Pd-catalyzed regioselective activation of C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H bonds

Differentiating between two highly similar C-H bonds in a given molecule remains a fundamental challenge in synthetic organic chemistry. Directing group assisted strategies for the functionalisation of proximal C-H bonds has been known for the last few decades. However, distal C-H bond functionalisation is strenuous and requires distinctly specialised techniques. In this review, we summarise the advancement in Pd-catalysed distal C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H bond activation through various redox manifolds including Pd(0)/Pd(II), Pd(II)/Pd(IV) and Pd(II)/Pd(0). Distal C-H functionalisation, where a Pd-catalyst is directly involved in the C-H activation step, either through assistance of an external directing group or directed by an inherent functionality or functional group incorporated at the site of the Pd-C bond is covered. The purpose of this review is to portray the current state of art in Pd-catalysed distal C(sp2)-H and C(sp3)-H functionalisation reactions, their mechanism and application in the late-stage functionalisation of medicinal compounds along with highlighting its limitations, thus leaving the field open for further synthetic adjustment.

Progress and perspectives on directing group-assisted palladium-catalysed C-H functionalisation of amino acids and peptides

Peptide modifications can unlock a variety of compounds with structural diversity and abundant biological activity. In nature, peptide modifications, such as functionalisation at the side-chain position of amino acids, are performed using post-translational modification enzymes or incorporation of unnatural amino acids. However, accessing these modifications remains a challenge for organic chemists. During the past decades, selective C-H activation/functionalisation has attracted considerable attention in synthetic organic chemistry as a pathway to peptide modification. Various directing group strategies have been discovered that assist selective C-H activation. In particular, bidentate directing groups that enable tuneable and reversible coordination are now recognised as one of the most efficient methods for the site-selective C-H activation and functionalisation of numerous families of organic compounds. Synthetic peptide chemists have harnessed bidentate directing group strategies for selective functionalisation of the β- and γ-positions of amino acids. This method has been expanded and recognised as an effective device for the late stage macrocyclisation and total synthesis of complex peptide natural products. In this review, we discuss various β-, γ-, and δ-C(sp³)-H bond functionalisation reactions of amino acids for the formation of C-X bonds with the aid of directing groups and their application in late-stage macrocyclisation and the total synthesis of complex peptide natural products.

The interpretation of small molecule diffusion coefficients: Quantitative use of diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy

Measuring accurate molecular self-diffusion coefficients, D, by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques has become routine as hardware, software and experimental methodologies have all improved. However, the quantitative interpretation of such data remains difficult, particularly for small molecules. This review article first provides a description of, and explanation for, the failure of the Stokes-Einstein equation to accurately predict small molecule diffusion coefficients, before moving on to three broadly complementary methods for their quantitative interpretation. Two are based on power laws, but differ in the nature of the reference molecules used. The third addresses the uncertainties in the Stokes-Einstein equation directly. For all three methods, a wide range of examples are used to show the range of chemistry to which diffusion NMR can be applied, and how best to implement the different methods to obtain quantitative information from the chemical systems studied.

Bidentate Directing Groups: An Efficient Tool in C-H Bond Functionalization Chemistry for the Expedient Construction of C-C Bonds

During the past decades, synthetic organic chemistry discovered that directing group assisted C-H activation is a key tool for the expedient and siteselective construction of C-C bonds. Among the various directing group strategies, bidentate directing groups are now recognized as one of the most efficient devices for the selective functionalization of certain positions due to fact that its metal center permits fine, tunable, and reversible coordination. The family of bidentate directing groups permit various types of assistance to be achieved, such as N,N-dentate, N,O-dentate, and N,S-dentate auxiliaries, which are categorized based on the coordination site. In this review, we broadly discuss various C-H bond functionalization reactions for the formation of C-C bonds with the aid of bidentate directing groups.

1-Aminopyridinium Ylides as Monodentate Directing Groups for sp3 C-H Bond Functionalization

1-Aminopyridinium ylides are efficient directing groups for palladium-catalyzed β-arylation and alkylation of sp³ C-H bonds in carboxylic acid derivatives. The efficiency of these directing groups depends on the substitution at the pyridine moiety. The unsubstituted pyridine-derived ylides allow functionalization of primary C-H bonds, while methylene groups are unreactive in the absence of external ligands. 4-Pyrrolidinopyridine-containing ylides are capable of C-H functionalization in acyclic methylene groups in the absence of external ligands, thus rivaling the efficiency of the aminoquinoline directing group. Preliminary mechanistic studies have been performed. A cyclopalladated intermediate has been isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography, and its reactivity was studied.

Improving the Interpretation of Small Molecule Diffusion Coefficients

Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) is increasingly widely used for the analysis of mixtures by NMR spectroscopy, dispersing the signals of different species according to their diffusion coefficients. DOSY is used primarily to distinguish between the signals of different species, with the interpretation of the diffusion coefficients observed usually being purely qualitative, for example to deduce whether one species is bigger or smaller than another. In principle, the actual values of diffusion coefficient obtained carry important information about the sizes of different species and on interactions between species, but the relationship between diffusion coefficient and molecular mass is in general a very complex one. Here a recently proposed analytical relationship between diffusion coefficient and molecular mass for the restricted case of small organic molecules is tested against a wide range of data from the scientific literature and generalized to cover a range of solvents and temperatures.

Computational Studies of Carboxylate-Assisted C-H Activation and Functionalization at Group 8-10 Transition Metal Centers

Computational studies on carboxylate-assisted C-H activation and functionalization at group 8-10 transition metal centers are reviewed. This Review is organized by metal and will cover work published from late 2009 until mid-2016. A brief overview of computational work prior to 2010 is also provided, and this outlines the understanding of carboxylate-assisted C-H activation in terms of the "ambiphilic metal-ligand assistance" (AMLA) and "concerted metalation deprotonation" (CMD) concepts. Computational studies are then surveyed in terms of the nature of the C-H bond being activated (C(sp²)-H or C(sp³)-H), the nature of the process involved (intramolecular with a directing group or intermolecular), and the context (stoichiometric C-H activation or within a variety of catalytic processes). This Review aims to emphasize the connection between computation and experiment and to highlight the contribution of computational chemistry to our understanding of catalytic C-H functionalization based on carboxylate-assisted C-H activation. Some opportunities where the interplay between computation and experiment may contribute further to the areas of catalytic C-H functionalization and applied computational chemistry are identified.

Explicit roles of diverse directing groups in determining transition state energy and reaction exothermicity of C–H activation pathways

Effects of directing groups on the C–H activation transition state.

Cobalt-Catalyzed, Aminoquinoline-Directed Functionalization of Phosphinic Amide sp2 C-H Bonds

In this paper, we introduce arylphosphinic acid aminoquinoline amides as competent substrates for cobalt-catalyzed sp² C-H bond functionalization. Specifically, the feasibility of their coupling with alkynes, alkenes, and allyl pivalate has been demonstrated. Reactions are catalyzed by simple Co(NO₃)₂ hydrate in ethanol or mixed dioxane/tBuOH solvent in the presence of Mn(OAc)₃·2H₂O additive, sodium pivalate, or acetate base and use oxygen from the air as an oxidant. Directing group removal affords ortho-functionalized P,P-diarylphosphinic acids.

Palladium-catalyzed ortho C–H bond alkylation of benzylamides with α-bromo ketones

A Pd-catalyzed alkylation of ortho C–H bonds in benzylamides with α-bromo ketones or nitrile is reported. Furthermore, a straightforward strategy for preparing 3-arylisoquinoline derivatives is developed.

Aminoquinoline-assisted vinylic C–H arylation of unsubstituted acrylamide for the selective synthesis of Z olefins

A method for Pd-catalyzed, aminoquinoline-directed arylation of vinylic C–H bonds with aryl iodides has been developed. This reaction represents a rare example of Pd-catalyzed vinylic C–H functionalization of unsubstituted acrylamide, allowing for preparation of Z-olefins.

Mechanistic Details of Pd(II)-Catalyzed C-H Iodination with Molecular I2: Oxidative Addition vs Electrophilic Cleavage

Transition metal-catalyzed C-H bond halogenation is an important alternative to the highly utilized directed-lithiation methods and increases the accessibility of the synthetically valuable aryl halide compounds. However, this approach often requires impractical reagents, such as IOAc, or strong co-oxidants. Therefore, the development of methodology utilizing inexpensive oxidants and catalyst containing earth-abundant transition metals under mild experimental conditions would represent a significant advance in the field. Success in this endeavor requires a full understanding of the mechanisms and reactivity governing principles of this process. Here, we report intimate mechanistic details of the Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H iodination with molecular I2 as the sole oxidant. Namely, we elucidate the impact of the: (a) Pd-directing group (DG) interaction, (b) nature of oxidant, and (c) nature of the functionalized C-H bond [C(sp(2))-H vs C(sp(3))-H] on the Pd(II)/Pd(IV) redox and Pd(II)/Pd(II) redox-neutral mechanisms of this reaction. We find that both monomeric and dimeric Pd(II) species may act as an active catalyst during the reaction, which preferentially proceeds via the Pd(II)/Pd(II) redox-neutral electrophilic cleavage (EC) pathway for all studied substrates with a functionalized C(sp(2))-H bond. In general, a strong Pd-DG interaction increases the EC iodination barrier and reduces the I-I oxidative addition (OA) barrier. However, the increase in Pd-DG interaction alone is not enough to make the mechanistic switch from EC to OA: This occurs only upon changing to substrates with a functionalized C(sp(3))-H bond. We also investigated the impact of the nature of the electrophile on the C(sp(2))-H bond halogenation. We predicted molecular bromine (Br2) to be more effective electrophile for the C(sp(2))-H halogenation than I2. Subsequent experiments on the stoichiometric C(sp(2))-H bromination by Pd(OAc)2 and Br2 confirmed this prediction.The findings of this study advance our ability to design more efficient reactions with inexpensive oxidants under mild experimental conditions.

A combined IM-MS/DFT study on [Pd(MPAA)]-catalyzed enantioselective C-H activation: relay of chirality through a rigid framework

A combined ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) and DFT study has been employed to investigate the mechanism and the origin of selectivity of palladium/mono-N-protected amino acid (MPAA)-catalyzed enantioselective CH activation reactions of several prochiral substrates. We captured the [Pd(MPAA)(substrate)] complex at different stages, and demonstrated that the CH bond can be activated in the absence of an external base. DFT studies lead to the establishment of a significantly modified relay mechanism invoking a key conformational effect to account for the origin of enantioselectivity. This relay mechanism successfully accounts for the enantioselectivity for all the relevant reactions reported. The enantioselectivity originates from the rigid square-planar Pd coordination in the CH activation transition state: Bidentate MPAA and substrate coordination.

Bidentate, monoanionic auxiliary-directed functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds

In recent years, carbon-hydrogen bond functionalization has evolved from an organometallic curiosity to a tool used in mainstream applications in the synthesis of complex natural products and drugs. The use of C-H bonds as a transformable functional group is advantageous because these bonds are the most abundant functionality in organic molecules. One-step conversion of these bonds to the desired functionality shortens synthetic pathways, saving reagents, solvents, and labor. Less chemical waste is generated as well, showing that this chemistry is environmentally beneficial. This Account describes the development and use of bidentate, monoanionic auxiliaries for transition-metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions. The chemistry was initially developed to overcome the limitations with palladium-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization assisted by monodentate directing groups. By the use of electron-rich bidentate directing groups, functionalization of unactivated sp(3) C-H bonds under palladium catalysis has been developed. Furthermore, a number of abundant base-metal complexes catalyze functionalization of sp(2) C-H bonds. At this point, aminoquinoline, picolinic acid, and related compounds are among the most used and versatile directing moieties in C-H bond functionalization chemistry. These groups facilitate catalytic functionalization of sp(2) and sp(3) C-H bonds by iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, ruthenium, rhodium, and palladium complexes. Exceptionally general reactivity is observed, enabling, among other transformations, direct arylation, alkylation, fluorination, sulfenylation, amination, etherification, carbonylation, and alkenylation of carbon-hydrogen bonds. The versatility of these auxilaries can be attributed to the following factors. First, they are capable of stabilizing high oxidation states of transition metals, thereby facilitating the C-H bond functionalization step. Second, the directing groups can be removed, enabling their use in synthesis and functionalization of natural products and medicinally relevant substances. While the development of these directing groups presents a significant advance, several limitations of this methodology are apparent. The use of expensive second-row transition metal catalysts is still required for efficient sp(3) C-H bond functionalization. Furthermore, the need to install and subsequently remove the relatively expensive directing group is a disadvantage.

Practical synthesis of anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino acids by Pd(II) -catalyzed sequential C(sp(3) )-H functionalization

An improved and practical procedure for the stereoselective synthesis of anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino acids (anti-βhAAs), by palladium-catalyzed sequential C(sp(3) )-H functionalization directed by 8-aminoquinoline auxiliary, is described. followed by a previously established monoarylation and/or alkylation of the β-methyl C(sp(3) )-H of alanine derivative, β-acetoxylation of both alkylic and benzylic methylene C(sp(3) )-H bonds affords various anti-β-hydroxy-α-amino acid derivatives. As an example, the synthesis of β-mercapto-α-amino acids, which are highly important to the extension of native chemical ligation chemistry beyond cysteine, is described. The synthetic potential of this protocol is further demonstrated by the synthesis of diverse β-branched α-amino acids. The observed diastereoselectivities are strongly influenced by electronic effects of aromatic AAs and steric effects of the linear side-chain AAs, which could be explained by the competition of intramolecular C-OAc bond reductive elimination from Pd(IV) intermediates vs. intermolecular attack by an external nucleophile (AcO(-) ) in an SN 2-type process.