Modular Synthesis of Functionalized Benzosiloles by Tin-Mediated Cyclization of (o-Alkynylphenyl)silane

Modular and Regioselective Synthesis of Benzo-Fused Five-Membered Rings Enabled by Co/Ti Synergism

The regiocontrol in constructing benzo-fused five-membered rings by C-H cyclization remains an important challenge. We report a highly general and regioselective methodology to access such heterocycles and indenones, where under the catalysis of CoBr2/bipyridine, aryl titanates, alkynes and EX2 (E = NR, S(O), RP(O), R2Si, CO, etc.) were assembled to various heterocycles and indenones in a modular manner. Unprecedented 1,2-Co/Ti heterobimetallic arylene and benzotitanole intermediates have played crucial roles in these syntheses.

Synthetic strategies to access silacycles

In comparison with all-carbon parent compounds, the incorporation of Si-element into carboskeletons generally endows the corresponding sila-analogues with unique biological activity and physical-chemical properties. Silacycles have recently shown promising application potential in biological chemistry, pharmaceuticals industry, and material chemistry. Therefore, the development of efficient methodology to assemble versatile silacycles has aroused increasing concerns in the past decades. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis of silacycle-system are briefly summarized, including transition metal-catalytic and photocatalytic strategies by employing arylsilanes, alkylsilane, vinylsilane, hydrosilanes, and alkynylsilanes, etc. as starting materials. Moreover, a clear presentation and understanding of the mechanistic aspects and features of these developed reaction methodologies have been high-lighted.

Recent advances in carbosilylation of alkenes and alkynes

Alkene and alkyne difunctionalization is a flexible process that allows the construction of two functional groups simultaneously in one step. On the other hand, carbosilylation, an ingenious difunctionalization pathway to concurrently incorporate both a silyl group and an organic functional group (alkyl, (hetero)aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl and allenyl) across a carbon-carbon multiple-bond system, is achieving immense interest in recent days. This review article provides a decade's update on the discoveries and developments in the synthesis of carbosilylated products from two very important carbon-carbon unsaturated substrates, alkenes and alkynes.

Nickel(0)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Ring Expansion Toward Enantioenriched Silicon-Stereogenic Benzosiloles

The development of a straightforward strategy to obtain enantioenriched silicon-stereogenic benzosiloles remains a challenging yet appealing synthesis venture due to their potential future application in chiral electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this context, all of the existing methods rely on Rh-catalyzed systems and are somewhat limited in scope. Herein, we disclose the first Ni⁰ -catalyzed ring expansion process that enables the preparation of benzosiloles possessing tetraorganosilicon stereocenters in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. The presented catalysis strategy is further applied to the asymmetric synthesis of silicon-stereogenic bis-silicon-bridged π-extended systems. Preliminary studies reveal that such compounds exhibit fluorescence emission, Cotton effects and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity.

Bimetal Cooperatively Catalyzed Arylalkynylation of Alkynylsilanes

An unprecedented Pd/Rh cooperatively catalyzed arylalkynylation of alkynylsilanes was developed to merge an alkynylidene moiety with benzosilacycle. These silaarenes possess a particular aggregation-induced emission behavior. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that the relay trimetallic transmetalation plays a pivotal role in governing this transformation.

Nucleophilic Activation of Hydrosilanes via a Strain-Imposing Strategy Leading to Functional Sila-aromatics

Carefully designed cyclic hydrosilanes enable trans-selective hydrosilylation of unactivated alkynes without transition metal catalysts via silicate formation. Employment of sterically demanding bidentate ligands of silicon increases steric congestion upon silicate formation, and this strain-imposing strategy facilitates hydride transfer. This hydrosilylation provides efficient access to diverse benzosiloles, silaphenalenes, and related silacycles.

Catalytic Asymmetric trans-Selective Hydrosilylation of Bisalkynes to Access AIE and CPL-Active Silicon-Stereogenic Benzosiloles

Chirality widely exists in a diverse array of biologically active molecules and life forms, and the catalytic constructions of chiral molecules have triggered a heightened interest in the fields of chemistry and materials and pharmaceutical sciences. However, the synthesis of silicon-stereogenic organosilicon compounds is generally recognized as a much more difficult task than that of carbon-stereogenic centers because of no abundant organosilicon-based chiral sources in nature. Herein, we reported a highly enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed trans-selective hydrosilylation of silicon-tethered bisalkynes to access chiral benzosiloles bearing a silicon-stereogenic center. This protocol featured with chiral Ar-BINMOL-Phos bearing hydrogen-bond donors as a privileged P-ligand for catalytic asymmetric hydrosilylation that is operationally simple and has 100% atom-economy with good functional group tolerability as well as high enantioselectivity (up to >99:1 er). Benefiting from the trans-selective hydrosilylation with the aid of Rh/Ar-BINMOL-Phos-based asymmetric catalysis, the Si-stereogenic benzosiloles exhibited pronounced aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity.

Synthesis of Benzosiloles by Intramolecular anti-Hydroarylation via ortho-C-H Activation of Aryloxyethynyl Silanes

Straightforward synthesis of benzosiloles was achieved by the invention of Pd/acid-catalyzed intramolecular anti-hydroarylation of aryloxyethynyl(aryl)silanes via ortho-C-H bond activation. The aryloxy group bound to the ethynyl carbon is the key factor for this transformation.

Versatile telluracycle synthesis via the sequential electrophilic telluration of C(sp2)-Zn and C(sp2)-H bonds

We report herein a new approach for the synthesis of tellurium-bridged aromatic compounds based on the sequential electrophilic telluration of C(sp2)-Zn and C(sp2)-H bonds with tellurium(iv) chlorides. A combination of transition metal-catalyzed (migratory) arylmetalation of alkynes and sequential telluration allows for the expedient construction of a library of functionalized benzo[b]tellurophenes. Furthermore, a variety of heteroarene-fused benzotellurophenes and other novel tellurium-embedded polycyclic aromatics can be readily synthesized from the corresponding 2-iodoheterobiaryls.

Recent developments in synthetic methods for benzo[b]heteroles

Benzo[b]heteroles containing heteroatoms other than nitrogen and oxygen have received considerable attention for their potential applications in materials science. This poses an increasing demand for efficient, selective, and broad-scope methods for their synthesis. This review article summarizes the recent developments in synthetic methods and approaches to access representative members of the benzoheterole family.

Visible light-promoted radical cyclization of silicon-tethered alkyl iodide and phenyl alkyne. An efficient approach to synthesize benzosilolines

An efficient approach to synthesize benzosiloline has been developed using a visible light-promoted radical cyclization reaction of silicon-tethered alkyl iodide and phenyl alkyne.

Synthesis of silafluorenes and silaindenes via silyl radicals from arylhydrosilanes: intramolecular cyclization and intermolecular annulation with alkynes

Effective synthetic methods, involving silyl radical intermediates and furnishing silafluorenes and silaindenes via direct Si–H and C–H cleavage in one step, have been developed.

Synthesis of heteroarenes dyads from heteroarenes and heteroarylsulfonyl chlorides via Pd-catalyzed desulfitative C–H bond heteroarylations

We report palladium-catalyzed synthesis of heteroarenes dyads using heteroarylsulfonyl chlorides as coupling partners. The C–H bond functionalizations occurred at α-position with pyrroles and furans, while at β-position with thiophenes.

Versatile synthesis of benzothiophenes and benzoselenophenes by rapid assembly of arylzinc reagents, alkynes, and elemental chalcogens

Rapidly aSSembled: The combination of cobalt-catalyzed migratory arylzincation and copper-mediated/catalyzed chalcogenative cyclization allows the construction of benzothiophenes and benzoselenophenes from arylzinc reagents, alkynes, and elemental chalcogens. Benzothiophenes and benzoselenophenes diversely functionalized at the benzene ring moiety can be prepared, which are not readily accessible by conventional methods.

Carbazolyl benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']difuran: an ambipolar host material for full-color organic light-emitting diodes

We have designed an ambipolar material, 3,7-bis[4-(N-carbazolyl)-phenyl]-2,6-diphenylbenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']difuran (CZBDF), and synthesized it by zinc-mediated double cyclization. Its physical properties clarified that CZBDF possesses a wide-gap character, well-balanced and high hole and electron mobilities of larger than 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), and a high thermal stability. Using CZBDF as a host material for heterojunction OLED devices, a full range of visible emission was obtained. Notably, CZBDF also enabled us to fabricate RGB-emitting homojunction OLEDs, with performances comparable or superior to the heterojunction devices composed of several materials.

Modular synthesis of polybenzo[b]silole compounds for hole-blocking material in phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes

A diversity-oriented synthetic strategy allowed us to design a series of conjugated molecules containing multiple benzosilole units that can be utilized as efficient hole-blocking materials for phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Some of these compounds showed a performance surpassing that of the current standard, bathocuproine. The new compounds were easily synthesized in a modular fashion from a previously reported 3-stannyl benzosilole building unit. Studies on the properties of these compounds in solution and in the solid state indicate that they possess high electron affinity, high ionization potential, and form stable amorphous films that show high electron-drift mobility. The correlation between their molecular properties and the efficiency of the OLED device performance is also investigated.

Synthesis of benzo[b]siloles via KH-promoted cyclization of (2-alkynylphenyl)silanes

(2-Alkynylphenyl)silanes undergo intramolecular cyclization in the presence of an excess or a subequimolar amount of potassium hydride to give a variety of new 2-substituted benzosiloles in good to excellent yields. Some of these compounds showed a high fluorescence quantum yield both in solution and in the solid state, and they also showed reversible reduction in THF.