Oxaziridine-mediated intramolecular amination of sp(3)-hybridized C-H bonds

The efficient synthesis of three-membered rings via photo- and electrochemical strategies

Three-membered rings, such as epoxides, aziridines, oxaziridines, cyclopropenes, vinyloxaziridines, and azirines, are recognized as crucial pharmacophores and building blocks in organic chemistry and drug discovery. Despite the significant advances in the synthesis of these rings through photo/electrochemical methods over the past decade, there has currently been no focused discussion and updated overviews on this topic. Therefore, we presented this review article on the efficient synthesis of three-membered rings using photo- and electrochemical strategies, covering the literature since 2015. In this study, a conceptual overview and detailed discussions were provided to illustrate the advancement of this field. Moreover, a brief discussion outlines the current challenges and opportunities in synthesizing the three-membered rings using these strategies.

Functionalized azirine based scaffolds as endothelin inhibitors for the selective anti-angiogenic activity

Anti-angiogenic therapy has long been used as an adjunct therapy for the resolution of tumor burden. The current findings describe the synthesis of novel marine-based azirine-containing compounds that exhibit anti-angiogenic mediated anti-tumor activity. Azirine-2-carboxylate inhibited HUVEC-mediated tubulogenesis without causing cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Ex-vivo CAM, in-vivo Matrigel implantation, and ear angiogenesis experiments have all shown that azirine-2-carboxylate effectively inhibits angiogenesis. Furthermore, azirine-2-carboxylate inhibits the migration of ECs without disrupting the preformed tubule network. Azirine-2-carboxylate had adequate intramuscular systemic exposure and inhibited tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. DARTS analysis, competitive binding assay, and gene expression investigations revealed that azirine-2-carboxylate inhibits endothelin-1-mediated angiogenesis. Overall, the discovery of azirine-2-carboxylate demonstrated a potent inhibition of angiogenesis targeting ET1 and a possible application in anti-angiogenic therapy.

Total synthesis of (6R,12R)-6,12-dimethylpentadecan-2-one, the sex pheromone of Diabrotica balteata LeConte

Diabrotica balteata LeConte is one of the most important polyphagous agricultural pests. The sex pheromone of this pest was synthesized using Evans asymmetric alkylation, ring-opening reaction of (R)-2-methyloxirane, SN 2 alkylation of secondary tosylate, and coupling of chiral tosylate with Grignard reagent as central strategies. The sex pheromone prepared herein would be useful to control D. balteata.

Hydrazine Hydrate Accelerates Neocuproine-Copper Complex Generation and Utilization in Alkyne Reduction, a Significant Supplement Method for Catalytic Hydrogenation

Diimine (HN═NH) is a strong reducing agent, but the efficiency of diimine oxidized from hydrazine hydrate or its derivatives is still not good enough. Herein, we report an in situ neocuproine-copper complex formation method. The redox potential of this complex enable it can serve as an ideal redox catalyst in the synthesis of diimine by oxidation of hydrazine hydrate, and we successfully applied this technique in the reduction of alkynes. This reduction method displays a broad functional group tolerance and substrate adaptability as well as the advantages of safety and high efficiency. Especially, nitro, benzyl, boc, and sulfur containing alkynes can be reduced to the corresponding alkanes directly, which provides a useful complementary method to traditional catalytic hydrogenation. Besides, we applied this method in the preparation of the Alzheimer's disease drug CT-1812 and studied the mechanism.

Copper-Nitrene-Catalyzed Desymmetric Oxaziridination/1,2-Alkyl Rearrangement of 1,3-Diketones toward Bicyclic Lactams

Although copper-nitrene has been extensively studied as a versatile active species in various transformations, asymmetric reactions involving copper-nitrene have been limited to the aziridination of olefins. Herein, we report the novel copper-nitrene-catalyzed desymmetric oxaziridination reaction of cyclic diketones with alkyl azides and the subsequent rearrangement of the resulting highly active intermediate, which produces a synthetically challenging chiral bicyclic lactam containing a quaternary carbon center. This procedure not only enriches the copper-nitrene-catalyzed asymmetric reactions, but also provides an alternative strategy to address the inherent challenges of catalytic asymmetric Schmidt reactions. This unique reaction could inspire the investigation of novel copper-nitrene-catalyzed asymmetric transformations and their reaction mechanisms.

Cleavage and Reassembly of the C═O Bond of 2-Alkynylbenzaldehydes: A Metal-Free Access to Inden-1-ones

A metal-free approach to inden-1-ones from 2-alkynylbenzaldehydes mediated by pyrrolidine has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions in a step- and atom-economy process by cleaving the C═O bond and constructing new C-C as well as C═O bonds. Oxygen-18 and deuterium labeling experiments revealed an aza-Petasis-Ferrier rearrangement of an intermediate 1-amino-3-methylene-dihydroisobenzofuran.

Deacylative Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage of Ketone Equivalents: Applications to Radical Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation Reactions

This article describes the synthetic application of ketone-derived oxaziridines as alkyl radical precursors in copper-catalyzed Carbon-Carbon bond formation reactions. Experimental and computational studies indicate a free radical mechanism, where alkyl radicals are efficiently generated via cleavage of a Carbon-Carbon bond of oxaziridines. Acyclic and unstrained cyclic oxaziridines are applicable to the present radical process, allowing for the generation of various alkyl radicals with good functional group compatibility.

Metal-free C-H Activation over Graphene Oxide toward Direct Syntheses of Structurally Different Amines and Amides in Water

Unprecedented metal-free synthesis of a variety of amines and amides is reported via amination of C(sp³)-H and C(sp²)-H bonds. The strategy involves graphene-oxide/I₂-catalyzed nitrene insertion using PhINTs as a nitrene (NT) source in water at room temperature. A wide range of structurally different substrates, viz., cyclohexane, cyclic ethers, arenes, alkyl aromatic systems, and aldehydes/ketones, having an α-phenyl ring have been employed successfully to afford the corresponding nitrene insertion product in good yield, albeit low in few cases. The envisaged method has superiority over others in terms of its operational simplicity, metal-free catalysis, use of water as a solvent, ambient reaction conditions, and reusability of the catalyst.

Recent Advances in the Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions of Oxaziridines

Oxaziridines have emerged as powerful and elegant oxygen- and nitrogen-transfer agents for a broad array of nucleophiles, due to the remarkably high and tunable reactivities. However, the asymmetric catalysis involving oxaziridines is still in its infancy. Herein, this review aims to examine recent advances in the catalytic asymmetric transformations of oxaziridines, including oxidation, amination, cycloaddition and deracemization.

Iridium catalyzed fragmentation/cyclization of N-butynyl 4,4-dimethylisoxazolidine-3,5-diones: a unique access to multiply substituted pyrroles

A novel protocol for the synthesis of multiply substituted pyrroles has been developed through the iridium catalyzed fragmentation/cyclization of N-butynyl 4,4-dimethylisoxazolidine-3,5-diones in hot ethanol.

Copper-catalyzed oxidative functionalization of benzylic C–H bonds with quinazoline 3-oxides

A highly efficient copper-catalyzed oxidative functionalization of benzylic C(sp³)–H bonds with quinazoline 3-oxides has been developed.

Oxaziridine cleavage with a low-valent nickel complex: competing C–O and C–N fragmentation from oxazanickela(ii)cyclobutanes

Nickel(0) was found to oxidatively add to oxaziridines to form oxazanickelacyclobutanes which cleave to yield complicated mixtures, including nickel imido and aldehyde complexes.

Copper-catalyzed oxidative carbon–heteroatom bond formation: a recent update

This review updates recent advances in Cu-catalyzed (anaerobic) oxidative carbon–heteroatom bond formation on sp³- and sp²-C–H bonds as well as alkenes, classified according to the types of stoichiometric oxidants.

Copper-catalyzed radical methylation/C-H amination/oxidation cascade for the synthesis of quinazolinones

A copper-catalyzed radical methylation/sp(3) C-H amination/oxidation reaction for the facile synthesis of quinazolinone was developed. In this cascade reaction, dicumyl peroxide acts not only as a useful oxidant but also as an efficient methyl source. Notably, a methyl radical, generated from peroxide, was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance for the first time.

Synthesis of 4-quinolones via a carbonylative Sonogashira cross-coupling using molybdenum hexacarbonyl as a CO source

A palladium-catalyzed CO gas-free carbonylative Sonogashira/cyclization sequence for the preparation of functionalized 4-quinolones from 2-iodoanilines and alkynes via two different protocols is described. The first method (A) yields the cyclized products after only 20 min of microwave (MW) heating at 120 °C. The second method (B) is a gas-free one-pot two-step sequence which runs at room temperature, allowing the use of sensitive substituents (e.g., nitro and bromide groups). For both protocols, molybdenum hexacarbonyl was used as a solid source of CO.

sp3 C–H oxidation by remote H-radical shift with oxygen- and nitrogen-radicals: a recent update

This review updates on recent advances in aliphatic sp³ C–H bond oxidation by remote H-radical abstraction with oxygen- and nitrogen-radicals classifying by the type of the radical precursors.

Catalytic asymmetric oxidation of N-sulfonyl imines with hydrogen peroxide-trichloroacetonitrile system

An efficient and highly enantioselective Payne-type oxidation of N-sulfonyl imines is developed. The reaction exhibits broad substrate generality and unique chemoselectivity based on the combined use of hydrogen peroxide and trichloroacetonitrile under the catalysis of P-spiro chiral triaminoiminophosphorane.

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of purine-fused polycyclics

A novel protocol for a Cu-catalyzed direct C((sp(2)))-H activation/intramolecular amination reaction of 6-anilinopurine nucleosides has been developed. This approach provides a new access to a variety of multiheterocyclic compounds from purine compounds via Cu-catalyzed intramolecular N-H bond tautomerism which are endowed with fluorescence.

C-H bond functionalization via hydride transfer: formation of α-arylated piperidines and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines via stereoselective intramolecular amination of benzylic C-H bonds

We here report a study of the intramolecular amination of sp(3) C-H bonds via the hydride transfer cyclization of N-tosylimines (HT-amination). In this transformation, 5-aryl aldehydes are subjected to N-toluenesulfonamide in the presence of BF(3)·OEt(2) to effect imine formation and HT-cyclization, leading to 2-arylpiperidines and 3-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines in a one-pot procedure. We examined the reactivity of a range of aldehyde substrates as a function of their conformational flexibility. Substrates of higher conformational rigidity were more reactive, giving higher yields of the desired products. However, a single substituent on the alkyl chain linking the N-tosylimine and the benzylic sp(3) C-H bonds was sufficient for HT-cyclization to occur. In addition, an examination of various arenes revealed that the electronic character of the hydridic C-H bonds dramatically affects the efficiency of the reaction. We also found that this transformation is highly stereoselective; 2-substituted aldehydes yield cis-2,5-disubstituted piperidines, while 3-substituted aldehydes afford trans-2,4-disubstituted piperidines. The stereoselectivity is a consequence of thermodynamic control. The pseudoallylic strain between the arene and tosyl group on the piperidine ring is proposed to rationalize the greater stability of the isomer with the aryl ring in the axial position. This preferential placement of the arene is proposed to affect the observed stereoselectivity.

Copper-catalyzed oxaziridine-mediated oxidation of C-H bonds

The highly regio- and chemoselective oxidation of activated C-H bonds has been observed via copper-catalyzed reactions of oxaziridines. The oxidation proceeded with a variety of substrates, primarily comprising allylic and benzylic examples, as well as one example of an otherwise unactivated tertiary C-H bond. The mechanism of the reaction is proposed to involve single-electron transfer to the oxaziridines to generate a copper-bound radical anion, followed by hydrogen atom abstraction and collapse to products, with regeneration of the catalyst by a final single-electron transfer event. The involvement of allylic radical intermediates was supported by a radical-trapping experiment with TEMPO.

Cu(II) catalyzed imine C-H functionalization leading to synthesis of 2,5-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles

A direct access to symmetrical and unsymmetrical 2,5-disubstituted [1,3,4]-oxadiazoles has been accomplished through an imine C-H functionalization of N-arylidenearoylhydrazide using a catalytic quantity of Cu(OTf)(2). This is the first example of amidic oxygen functioning as a nucleophile in a Cu-catalyzed oxidative coupling of an imine C-H bond. These reactions can be performed in air atmosphere and moisture making it exceptionally practical for application in organic synthesis.

If C-H bonds could talk: selective C-H bond oxidation

C-H oxidation has a long history and an ongoing presence in research at the forefront of chemistry and interrelated fields. As such, numerous highly useful articles and reviews have been written on this subject. Logically, these are generally written from the perspective of the scope and limitations of the reagents employed. This Minireview instead attempts to emphasize chemoselectivity imposed by the nature of the substrate. Consequently, many landmark discoveries in the field of C-H oxidation are not discussed, but hopefully the perspective taken herein will allow C-H oxidation reactions to be more readily incorporated into synthetic planning.

A synthetic route to highly substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines via Yb(OTf)3 -catalyzed diastereoselective ring opening of bridged oxazolidines: asymmetric synthesis of 2-azapodophyllotoxin

We herein report a robust and efficient synthetic route to highly functionalized enantiopure 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) from Garner aldehyde. We utilized the inherent chirality of Garner aldehyde through 1,2- and 1,3-/1,4-asymmetric inductions iteratively to obtain 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstitued THIQs using rigid and isolable bridged oxazolidines without any external chiral sources. All possible stereoisomers of bridged oxazoliodines were efficiently synthesized from L- and D-Garner aldehydes and transformed into fully functionalized THIQs via diastereoselective ring opening with various nucleophiles in the presence of Yb(OTf)(3). This methodology furnished four out of eight possible diastereomers of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted THIQs despite the electronic nature of substituents on the aryl rings. Finally, the enantioselective synthesis of 2-azapodophyllotoxin was achieved with an overall yield of 35.4% (eight steps) from D-Garner aldehyde using this synthetic route.

Copper-catalyzed amination of primary benzylic C-H bonds with primary and secondary sulfonamides

A room-temperature, copper-catalyzed amination of primary benzylic C-H bonds with primary and secondary sulfonamides is described. The reaction is applicable to the coupling of a range of primary and secondary benzylic hydrocarbons with a diverse set of sulfonamides and is tolerant of substitution on both coupling partners. Factors which influence the selectivity of C-H functionalization between primary and secondary sites are examined.