Intermolecular Decarboxylative Direct C-3 Arylation of Indoles with Benzoic Acids

Merging Photocatalytic Doubly-Decarboxylative Csp 2 -Csp 2 Cross-Coupling for Stereo-Selective (E)-α,β-Unsaturated Ketones Synthesis

A photocatalytic domain of doubly decarboxylative Csp 2 -Csp 2 cross coupling reaction is disclosed. Merging iridium and palladium photocatalysis manifested carbon-carbon bonds in a tandem dual-radical pathway. Present catalytic platform efficiently cross-coupled α, β-unsaturated acids and α-keto acids to afford a variety of α, β-unsaturated ketones with excellent (E)-selectivity and functional group tolerance. Mechanistically, photocatalyst implicated through reductive quenching cycle whereas cross coupling proceeded over one electron oxidative pallado-cycle.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation from C-C Activation

ConspectusC-C single bonds are ubiquitous in organic compounds. The activation and subsequent functionalization of C-C single bonds provide a unique opportunity to synthesize conventionally inaccessible molecules through the rearrangement of carbon skeletons, often with a favorable atom and step economy. However, the C-C bonds are thermodynamically and kinetically inert. Consequently, the activation of C-C bonds is particularly attractive yet challenging in the field of organic chemistry. In the past decade, we sought to develop efficient strategies to carry out transition-metal-catalyzed diverse C-C cleavage/C-C forming reactions and to obtain some insights into the intrinsic reactivities of different C-C bonds. With our efforts, readily available alcohols, carboxylic acids, and ketones served as suitable substrates for the catalytic C-C coupling reactions, which are reviewed in this Account. In 2009, we observed a Ni-catalyzed cross coupling of aryl nitriles with arylboronic esters through C-CN cleavage. Encouraged by these results, we are interested in transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation. Due to their broad availability, we then turned our attention to C-C cleavage of carboxylic acids. Rhodium-catalyzed decarbonylative coupling of carboxylic acids with (hetero)arenes was then achieved through oxidative addition of in situ formed, more reactive mixed anhydrides to Rh(I) without the need for oxidants that are commonly required for the decarboxylative coupling of carboxylic acids. Subsequently, the decarbonylation of more challenging unstrained aryl ketones was realized under Rh catalysis assisted by N-containing directing groups. Following this work, a group exchange of aryl ketones with carboxylic acids was achieved through 2-fold C-C bond cleavage. By employing the chelation strategy, Rh-catalyzed C-C bond activation of secondary benzyl alcohols was also accomplished through β-carbon elimination of the rhodium alcoholate intermediates. The competing oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones via β-hydrogen elimination of the same intermediates was suppressed as thermodynamically favorable five-membered rhodacycles are formed after β-carbon elimination. Different types of transformations of alcohols, including the Heck-type reaction with alkenes, cross coupling with arylsilanes, and Grignard-type addition with aldehydes or imines, have been achieved, showing the great potential of secondary alcohols in the formation of C-C bonds. These C-C bond-forming reactions are complementary to traditional cross couplings of aryl halides with organometallic reagents. However, these transformations produce small molecules as byproducts. To improve the atom economy, we then investigated C-C bond transformations of strained-ring cyclic compounds. Ni-catalyzed intermolecular cyclization of benzocyclobutenones with alkynes was recently achieved via the uncommon cleavage of the C1-C8 bond by employing a removable blocking strategy. Rh-catalyzed intramolecular annulation of benzocyclobutenols with alkynes was also achieved. In summary, our developments demonstrate the great potential of transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation for the formation of new C-C bonds. To further expand the synthetic utility of C-C bond activation, more efforts are required to expand the substrate scope and to achieve earth-abundant metal-catalyzed transformations.

On the Barton Copper-Catalyzed C3-Arylation of Indoles using Triarylbismuth bis(trifluoroacetate) Reagents

We disclose herein our detailed investigation into the Barton copper-promoted C3-arylation of indoles using triarylbismuth bis(trifluoroacetates). The arylation of unsubstituted 1H-indole using Barton's conditions gave a low yield of the C3-arylated indole, along with small amounts of the product of double C2/C3-arylation and traces of the product of C2 arylation. On the contrary, the arylation of indoles blocked at the C2 position is highly efficient, affording the desired products of C3-arylation in good to excellent yields. The reaction operates under simple conditions, shows good substrate scope, excellent functional group compatibility, and allows the transfer of electron-neutral or deficient aryl groups. Computational studies propose a mechanism involving a trifluoroacetate-assisted C-H activation step.

Visible-Light-Promoted Decarboxylative Alkylation/Cyclization of Vinylcycloalkanes

An efficient strategy for visible-light-promoted decarboxylative alkylation of vinylcyclopropanes with alkyl N-(acyloxy)phthalimide esters through the dual C-C bond and single N-O bond cleavage, employing triphenylphosphine and lithium iodide as the photoredox system to synthesize 2-alkylated 3,4-dihydronaphthalenes, has been established. This alkylation/cyclization involves a radical process and undergoes a sequence of N-(acyloxy)phthalimide ester single-electron reduction, N-O bond cleavage, decarboxylative, alkyl radical addition, C-C bond cleavage, and intramolecular cyclization. Moreover, using the photocatalyst Na₂-Eosin Y instead of triphenylphosphine and lithium iodide, the vinyl transfer products are acquired when vinylcyclobutanes or vinylcyclopentanes are utilized as alkyl radical receptors.

A Palladium-Catalyzed 4CzIPN-Mediated Decarboxylative Acylation Reaction of O-Methyl Ketoximes with α-Keto Acids under Visible Light

This work presents a palladium-catalyzed oxime ether-directed ortho-selective benzoylation using benzoylformic acid as the acyl source with a palladium catalyst and 4CzIPN as the co-catalyst under light. Various non-symmetric benzophenone derivatives were obtained in moderate to good yields. A preliminary mechanism study revealed that the reaction proceeds through a free radical pathway.

Ligand-controlled regiodivergent direct arylation of indoles via oxidative boron Heck reaction

Ligand-controlled direct arylation of indoles via Pd(ii) catalyzed oxidative boron Heck reaction under aerobic conditions is reported.

Decarboxylative Amination of Benzoic Acids Bearing Electron-Donating Substituents and Non-Activated Amines

Efficient methods for decarboxylative activation of benzoic acids into great valuable products are highly sought after. Here we report a highly desirable and straightforward decarboxylative amination of readily available benzoic...

C3-Arylation of indoles with aryl ketones via C-C/C-H activations

C3-Arylation of indoles with aryl ketones is accomplished via palladium-catalyzed ligand-promoted Ar-C(O) cleavage and subsequent C-H arylation of indole. Various (hetero)aryl ketones are compatible in this reaction, affording the corresponding 3-arylindoles in moderate to good yields. Further introduction of an indole moiety into the natural products desoxyestrone and evodiamine demonstrate the synthetic utility of this protocol.

Combined Experimental and Computational Mechanistic Investigation of the Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Sodium Benzoates with Chloroarenes

Reported herein is a mechanistic investigation into the palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative cross-coupling of sodium benzoates and chloroarenes. The reaction was found to be first-order in Pd. A minimal substituent effect was observed with respect to chloroarene, and the reaction was zero-order with respect to chloroarene. Palladium-mediated decarboxylation was assigned as the turnover-limiting step based on an Eyring plot and density functional theory computations. Catalyst performance was found to vary based on the electrophile, which is best explained by catalyst decomposition at Pd(0). The 1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD) ligand contained in the precatalyst CODPd(CH₂TMS)₂ (Pd1) was shown to be a beneficial additive. The bench-stable Buchwald complex XPhosPdG2 could be used with exogenous COD and 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropylbiphenyl (XPhos) instead of complex Pd1. Adding exogenous XPhos significantly increased the catalyst turnover number and enhanced reproducibility.

Palladium-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Iodination of Aryl Carboxylic Acids Enabled by Ligand-Assisted Halide Exchange

We report an efficient and broadly applicable palladium-catalyzed iodination of inexpensive and abundant aryl and vinyl carboxylic acids via in situ activation to the acid chloride and formation of a phosphonium salt. The use of 1-iodobutane as iodide source in combination with a base and a deoxychlorinating reagent gives access to a wide range of aryl and vinyl iodides under Pd/Xantphos catalysis, including complex drug-like scaffolds. Stoichiometric experiments and kinetic analysis suggest a unique mechanism involving C-P reductive elimination to form the Xantphos phosphonium chloride, which subsequently initiates an unusual halogen exchange by outer sphere nucleophilic substitution.

Activation of Aryl Carboxylic Acids by Diboron Reagents towards Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Decarbonylative Borylation

The Ni-catalyzed decarbonylative borylation of (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids with B₂ cat₂ has been achieved without recourse to any additives. This Ni-catalyzed method exhibits a broad substrate scope covering poorly reactive non-ortho-substituted (hetero)aryl carboxylic acids, and tolerates diverse functional groups including some of the groups active to Ni⁰ catalysts. The key to achieve this decarbonylative borylation reaction is the choice of B₂ cat₂ as a coupling partner that not only acts as a borylating reagent, but also chemoselectively activates aryl carboxylic acids towards oxidative addition of their C(acyl)-O bond to Ni⁰ catalyst via the formation of acyloxyboron compounds. A combination of experimental and computational studies reveals a detailed plausible mechanism for this reaction system, which involves a hitherto unknown concerted decarbonylation and reductive elimination step that generates the aryl boronic ester product. This mode of boron-promoted carboxylic acid activation is also applicable to other types of reactions.

Copper(II)-Catalyzed Direct C-H (Hetero)arylation at the C3 Position of Indoles Assisted by a Removable N,N-Bidentate Auxiliary Moiety

The regioselective arylation of inert C3-H bonds in indoles reacting with arylboronates via effective copper-mediated catalysis with the aid of a facile and removable 2-pyridinylisopropyl (PIP) group without ligand participation is reported. This newly established method features high compatibility with diverse functional groups between coupling partners, including both indole substrates and arylboron reagents, consequentially leading to operational simplicity and providing access to generate the desired arylated products in good to excellent yields of up to 97%. Synthetically, the PIP-derived amide moiety could subsequently be readily removed under mild reaction conditions to produce useful indole carboxylic acids for further transformation.

Decarboxylative C–H alkylation of heteroarenes by copper catalysis

A copper-catalyzed decarboxylative C–H alkylation of heteroarenes with alkyl carboxylic acids has been realized.

Transition metal-catalyzed C–H functionalizations of indoles

This review summarises a wide range of transformations on the indole skeleton, including arylation, alkenylation, alkynylation, acylation, nitration, borylation, and amidation, using transition-metal catalyzed C–H functionalization as the key step.

Arylation of indoles using cyclohexanones dually-catalyzed by niobic acid and palladium-on-carbons

3-Arylindoles were easily constructed from indoles and cyclohexanone derivatives using a combination of catalytic niobic acid-on-carbon (Nb₂O₅/C) and palladium-on-carbon (Pd/C) under heating conditions without any oxidants. The Lewis acidic Nb₂O₅/C promoted the nucleophilic addition of indoles to the cyclohexanones, and the subsequent dehydration and Pd/C-catalyzed dehydrogenation produced the 3-arylindoles. The additive 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene worked as a hydrogen acceptor to facilitate the dehydrogenation step.

Room-temperature Pd/Ag direct arylation enabled by a radical pathway

Direct arylation is an appealing method for preparing π-conjugated materials, avoiding the prefunctionalization required for traditional cross-coupling methods. A major effort in organic electronic materials development is improving the environmental and economic impact of production; direct arylation polymerization (DArP) is an effective method to achieve these goals. Room-temperature polymerization would further improve the cost and energy efficiencies required to prepare these materials. Reported herein is new mechanistic work studying the underlying mechanism of room temperature direct arylation between iodobenzene and indole. Results indicate that room-temperature, Pd/Ag-catalyzed direct arylation systems are radical-mediated. This is in contrast to the commonly proposed two-electron mechanisms for direct arylation and appears to extend to other substrates such as benzo[b]thiophene and pentafluorobenzene.

Ascorbic Acid as an Aryl Radical Inducer in the Gold-Mediated Arylation of Indoles with Aryldiazonium Chlorides

In recent years interest in the development of protocols that facilitate the oxidative addition of gold to access mild cross-coupling processes mediated by this metal has increased. In this context, we report herein that ascorbic acid, a natural and readily accessible antioxidant, can be used to accelerate the oxidative addition of aryldiazonium chlorides onto Au^I . The aryl-Au^III species generated in this way, has been used to prepare 3-arylindoles in a one-pot protocol starting from anilines and para-, meta-, and ortho- substituted aryldiazonium chlorides. The mechanism underlying the oxidative addition has been examined in detail based on EPR analyses, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. Interestingly, we have found that in this protocol, the chloride atom induces the Au^II /Au^III oxidation step.

Oxalic Acid Monothioester for Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Thiocarbonylation and Hydrothiocarbonylation

Oxalic acid monothioester (OAM), an easily accessible and storable reagent, was reported herein as a thioester synthetic equivalent for palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative thiocarbonylation of organohalides and hydrothiocarbonylation of unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds at room temperature with high chemo- and regioselectivity. The reaction is applicable to the synthesis of cysteine-derived thioesters, thus allowing chemical modification of cysteine-containing peptides. Decarboxylation of OAM proceeds through oxidative addition of Pd(0) to the acyl-S bond, which accounts for the very mild reaction conditions.

Regioselective Pd-catalyzed direct C1- and C2-arylations of lilolidine for the access to 5,6-dihydropyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinoline derivatives

The Pd-catalyzed C–H bond functionalization of lilolidine was investigated. The use of a palladium-diphosphine catalyst associated to acetate bases in DMA was found to promote the regioselective arylation at α-position of the nitrogen atom of lilolidine with a wide variety of aryl bromides. From these α-arylated lilolidines, a second arylation at the β-position gives the access to α,β-diarylated lilolidines containing two different aryl groups. The one pot access to α,β-diarylated lilolidines with two identical aryl groups is also possible by using a larger amount of aryl bromide. The synthesis of 5,6-dihydrodibenzo[a,c]pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles from lilolidine via three successive direct arylations is also described. Therefore, this methodology provides a straightforward access to several lilolidine derivatives from commercially available compounds via one, two or three C–H bond functionalization steps allowing to tune their biological properties.

Palladium/copper-catalyzed decarbonylative heteroarylation of amides via C–N bond activation

A novel strategy for the synthesis of 2-arylated oxazole derivatives via palladium/copper-catalyzed decarbonylative heteroarylation of amides via C–N bond activation by ground-state destabilization is reported.

Direct C-3 alkylation of coumarins via decarboxylative coupling with carboxylic acids

A metal-free direct alkylation of coumarins using carboxylic acids in aqueous media with a broad substrate scope is devised.

Decarboxylative Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of (hetero)aromatic carboxylic acids using iodine as the terminal oxidant

A novel methodology for the decarboxylative Suzuki–Miyaura-type coupling of carboxylic acids with arylboronic acids has been developed.

Beyond the traditional roles of Ag in catalysis: the transmetalating ability of organosilver(i) species in Pd-catalysed reactions

The role of silver salts in Pd-catalysed C–C bond forming transformations.

The controllable C2 arylation and C3 diazenylation of indoles with aryltriazenes under ambient conditions

The controllable C2 arylation and C3 diazenylation of indoles with aryltriazenes under ambient conditions was investigated.