbones that are useful building blocks in natural product synthesis and drug discovery.

Palladium/Xu-Phos-catalyzed asymmetric carboamination towards isoxazolidines and pyrrolidines

An efficient palladium-catalyzed enantioselective carboamination reaction of N-Boc-O-homoallyl-hydroxylamines and N-Boc-pent-4-enylamines with aryl or alkenyl bromides was developed, delivering various substituted isoxazolidines and pyrrolidines in good yields with up to 97% ee. The reaction features mild conditions, general substrate scope and scalability. The obtained products can be transformed into chiral 1,3-aminoalcohol derivatives without erosion of chirality. The newly identified Xu-Phos ligand bearing an ortho-OiPr group is responsible for the good yield and high enantioselectivity.

Oxidative additions of alkynyl/vinyl iodides to gold and gold-catalyzed vinylation reactions triggered by the MeDalphos ligand

The hemilabile Ad2P(o-C6H4)NMe2 ligand promotes fast, quantitative and irreversible oxidative addition of alkynyl and vinyl iodides to gold. The reaction is general. It works with a broad range of substrates of various electronic bias and steric demand, and proceeds with complete retention of stereochemistry from Z and E vinyl iodides. Both alkynyl and vinyl iodides react faster than aryl iodides. The elementary step is amenable to catalysis. Oxidative addition of vinyl iodides to gold and π-activation of alkenols (and N-alkenyl amines) at gold have been combined to achieve hetero-vinylation reactions. A number of functionalized heterocycles, i.e. tetrahydrofuranes, tetrahydropyranes, oxepanes and pyrrolidines were obtained thereby (24 examples, 87% average yield). Taking advantage of the chemoselectivity for vinyl iodides over aryl iodides, sequential transformations involving first a hetero-vinylation step and then a C-N coupling, a C-C coupling or an heteroarylation were achieved from a vinyl/aryl bis-iodide substrate.

Palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclizations involving C–C and C–X bond formation: strategic applications in natural product synthesis

This tutorial review highlights the use of palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclizations in natural product synthesis, focusing on cascades that construct multiple rings and form both C–C and C–X (X = O, N) bonds in a single synthetic operation.

Unveiling the abnormal effect of temperature on enantioselectivity in the palladium-mediated decabonylative alkylation of MBH acetate

An unusual temperature–enantioselectivity relationship was observed in the newly developed palladium-catalysed enantioselective nucleophilic substitution of cyclic Morita–Baylis–Hillman acetate and 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione.

Rh(iii)-catalyzed tandem annulative redox-neutral arylation/amidation of aromatic tethered alkenes

Transition-metal-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization has emerged as a powerful and straightforward tool to construct C–C bonds and C–N bonds. Among these processes, the intramolecular annulative alkene hydroarylation reaction has received much attention because this intramolecular annulation can produce more complex and high value-added structural motifs found in numerous natural products and bioactive molecules. Despite remarkable progress, these annulative protocols developed to date remain limited to hydroarylation and functionalization of one side of alkenes, thus largely limiting the structural diversity and complexity. Herein, we developed a rhodium(iii)-catalyzed tandem annulative arylation/amidation reaction of aromatic tethered alkenes to deliver a variety of 2,3-dihydro-3-benzofuranmethanamine derivatives bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereo center by employing 3-substituted 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones as an amidating reagent to capture the transient C(sp³)–Rh intermediate. Notably, by simply changing the directing group, a second, unsymmetrical ortho C–H amidation/annulation can be achieved to provide tricyclic dihydrofuro[3,2-f]quinazolinones in good yields.

A rhodium(iii)-catalyzed tandem annulative arylation/amidation reaction of aromatic tethered alkenes was developed to deliver a variety of 2,3-dihydro-3-benzofuranmethanamine derivatives.

Enantioselective Cpx RhIII -Catalyzed Carboaminations of Acrylates

Enantioselective carboaminations of olefins constitute an attractive strategy for a rapid increase in molecular complexity from readily available starting materials. Reported here is an intermolecular asymmetric carboamination of acrylates using rhodium(III)-catalyzed alkenyl C-H activations of N-enoxysuccinimides to generate the nitrogen and carbon portion for the transfer. A rhodium complex equipped with a tailored bulky trisubstituted chiral Cp^x ligand ensures carboamination chemoselectivity as well high levels of enantioinduction. The transformation operates under mild reaction conditions at ambient temperatures and provides access to a variety of α-amino esters in good yields and excellent enantiomeric ratios of >99.5:0.5.

Concise Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of the Guanidinium Alkaloid Batzelladine D: Development of a Stereodivergent Strategy

Herein, we describe a stereodivergent route to (±)-batzelladine D (2), (+)-batzelladine D (2), (-)-batzelladine D (2), and a series of stereochemical analogues and explore their antimicrobial activity for the first time. The concise synthetic approach enables access to the natural products in a sequence of 8-12 steps from readily available building blocks. Highlights of the synthetic strategy include gram-scale preparation of a late stage intermediate, pinpoint stereocontrol around the tricyclic skeleton, and a modular strategy that enables analogue generation. A key bicyclic β-lactam intermediate not only serves as the key controlling element for pyrrolidine stereochemistry but also serves as a preactivated coupling partner to install the ester side chain. The stereocontrolled synthesis allowed for the investigation of the antimicrobial activity of batzelladine D, demonstrating promising activity that is more potent for non-natural stereoisomers.

Photosensitized Intermolecular Carboimination of Alkenes through the Persistent Radical Effect

An intermolecular, two‐component vicinal carboimination of alkenes has been accomplished by energy transfer catalysis. Oxime esters of alkyl carboxylic acids were used as bifunctional reagents to generate both alkyl and iminyl radicals. Subsequently, addition of the alkyl radical to an alkene generates a transient radical for selective radical–radical cross‐coupling with the persistent iminyl radical. Furthermore, this process provides direct access to aliphatic primary amines and α‐amino acids by simple hydrolysis.

Ligand-enabled gold-catalyzed 1,2-heteroarylation of alkenes

By adopting the interplay between ligand-enabled Au(i)/Au(iii) catalysis and the unique π-activation mode of gold complexes, a highly coveted 1,2-heteroarylation of alkenes has been accomplished.

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive 1,2-Carboamination of Unactivated Alkenes

Starting from diverse alkene-tethered aryl iodides and O-benzoyl-hydroxylamines, the enantioselective reductive cross-electrophilic 1,2-carboamination of unactivated alkenes was achieved using a chiral pyrox/nickel complex as the catalyst. This mild, modular, and practical protocol provides rapid access to a variety of β-chiral amines with an enantioenriched aryl-substituted quaternary carbon center in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities. This process reveals a complementary regioselectivity when compared to Pd and Cu catalysis.