A Facile and Scaleable Synthesis of ABT-239, A Benzofuranoid H3 Antagonist

Dual Nickel-/Palladium-Catalyzed Reductive Cross-Coupling Reactions between Two Phenol Derivatives

Cross-coupling between substrates that can be easily derived from phenols is highly attractive due to the abundance of phenols. Here, we report a dual nickel-/palladium-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling between aryl tosylates and aryl triflates; both substrates can be accessed in just one step from readily available phenols. The reaction has a broad functional group tolerance and substrate scope (>60 examples). Furthermore, it displays low sensitivity to steric effects demonstrated by the synthesis of a 2,2'-disubstituted biaryl and a fully substituted aryl product. The widespread presence of phenols in natural products and pharmaceuticals allows for straightforward late-stage functionalization, illustrated with examples such as ezetimibe and tyrosine.

Efficient and Practical Synthesis of (R)-2-Methylpyrrolidine

An efficient, practical, and high yielding synthesis of (R)-2-methylpyrrolidine is described. The sequence allows for the scalable preparation of the target compound in just four synthetic steps and proceeds in 83% overall yield and >99% optical purity from readily available starting materials.