De Novo Synthesis of α-Ketoamides via Pd/TBD Synergistic Catalysis

Precisely controlling the product selectivity of a reaction is an important objective in organic synthesis. α-Ketoamides are vital intermediates in chemical transformations and privileged motifs in numerous drugs, natural products, and biologically active molecules. The selective synthesis of α-ketoamides from feedstock chemicals in a safe and operationally simple manner under mild conditions is a long-standing catalysis challenge. Herein, an unprecedented TBD-switched Pd-catalyzed double isocyanide insertion reaction for assembling ketoamides in aqueous DMSO from (hetero)aryl halides and pseudohalides under mild conditions is reported. The effectiveness and utility of this protocol are demonstrated by its diverse substrate scope (93 examples), the ability to late-stage modify pharmaceuticals, scalability to large-scale synthesis, and the synthesis of pharmaceutically active molecules. Mechanistic studies indicate that TBD is a key ligand that modulates the Pd-catalyzed double isocyanide insertion process, thereby selectively providing the desired α-ketoamides in a unique manner. In addition, the imidoylpalladium(II) complex and α-ketoimine amide are successfully isolated and determined by X-ray analysis, confirming that they are probable intermediates in the catalytic pathway.

Synthesis of novel pregnane-based 20-carboxamides via palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation

20-Carboxamidopregnene derivatives, such as 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregn-20-ene-20-carboxamides and 5α-pregn-20-ene-20-carboxamides were synthesized from the widely accessible 3β-acetoxy-pregn-5,16-dien-20-one (PDA) using selective hydrogenation, hydrazine and iodoalkene formation, as well as palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation. The 20-iodo-20-ene derivatives, obtained from the corresponding 20-keto derivatives via their hydrazones, served as substrates. 23 new 20-carboxamides were obtained using various N-nucleophiles ranging from simple primary amines to α-amino acid esters. The novelty of this methodology lies in the application of facile, moderate or high-yielding reactions to obtain otherwise hardly accessible steroidal 20-carboxamides of pharmaceutical importance. In other words, instead of the enzymatic or synthetic degradation of e.g., sterols or cholanic acids, functionalization of the basic skeleton (a ‘building-up’ approach) was used.

Viable pathways for the oxidative addition of iodobenzene to palladium(0)-triphenylphosphine-carbonyl complexes: a theoretical study

The oxidative addition of 4-substituted iodobenzenes on Pd(0) catalysts under CO atmosphere was investigated by means of density functional calculations employing the M06//B97-D3 level of theory. The 18-electron triphenylphosphine-tricarbonyl complex was found to be the global minimum. Several coordinatively unsaturated species are predicted to be present both in N,N-dimethylformamide and toluene solution. In terms of activating iodobenzene, bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) was proved to be the most active. However, due to its lower thermodynamic stability, it is slightly inferior to the Pd-triphenylphosphine-carbonyl complex, which is predicted to react with a free energy of activation of 23.2 kcal mol^-1 with respect to the initial resting state tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0). The effect of 4-substituents of iodobenzene on reaction energetics is also discussed. The activity of the Pd(0) catalyst was found to be governed by the donor-acceptor strength of the ancillary ligands: the barrier decreases with increasing basicity and decreasing back-donating capability.

Application of γ-Valerolactone as an Alternative Biomass-Based Medium for Aminocarbonylation Reactions

γ-Valerolactone (GVL) was proposed as a renewable, nontoxic reaction medium with negligible vapor pressure for homogeneous Pd-catalyzed aminocarbonylation reactions. Iodobenzene as a model substrate and its 4-substituted derivatives were converted to the corresponding 2-ketocarboxamides with high conversions and chemoselectivities in γ-valerolactone. The effect of carbon monoxide pressure and reaction temperature on the conversion and selectivities were studied in the range 1-50 bar and 25-100 °C, respectively. The highest conversion and selectivity was achieved at 25 bar and 50 °C for iodobenzene in GVL for 24 h.

Palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reactions of aryl halides and related compounds

Palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reactions of aromatic halides in the presence of various nucleophiles have undergone rapid development since the pioneering work of Heck and co-workers in 1974, such that nowadays a plethora of palladium catalysts are available for different carbonylative transformations. The carboxylic acid derivatives, aldehydes, and ketones prepared in this way are important intermediates in the manufacture of dyes, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other industrial products. In this Review, the recent academic developments in this area and the first industrial processes are summarized.