Cu-Catalyzed three-component coupling reactions using nitriles, 1,3-dienes and silylboranes

Recent developments in difunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons with organosilicon reagents

Organosilicon compounds have attracted considerable attention because of their special biological activities. Direct difunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons with organosilicon reagents for the efficient construction of synthetically valuable silicon-functionalized compounds are featured with a high step and atom economy, which could form carbon-silicon/carbon-carbon bonds or carbon-silicon/carbon-hetero bonds in one step. This review summarizes the recent advances on this topic based on different unsaturated hydrocarbons along with typical examples and mechanisms.

Synthesis of acyl fluorides through deoxyfluorination of carboxylic acids

A direct deoxyfluorination of carboxylic acids by utilizing inorganic potassium fluoride (KF) as a safe and inexpensive fluoride source has been developed. Both aryl carboxylic acids and cinnamyl carboxylic acids could be efficiently transformed into valuable acyl fluorides in moderate to high yields with good functional group tolerance. A scale-up reaction could be carried out smoothly under solvent-free conditions, which further demonstrated the practicality of this reaction in organic synthesis.

Chemoselective Coupling of π-Systems to Access Metallated 1,4- or 1,5-Skipped Dienes in Multicomponent Reactions

Integrating distinct unsaturated C-C systems while simultaneously installing metallic groups has been significantly challenging to execute in a multicomponent reaction. Therefore, designing a suitable mechanistic pathway that provides the required reactivity and selectivity for target C-C bonds with metallic reagents to ensure successful coupling is the key to success. Copper-catalyzed borylallylation and silylallylation have emerged as the most efficient strategies for assembling borylated/silylated skipped (1,4 or 1,5) dienes by catalytically combining an organocopper intermediate with allyl electrophiles. However, reactions involving interelemental reagents (e. g., [Si]-[B]) to accomplish intermolecular atom-economic couplings have not been studied thoroughly. Therefore, to aid the development of new transformations in this research area, this article attempts to include all precedents, including recent studies by the authors. The present Concept article may be helpful for researchers working in this area as it provides a basic conceptual framework.

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Sila-Acylation and Silaformylation of 1,3-Dienes Using Esters

The regioselective sila-acylation and silaformylation of 1,3-dienes was achieved over a copper catalyst using a silylborane as a silyl source. β,γ-Unsaturated ketones with a (dimethylphenylsilyl)methyl moiety at the α-position were obtained using esters, while β,γ-unsaturated aldehydes were obtained using formate esters.

Acyl Fluorides from Carboxylic Acids, Aldehydes, or Alcohols under Oxidative Fluorination

We describe a novel reagent system to obtain acyl fluorides directly from three different functional group precursors: carboxylic acids, aldehydes, or alcohols. The transformation is achieved via a combination of trichloroisocyanuric acid and cesium fluoride, which facilitates the synthesis of various acyl fluorides in high yield (up to 99%). It can be applied to the late-stage functionalization of natural products and drug molecules that contain a carboxylic acid, an aldehyde, or an alcohol group.

Activation of the Si–B interelement bond related to catalysis

Covering the past seven years, this review comprehensively summarises the latest progress in the preparation and application of Si–B reagents, including the discussion of relevant reaction mechanisms.

Streamlined Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Substituted β,γ-Unsaturated Ketones and Either of the Corresponding Tertiary Homoallylic Alcohol Diastereomers

A widely applicable, practical, and scalable strategy for efficient and enantioselective synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated ketones that contain an α-stereogenic center is disclosed. Accordingly, aryl, heteroaryl, alkynyl, alkenyl, allyl, or alkyl ketones that contain an α-stereogenic carbon with an alkyl, an aryl, a benzyloxy, or a siloxy moiety can be generated from readily available starting materials and by the use of commercially available chiral ligands in 52-96% yield and 93:7 to >99:1 enantiomeric ratio. To develop the new method, conditions were identified so that high enantioselectivity would be attained and the resulting α-substituted NH-ketimines, wherein there is strong C═N → B(pin) coordination, would not epimerize before conversion to the derived ketone by hydrolysis. It is demonstrated that the ketone products can be converted to an assortment of homoallylic tertiary alcohols in 70-96% yield and 92:8 to >98:2 dr-in either diastereomeric form-by reactions with alkyl-, aryl-, heteroaryl-, allyl-, vinyl-, alkynyl-, or propargyl-metal reagents. The utility of the approach is highlighted through transformations that furnish other desirable derivatives and a concise synthesis route affording more than a gram of a major fragment of anti-HIV agents rubriflordilactones A and B and a specific stereoisomeric analogue.