Regioselective and Diastereoselective Aminoarylation of 1,3-Dienes

Cobalt-Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Transfer Enables Regioselective Tricomponent 1,4-Carboamination

Tricomponent cobalt(salen)-catalyzed carbofunctionalization of unsaturated substrates by radical-polar crossover has the potential to streamline access to broad classes of heteroatom-functionalized synthetic targets, yet the reaction platform has remained elusive, despite the well-developed analogous hydrofunctionalizations mediated by high-valent alkylcobalt intermediates. We report herein the development of a cobalt(salen) catalytic system that enables carbofunctionalization. The reaction entails a tricomponent decarboxylative 1,4-carboamination of dienes and provides a direct route to aromatic allylic amines by obviating preformed allylation reagents and protection of oxidation-sensitive aromatic amines. The catalytic system merges acridine photocatalysis with cobalt(salen)-catalyzed regioselective 1,4-carbofunctionalization that facilitates the crossover of the radical and polar phases of the tricomponent coupling process, revealing critical roles of the reactants, as well as ligand effects and the nature of the formal high-valent alkylcobalt species on the chemo- and regioselectivity.

Metal-free photosensitized radical relay 1,4-carboimination across two distinct olefins

Intermolecular carboamination of olefins offers a powerful platform for the rapid construction of structurally complex amines from abundant feedstocks. However, these reactions often require transition-metal catalysis, and are mainly limited to 1,2-carboamination. Herein, we report a novel radical relay 1,4-carboimination across two distinct olefins with alkyl carboxylic acid-derived bifunctional oxime esters via energy transfer catalysis. The reaction is highly chemo- and regioselective, and multiple C-C and C-N bonds were formed in a single orchestrated operation. This mild and metal-free method features a remarkably broad substrate scope with excellent tolerance of sensitive functional groups, therefore providing easy access to structurally diverse 1,4-carboiminated products. Moreover, the obtained imines could be easily converted into valuable biologically relevant free γ-amino acids.

Metal-Free Photochemical Imino-Alkylation of Alkenes with Bifunctional Oxime Esters

The concurrent installation of C-C and C-N bonds across alkene frameworks represents a powerful tool to prepare motifs that are ubiquitous in pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds. To construct such prevalent bonds, most alkene difunctionalization methods demand the use of precious metals or activated alkenes. We report a metal-free, photochemically mediated imino-alkylation of electronically diverse alkenes to install both alkyl and iminyl groups in a highly efficient manner. The exceptionally mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, and facile one-pot reaction protocol highlight the utility of this method to prepare privileged motifs from readily available alkene and acid feedstocks. One key and striking feature of this transformation is that an electrophilic trifluoromethyl radical is equally efficient with both electron-deficient and electron-rich alkenes. Additionally, dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) and empirical investigations provide detailed mechanistic insight into this reaction.

Cycloadditions of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes and -butanes using S=N-Containing Reagents: Access to Cyclic Sulfinamides, Sulfonamides, and Sulfinamidines

We present (3+2)- and (4+2)-cycloadditions of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes and cyclobutanes with N-sulfinylamines and a sulfur diimide, along with a one-pot, two-step strategy for the formal insertion of HNSO2 into D-A cyclopropanes. These are rare examples of cycloadditions with D-A cyclopropanes and cyclobutanes whereby the 2π component consists of two different heteroatoms, thus leading to five- and six-membered rings containing adjacent heteroatoms.

Intermolecular 1,4-Carboamination of Conjugated Dienes Enabled by Cp*RhIII -Catalyzed C-H Activation

A protocol for the three-component 1,4-carboamination of dienes is described. Synthetically versatile Weinreb amides were coupled with 1,3-dienes and readily available dioxazolones as the nitrogen source using [Cp*RhCl₂ ]₂ -catalyzed C-H activation to deliver the 1,4-carboaminated products. This transformation proceeds under mild reaction conditions and affords the products with high levels of regio- and E-selectivity. Mechanistic investigations suggest an intermediate Rh^III -allyl species is trapped by an electrophilic amidation reagent in a redox-neutral fashion.

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxidative 1,2-Diamination of Conjugated Dienes with Ureas

A palladium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,2-diamination of 1,3-dienes with readily available dialkylureas was established by using a chiral pyridine-oxazoline ligand. The diamination reaction exclusively occurs at the terminal C-C double bond of the 1,3-dienes to give 4-vinylimidazolidin-2-ones in high yields and with excellent levels of enantioselectivity (up to 99% yield, 97% ee). The reaction could feasibly be applied for gram-scale synthesis with a 1:1 ratio of the diene and the urea.

Copper-Catalyzed Aminothiolation of 1,3-Dienes via a Dihydrothiazine Intermediate

Heteroatom-containing organic molecules are of particular interest to medicinal chemists and materials scientists. A strategy to reach these architectures via direct difunctionalization of abundant 1,3-dienes is especially attractive. Herein, we describe the development of a regio- and diastereoselective 1,4-aminothiolation of 1,3-dienes with a sulfur diimide reagent, a copper catalyst, and alkyl Grignard reagents. This unique protocol provides remote nitrogen and sulfur functionalities with high levels of stereocontrol. The reaction proceeds via a tandem hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition of N,N'-bis(benzenesulfonyl)sulfur diimide with 1,3-diene followed by copper-catalyzed Grignard substitution. Mechanistic studies support a copper catalyzed formation of an unprecedented [10-S-4] sulfurane that reductively eliminates to afford a 3,6-dihydrothiazine, which is selectively converted to 1,4-aminothiols.

1,4-Hydroiodination of dienyl alcohols with TMSI to form homoallylic alcohols containing a multisubstituted Z-alkene and application to Prins cyclization

A regioselective 1,4-hydroiodination of dienyl alcohols has been developed using trimethylsilyl iodide as Lewis acid and iodide source. A range of homoallylic alcohols containing a multisubstituted Z-alkene was synthesized with good to excellent configurational control. The approach was applied in sequential hydroiodination/Prins cyclization to afford multisubstituted tetrahydropyrans diastereoselectively.