Synthesis and Transformations of NH-Sulfoximines

Recent years have seen a marked increase in the occurrence of sulfoximines in the chemical sciences, often presented as valuable motifs for medicinal chemistry. This has been prompted by both pioneering works taking sulfoximine containing compounds into clinical trials and the concurrent development of powerful synthetic methods. This review covers recent developments in the synthesis of sulfoximines concentrating on developments since 2015. This includes extensive developments in both S−N and S−C bond formations. Flow chemistry processes for sulfoximine synthesis are also covered. Finally, subsequent transformations of sulfoximines, particularly in N-functionalization are reviewed, including N−S, N−P, N−C bond forming processes and cyclization reactions.     

Electro‐Oxidative S−H/S−H Cross‐Coupling with Hydrogen Evolution: Facile Access to Unsymmetrical Disulfides

Sulfur is an essential element because it exists widely in proteins. The disulfide bond is an important moiety in many different types of significant organic molecules. A new approach for oxidant‐ and catalyst‐free S?H/S?H cross‐coupling, with hydrogen evolution, to construct unsymmetrical disulfides was developed. Under the conditions of an undivided cell at room temperature, a series of unsymmetrical disulfides were prepared with up to 87 % yield from the direct coupling of an aryl mercaptan and alkyl mercaptan. Gram‐scale synthesis also highlights the synthetic utility of this electrochemical strategy.     

N-(Morpholine-4-dithio)phthalimide: A Shelf-Stable,Bilateral Platform Molecule Enabling Access to Diverse Unsymmetrical Disulfides**

Synthetic methods for unsymmetrical disulfides are greatly needed owing to their applications in drug discovery, linker chemistry, and materials sciences. In this study, a new shelf-stable and easy-to-prepare bilateral disulfurating platform molecule, N-(morpholine-4-dithio)phthalimide, has been developed for the divergent synthesis of unsymmetrical disulfides. The amino and imide leaving groups of this reagent can be orthogonally transformed. Under acidic conditions, the amino moiety undergoes selective protonation and thus can be displaced by various carbon nucleophiles, such as allyl trimethylsilanes, alkynyl silanes, and electron-rich arenes, leaving the phthalimide moiety untouched. Meanwhile, the phthalimide leaving group is amenable to substitution under basic or neutral conditions. The combination of these transformations provides rapid access to diverse unsymmetrical disulfides through two C−S bond-forming reactions.     

Brønsted Acid-Catalysed Dehydrative Substitution Reactions of Alcohols

The direct, catalytic dehydrative substitution of alcohols is a challenging, yet highly desirable process in the development of more sustainable approaches to organic chemistry. This review outlines recent advances in Brønsted acid-catalysed dehydrative substitution reactions for C−C, C−O, C−N and C−S bond formation. The wide range of processes that are now accessible using simple alcohols as the formal electrophile are highlighted, while current limitations and therefore possible future directions for research are also discussed.     

Sustainable Synthesis of N−N Bond Bearing Organic Frameworks by Advanced Heterogeneous Metal Catalysis

The most significant task in synthetic organic chemistry is developing organic reactions from a green and sustainable perspective. In these ways, heterogeneous catalysts are essential in many organic reactions. Thus, this study focuses on the synthesis of N−N bond bearing organic frameworks, particularly aromatic azo compounds and indazoles, using a heterogeneous metal catalyst. Organic molecules containing nitrogen-nitrogen bonds are greatly sought after in the synthesis of dyes, photochemical switches, food additives, and bioactive chemicals due to industry and human requirements. Finally, this review provides an overview of synthetic routes for the formation of N−N bonds by using various heterogeneous metal catalytic systems.     

Cross- and Multi-Coupling Reactions Using Monofluoroalkanes

Carbon-fluorine bonds are stable and have demonstrated sluggishness against various chemical manipulations. However, selective transformations of C−F bonds can be achieved by developing appropriate conditions as useful synthetic methods in organic chemistry. This review focuses on C−C bond formation at monofluorinated sp³-hybridized carbons via C−F bond cleavage, including cross-coupling and multi-component coupling reactions. The C−F bond cleavage mechanisms on the sp³-hybridized carbon centers can be primarily categorized into three types: Lewis acids promoted F atom elimination to generate carbocation intermediates; nucleophilic substitution with metal or carbon nucleophiles supported by the activation of C−F bonds by coordination of Lewis acids; and the cleavage of C−F bonds via a single electron transfer. The characteristic features of alkyl fluorides, in comparison with other (pseudo)halides as promising electrophilic coupling counterparts, are also discussed.     

Transition Metal-Free Aromatic C−H,C−N,C−S and C−O Borylation

Aromatic organoboron compounds are highly valuable building blocks in organic chemistry. They were mainly synthesized through aromatic C−H and C−Het borylation, in which transition metal-catalysis dominate. In the past decade, with increasing attention to sustainable chemistry, numerous transition metal-free C−H and C−Het borylation transformations have been developed and emerged as efficient methods towards the synthesis of aromatic organoboron compounds. This account mainly focuses on recent advances in transition metal-free aromatic C−H, C−N, C−S, and C−O borylation transformations and provides insights to where further developments are required.     

Palladium in the Chemical Synthesis and Modification of Proteins

The field of site‐specific modification of proteins has drawn significant attention in recent years owing to its importance in various research areas such as the development of novel therapeutics and understanding the biochemical and cellular behaviors of proteins. The presence of a large number of reactive functional groups in the protein of interest and in the cellular environment renders modification at a specific site a highly challenging task. With the development of sophisticated chemical methodologies it is now possible to target a specific site of a protein with a desired modification, however, many challenges remain to be solved. In this context, transition metals in particular palladium‐mediated C−C bond‐forming and C−O bond‐cleavage reactions gained great interest owing to the unique catalytic properties of palladium. Palladium chemistry is being explored for protein modifications in vitro, on the cell surface, and within the cell. Very recently, palladium complexes have been applied for the rapid deprotection of several widely utilized cysteine protecting groups as well as in the removal of solubilizing tags to facilitate chemical protein synthesis. This Minireview highlights these advances and how the accumulated knowledge of palladium chemistry for small molecules is being impressively transferred to synthesis and modification of chemical proteins.     

Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers via Transition Metal Catalysed C−H Bond Activation

Transition metal catalysed C−H bond activation chemistry has emerged as an exciting and promising approach in organic synthesis. This allows us to synthesize a wider range of functional molecules and conjugated polymers in a more convenient and more atom economical way. The formation of C−C bonds in the construction of pi-conjugated systems, particularly for conjugated polymers, has benefited much from the advances in C−H bond activation chemistry. Compared to conventional transition-metal catalysed cross-coupling polymerization such as Suzuki and Stille cross-coupling, pre-functionalization of aromatic monomers, such as halogenation, borylation and stannylation, is no longer required for direct arylation polymerization (DArP), which involve C−H/C−X cross-coupling, and oxidative direct arylation polymerization (Ox-DArP), which involves C−H/C−H cross-coupling protocols driven by the activation of monomers’ C(sp²)−H bonds. Furthermore, poly(annulation) via C−H bond activation chemistry leads to the formation of unique pi-conjugated moieties as part of the polymeric backbone. This review thus summarises advances to date in the synthesis of conjugated polymers utilizing transition metal catalysed C−H bond activation chemistry. A variety of conjugated polymers via DArP including poly(thiophene), thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione)-containing, fluorenyl-containing, benzothiadiazole-containing and diketopyrrolopyrrole-containing copolymers, were summarized. Conjugated polymers obtained through Ox-DArP were outlined and compared. Furthermore, poly(annulation) using transition metal catalysed C−H bond activation chemistry was also reviewed. In the last part of this review, difficulties and perspective to make use of transition metal catalysed C−H activation polymerization to prepare conjugated polymers were discussed and commented.     

Carbon–sulfur bond formation via photochemical strategies: An efficient method for the synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds

The development of green and convenient methods for C–S bond formation has received significant attention because C–S bond widely occurs in many important pharmaceutical and biological compounds.Recently, visible-light photoredox catalysis has been established as an efficient and general tool for the construction of C–C and C-heteroatom bonds. In this review, we have focused on the research on recent advances in C–S bond formation via visible-light photoredox catalysis, and the growing opportuni...     

Applications of phosphine-functionalised polymers in organic synthesis

This tutorial review deals with recent advances in the use of phosphine-functionalised polymers in organic synthesis. In the first part of the review, some recent applications of polymer-supported palladium catalysts are reviewed, particularly recyclable catalysts for C-C and C-X bond formation with aryl bromide and chloride substrates. In the second half, novel applications of phosphine-functionalised polymers as reagents, scavengers, organocatalysts and linkers in organic chemistry are presented. Emphasis is placed on the synthesis of biologically active molecules.     

Frontispiece: Photocatalytic Terminal C−C Coupling Reaction Inside Water Soluble Nanocages

Developing methods that activate C−H bonds directly with high selectivity for C−C bond formation in complex organic synthesis has been a major chemistry challenge. Recently it has been shown that photoactivation of weakly polarized C−H bonds can be carried out inside a cationic water-soluble nanocage with visible light-mediated host-guest charge transfer (CT) chemistry. Using this novel photoredox activation paradigm, here we demonstrate C−C bond formation to photo-generate 1,3-diynes at room temperature in water from terminal aromatic alkynes for the first time. The formation of cavity-confined alkyne radical cation and the proton-removed neutral radical species highlight the unique C−C coupling step driven by supramolecular preorganization.     

Recent Advances in Carbon-Nitrogen/Carbon-Oxygen Bond Formation Under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions

Carbon-heteroatom bond formation under transition-metal free conditions provides a powerful synthetic alternative for the efficient synthesis of valuable molecules. In particular, C−N and C−O bonds are two important types of carbon-heteroatom bonds. Thus, continuous efforts have been deployed to develop novel C−N/C−O bond formation methodologies involving various catalysts or promoters under TM-free conditions, which enables the synthesis of various functional molecules comprising C−N/C−O bonds in a facile and sustainable manner. Considering the significance of C−N/C−O bond construction in organic synthesis and materials science, this review aims to comprehensively present selected examples on the construction of C−N (including amination and amidation) and C−O (including etherification and hydroxylation) bonds without transition metals. Besides, the involved promoters/catalysts, substrate scope, potential application and possible reaction mechanisms are also systematically discussed.     

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of coumarin derivatives: An overview

Coumarins are omnipresent in several plants and exhibit a plethora of pharmacological properties, making them an important scaffold in organic synthesis. Naturally, the chemistry of this motif has attracted ever-increasing attention, among which palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions are the most prevalent one. Numerous useful, easy, and concise syntheses and reactions have been achieved using palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. This review focuses on recent advances in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions such as Suzuki, Heck, Stille, Sonogoshira etc. reactions of coumarin derivatives and covers the literature from 2001 to 2020.     

Metal‐Free Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling (CDC): Molecular Iodine as a Versatile Catalyst/Reagent for CDC Reactions

The development of ecofriendly methods for carbon–carbon (C?C) and carbon–heteroatom (C?Het) bond formation is of great significance in modern‐day research. Metal‐free cross‐dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) has emerged as an important tool for organic and medicinal chemists as a means to form C?C and C?Het bonds, as it is atom economical and more efficient and greener than transition‐metal catalyzed CDC reactions. Molecular iodine (I₂) is recognized as an inexpensive, environmentally benign, and easy‐to‐handle catalyst or reagent to pursue CDCs under mild reaction conditions, with good regioselectivities and broad substrate compatibility. This review presents the recent developments of I₂‐catalyzed C?C, C?N, C?O, and C?S/C?Se bond‐forming reactions for the synthesis of various important organic molecules by cross‐dehydrogenative coupling.     

C−As Bond Formation Reactions for the Preparation of Organoarsenic(III) Compounds

Potential widespread applications of organoarsenic chemistry have been limited by the inherent lack of safe and effective As?C bond formation reactions. Several alternative reagents and methods have been developed in the last few decades to address the hazards and drawbacks associated with traditional arsenic synthetic strategies. Herein, this minireview summarizes the advances made in nucleophilic, electrophilic, radical and metal‐mediated As(III)?C bond formations while specifically highlighting the behavior of arsenic synthons with various well‐established reagents (eg. Grignard reagents, organolithium compounds, organometallic reagents, radical initiators and Lewis/Brønsted bases). Avenues for asymmetric synthesis are also discussed, as are recent advances in organoarsenic chemistry suggesting that arsines exhibit novel reactivities independent from that of other relatively more well explored Group V cogeners.     

Photoactive Nickel Complexes in Cross-Coupling Catalysis

Transition metal catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are important in chemical synthesis for the formation of C−C and C-heteroatom bonds. Suitable catalysts are frequently based on palladium or nickel, and lately the cheaper and more abundant first-row transition metal element has been much in focus. The combination of nickel catalysis with photoredox chemistry has opened new synthetic possibilities, and in some cases electronically excited states of nickel complexes play a key role. This is a remarkable finding, because photo-excited metal complexes are underexplored in the context of organic bond-forming reactions, and because the photophysics and the photochemistry of first-row transition metal complexes are underdeveloped in comparison with their precious metal-based congeners. Consequently, there is much potential for innovation at the interface of synthetic-organic and physical-inorganic chemistry. This Minireview highlights recent key findings in light-driven nickel catalysis and identifies essential concepts for the exploitation of photoactive nickel complexes in organic synthesis.     

Saturated Boronic Acids,Boronates, and Trifluoroborates: An Update on Their Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry

This review discusses recent advances in the chemistry of saturated boronic acids, boronates, and trifluoroborates. Applications of the title compounds in the design of boron-containing drugs are surveyed, with special emphasis on α-amino boronic derivatives. A general overview of saturated boronic compounds as modern tools to construct C(sp³)−C and C(sp³)-heteroatom bonds is given, including recent developments in the Suzuki-Miyaura and Chan-Lam cross-couplings, single-electron-transfer processes including metallo- and organocatalytic photoredox reactions, and transformations of boron “ate” complexes. Finally, an attempt to summarize the current state of the art in the synthesis of saturated boronic acids, boronates, and trifluoroborates is made, with a brief mention of the “classical” methods (transmetallation of organolithium/magnesium reagents with boron species, anti-Markovnikov hydroboration of alkenes, and the modification of alkenyl boron compounds) and a special focus on recent methodologies (boronation of alkyl (pseudo)halides, derivatives of carboxylic acids, alcohols, and primary amines, boronative C−H activation, novel approaches to alkene hydroboration, and 1,2-metallate-type rearrangements).     

Recent Progress towards Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Fluorenes

Fluorenes are a commonly encountered structural motif in materials science, pharmaceutical chemistry, and organic synthesis. Among various strategies towards the synthesis of this unique structure, transition metal‐catalyzed functionalization has emerged as one of the most efficient methods. This Minireview presents an overview of the recent advances in this emerging area by highlighting the reactions’ specificity and applicability and, where possible, provides a mechanistic rationale.     

Aminoboronic acids and esters: from synthetic challenges to the discovery of unique classes of enzyme inhibitors

Although boronic acids have attracted considerable interest as versatile intermediates in organic synthesis, their contributions in chemical biology and drug discovery programs have long been underestimated. This situation is changing since the beginning of the 2000s, mainly due to significant advances in modern organoborane chemistry and the recent FDA approval of Velcade?, a boropeptide used for multiple myeloma treatment. There is now a significant renewed interest in the design and synthesis of new boron-containing compounds. Due to their close analogy to their carbon counterparts, aminoboronic acids, alone or incorporated at the C-terminal position of a peptide, represent one of the major classes of organoboranes evaluated as potential drug candidates. This critical review aims to provide an overview of the current state of the art in their synthesis and their most relevant biological properties (156 references).