Transformations of Aryl Ketones via Ligand-Promoted C−C Bond Activation

The coupling of aromatic electrophiles (aryl halides, aryl ethers, aryl acids, aryl nitriles etc.) with nucleophiles is a core methodology for the synthesis of aryl compounds. Transformations of aryl ketones in an analogous manner via carbon–carbon bond activation could greatly expand the toolbox for the synthesis of aryl compounds due to the abundance of aryl ketones. An exploratory study of this approach is typically based on carbon–carbon cleavage triggered by ring-strain release and chelation assistance, and the products are also limited to a specific structural motif. Here we report a ligand-promoted β-carbon elimination strategy to activate the carbon–carbon bonds, which results in a range of transformations of aryl ketones, leading to useful aryl borates, and also to biaryls, aryl nitriles, and aryl alkenes. The use of a pyridine-oxazoline ligand is crucial for this catalytic transformation. A gram-scale borylation reaction of an aryl ketone via a simple one-pot operation is reported. The potential utility of this strategy is also demonstrated by the late-stage diversification of drug molecules probenecid, adapalene, and desoxyestrone, the fragrance tonalid as well as the natural product apocynin.     

Transformations of Aryl Ketones via Ligand‐Promoted C−C Bond Activation

The coupling of aromatic electrophiles (aryl halides, aryl ethers, aryl acids, aryl nitriles etc.) with nucleophiles is a core methodology for the synthesis of aryl compounds. Transformations of aryl ketones in an analogous manner via carbon–carbon bond activation could greatly expand the toolbox for the synthesis of aryl compounds due to the abundance of aryl ketones. An exploratory study of this approach is typically based on carbon–carbon cleavage triggered by ring‐strain release and chelation assistance, and the products are also limited to a specific structural motif. Here we report a ligand‐promoted β‐carbon elimination strategy to activate the carbon–carbon bonds, which results in a range of transformations of aryl ketones, leading to useful aryl borates, and also to biaryls, aryl nitriles, and aryl alkenes. The use of a pyridine‐oxazoline ligand is crucial for this catalytic transformation. A gram‐scale borylation reaction of an aryl ketone via a simple one‐pot operation is reported. The potential utility of this strategy is also demonstrated by the late‐stage diversification of drug molecules probenecid, adapalene, and desoxyestrone, the fragrance tonalid as well as the natural product apocynin.     

Highly efficient synthesis of phenols by copper-catalyzed hydroxylation of aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides

8-Hydroxyquinolin-N-oxide was found to be a very efficient ligand for the copper-catalyzed hydroxylation of aryl iodides, aryl bromides, or aryl chlorides under mild reaction conditions. This methodology provides a direct transformation of aryl halides to phenols and to alkyl aryl ethers. The inexpensive catalytic system showed great functional group tolerance and excellent selectivity.     

The first general palladium catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura and carbonyl enolate coupling of aryl arenesulfonates

The first general method for the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura and carbonyl enolate coupling of unactivated aryl arenesulfonates was developed utilizing XPhos, 1, and Pd(OAc)2. This is of significant interest because aryl tosylates and aryl benzenesulfonates are more easily handled and considerably less expensive than aryl triflates. This catalyst system effects the coupling of a variety of aryl, heteroaryl, and extremely hindered arylboronic acids with different aryl tosylates, under mild conditions. The same catalyst was employed in the first carbonyl enolate coupling of aryl arensulfonates.     

O,O-二烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酸酯的异构化氯化反应——合成S-烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酸衍生物的新方法

报道了合成S-烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酸衍生物的一种便利的新方法。O,O-二烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酸酯与三氯氧磷发生氯化反应的同时,伴随着P=S键异构成P-S键,生成S-烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酰氯,在碱存在下进一步与各种亲核试剂反应,得到S-烷基S-烷基(芳基)二硫代磷酸衍生物。     

Inter- and Intramolecular Aryl–Aryl Interactions in Partially Fluorinated Ethylenedioxy-bridged Bisarenes**

Several ethylenedioxy-bridged bisarenes with a variety of type and number of aryl groups were synthesized to study non-covalent dispersion-driven inter- and intramolecular aryl–aryl interactions in the solid state and gas phase. Intramolecular interactions are preferably found in the gas phase. DFT calculations with and without dispersion correction show larger interacting aromatic groups increase the stabilization energy of folded conformers and decrease the intermolecular centroid–centroid distance. Single-molecule structures generally adopt folded conformations with short intramolecular aryl–aryl contacts. Gas electron diffraction experiments were performed exemplarily for 1-(pentafluorophenoxy)-2-(phenoxy)ethane. A new procedure for structure refinement was developed to deal with the conformational complexity of such molecules. The results are an experimental confirmation of the existence of folded conformations of this molecule with short intramolecular aryl–aryl distances in the gas phase. Solid-state structures are dominated by stretched structures without intramolecular aryl–aryl interactions but interactions with neighboring molecules.     

Efficient imidazolium salts for palladium-catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

The system, Pd(OAc)2/imidazolium salts (L2), was found as an efficient catalyst in the Heck coupling reaction of olefins with aryl halides and Suzuki reactions of various aryl halides with aryl boronic acids under aerobic condition. This catalytic system demonstrates great tolerance to a wide range of groups on all substrates of aryl halides, alkenes and aryl boronic acids.     

Valency changes of sulphur in the mass spectra of sulphones

The aryl substituent has been shown to affect the fragmentation and abundance of skeletal rearrangement ions in the spectra of aryl sulphonyl chlorides and sulphonic acids. The spectra of 2-hydroxy and 2-chloroethyl aryl sulphones contain [aryl SO]⁺ ions, suggesting that alkyl migration has competed successfully with aryl migration to the electron deficient oxygen atom.     

Copper-mediated fluorination of aryl iodides

The synthesis of aryl fluorides has been studied intensively because of the importance of aryl fluorides in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. The stability, reactivity, and biological properties of aryl fluorides can be distinct from those of the corresponding arenes. Methods for the synthesis of aryl fluorides, however, are limited. We report the conversion of a diverse set of aryl iodides to the corresponding aryl fluorides. This reaction occurs with a cationic copper reagent and silver fluoride. Preliminary results suggest this reaction is enabled by a facile reductive elimination from a cationic arylcopper(III) fluoride.     

Palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl nonaflates

The first detailed study of the palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl nonaflates is reported. Use of ligands 2-4 and 6 allows for the catalytic amination of electron-rich and -neutral aryl nonaflates with both primary and secondary amines. With use of Xantphos 5, the catalytic amination of a variety of functionalized aryl nonaflates resulted in excellent yields of anilines; even 2-carboxymethyl aryl nonaflate is effectively coupled with a primary alkylamine. Moderate yields were obtained when coupling halo-aryl nonaflates with a variety of amines, where in most cases the aryl nonaflate reacted in preference to the aryl halide. Overall, aryl nonaflates are an effective alternative to triflates in palladium-catalyzed C-N bond-forming processes due to their increased stability under the reaction conditions.     

New synthetic routes towards various α-fluorinated aryl ketones and their enantioselective reductions using baker's yeast

Highly electrophilic dichlorofluoromethyl aryl ketones were obtained by oxidation of dichlorofluoromethyl aryl alcohols. Subsequent dechlorination of these ketones using sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate (Rongalite) and reductive dehalogenating system SnCl₂/Al led to various fluoromethyl aryl ketones and chlorofluoromethyl aryl ketones, respectively. Asymmetric reductions of these fluorinated ketones using the inexpensive baker's yeast produced the corresponding fluoromethyl aryl alcohols with different enantioselectivities.     

Tributyltin Aryl Selenides as Efficient Arylselenating Agents. Synthesis of Diaryl and Aryl Organyl Selenides

Tributyltin aryl selenides are highly efficient arylselenating agents in reactions with aryl iodides and aryl triflates under catalysis with Pd and Ni complexes respectively. They also may be used as efficient source of active arylselenolate anion in the presence of fluoride ions in reaction of arylselenation of alkyl halides and activated aryl fluorides.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct Cross‐Coupling of Carboranyllithium with (Hetero)Aryl Halides

A palladium‐catalyzed direct C‐arylation reaction of readily available cage carboranyllithium reagents with aryl halides has been developed for the first time. This method is applicable to a wide range of aryl halide substrates including aryl iodides, aryl bromides, and heteroaromatic halides.     

Copper-mediated cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids and alkyl thiols

[reaction: see text] The cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids and alkanethiols mediated by copper(II) acetate and pyridine in anhydrous dimethylformamide affords aryl alkyl sulfides in good yield with a wide variety of substituted aryl boronic acids. The method is applicable to the synthesis of aryl sulfides of cysteine.     

Room‐Temperature Arylation of Thiols: Breakthrough with Aryl Chlorides

The formation of aryl C−S bonds is an important chemical transformation because aryl sulfides are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of biologically and pharmaceutically active molecules and organic materials. Aryl sulfides have traditionally been synthesized through the transition‐metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of aryl halides with thiols. However, the aryl halides used are usually bromides and iodides; readily available, low‐cost aryl chlorides often not reactive enough. Furthermore, the deactivation of transition‐metal catalysts by thiols has forced chemists to use high catalyst loadings, specially designed ligands, high temperatures, and/or strong bases, thus leading to high costs and the incompatibility of some functional groups. Herein, we describe a simple and efficient visible‐light photoredox arylation of thiols with aryl halides at room temperature. More importantly, various aryl chlorides are also effective arylation reagents under the present conditions.     

Palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl and heteroaryl tosylates at room temperature

Mild palladium-catalyzed aminations of aryl tosylates and the first aminations of heteroaryl tosylates are described. In the presence of the combination of L2Pd(0) (L = P(o-tol)3) and the hindered Josiphos ligand CyPF-t-Bu, a variety of primary alkylamines and arylamines react with both aryl and heteroaryl tosylates at room temperature to form the corresponding secondary arylamines in high yields with complete selectivity for the monoarylamine. These reactions at room temperature occur in many cases with catalyst loadings of 0.1 mol % and 0.01 mol % in one case, constituting the most efficient aminations of aryl tosylates by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. This catalyst is made practical by the development of a convenient method to synthesize the L2Pd(0) precursor. This complex is stable to air as a solid. In contrast to conventional relative rates for reactions of aryl sulfonates, the reactions of aryl tosylates are faster than parallel reactions of aryl triflates, and the reactions of aryl tosylates are faster than parallel or competitive reactions of aryl chlorides.     

A general strategy for the perfluoroalkylation of arenes and arylbromides by using arylboronate esters and [(phen)CuR(F)

A versatile method for the synthesis of aryl perfluoroalkanes from arenes and aryl bromides is described. Substituted arenes or aryl bromides are converted in situ to an aryl boronate ester that readily undergoes perfluoroalkylation in air with [(phen)CuR(F)]. A broad range of aryl bromide substrates were perfluoroalkylated in good yield for the first time. [(phen)CuCF(3)] is now commercially available and has been prepared on 20?g scale.     

Carbene adduct of cyclopalladated ferrocenylimine catalyzed α-arylation of ketones with aryl chlorides or bromides

Carbene adduct of cyclopalladated ferrocenylimine exhibited highly catalytic activity for the α-arylation of ketones with aryl halides. The corresponding products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields. Such protocol was applied to various ketones and a broad scope of aryl halides including aryl chlorides, bromides as well as unactivated and sterically hindered aryl halides.     

Rapid, easy cyanation of aryl bromides and chlorides using nickel salts in conjunction with microwave promotion

We report here a fast, easy, and efficient method for the preparation of aryl nitriles from aryl bromides and chlorides. The methodology for aryl bromides involves the use of either Ni(CN)(2) or NaCN and NiBr(2). With aryl chlorides, a mix of NaCN and NiBr(2) is used and the reaction proceeds via the in situ formation of the corresponding aryl bromide. The reaction can be performed in air and is complete within 10 min.     

Photochemical vs. electrochemical electron-transfer reactions. one-electron reduction of aryl halides by photoexcited anion radicals

Electrochemical reduction of aryl halides generally leads to expulsion of halide ion. The product aryl radical is unavoidably further reduced. In contrast, reduction of aryl halides by photoexcited anion radicals may be stopped at the aryl radical stage owing to the bimolecular nature of electron-transfer reactions. We have tested this hypothesis by photoinducing electron-transfer from anthraquinone anion radical to several aryl halides. For each halide it was possible to trap the corresponding radical by anthracene forming stituted 9-phenylanthracenes.