Pd(OAc)2-catalysed regioselective alkoxylation of aryl (β-carbolin-1-yl)methanones via β-carboline directed ortho-C(sp(2))-H activation of an aryl ring

Marine Alkaloid Pityriacitrin and Its Analogues: Discovery, Structures, Synthetic Methods and Biological Properties

Pityriacitrin is a natural marine alkaloid with a typical β-carboline scaffold, and which has been demonstrated to exhibit diverse biological functions. The special structural features for pityriacitrin lead to the increasing research interest and the emergence of versatile derivatives, and many pityriacitrin analogues have been isolated or synthesized over the past decades. The structural diversity and evolved biological activity of these natural alkaloids can offer opportunities for the development of highly potential novel drugs with a new mechanism of action, and therefore, the aim of this brief review is to describe the discovery, synthesis, and biological properties of natural pityriacitrin and its derivatives, as well as the isolation source.

The role of hypervalent iodine(iii) reagents in promoting alkoxylation of unactivated C(sp3)-H bonds catalyzed by palladium(ii) complexes

Although Pd(OAc)2-catalysed alkoxylation of the C(sp3)-H bonds mediated by hypervalent iodine(iii) reagents (ArIX2) has been developed by several prominent researchers, there is no clear mechanism yet for such crucial transformations. In this study, we shed light on this important issue with the aid of the density functional theory (DFT) calculations for alkoxylation of butyramide derivatives. We found that the previously proposed mechanism in the literature is not consistent with the experimental observations and thus cannot be operating. The calculations allowed us to discover an unprecedented mechanism composed of four main steps as follows: (i) activation of the C(sp3)-H bond, (ii) oxidative addition, (iii) reductive elimination and (iv) regeneration of the active catalyst. After completion of step (i) via the CMD mechanism, the oxidative addition commences with an X ligand transfer from the iodine(iii) reagent (ArIX2) to Pd(ii) to form a square pyramidal complex in which an iodonium occupies the apical position. Interestingly, a simple isomerization of the resultant five-coordinate complex triggers the Pd(ii) oxidation. Accordingly, the movement of the ligand trans to the Pd-C(sp3) bond to the apical position promotes the electron transfer from Pd(ii) to iodine(iii), resulting in the reduction of iodine(iii) concomitant with the ejection of the second X ligand as a free anion. The ensuing Pd(iv) complex then undergoes the C-O reductive elimination by nucleophilic attack of the solvent (alcohol) on the sp3 carbon via an outer-sphere SN2 mechanism assisted by the X- anion. Noteworthy, starting from the five coordinate complex, the oxidative addition and reductive elimination processes occur with a very low activation barrier (ΔG ‡ 0-6 kcal mol-1). The strong coordination of the alkoxylated product to the Pd(ii) centre causes the regeneration of the active catalyst, i.e. step (iv), to be considerably endergonic, leading to subsequent catalytic cycles to proceed with a much higher activation barrier than the first cycle. We also found that although, in most cases, the alkoxylation reactions proceed via a Pd(ii)-Pd(iv)-Pd(ii) catalytic cycle, the other alternative in which the oxidation state of the Pd(ii) centre remains unchanged during the catalysis could be operative, depending on the nature of the organic substrate.

Ruthenium-catalyzed meta-C-H bond alkylation of aryl 2-pyridyl ketones

The first example of meta-selective CAr-H bond functionalization of aryl 2-pyridyl ketones has been developed using [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2]2 as the catalyst and alkyl bromide as the coupling reagent. This development provides an efficient strategy for modifying the meta-position of aryl 2-pyridyl ketone skeletons, which are found in various functional molecules.

PdII-Catalyzed methoxylation of C(sp3)-H bonds adjacent to benzoxazoles and benzothiazoles

The Pd(OAc)2/PhI(OAc)2 catalyst system promotes the highly regioselective dehydrogenative methoxylation of a C(sp3)-H bond adjacent to benzoxazole and benzothiazole rings. The title transformation constitutes the first example of a Pd-catalyzed C(sp3)-H activating methoxylation at the proximal-selective α-position with regard to a directing auxiliary and provides expedient access to an important class of azole-decorated methyl ethers (up to 90% isolated yield). The synthetic practicality of the methodology was demonstrated by achieving α-methoxyacetic acids via the elimination of the benzoxazole auxiliaries and by obtaining the precursor of an O-methylated Breslow intermediate.

Cobalt-catalyzed peri-selective alkoxylation of 1-naphthylamine derivatives

A cobalt-catalyzed C(sp²)-H alkoxylation of 1-naphthylamine derivatives has been disclosed, which represents an efficient approach to synthesize aryl ethers with broad functional group tolerance. It is noteworthy that secondary alcohols, such as hexafluoroisopropanol, isopropanol, isobutanol, and isopentanol, were well tolerated under the current catalytic system. Moreover, a series of biologically relevant fluorine-aryl ethers were easily obtained under mild reaction conditions after the removal of the directing group.

Palladium-Catalyzed Ortho-Alkoxylation of N-Benzoyl α-Amino Acid Derivatives at Room Temperature

An efficient palladium-catalyzed ortho-alkoxylation of N-benzoyl α-amino acid derivatives at room temperature has been explored. This novel transformation, using amino acids as directing groups, Pd(OAc)₂ as catalyst, alcohols as the alkoxylation reagents, and PhI(OAc)₂ as the oxidant, showed wide generality, good functional tolerance, and high monoselectivity and regioselectivity.

Purinyl N(3)-Directed Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Alkoxylation of N(9)-Arylpurines: A Late-Stage Strategy to Synthesize N(9)-(ortho-Alkoxyl)arylpurines

A palladium-catalyzed alkoxylation of N(9)-arylpurines with primary or secondary alcohols has been developed successfully, which is a rare C-H activation reaction of polynitrogenated purines and offers a late-stage strategy to synthesize N(9)-(ortho-alkoxyl)arylpurines. Although there are more than four nitrogen atoms present in the purine moiety, the reaction can be effectively conducted by sterically blocking the N(1) site for catalyst coordination and first employing the purinyl N(3) atom as a directing group.

β-Carboline-directed decarboxylative acylation of ortho-C(sp2)–H of the aryl ring of aryl(β-carbolin-1-yl)methanones with α-ketoacids under palladium catalysis

A Pd-catalysed β-carboline assisted decarboxylative acylation of ortho-C(sp²)–H of aryl ring of aryl(β-carbolin-1-yl)methanones using α-oxocarboxylic acid as the acyl ion source to form (2-aroylaryl)(β-carbolin-2-yl)methanones is demonstrated.