Palladium(0)-catalyzed, copper(I)-mediated coupling of boronic acids with cyclic thioamides. selective carbon-carbon bond formation for the functionalization of heterocycles

Oxidative coupling of dibenzyl disulfide with amines catalyzed by quinoline-bromine complex: access to thioamides

The reaction of dibenzyl disulfide with various bromine complexes as oxidants and DMSO as solvent can produce thioamides in high yield at 110 °C. Tertiary amines like pyridine and quinoline, which were utilized in this catalyst, are known to generate bromine-addition complexes. The approach is metal- and additive-free, making it a simple and cost-effective way to make a variety of thioamides under favorable circumstances.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of the Pathogenic E. coli Strains of p-Quinols: Additive Effects of Copper-Catalyzed Addition of Aryl Boronic Acid to Benzoquinones

A mild and efficient protocol for the synthesis of p-quinols under aqueous conditions was developed. The pivotal role of additives in the copper-catalyzed addition of aryl boronic and heteroaryl boronic acids to benzoquinones was observed. It was found that polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was the most efficient additive used for the studied reaction. The noteworthy advantages of this procedure include its broad substrate scope, high yields up to 91%, atom economy, and usage of readily available starting materials. Another benefit of this method is the reusability of the catalytic system up to four times. Further, the obtained p-quinols were characterized on the basis of their antimicrobial activities against E. coli. Antimicrobial activity was further compared with the corresponding 4-benzoquinones and 4-hydroquinones. Among tested compounds, seven derivatives showed an antimicrobial activity profile similar to that observed for commonly used antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, bleomycin, and cloxacillin. In addition, the obtained p-quinols constitute a suitable platform for further modifications, allowing for a convenient change in their biological activity profile.

Copper-promoted dehydrosulfurative carbon-nitrogen cross-coupling with concomitant aromatization for synthesis of 2-aminopyrimidines

Copper-promoted dehydrosulfurative C-N cross-coupling of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1H-2-thione with amine accompanied by concomitant aromatization to generate 2-aryl(alkyl)aminopyrimidine derivatives is described. The reaction proceeded well with a wide range of thiono substrates and aryl/aliphatic amines as the coupling partners, offering efficient access to biologically and pharmacologically valuable 2-aryl(alkyl)aminopyrimidines with rapid diversification.

Palladium-catalyzed/copper-mediated carbon-carbon cross-coupling reaction for synthesis of 6-unsubstituted 2-aryldihydropyrimidines

Dihydropyrimidines (DPs) show a wide range of biological activities for medicinal applications. Among the DP derivatives, 2-aryl-DPs have been reported to display remarkable pharmacological properties. In this work, we describe a method for the synthesis of hitherto unavailable 6-unsubstituted 2-aryl-DPs by Pd-catalyzed/Cu-mediated carbon–carbon cross-coupling reaction of 1-Boc 2-methylthio-DPs with organostannane reagents. The Boc group of the substrate significantly increases the substrate reactivity. Aryl tributylstannanes having various substituents such as MeO, Ph, CF₃, CO₂Me, and NO₂ groups smoothly afforded the corresponding products in high yields. Various heteroaryl tributylstannanes having 2-, or 3-thienyl, 2-, or 3-pyridinyl groups were also applicable to the reaction. Regarding the substituents at the 4-position, the reactions of DPs bearing various aryl and alkyl substituents proceeded smoothly to give the desired products. The Boc group of the products was removed under a standard acidic condition to produce N-unsubstituted DP as a mixture of the tautomers in quantitative yields. The synthetic procedure was also applied to 4,4,6-trisubstituted 2-methylthio-DP to give novel 2,4,4,5,6-pentasubstituted DP. Therefore, the Pd-catalyzed/Cu-mediated reaction should help expand the DP-based molecular diversity, which would impact biological and pharmacological studies.

This protocol enables the synthesis of 6-unsubstituted 2-aryldihydropyrimidines using various substituents at the 2- and 4-positions, which would impact dihydropyrimidine-based biological and pharmacological studies.

An Efficient and Straightforward Approach for Accessing Thioesters via Palladium-Catalyzed C-N Cleavage of Thioamides

We first report the coupling of activated thioamides with alcohols to efficiently form thioesters via palladium-catalyzed C-N cleavage strategy. The new approach employs the thioamides as thioacylating reagent to give...

Oxidative Dehydrosulfurative Carbon-Oxygen Cross-Coupling of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidine-2-thiones with Aryl Alcohols

A Pd-catalyzed/Cu-mediated oxidative dehydrosulfurative carbon-oxygen cross-coupling reaction of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1H-2-thiones (DHPMs) with aryl alcohols is described. Due to the ready availability of diverse DHPMs and aryl alcohols, the reaction method offers facile access to biologically and pharmacologically valuable 2-aryloxypyrimidine derivatives with rapid diversification.

Synthesis and biological activity of 5-aryliden-2-thiohydantoin S-aryl derivatives

Three new and complementary approaches to S-arylation of 2-thiohydantoins have been developed: copper-catalyzed cross coupling with either arylboronic acids or aryl iodides under mild conditions, or direct nucleophilic substitution in activated aryl halides. For 38 diverse compounds, reaction yields for all three methods have been determined. Selected by molecular docking, they have been tested on androgen receptor activation, and p53-Mdm2 regulation, and A549, MCF7, VA13, HEK293T, PC3, LnCAP cell lines for cytotoxicity, Two of them turned out to be promising as androgen receptor activators (likely by allosteric regulation), and another one is shown to activate the p53 cascade. It is hoped that 2-thiohydantoin S-arylidenes are worth further studies as biologically active compounds.

Oxidative Dehydrosulfurative Cross-Coupling of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidine-2-thiones with Alkynes for Access to 2-Alkynylpyrimidines

A reaction method is described for the one-step synthesis of 2-alkynylpyrimidines from 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-1H-2-thiones (DHPMs) via dehydrosulfurative Sonogashira cross-coupling with concomitant oxidative dehydrogenation using a Pd/Cu catalytic system. Together with the ready availability of DHPMs possessing various substituents at the C4-C6 positions, this transformation offers rapid and general access to diverse 2-alkynylpyrimidine derivatives.

Copper-Catalyzed, Ceric Ammonium Nitrate Mediated N-Arylation of Amines

Cu-Catalyzed, ligand and base free cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids with primary and secondary amines has been reported. This 'Chan-Evans-Lam' reaction has revealed that at room temperature, catalytic copper(II) acetate and ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an oxidant, N-arylation can result in an effective C-N bond formation. This air stable, practical, robust protocol enables a variety of functional group tolerance on both boronic acid and amine partners.

Recyclable imidazolium ion-tagged nickel catalyst for microwave-assisted C–S cross-coupling in water using sulfonyl hydrazide as the sulfur source

Recyclable nickel(ii) catalyst promoted sulfenylation of aryl halides with sulfonyl hydrazides in water using microwave irradiation under mild conditions is reported.

C1'-Azacycloalkyl Hexahydrocannabinols

We report the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a novel class of cannabinergic ligands, namely C1'-azacycloalkyl hexahydrocannabinols. Our synthetic approaches utilize an advanced common chiral intermediate triflate from which all analogues could be derived. Key synthetic steps involve microwave-assisted Liebeskind-Srogl C-C cross-coupling and palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reactions. The C1'-N-methylazetidinyl and C1'-N-methylpyrrolidinyl analogues were found to be high affinity ligands for the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors.

Full Cleavage of C≡C Bond in Electron-Deficient Alkynes via Reaction with Ethylenediamine

Reaction of 1,2-diaminioethane (ethylenediamine) with electron-deficient alkynes leads to full scission of the C≡C bond even in the absence of a keto group directly attached to the alkyne. This process involves oxidation of one of the alkyne carbons into C2 of a 2-R-4,5-dihydroimidazole with the concomitant reduction of the other carbon to a methyl group. The sequence of Sonogashira coupling with the ethylenediamine-mediated fragmentation described in this work can be used for selective formal substitution of halogen in aryl halides by a methyl group or a 4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-yl moiety.

4-Aryl-Pyrimidin-2-Yl Tosylates as Efficient Reaction Partners: Application to the Synthesis of Pyrimidines Functionalised with Propargyloxy and 1,2,3-Triazolo Groups

The 4-arylated pyrimidin-2-yl tosylate derivatives, easily prepared from cheap commercial materials, reacted efficiently with propargyl alcohol/NaOBut to give the corresponding 4-arylated 2-propargyloxy-pyrimidine derivatives which, in a one-pot reaction catalysed by CuSO4·5H2O/sodium ascorbate, reacted with NaN3 and hexyl or benzyl bromide to give a series of 2-(1-hexyl- or 1-benzyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy-pyrimidine derivatives in good yields.

Wool-anchored Pd(OAc)2 complex: a highly active and reusable catalyst for desulfurative coupling reactions

A biomacromolecule-anchored palladium complex, wool-Pd(OAc)₂, was used as a catalyst for the Liebeskind–Srogl desulfurative coupling reactions of pyrimidin-yl thioether derivatives with terminal alkynes and arylboronic acids.

Ligand-free Cu-catalyzed odorless synthesis of unsymmetrical sulfides through cross-coupling reaction of aryl/benzyl/alkyl halides with an aryl boronic acid/S8 system as a thiolating agent in PEG

Efficient one-pot, one-step synthesis of unsymmetrical sulfides has been reported under mild reaction conditions with good yields in green solvent.

An efficient desulfitative C–C cross coupling of fused thiazolidine-2-thione with boronic acids and boronic acid pinacol esters: formation of fused thiazoles

An efficient Pd(0)-catalyzed Cu(i)-mediated desulfitative C–C cross-coupling of benzo-fused thiazolidine-2-thione with boronic acids under neutral conditions and boronic acid pinacol esters under basic conditions has been demonstrated.

Decarboxylative functionalization of cinnamic acids

Decarboxylative functionalization of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids is an emerging area that has been developed significantly in recent years.

Metal-free one-pot synthesis of 1,3-diazaheterocyclic compounds via I2-mediated oxidative C–N bond formation

A variety of 1,3-diazaheterocyclic compounds, including quinazolinones, benzimidazoles, and cyclic amidines, were readily synthesized through this metal-free one-pot annulation reaction.

Haloalkynes: a powerful and versatile building block in organic synthesis

Inspired by the need for green and sustainable chemistry, modern synthetic chemists have been seeking general and practical ways to construct complex molecules while maximizing atom economy and minimizing synthetic steps. Over the past few decades, considerable progress has been made to fulfill these goals by taking advantage of transition metal catalysis and chemical reagents with diverse and tunable reactivities. In recent years, haloalkynes have emerged as powerful and versatile building blocks in a variety of synthetic transformations, which can be generally conceived as a dual functionalized molecules, and different reaction intermediates, such as σ-acetylene-metal, π-acetylene-metal, and halovinylidene-metal complexes, can be achieved and undergo further transformations. Additionally, the halogen moieties can be retained during the reaction processes, which makes the subsequent structural modifications and tandem carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bond formations possible. As a consequence, impressive effort has been devoted to this attractive area, and some elegant work has been done over the past several years. This Account highlights some of the recent progress on the development of efficient and practical synthetic methods involving haloalkyne reagents in our laboratory and in others around the world, which showcase the synthetic power of haloalkynes for rapid assembly of complex molecular structures. The focus is primarily on reaction development with haloalkynes, such as cross-coupling reactions, nucleophilic additions, and cycloaddition reactions. The designed approaches, as well as serendipitous observations, will be discussed with special emphasis placed on the mechanistic aspects and the synthetic utilities of the obtained products. These transformations can lead directly to heteroatom-containing products and introduce structural complexity rapidly, thus providing new strategies and quick access to a wide range of functionalized products including many synthetically useful conjugated cyclic and acyclic structures that have potential applications in natural product synthesis, materials science, and drug discovery. Importantly, most of these protocols allow multiple bond-forming events to occur in a single operation, thereby offering opportunities to advance chemical synthesis and address the increasing demands for economical and sustainable synthetic methods. We anticipate that a deep understanding of the properties of haloalkyne reagents and the underlying working mechanism can lead to the development of novel catalytic systems to answer the unsolved challenges in haloalkyne chemistry, which, in turn, may be also instructive for other research areas. We hope this Account will help to provide a guideline for researchers who are interested in this fertile area.