Magnetically Recyclable Borane Lewis Acid Catalyst for Hydrosilylation of Imines and Reductive Amination of Carbonyls

Fluorinated arylborane-based Lewis acid catalysts have shown remarkable activity and serve as ideal examples of transition metal-free catalysts for diverse organic transformations. However, their homogeneous nature poses challenges in terms of recyclability and separation from reaction mixtures. This work presents an efficient technique for the heterogenization of boron Lewis acid catalysts by anchoring Piers' borane to allyl-functionalized iron oxide. This catalyst demonstrates excellent activity in the hydrosilylation of imines and the reductive amination of carbonyls using various silanes as reducing agents under mild reaction conditions. The catalyst exhibits broad tolerance towards a wide range of functional substrates. Furthermore, it exhibits good recyclability and can be easily separated from the products using an external magnetic field. This work represents a significant advance in the development of sustainable heterogenous metal-free catalysts for organic transformations.

Selective C-H Halogenation of Alkenes and Alkynes Using Flavin-Dependent Halogenases

Single component flavin-dependent halogenases (FDHs) possess both flavin reductase and FDH activity in a single enzyme. We recently reported that the single component FDH AetF catalyzes site-selective bromination and iodination of a variety of aromatic substrates and enantioselective bromolactonization and iodoetherification of styrenes bearing pendant carboxylic acid or alcohol substituents. Given this inherent reactivity and selectivity, we explored the utility of AetF as catalyst for alkene and alkyne C-H halogenation. We find that AetF catalyzes halogenation of a range of 1,1-disubstituted styrenes, often with high stereoselectivity. Despite the utility of haloalkenes for cross-coupling and other applications, accessing these compounds in a stereoselective manner typically requires functional group interconversion processes, and selective halogenation of 1,1'-disubstituted olefins remains rare. We also establish that AetF and homologues of this enzyme can halogenate terminal alkynes. Mutagenesis studies and deuterium kinetic isotope effects are used to support a mechanistic proposal involving covalent catalysis for halogenation of unactivated alkynes by AetF homologues. These findings expand the scope of FDH catalysis and continue to show the unique utility of single component FDHs for biocatalysis.

Selective synthesis of boron-substituted enynes via a one-pot diboration/protodeboration sequence

An efficient and facile one-pot protocol to access enynylboronates via a Pt-catalyzed diboration/protodeboration strategy has been developed. The reaction is suitable for various silylsubstituted symmetrical and unsymmetrical 1,3-diynes, leading to π-conjugated organoboron compounds with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity.

[Pt(PPh3)4]-Catalyzed Selective Diboration of Symmetrical and Unsymmetrical 1,3-Diynes

A straightforward, efficient, and selective method for the preparation of novel boryl-functionalized enynes or dienes via [Pt(PPh₃)₄]-catalyzed diboration of a broad spectrum of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 1,3-diynes was developed. The catalytic cycle of diboration was proposed on the basis of low-temperature ³¹P NMR studies. An alternative isolation method via product condensation on a cold finger was developed, which, in contrast to previous literature reports, eliminates the need for the additional transformation of rapidly decomposing enynyl pinacol boronates to more stable silica-based column chromatography derivatives during the separation step. To prove the efficiency of this simple catalytic protocol, bisboryl-functionalized enynes were synthesized in a gram scale and tested as useful building blocks in advanced organic transformations, such as hydrosilylation and Suzuki and sila-Sonogashira couplings. The presence of silyl, boryl, as well as other functions like halogen or alkoxy in their structures builds a new class of multifunctionalized enynes that might be modified in various chemical reactions.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Highly Substituted 1,3-Dienes via "à la carte" Multifunctionalization of Borylated Dendralenes

Despite the high relevance of 1,3-dienes, stereoselective methods to access tetrasubstituted conjugated dienes are still scarce. We here report an efficient and modular approach that provides access to multifunctional tetrasubstituted 1,3-dienes with excellent levels of regio- and stereoselectivity. This methodology is based on a tetracomponent reaction between a borylated dendralene, an organolithium reagent and two different electrophiles. Mechanistic studies reveal that this transformation proceeds through a regio- and stereoselective carbolithiation/electrophilic trapping of an in situ formed dendralenic boron-ate complex, followed by a stereoretentive halodeborylation. The ease in which complex structural dienes can be accessed and their synthetic versatility highlight the importance and utility of this method.

Ligand-free iridium-catalyzed regioselective C-H borylation of indoles

We herein report a ligand-free Ir-catalyzed C-H borylation of N-acyl protected indoles. This simple protocol could tolerate a variety of functional groups, affording C3 borylated indoles in good yields with excellent regioselectivities. We also demonstrated that the current method is amenable to gram-scale borylation and the C-B bonds could be easily converted to C-C and C-heteroatom bonds.

Application of Green Solvents: PEG and scCO2 in the Mono- or Biphasic Catalytic Systems for the Repetitive Batch Coupling of Vinylsilanes with Vinyl Boronates toward 1-Boryl-1-silylethenes

A new method for the repetitive batch silylative coupling (trans-silylation) of vinylsilanes with vinyl boronates in the presence of Ru(CO)Cl(H)(PCy3)2 immobilized in poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) has been developed. Three PEGs (PEG600, PEG2000, and MPEG2000) with different molecular weights and end groups (MW = 600-2000) were tested as solvents and immobilization media, while an aliphatic solvent (n-hexane or n-heptane) or supercritical CO2 was used for product extraction. By applying 2 mol % of the Ru-H catalyst, it was possible to carry out up to 15 complete runs, with the predominant formation of 1-boryl-1-silylethenes. This immobilization strategy permitted for catalyst reuse and obtaining higher TON values (approximately 660-734) compared to the reaction in conventional solvents (∼50). Detailed kinetic studies of the most effective catalytic system were performed to determine catalyst activity and stability. Moreover, the reactions were carried out in an MPEG2000/scCO2 biphasic system, positively influencing the process sustainability.

Facile Synthesis of β-Bromostyrenes by Direct Bromination of Styrenes with N-Bromosuccinimide and Sodium Persulfate

A new, direct, efficient, and transition-metal-free method is reported for the synthesis of β-bromostyrenes from styrenes by using N-bromosuccinimide as the brominating reagent and sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) as the oxidant. This convenient and concise reaction is practical, operationally simple, and can be adapted for large-scale syntheses.

Ru-Catalyzed Repetitive Batch Borylative Coupling of Olefins in Ionic Liquids or Ionic Liquids/scCO2 Systems

The first, recyclable protocol for the selective synthesis of (E)-alkenyl boronates via borylative coupling of olefins with vinylboronic acid pinacol ester in monophasic (cat@IL) or biphasic (cat@IL/scCO2) systems is reported in this article. The efficient immobilization of [Ru(CO)Cl(H)(PCy3)2] (1 mol%) in [EMPyr][NTf2] and [BMIm][OTf] with the subsequent extraction of products with n-heptane permitted multiple reuses of the catalyst without a significant decrease in its activity and stability (up to 7 runs). Utilization of scCO2 as an extractant enabled a significant reduction in the amount of catalyst leaching during the separation process, compared to extraction with n-heptane. Such efficient catalyst immobilization allowed an intensification of the processes in terms of its productivity, which was indicated by high cumulative TON values (up to 956) in contrast to the traditional approach of applying volatile organic solvents (TON = ~50–100). The reaction was versatile to styrenes with electron-donating and withdrawing substituents and vinylcyclohexane, generating unsaturated organoboron compounds, of which synthetic utility was shown by the direct transformation of extracted products in iododeborylation and Suzuki coupling processes. All synthesized compounds were characterized using 1H, 13C NMR and GC-MS, while leaching of the catalyst was detected with ICP-MS.