Intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enynes

An intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enyne was developed using commercially available n-BuLi as a precatalyst. This hydroamination reaction led to products with allene and pyrrolidine functional groups. One of the enyne hydroamination products was successfully converted to natural products irniine and irnidine in three steps. The scope and mechanism of the enyne hydroamination are also discussed.     

Palladium-catalyzed sequential indole synthesis using sterically hindered amines

A palladium catalyst derived from a bulky N-heterocyclic carbene ligand enabled a modular synthesis of indoles bearing sterically hindered N-alkyl or N-aryl substituents through a reaction sequence comprising an intermolecular N-arylation and an intramolecular hydroamination.     

A N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) platinum complex as pre-catalyst for the intramolecular hydroamination of olefins with secondary alkylamines and oxidative amination of ω-alkenic amines

A N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) platinum complex 3 prepared from BINAM was found to be a highly effective pre-catalyst for the intramolecular hydroamination of olefins with secondary alkylamines to give the corresponding intramolecular hydroamination products in excellent yields. The substrate scope has been carefully examined and the plausible reaction mechanism has been also proposed.     

Expeditious synthesis of aromatic-free piperidinium-functionalized polyethylene as alkaline anion exchange membranes

Alkaline anion exchange membranes (AAEMs) with high hydroxide conductivity and good alkaline stability are essential for the development of anion exchange membrane fuel cells to generate clean energy by converting renewable fuels to electricity. Polyethylene-based AAEMs with excellent properties can be prepared via sequential ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and hydrogenation of cyclooctene derivatives. However, one of the major limitations of this approach is the complicated multi-step synthesis of functionalized cyclooctene monomers. Herein, we report that piperidinium-functionalized cyclooctene monomers can be easily prepared via the photocatalytic hydroamination of cyclooctadiene with piperidine in a one-pot, two-step process to produce high-performance AAEMs. Possible alkaline-degradation pathways of the resultant polymers were analyzed using spectroscopic analysis and dispersion-inclusive hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Quite interestingly, our theoretical calculations indicate that local backbone morphology—which can potentially change the Hofmann elimination reaction rate constant by more than four orders of magnitude—is another important consideration in the rational design of stable high-performance AAEMs.

Piperidinium-functionalized polyethylene-based alkaline anion exchange membranes that show high hydroxide conductivities and good alkaline stabilities are easily prepared using photocatalytic hydroamination reactions.     

Catalytic one-pot synthesis of cyclic amidines by virtue of tandem reactions involving intramolecular hydroamination under mild conditions

A new synthetic methodology for the generation of cyclic amidines has been developed by the reaction of 1,n-aminoalkynes with electron-deficient azides using a ruthenium catalyst at ambient temperature. The reaction proceeds most likely via a tandem sequence of intramolecular hydroamination of aminoalkynes, cycloaddition of azides with the resulting enamines, and rearrangement of triazoline intermediates. It demonstrates, as the proof-of-principle, that an equilibria cascade sequence can be favorably driven by an irreversible step, thus enabling a facile one-pot synthetic route to deliver molecular complexity under unprecedented mild conditions without relying on the traditional linear approaches.     

Exploring the synthetic utility of 1-alkynylimidazoles: regiocontrolled cyclization to diverse imidazoazines and imidazoazoles

Regiocontrolled cyclizations involving alkynes have utility in the formation of diverse heterocyclic systems. Here we report the participation of model 1-alkynylimidazoles in intramolecular hydroalkoxylation and hydroamination reactions leading to diverse imidazoazine and imidazoazole ring systems. In many cases, the preference for 5-exo-dig or 6-endo-dig cyclization can be controlled by variations in reaction conditions. This work establishes 1-alkynylimidazoles as versatile intermediates in the synthesis of a wide variety of fused-imidazole heterocycles.     

Regioselective hydroamination of diphenylphosphorylallenes to synthesize β-aminophosphine oxides

The regioselective hydroamination of diphenylphosphorylallenes has been developed using secondary amines as the amination reagents. This reaction protocol could be realized under ligand and transition metal-free conditions at room temperature and is tolerated to a diverse range of diphenylphosphorylallenes and amine substrates, affording a series of β-aminophosphine oxides in good yields after the reduction of the enamine intermediates.     

An asymmetric synthesis of (+)-monomorine I

The synthesis of (+)-monomorine I, an indolizidine alkaloid isolated from Monomorium pharaonis, has been achieved. The 2,6-cis-piperidine ring moiety of (+)-monomorine I was constructed using diastereoselective aminopalladation. Chain elongation via cross-metathesis using Hoveyda-Grubbs 2nd catalyst followed by deprotection of the Cbz group and cyclic reductive hydroamination afforded (+)-monomorine I.     

Proton-catalyzed hydroamination and hydroarylation reactions of anilines and alkenes: a dramatic effect of counteranions on reaction efficiency

The anilinium salt, [PhNH3][B(C6F5)4], has been identified as a catalyst for the hydroamination and hydroarylation of several different types of alkenes with anilines. The weakly coordinating counterion of this acid plays a key role in this transformation. The reaction is facile for styrenes and tolerates norbornene, cyclic alkenes, and cyclohexadiene. Selectivity between hydroamination and hydroarylation products can be tuned using reaction time, temperature, and substrate substitution. Details regarding the substrate scope and selectivity of this hydroamination/hydroarylation reaction are discussed.     

Gold versus silver-catalyzed amination of allylic alcohols

Direct substitution of the hydroxy group in allylic alcohols by different nitrogenated nucleophiles is performed using low loadings of cationic gold(I) or silver salts as catalysts. Sulfonamides, carbamates and aromatic amines can be used as nucleophiles. Comparative studies between the best catalysts, cationic (triphenylphosphite)gold(I) complex and silver triflate, demonstrate that the former catalyst shows, in general, better performance than silver, working at lower loadings, in shorter reaction times and at lower temperatures. Representative allylic alcohols are used giving good γ-regioselectivity, specially in the case of penta-1,4-dien-3-ol and (E)-1-phenylbut-2-en-1-ol affording the corresponding allylic sulfonamides with total regio and stereoselectivity by a hydroamination mechanism. In the case of crotyl alcohol and (E)-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-ol mainly and exclusively α-substituted sulfonamides were obtained, respectively, by a cationic mechanism.     

Practical synthesis and mechanistic study of polysubstituted tetrahydropyrimidines with use of domino multicomponent reactions

The practical synthesis of polysubstituted tetrahydropyrimidines 4 from but-2-ynedioates 1, amines 2, and formaldehyde 3 through a domino process of one-pot multicomponent reactions (MCRs) and the detailed mechanistic studies are described. The MCRs were performed under extremely mild reaction conditions and offered the desired products in excellent yields. The detailed studies on the mechanism of the MCRs proved that: (1) the proton-promoted domino sequence is composed of hydroamination, aza-ene-type reaction, nucleophilic addition, and dehydration-cyclization; (2) solvents could control the hydroamination stereoselectivity of 1 and 2: Z-isomers in proton solvents with Z/E up to 95:5 and E-isomers in non-proton solvents with E/Z up to 98:2, and Z-isomers are more stable than E-isomers; (3) Z- and E-enamine intermediates led to the same desired products via aza-ene-type reaction model. Calculations verified the aza-ene-type process in the MCRs.     

Gold(I)-Catalyzed Enantioselective Intramolecular Hydroamination of Allenes with Ureas

Enantioselective intramolecular hydroamination of N-allenyl ureas catalyzed by an enantiomerically enriched bis(gold) phosphine complex forms pyrrolidine derivatives in good yield with up to 93% ee.     

Efficient intramolecular hydroamination of aminoalkynes catalyzed by a zirconium(IV) complex

The neutral zirconium(IV) bis(thiophosphinic amidate) complex was demonstrated to be an effective precatalyst for 5-exo-, 6-exo-, and 7-exo-dig intramolecular hydroamination of aminoalkynes, producing the cyclic imines in excellent yields (92-98%).     

Catalytic metal-free intramolecular hydroaminations of non-activated aminoalkenes: a computational exploration

Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) has been applied to catalytic metal-free hydrogenation. Can the FLP reactivity be used for catalytic hydroamination? Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have explored whether the molecules cat1-cat3, which were previously designed by integrating the dearomatization-aromatization effect and the FLP reactivity, can catalyze the intramolecular hydroaminations of non-activated aminoalkenes to afford nitrogen heterocycles. The study shows that the γ-aminoalkene (am1) hydroamination catalyzed by cat1 proceeds via two steps (aminoalkene N-H bond activation and C-N bond formation) with experimentally accessible energetics, giving the five-membered nitrogen heterocycle product 1,1-dimethylpyrrolidine. The N-H bond activation is reversible. The C-N bond formation step undergoes a concerted mechanism and complies with the Markovnikov addition rule. Possible side reactions which may cause catalyst deactivation were confirmed to be energetically unfavorable. The molecules cat2 and cat3 are less effective than cat1 in catalyzing the am1 hydroamination, but the barriers are not too high. By following the most favorable pathway of the cat1-mediated am1 hydroamination, we further extended the substrate (am1) to other aminoalkenes, including the methyl and phenyl β-substituted am1 (i.e. am2 and am3, respectively), the benzyl-protected primary aminoalkene (am4), and the δ-aminoalkene (am5). The hydroaminations of am2 and am3 have energetics comparable with am1 hydroamination, the am5 hydroamination is energetically less favorable, and the am4 hydroamination is least favorable but could be realizable by elevating the temperature and pressure. We call experimental efforts to synthesize cat1-cat3 or similar new molecules on the basis of the design strategy.     

Synthesis of unsaturated seven-membered ring lactams through palladium-catalyzed amination and intramolecular cyclocarbonylation reactions of amines and Baylis-Hillman acetates

A versatile synthesis of unsaturated seven-membered ring lactams has been developed. The sequence involves hydroamination of Baylis-Hillman acetate with amines, followed by intramolecular cyclocarbonylation reactions of the resulting allylamines. This process can tolerate a wide array of functional groups, and affords lactams in excellent yields.     

Highly efficient, base-catalysed, intramolecular hydroamination of non-activated olefins

The intramolecular hydroamination of a large variety of non-activated alkenes can be efficiently catalysed by small amounts of lithium bases, providing smoothly and in high yields the corresponding five- and six-membered ring heterocycles. Fused and bridged bicyclic amines, of varying ring sizes, can be readily prepared either by a sequential hydroamination process or by a tandem, double addition reaction.     

An Ammonia Equivalent for the Dimethyltitanocene-Catalyzed Intermolecular Hydroamination of Alkynes

Commercially available alpha-aminodiphenylmethane 1 (benzhydrylamine) serves as a convenient ammonia equivalent in the dimethyltitanocene-catalyzed intermolecular hydroamination of alkynes. The primary formed imines can be hydrogenated and cleaved directly to the corresponding primary amines by catalytic hydrogenation using Pd/C as catalyst.     

Theoretical study on the mechanism of the reaction for alkene hydroaminations catalyzed by chiral aldehyde

Alkene hydroamination catalyzed by chiral aldehyde relying only on temporary intramolecularity is a new concept reaction. In this article, the reaction mechanism was investigated using density functional theory. The calculation results show that: (1) The reaction can be divided into two parts. The first part is a dehydration process involving a hemiaminal formation. The nitrone catalyst forms through rapid intermolecular nucleophilic addition of benzylhydroxylamine to chiral aldehyde precatalyst. The second part is a catalytic cycle, which involves an aminal formation—hydroamination—ring opening—product release process. (2) There are four enantioselective pathways related to the products of S and R configurations. Enantioselectivity is attributed to the different forming ways of a planar five‐membered ring. The preferred pathways for the S‐configuration product ( S3 ) and R‐configuration product ( R3 ) are confirmed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Silver-catalyzed cascade reaction of o-aminoaryl compounds with alkynes: an aniline mediated synthesis of 2-substituted quinolines

An efficient silver-catalyzed, aniline mediated cascade hydroamination/cycloaddition of o-aminoaryl compounds including o-aminoaryl aldehydes, o-aminoaryl ketones with alkynes for the synthesis of 2- or 2,4-substituted quinolines is reported. The reactions proceed with high regioselectivity to afford mono- or disubstituted quinoline derivatives in good to high yields using AgOTf as the catalyst in the air.     

Intramolecular Alkene Aminocarbonylation Using Concerted Cycloadditions of Amino‐Isocyanates

The ubiquity of nitrogen heterocycles in biologically active molecules challenges synthetic chemists to develop a variety of tools for their construction. While developing metal‐free hydroamination reactions of hydrazine derivatives, it was discovered that carbazates and semicarbazides can also lead to alkene aminocarbonylation products if nitrogen‐substituted isocyanates (N‐isocyanates) are formed in situ as reactive intermediates. At first this reaction required high temperatures (150–200 °C), and issues included competing hydroamination and N‐isocyanate dimerization pathways. Herein, improved conditions for concerted intramolecular alkene aminocarbonylation with N‐isocyanates are reported. The use of βN‐benzyl carbazate precursors allows the effective minimization of N‐isocyanate dimerization. Diminished dimerization leads to higher yields of alkene aminocarbonylation products, to reactivity at lower temperatures, and to an improved scope for a reaction sequence involving alkene aminocarbonylation followed by 1,2‐migration of the benzyl group. Furthermore, fine‐tuning of the blocking (masking) group on the N‐isocyanate precursor, and reaction conditions relying on base catalysis for N‐isocyanate formation from simpler precursors resulted in room temperature reactivity, consequently minimizing the competing hydroamination pathway. Collectively, this work highlights that controlled reactivity of aminoisocyanates is possible, and provides a broadly applicable alkene aminocarbonylation approach to heterocycles possessing the β‐aminocarbonyl motif.