Ruthenium‐Catalyzed meta‐Selective C?H Bromination

The first example of a transition‐metal‐catalyzed, meta‐selective C H bromination procedure is reported. In the presence of catalytic [{Ru(p‐cymene)Cl₂}₂], tetrabutylammonium tribromide can be used to functionalize the meta C H bond of 2‐phenylpyridine derivatives, thus affording difficult to access products which are highly predisposed to further derivatization. We demonstrate this utility with one‐pot bromination/arylation and bromination/alkenylation procedures to deliver meta‐arylated and meta‐alkenylated products, respectively, in a single step.     

Regioselective Insertion of o‐Carborynes into the α‐C?H Bond of Tertiary Amines: Synthesis of α‐Carboranylated Amines

o‐Carboryne can undergo α‐C H bond insertion with tertiary amines, thus affording α‐carboranylated amines in very good regioselectivity and isolated yields. In this process, the nucleophilic addition of tertiary amines to the multiple bond of o‐carboryne generates a zwitterionic intermediate. An intramolecular proton transfer, followed by a nucleophilic attack leads to the formation of the final product. Thus, regioselectivity is highly dependent upon the acidity of α‐C H proton of tertiary amines. This approach serves as an efficient methodology for the preparation of a series of 1‐aminoalkyl‐o‐carboranes.     

Enantioselective C?H Bond Functionalization Triggered by Radical Trifluoromethylation of Unactivated Alkene

An asymmetric unactivated alkene/C H bond difunctionalization reaction for the concomitant construction of C CF₃ and C O bonds was realized by using a Cu/Brønsted acid cooperative catalytic system, thus providing facile access to valuable chiral CF₃‐containing N,O‐aminals with excellent regio‐, chemo‐, and enantioselectivity. Mechanistic studies revealed that this reaction may proceed by an unprecedented 1,5‐hydride shift involving activation of unactivated alkenes and a radical trifluoromethylation to initiate subsequent enantioselective functionalization of C H bonds. Control experiments also suggested that chiral Brønsted acid plays multiple roles and not only controls the stereoselectivity but also increases the reaction rate through activation of Togni’s reagent.     

Application of a C?C Bond‐Forming Conjugate Addition Reaction in Asymmetric Dearomatization of β‐Naphthols

A C C bond‐forming conjugate reaction was successfully applied to the enantioselective dearomatization of β‐naphthols. A C(sp2) C(sp3) bond is formed by using propargylic ketones as reactive partners. Good to excellent Z/E ratios and ee values were obtained by employing an in situ generated magnesium catalyst. Further transformations of the Z‐configured C C double bond in the products were achieved under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the stereocontrolling element of this magnesium‐catalyzed dearomatization reaction was explored by computational chemistry.     

Ab Initio energetics of Si?O bond cleavage

A multilevel approach that combines high‐level ab initio quantum chemical methods applied to a molecular model of a single, strain‐free Si O Si bridge has been used to derive accurate energetics for Si O bond cleavage. The calculated Si O bond dissociation energy and the activation energy for water‐assisted Si O bond cleavage of 624 and 163 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively, are in excellent agreement with values derived recently from experimental data. In addition, the activation energy for H₂O‐assisted Si O bond cleavage is found virtually independent of the amount of water molecules in the vicinity of the reaction site. The estimated reaction energy for this process including zero‐point vibrational contribution is in the range of −5 to 19 kJ mol⁻¹. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ring Expansion to 1‐Bromo‐1‐alumacyclonona‐2,4,6,8‐tetraene by Insertion of Two Alkyne Molecules into the Al?C Bonds

Treatment of 1‐bromo‐2,3,4,5‐tetraethylalumole ( 1 ) with 3‐hexyne afforded the corresponding product 1‐bromo‐1‐alumacyclonona‐2,4,6,8‐tetraene ( 2 ), accompanied by the formation of hexaethylbenzene. In the crystalline state, 2 forms a Br‐bridged dimer with a pseudo C₂‐symmetric and twisted AlC₈ nine‐membered ring. Deuterium‐labeling experiments and DFT calculations on the reaction of 1 with 3‐hexyne suggested that 1‐bromo‐1‐alumacyclohepta‐2,4,6‐triene, which is formed by the insertion of one molecule of 1‐hexyne into the Al C bond of alumole 1 , is the key intermediate for the generation of 2 as well as hexaethylbenzene.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Intramolecular C?H Silylation for the Syntheses of Planar‐Chiral Metallocene Siloles

Reported herein is the rhodium‐catalyzed enantioselective C H bond silylation of the cyclopentadiene rings in Fe and Ru metallocenes. Thus, in the presence of (S)‐TMS‐Segphos, the reactions took place under very mild conditions to afford metallocene‐fused siloles in good to excellent yields and with ee values of up to 97 %. During this study it was observed that the steric hindrance of chiral ligands had a profound influence on the reactivity and enantioselectivity of the reaction, and might hold the key to accomplishing conventionally challenging asymmetric C H silylations.     

Gas‐Phase Structure Determination of Dihydroxycarbene,One of the Smallest Stable Singlet Carbenes

Carbenes are reactive molecules of the form R¹ C̈ R² that play a role in topics ranging from organic synthesis to gas‐phase oxidation chemistry. We report the first experimental structure determination of dihydroxycarbene (HO C̈ OH), one of the smallest stable singlet carbenes, using a combination of microwave rotational spectroscopy and high‐level coupled‐cluster calculations. The semi‐experimental equilibrium structure derived from five isotopic variants of HO C̈ OH contains two very short CO single bonds (ca. 1.32 Å). Detection of HO C̈ OH in the gas phase firmly establishes that it is stable to isomerization, yet it has been underrepresented in discussions of the CH₂O₂ chemical system and its atmospherically relevant isomers: formic acid and the Criegee intermediate CH₂OO.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed C?C and C?O Coupling of Quinoline N‐Oxides with Alkynes: Combination of C?H Activation with O‐Atom Transfer

[Cp*Rh^III]‐catalyzed C H activation of arenes assisted by an oxidizing N O or N N directing group has allowed the construction of a number of hetercycles. In contrast, a polar N O bond is well‐known to undergo O‐atom transfer (OAT) to alkynes. Despite the liability of N O bonds in both C H activation and OAT, these two important areas evolved separately. In this report, [Cp*Rh^III] catalysts integrate both areas in an efficient redox‐neutral coupling of quinoline N‐oxides with alkynes to afford α‐(8‐quinolyl)acetophenones. In this process the N O bond acts as both a directing group for C H activation and as an O‐atom donor.     

Quantum chemical topology: The electronic structure of the alkaline nitrites MONO (M = Li,Na, K) studied by means of topological analysis of the electron localization function

In the search of the protocovalent bonding, previously recognized in the nitrous acid (HONO), a nature of the chemical bonds in the alkaline nitrites MONO (M = Li, Na, K) has been studied by means of the topological analysis of the Electron Localization Function (ELF) and Electron Localizability Indicator (ELI‐D). Calculations carried out with the B3LYP and MP2(full) methods, in conjunction with the aug‐cc‐pVTZ and 6‐311++G(3df,3pd) basis sets, revealed the cis (C_2v, more stable) and trans (C_s) isomers as minima on PES. Alkaline nitrites consist of the alkali metal cation M^δ+ interacting, mainly via electrostatic forces, with the nitrite anion [ONO]^δ− (δ ≈ 1e). The covalent N O bonds are characterized by disynaptic basins V(N,O) with the basin populations: 1.58÷1.62e for cis‐M^δ+[ONO]^δ− but 1.39÷1.49e for single N O bond and 1.81÷1.87e for formally double NO bond in trans M^δ+[O NO]^δ−. The protocovalent nitrogen–oxygen bond has not been observed. The N O bonds are slightly polarized towards the nitrogen atom with the polarity index p_NO ≤ 0.12. Two different sets of the hybrid (Lewis) structures are compared leading to different pictures of the bonding. According to NBO data there is a delocalization between the single N O and double NO type bonds, meanwhile results of the ELF analysis emphasize an electron delocalization between the single N O and ionic O⁻N⁺ hybrids. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

The nature of the N?O bond in amine oxides

Despite the ubiquitous presence of amine oxides in chemistry, there is no consensus about the nature of the N O bond in these compounds. In this work, we have used electron density analysis to investigate the nature of this bond in substituted amine oxides, R₃NO, and have compared it with the nature of the N O bond in hydroxylamines, R₂NOR, and model molecules that have well-established chemical bond character. The results showed that the N O bond length and relative stability are proportional to the inductive effect of the substituents. Quantum chemical topology, natural bond orbitals (NBO), and natural resonance theory (NRT) analyses indicated that the N O bond is polar covalent in all the studied amine oxides, but the ionic contribution is different. NBO and NRT analyses revealed that molecules with more electronegative substituents have strongly delocalized N O and N R bonds, whereas molecules with electropositive substituents have localized bonds.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Cascade C?H Functionalization of Phenylacetophenones

Three orthogonal cascade C H functionalization processes are described, based on ruthenium‐catalyzed C H alkenylation. 1‐Indanones, indeno indenes, and indeno furanones were accessed through cascade pathways by using arylacetophenones as substrates under conditions of catalytic [{Ru(p‐cymene)Cl₂}₂] and stoichiometric Cu(OAc)₂. Each transformation uses C H functionalization methods to form C C bonds sequentially, with the indeno furanone synthesis featuring a C O bond formation as the terminating step. This work demonstrates the power of ruthenium‐catalyzed alkenylation as a platform reaction to develop more complex transformations, with multiple C H functionalization steps taking place in a single operation to access novel carbocyclic structures.     

The structure of tetramethyl μ-monothiopyrophosphate

The compound tetramethyl μ-monothiopyrophosphate (C₄H₁₂O₆P₂S) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C 2/c, with (at -130°C) a = 10.322 Å, b = 8.229 Å, c = 12.062 Å, β = 98.44°, and D_calc = 1.639 g/mL³ and Z = 4. The crystal structure has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction to give a final R value of 0.0329 for 614 independent observed reflections [F_˚ > 2.5σ(F_˚)]. The sulfur atom resides on a crystallographic two-fold axis. The P S P bond angle is 105.4° and the P S bond lengths are 2.093 Å. The bond angles around phosphorus range from 99.1° to 118.2°. The terminal PO bond is 1.465 Å, and the methoxyl P O bond is about 1.556 Å. The H₃C O P bond angle is about 119.5°. Many structural features are interpreted in terms of π-bonding to phosphorus. Comparisons with the structures of pyrophosphate and related compounds indicate that the combined effects of increased acuteness of the P S P bond and the increased length of the P—S bonds lead to an increase of about 0.4 Å in the separation of phosphorus atoms in the sulfur-bridging compound. These facts, together with the weakness of the P S bond, must be taken into account in the interpretation of kinetic data for enzymatic reactions of phosphorothiolates as substrates in place of phosphates.     

Palladium(0)/PAr3‐Catalyzed Intermolecular Amination of C(sp3)?H Bonds: Synthesis of β‐Amino Acids

An intermolecular C(sp³) H amination using a Pd⁰/PAr₃ catalyst was developed. The reaction begins with oxidative addition of R₂N OBz to a Pd⁰/PAr₃ catalyst and subsequent cleavage of a C(sp³) H bond by the generated Pd NR₂ intermediate. The catalytic cycle proceeds without the need for external oxidants in a similar manner to the extensively studied palladium(0)‐catalyzed C H arylation reactions. The electron‐deficient triarylphosphine ligand is crucial for this C(sp³) H amination reaction to occur.     

Enantioselective Palladium‐Catalyzed C?H Functionalization of Indoles Using an Axially Chiral 2,2′‐Bipyridine Ligand

A palladium‐catalyzed enantioselective C H functionalization of indoles was achieved with an axially chiral 2,2′‐bipyridine ligand, thus providing the desired indol‐3‐acetate derivatives with up to 98 % ee. Moreover, the reaction protocol was also effective for asymmetric O H insertion reaction of phenols using α‐aryl‐α‐diazoacetates. This represents the first successful application of bipyridine ligands with axial chirality in palladium‐catalyzed carbene migratory insertion reactions.     

Olefin cis‐Dihydroxylation and Aliphatic C?H Bond Oxygenation by a Dioxygen‐Derived Electrophilic Iron–Oxygen Oxidant

Many iron‐containing enzymes involve metal–oxygen oxidants to carry out O₂‐dependent transformation reactions. However, the selective oxidation of C H and CC bonds by biomimetic complexes using O₂ remains a major challenge in bioinspired catalysis. The reactivity of iron–oxygen oxidants generated from an Fe^II–benzilate complex of a facial N₃ ligand were thus investigated. The complex reacted with O₂ to form a nucleophilic oxidant, whereas an electrophilic oxidant, intercepted by external substrates, was generated in the presence of a Lewis acid. Based on the mechanistic studies, a nucleophilic Fe^II–hydroperoxo species is proposed to form from the benzilate complex, which undergoes heterolytic O O bond cleavage in the presence of a Lewis acid to generate an Fe^IV–oxo–hydroxo oxidant. The electrophilic iron–oxygen oxidant selectively oxidizes sulfides to sulfoxides, alkenes to cis‐diols, and it hydroxylates the C H bonds of alkanes, including that of cyclohexane.     

A Two‐Coordinate Cobalt(II) Imido Complex with NHC Ligation: Synthesis,Structure, and Reactivity

The synthesis, structural characterization, and reactivity of the first two‐coordinate cobalt complex featuring a metal–element multiple bond [(IPr)Co(NDmp)] ( 4 ; IPr=1,3‐bis(2′,6′‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazole‐2‐ylidene; Dmp=2,6‐dimesitylphenyl) is reported. Complex 4 was prepared from the reaction of [(IPr)Co(η²‐vtms)₂] (vtms=vinyltrimethylsilane) with DmpN₃. An X‐ray diffraction study revealed its linear C Co N core and a short Co N distance (1.691(6) Å). Spectroscopic characterization and calculation studies indicated the high‐spin nature of 4 and the multiple‐bond character of the Co N bond. Complex 4 effected group‐transfer reactions to CO and ethylene to form isocyanide and imine, respectively. It also facilitated E H (E=C, Si) σ‐bond activation of terminal alkyne and hydrosilanes to produce the corresponding cobalt(II) alkynyl and cobalt(II) hydride complexes as 1,2‐addition products.     

Tetrel bonds between PhSiF3/PhTH3 (T = Si,Ge, Sn) and H3ZO (Z = N,P, As): A pentacoordinate silicon (IV) complex

The nature of the complexes PhTH₃ H₃ZO and PhSiF₃ H₃ZO (T = Si, Ge, and Sn; Z = N, P, and As) has been investigated at the MP2/aug’‐cc‐pVTZ(PP) level. These complexes are primarily stabilized by one T···O tetrel bond. Interaction energies of these complexes vary from 11 to 220 kJ/mol, and T···O separations from 1.89 to 3.09 Å. Charge transfer from the O lone pair into the C T and T H σ* antibonding orbitals leads to the stabilization of these complexes. The T···O tetrel bond between PhTH₃/PhSiF₃ and H₃NO exhibits a significant degree of covalence, characterized by the large interaction energy, negative energy density, and large charge transfer. Furthermore, a pentacoordinate silicon (IV) complex is formed in PhSiF₃ H₃NO with the Si···O distance almost close to the length of Si O bond. This indicates that the oxygen atom in N‐oxides shows a strong affinity to the silicon atom in organosilicon compounds.     

Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of the Stereoselective Synthesis of P‐Stereogenic Phosphine Oxides

An efficient enantioselective strategy for the synthesis of variously substituted phosphine oxides has been developed, incorporating the use of (1S,2S)‐2‐aminocyclohexanol as the chiral auxiliary. The method relies on three key steps: 1) Highly diastereoselective formation of P^V oxazaphospholidine, rationalized by a theoretical study; 2) highly diastereoselective ring‐opening of the oxazaphospholidine oxide with organometallic reagents that takes place with inversion of configuration at the P atom; 3) enantioselective synthesis of phosphine oxides by cleavage of the remaining P?O bond. Interestingly, the use of a P^III phosphine precursor afforded a P‐epimer oxazaphospholidine. Hence, the two enantiomeric phosphine oxides can be synthesized starting from either a P^V or a P^III phosphine precursor, which constitutes a clear advantage for the stereoselective synthesis of sterically hindered phosphine oxides.     

Dianionic Mononuclear Cyclo‐P4 Complexes of Zero‐Valent Molybdenum: Coordination of the Cyclo‐P4 Dianion in the Absence of Intramolecular Charge Transfer

Relative to other cyclic poly‐phosphorus species (that is, cyclo‐P_n), the planar cyclo‐P₄ group is unique in its requirement of two additional electrons to achieve aromaticity. These electrons are supplied from one or more metal centers. However, the degree of charge transfer is dependent on the nature of the metal fragment. Unique examples of dianionic mononuclear η⁴‐P₄ complexes are presented that can be viewed as the simple coordination of the [cyclo‐P₄]^2? dianion to a neutral metal fragment. Treatment of the neutral, molybdenum cyclo‐P₄ complexes Mo(η⁴‐P₄)I₂(CO)(CNAr^Dipp2)₂ and Mo(η⁴‐P₄)(CO)₂(CNAr^Dipp2)₂ with KC₈ produces the dianionic, three‐legged piano stool complexes, [Mo(η⁴‐P₄)(CO)(CNAr^Dipp2)₂]^2? and [Mo(η⁴‐P₄)(CO)₂(CNAr^Dipp2)]^2?, respectively. Structural, spectroscopic, and computational studies reveal a similarity to the classic η⁶‐benzene complex (η⁶‐C₆H₆)Mo(CO)₃ regarding the metal‐center valence state and electronic population of the planar‐cyclic ligand π system.