Electrooxidation-induced selective cleavage of C–N bonds of tertiary amines to access thioureas, selenoureas, and 2-aminated benzoselenazoles

A metal-free, operationally simple, and scalable electrooxidation-induced selective cleavage of C–N bonds of tertiary amines to access thiourea, selenourea, and 2-aminated benzoselenazole derivatives has been developed.

Organocatalyst in Direct C(sp2)-H Arylation of Unactivated Arenes: [1-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-piperazine]-Catalyzed Inter-/Intra-molecular C-H Bond Activation

This article describes the identification of 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-piperazine as a new, cost-effective, highly efficient organocatalyst, which promotes both inter- and intra-molecular direct C(_sp²)-H arylations of unactivated arenes in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide. While the inter-molecular C-H arylation of unactivated benzenes with aryl halides (Ar-X; X = I, Br, Cl) toward biaryl syntheses underwent smoothly in the presence of only 10 mol % organocatalyst, the intra-molecular C-H arylation catalytic system composed of 40 mol % each of the catalyst and the additive (4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP)). The novel catalyst was also able to perform both inter- and intra-molecular direct arylations simultaneously in a single pot. The mechanistic studies confirmed the involvement of aryl radical anions and proceeded via a single-electron-transfer (SET) mechanism. The large substrate scope, high functional group tolerance, competition experiments, gram-scale synthesis, and kinetic studies further highlight the importance and versatile nature of the methodology as well as the compatibility of the new catalyst. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on any organocatalyst that reported detailed investigations of both inter- and intra-molecular direct C(_sp²)-H arylations of unactivated arenes in a single representation.

Palladium-Catalyzed Multistep Tandem Carbonylation/N-Dealkylation/Carbonylation Reaction: Access to Isatoic Anhydrides

A novel and efficient synthesis of isatoic anhydride derivatives was developed via palladium-catalyzed multistep tandem carbonylation/N-dealkylation/carbonylation reaction with alkyl as the leaving group and tertiary anilines as nitrogen nucleophiles. This approach features good functional group compatibility and readily available starting materials. Furthermore, it provided a convenient approach for the synthesis of biologically and medicinally useful evodiamine.

Alternative pathways to α,β-unsaturated ketones via direct oxidative coupling transformation using Sr-doped LaCoO3 perovskite catalyst

A strontium-doped lanthanum cobaltite perovskite material was prepared, and used as a recyclable and effective heterogeneous catalyst for the direct oxidative coupling of alkenes with aromatic aldehydes to produce α,β-unsaturated ketones. The reaction afforded high yields in the presence of di-tert-butylperoxide as oxidant. Single oxides or salts of strontium, lanthanum and cobalt, and the undoped perovskite offered a lower catalytic activity than the strontium-doped perovskite. Benzaldehyde could be replaced by benzyl alcohol, dibenzyl ether, 2-oxo-2-phenylacetaldehyde, 2-bromoacetophenone or (dimethoxymethyl) benzene in the oxidative coupling reaction with alkenes. To our best knowledge, reactions between these starting materials with alkenes are new and unknown in the literature.

Tertiary amine-directed and involved carbonylative cyclizations through Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed multiple C-X (X = H or N) bond cleavage

A novel Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed carbonylative cyclization by C-H activation and N-dealkylative C-N bond activation has been developed for the chemoselective construction of synthetically useful heterocycles. The N,N-dimethylamine group on o-indolyl-N,N-dimethylarylamines was found to act as both the directing group and reactive component in this C-H carbonylative cyclization reaction. Furthermore, a unique C-H oxidation/carbonylative lactonization of diarylmethylamines is firstly demonstrated under modified reaction conditions, which could be easily applicable to the one-step synthesis of multi-substituted phthalides bearing an N,O-ketal skeleton that is difficult to access by previously reported methods. Mechanistic studies implicate that Pd/Cu-cocatalyzed C-H oxidation/carbonylative lactonization is a sequential reaction system via Cu-catalyzed C(sp3)-H oxidation and Pd-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation of the C(sp2)-H bond. It was found that trace amounts of water are essential to promote the Cu-catalyzed C(sp3)-H oxidation of diarylmethylamine for the formation of the hydroxyl group, which could act as an in situ-formed directing group in the intramolecular carbonylative lactonization step.

Amaryllidaceae andSceletiumalkaloids

Recent progress on the isolation, identification, biological activity and synthetic studies of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, as well as the structurally close alkaloids from theSceletiumgenus, published from July 2015 to June 2017 are reviewed.

A supported manganese complex with amine-bis(phenol) ligand for catalytic benzylic C(sp3)–H bond oxidation

With regards to the importance of direct and selective activation of C–H bonds in oxidation processes, we develop a supported manganese amine bis(phenol) ligand complex as a novel catalyst with the aim of obtaining valuable products such as carboxylic acids and ketones that have an important role in life, industry and academic laboratories. We further analyzed and characterized the catalyst using the HRTEM, SEM, FTIR, TGA, VSM, XPS, XRD, AAS, and elemental analysis (CHN) techniques. Also, the catalytic evaluation of our system for direct oxidation of benzylic C–H bonds under solvent-free condition demonstrated that the heterogeneous form of our catalyst has high efficiency in comparison with homogeneous ones due to more stability of the supported complex. Furthermore, the structural and morphological stability of our efficient recyclable catalytic system has been investigated and all of the data proved that the complex was firmly anchored to the magnetite nanoparticles.

An environmentally friendly and efficient catalyst containing three interesting parts, Mn, the amine bis(phenolate) ligand (H₃L^GDC) and the magnetic nanoparticles for benzylic C–H bond oxidation.

Construction of N-Heterocycles through Cyclization of Tertiary Amines

N-Heterocycles have been found in a large number of natural products, drug molecules, and bioactive compounds, and they thereby play a vital role in diverse research disciplines including drug discovery, organic synthesis, chemical biology, and material science. To this end, the development of new methods and strategies for the construction of N-heterocyclic frameworks is arguably one of the most dynamic and significant research areas in organic synthesis. One of these powerful approaches to the synthesis of N-heterocycles is to establish cyclization reactions based on the transformation of tertiary amines, which has emerged as an attractive research topic. In this Minireview, the significant achievements in the construction of N-heterocycles through cyclization of tertiary amines are highlighted and a comprehensive overview of the rational design, development, and application of these synthetic methods is presented.

Nickel-Catalyzed Oxidative Decarboxylative Annulation for the Synthesis of Heterocycle-Containing Phenanthridinones

A nickel-catalyzed oxidative decarboxylative annulation reaction of simple benzamides and (hetero)aromatic carboxylates has been developed. This reaction provides access to a large array of phenanthridinones and their heterocyclic analogues, highlighting the utility and versatility of oxidative decarboxylative coupling strategies for C-C bond formation.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed C(sp2)-H Carbonylation of Sterically Hindered Amines with Carbon Monoxide

A palladium-catalyzed, amine-directed C(sp²)-H carbonylation of α,α-disubstituted benzylamine under 1 atm of CO for the facile synthesis of sterically hindered benzolactam has been developed. The key to success is the use of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy as the crucial sole oxidant. The synthetic utility of this transformation has been demonstrated by the first concise synthesis of the natural product spiropachysin-20-one.

Weak Base-Promoted Lactamization under Microwave Irradiation: Synthesis of Quinolin-2(1H)-ones and Phenanthridin-6(5H)-ones

Quinolin-2(1H)-ones and phenanthridin-6(5H)-ones are synthesized in high yields by K₂CO₃-promoted cyclization of N-aryl-β-bromo-α,β-unsaturated amides and N-aryl-2-bromobenzamides in dimethylformamide under microwave irradiation.

Palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative carbonylation of alkynes with amines: a general access to substituted maleimides

A catalytic oxidative carbonylation reaction was developed for the synthesis of polysubstituted maleimides from alkynes and amines with air as a green oxidant.

Pd-Catalyzed C(sp2)–H aminocarbonylation using the Langlois reagent as a carbonyl source

An efficient Pd-catalyzed C(sp²)–H aminocarbonylation of aryl carboxamides assisted by an N,S-bidentate directing group was developed.

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling of coumarins with Csp3–H bonds using an iron–organic framework as a productive heterogeneous catalyst

The iron–organic framework VNU-20 was utilized as an active heterogeneous catalyst for the cross-dehydrogenative coupling of coumarins with Csp³–H bonds in alkylbenzenes, cyclohexanes, ethers, and formamides.

Rh-catalyzed aerobic oxidative cyclization of anilines, alkynes, and CO

We describe a novel Rh-catalyzed C–H cyclization of a wide range of anilines with alkynes and CO. Particularly, simple primary anilines and readily prepared tertiary anilines can be easily converted to quinolin-2(1H)-ones via C–N bond cleavage.

Transition-metal-catalyzed oxidative C–H cyclization of anilines has been an attractive and powerful strategy for the efficient construction of N-heterocycles. However, primary and tertiary anilines are rarely employed in this strategy due to the relative instability with strong oxidants or the presence of three C–N bonds. We describe here a novel Rh-catalyzed C–H cyclization of a wide range of anilines with alkynes and CO, using an aerobic oxidative protocol. Particularly, the simple primary anilines and readily prepared tertiary anilines could be easily converted to quinolin-2(1H)-ones, which are high value-added, biologically significant N-heterocycles, via C–N bond cleavage.