Mechanistic Insight Leads to a Ligand Which Facilitates the Palladium‐Catalyzed Formation of 2‐(Hetero)Arylaminooxazoles and 4‐(Hetero)Arylaminothiazoles

By using mechanistic insight, a new ligand (EPhos) for the palladium‐catalyzed C−N cross‐coupling between primary amines and aryl halides has been developed. Employing an isopropoxy group at the C3‐position favors the C‐bound isomer of the ligand‐supported palladium(II) complexes and leads to significantly improved reactivity. The use of a catalyst system based on EPhos with NaOPh as a mild homogeneous base proved to be very effective in the formation of 4‐arylaminothiazoles and highly functionalized 2‐arylaminooxazoles. Previously, these were not readily accessible using palladium catalysis.     

Selected Copper‐Based Reactions for C−N,C−O,C−S,and C−C Bond Formation

Metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions belong to the most important transformations in organic synthesis. Copper catalysis has received great attention owing to the low toxicity and low cost of copper. However, traditional Ullmann‐type couplings suffer from limited substrate scopes and harsh reaction conditions. The introduction of several bidentate ligands, such as amino acids, diamines, 1,3‐diketones, and oxalic diamides, over the past two decades has totally changed this situation as these ligands enable the copper‐catalyzed coupling of aryl halides and nucleophiles at both low reaction temperatures and catalyst loadings. The reaction scope has also been greatly expanded, rendering this copper‐based cross‐coupling attractive for both academia and industry. In this Review, we have summarized the latest progress in the development of useful reaction conditions for the coupling of (hetero)aryl halides with different nucleophiles. Additionally, recent advances in copper‐catalyzed coupling reactions with aryl boronates and the copper‐based trifluoromethylation of aromatic electrophiles will be discussed.     

Copper-Catalyzed Amination of Aryl Halides with Aqueous Ammonia under Mild Conditions

A Cu(I) generated in situ from CuSO₄·5H₂O/sodium ascorbate catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of aryl halides with aqueous ammonia for the synthesis of primary aromatic amines has been developed. Key to the success included the application of aqueous ammonia under a homogeneous condition.     

Copper Catalyzed C−H Activation

Activation of C?H bonds and their application in cross coupling chemistry has received a wider interest in recent years. The conventional strategy in cross coupling reaction involves the pre‐functionalization step of coupling reactants such as organic halides, pseudo‐halides and organometallic reagents. The C?H activation facilitates a simple and straight forward approach devoid of pre‐functionalization step. This approach also addresses the environmental and economical issues involved in several chemical reactions. In this account, we have reported C?H bond activation of small organic molecules, for example, formamide C?H bond can be activated and coupled with β‐dicarbonyl or 2‐carbonyl substituted phenols under oxidative conditions to yield carbamates using inexpensive copper catalysts. Phenyl carbamates were successfully synthesized in moderate to good yields by cross dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of phenols with formamides using copper catalysts in presence of a ligand. We have also prepared unsymmetrical urea derivatives by oxidative cross coupling of formamides with amines using copper catalysts. Synthesis of N,N‐dimethyl substituted amides, 5‐substituted‐γ‐lactams and α‐acyloxy ethers was carried out from carboxylic acids using recyclable CuO nanoparticles. Copper nanoparticles afforded N‐aryl‐γ‐amino‐γ‐lactams by oxidative coupling of aromatic amines with 2‐pyrrolidinone. Reusable transition metal HT‐derived oxide catalyst was used for the synthesis of N,N‐dimethyl substituted amides by the oxidative cross‐coupling of carboxylic acids and substituted benzaldehydes. Overview of our work in this area is summarized.     

Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed CS Bond Coupling Reaction

Sulfur‐containing molecules such as thioethers are commonly found in chemical biology, organic synthesis, and materials chemistry. While many reliable methods have been developed for preparing these compounds, harsh reaction conditions are usually required in the traditional methods. The transition metals have been applied in this field, and the palladium‐catalyzed coupling of thiols with aryl halides and pseudo halides is one of the most important methods in the synthesis of thioethers. Other metals have also been used for the same purpose. Here, we summarize recent efforts in metal‐catalyzed C? S bond cross‐coupling reactions, focusing especially on the coupling of thiols with aryl‐ and vinyl halides based on different metals.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Reductive Cross‐Coupling of Aryl Halides with Monofluoroalkyl Halides for Late‐Stage Monofluoroalkylation

A combinatorial nickel‐catalyzed monofluoroalkylation of aryl halides with unactivated fluoroalkyl halides by reductive cross‐coupling has been developed. This method demonstrated high efficiency, mild conditions, and excellent functional‐group tolerance, thus enabling the late‐stage monofluoroalkylation of diverse drugs. The key to success was the combination of diverse readily available bidentate and monodentate pyridine‐type nitrogen ligands with nickel, which in situ generated a variety of readily tunable catalysts to promote fluoroalkylation with broad scope with respect to both coupling partners. This combinatorial catalysis strategy offers a solution for nickel‐catalyzed reductive cross‐coupling reactions and provides an efficient way to synthesize fluoroalkylated druglike molecules for drug discovery.     

The Buchwald–Hartwig Amination After 25 Years

The Pd‐catalyzed coupling of aryl (pseudo)halides and amines is one of the most powerful approaches for the formation of C(sp²)?N bonds. The pioneering reports from Migita and subsequently Buchwald and Hartwig on the coupling of aminostannanes and aryl bromides rapidly evolved into general and practical tin‐free protocols with broad substrate scope, which led to the establishment of what is now known as the Buchwald–Hartwig amination. This Minireview summarizes the evolution of this cross‐coupling reaction over the course of the past 25 years and illustrates some of the most recent applications of this well‐established methodology.     

Highly Chemoselective Iridium Photoredox and Nickel Catalysis for the Cross‐Coupling of Primary Aryl Amines with Aryl Halides

A visible‐light‐promoted iridium photoredox and nickel dual‐catalyzed cross‐coupling procedure for the formation C?N bonds has been developed. With this method, various aryl amines were chemoselectively cross‐coupled with electronically and sterically diverse aryl iodides and bromides to forge the corresponding C?N bonds, which are of high interest to the pharmaceutical industries. Aryl iodides were found to be a more efficient electrophilic coupling partner. The coupling reactions were carried out at room temperature without the rigorous exclusion of molecular oxygen, thus making this newly developed Ir‐photoredox/Ni dual‐catalyzed procedure very mild and operationally simple.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Cross‐Electrophile Coupling of Aryl Bromides with Pyrimidin‐2‐yl Tosylates

A new protocol for the NiCl₂ ‐catalyzed cross‐electrophile coupling of aryl bromides with pyrimidin‐2‐yl tosylates to give the corresponding C2 ‐arylation pyrimidine derivatives has been developed. This study provides an improvement over previous methods by using pyrimidin‐2‐yl tosylates instead of halides as coupling partners that are stable and easily available.     

Ullmann‐Ma Reaction: Development,Scope and Applications in Organic Synthesis†

Copper‐catalyzed cross‐couplings of aryl halides and nucleophiles, traditionally called Ullmann‐type coupling reactions, were initially reported by Ullmann et al. from 1901—1929. A seminal report in 1998 by Ma et al. from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed an accelerating effect caused by amino acids, which brought Ullmann‐type coupling reactions into a ligand‐accelerating era. From 1999 to the first 10 years of 2000s, the first‐generation ligands were developed by many researchers and promoted Ullmann‐type coupling reactions of aryl iodides and bromides under relatively mild conditions. Amino acid ligands, developed by Ma and coworkers, are one class of the most important first‐generation ligands. In the second 10 years of 2000s, Ma et al. led the discovery of second‐generation ligands for copper‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions. Two great breakthroughs have been realized by using second‐generation oxalic diamide and related amide ligands, with aryl chlorides as general coupling partner and with low catalyst loadings. Now copper‐catalyzed cross coupling reactions of aryl halides and nucleophiles with amino acids or oxalic diamides and related amides as ligands are recognized as Ullmann‐Ma reactions and have found extensive applications in organic synthesis.     

Design of New Ligands for the Palladium‐Catalyzed Arylation of α‐Branched Secondary Amines

In Pd‐catalyzed C? N cross‐coupling reactions, α‐branched secondary amines are difficult coupling partners and the desired products are often produced in low yields. In order to provide a robust method for accessing N‐aryl α‐branched tertiary amines, new catalysts have been designed to suppress undesired side reactions often encountered when these amine nucleophiles are used. These advances enabled the arylation of a wide array of sterically encumbered amines, highlighting the importance of rational ligand design in facilitating challenging Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions.     

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.     

Synthesis of Complex Phenols Enabled by a Rationally Designed Hydroxide Surrogate

The conversion of aryl halides to phenols under mild reaction conditions is a longstanding and formidable challenge in organic chemistry. Herein, we report the rational design of a broadly applicable Pd‐catalyzed method to prepare phenols with benzaldehyde oxime as a hydroxide surrogate. These reactions occur under mildly basic conditions and enable the late‐stage hydroxylation of several functionally‐dense drug‐like aryl halides.     

On the Radical Nature of Iron‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions

The radical nature of iron‐catalyzed cross‐coupling between Grignard reagents and alkyl halides has been studied by using a combination of competitive kinetic experiments and DFT calculations. In contrast to the corresponding coupling with aryl halides, which commences through a classical two‐electron oxidative addition/reductive elimination sequence, the presented data suggest that alkyl halides react through an atom‐transfer‐initiated radical pathway. Furthermore, a general iodine‐based quenching methodology was developed to enable the determination of highly accurate concentrations of Grignard reagents, a capability that facilitates and increases the information output of kinetic investigations based on these substrates.     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Intermolecular C(sp2)O Cross‐Coupling

Cobalt(II)‐catalyzed C(sp²)?O cross‐coupling between aryl/heteroaryl alcohols and vinyl/aryl halides in the presence of Cu^I has been achieved under ligand‐free conditions. In this reaction, copper plays a significant role in transmetalation rather than being directly involved in the C?O coupling. This unique Co/Cu‐dual catalyst system provides an easy access to a library of aryl–vinyl, heteroaryl–styryl, aryl–aryl, and heteroaryl–heteroaryl ethers in the absence of any ligand or additive.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Umpolung Arylation of Ambiphilic α‐Bromoalkyl Boronic Esters

A nickel‐catalyzed reductive arylation of ambiphilic α‐bromoalkyl boronic esters with aryl halides is described. This platform provides an unrecognized opportunity to promote the catalytic umpolung reactivity of ambiphilic reagents with aryl halides, thus unlocking a new cross‐coupling strategy that complements existing methods for the preparation of densely functionalized alkyl‐substituted organometallic reagents from simple and readily accessible precursors.     

Intra‐ and Intermolecular Nickel‐Catalyzed Reductive Cross‐Electrophile Coupling Reactions of Benzylic Esters with Aryl Halides

Nickel‐catalyzed cross‐electrophile coupling reactions of benzylic esters and aryl halides have been developed. Both inter‐ and intramolecular variants proceed under mild reaction conditions. A range of heterocycles and functional groups are tolerated under the reaction conditions. Additionally, the first example of a stereospecific cross‐electrophile coupling of a secondary benzylic ester is described.     

Catalytic Ester and Amide to Amine Interconversion: Nickel‐Catalyzed Decarbonylative Amination of Esters and Amides by C−O and C−C Bond Activation

An efficient nickel‐catalyzed decarbonylative amination reaction of aryl and heteroaryl esters has been achieved for the first time. The new amination protocol allows the direct interconversion of esters and amides into the corresponding amines and represents a good alternative to classical rearrangements as well as cross coupling reactions.     

钯等过渡金属催化的卤代芳烃和胺的偶联反应

综述了钯等过渡金属催化的卤代芳烃或芳基碘酸酯和胺的偶联反应以及催化这 一新反应的催化剂的发展和应用。用于该反应的配体由P（o-tolyl)3发展到BINAP 及二烷基芳基膦，基底物由溴代芳烃扩展到经济易得的氯化芳烃及碘酸酯和各种胺。     

C−O Activation by a Rhodium Bis(N‐Heterocyclic Carbene) Catalyst: Aryl Carbamates as Arylating Reagents in Directed C−H Arylation

Despite recent progress in the catalytic transformation of inert phenol derivatives as alternatives to aryl halides and triflates, attempts at the cross‐coupling of inert phenol derivatives with the C−H bonds of arenes have met with limited success. Herein, we report the rhodium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of aryl carbamates with arenes bearing a convertible directing group. The key to success is the use of an in situ generated rhodium bis(N‐heterocyclic carbene) species as the catalyst, which can promote activation of the inert C(sp²)−O bond in aryl carbamates.