Iron-catalyzed alkenylation of cyclic ethers via decarboxylative sp(C)–sp(C) coupling

An efficient Fe(acac)₃-catalyzed decarboxylative C(sp²)–C(sp³) coupling reaction via oxidation of C–H bond adjacent to an oxygen atom has been developed successfully, in which cyclic ethers are selectively transformed into the corresponding alkenylation products with good chemical yields and excellent stereoselectivities. The mechanism was studied and the reaction was supposed to proceed through a radical oxidative coupling process.     

镍催化构筑C(sp3)—C(sp3)键反应研究进展

过渡金属催化的偶联反应是构筑C-C键的高效方法,在有机合成中得到了广泛的应用.然而,相对于Heck反应、Negishi偶联与Suzuki偶联等构筑C（sp²）-C（sp²）键的反应,过渡金属催化的构筑C（sp³）-C（sp³）键的偶联反应较难进行,发展较晚.近年来,烷基-烷基C-C键偶联反应受到广泛的重视,一些高效催化剂被开发出来,其中镍催化剂展示出独特的催化活性和选择性.本文将综述镍催化烷基-烷基C-C键偶联反应最新研究进展,主要包括烷基亲电试剂与金属有机试剂交叉偶联反应、导向基参与的C（sp³）-H键活化的偶联反应、镍-光反应催化剂协同催化偶联反应、烷基亲电试剂与亲电试剂的还原偶联反应和镍催化烯烃加成反应等.     

Synthesis of Cytotoxic Iron-Containing Macrocycles Through Unexpected C(sp2)−C(sp2) Bonds Formation

In previous reports, it has been demonstrated that cyclometalated iron(II/III) complexes can be prepared by reacting iron(0) precursors and mercurated or brominated derivatives. However, in this report, the reaction between [Fe₃(CO)₁₂] and mercurated 6-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine or brominated 2,6-diphenyl-pyridine pincer derivatives led to compounds in which C(sp²)−C(sp²) bonds have been formed between two ligands. A 16-electron iron(II) complex ( 1Cl ) bearing a tetradentate ligand originating from the dimerization of 6-phenyl-2,2′-bipyridine was isolated, while a protonated 14-membered macrocycle with [FeBr₄]⁻ as counterion ( 2 ) was obtained from 2,6-diphenyl-pyridine. Studies by X-ray diffraction crystallography, NMR, UV-vis and cyclic voltammetry confirmed the structures. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of the new compounds toward gastric cancer cell lines was evaluated, and it was established that the presence of the iron(II) center was crucial for an elevated activity.     

Electrochemical NiH-Catalyzed C(sp3)−C(sp3) Coupling of Alkyl Halides and Alkyl Alkenes

Herein, an electrochemically driven NiH-catalyzed reductive coupling of alkyl halides and alkyl alkenes for the construction of Csp³−Csp³ bonds is firstly reported. Notably, alkyl halides serve dual function as coupling substrates and as hydrogen sources to generate NiH species under electrochemical conditions. The tunable nature of this reaction is realized by introducing an intramolecular coordinating group to the substrate, where the product can be easily adjusted to give the desired branched products. The method proceeds under mild conditions, exhibits a broad substrate scope, and affords moderate to excellent yields with over 70 examples, including late-stage modification of natural products and drug derivatives. Mechanistic insights offer evidence for an electrochemically driven coupling process. The sp³-carbon-halogen bonds can be activated through single electron transfer (SET) by the nickel catalyst in its low valence state, generated by cathodic reduction, and the generation of NiH species from alkyl halides is pivotal to this transformation.     

可见光催化C(sp3)-C(sp3)键的构筑

本文对近年来可见光催化构筑C(sp ³)-C(sp ³)键的国内外最新研究成果进行概述,着重阐述了各类催化的催化体系、反应机理及在合成生物活性分子或药物分子方面的应用。在可见光催化的反应体系中引入过渡金属或手性催化剂,构建新颖的协同催化体系,可以实现在温和的条件下对C—C键构筑的精确控制,对于手性药物的设计、开发具有重要的意义。最后,对未来可见光催化构筑C—C键的发展进行展望。     

Rhodium(I)‐Catalyzed Sequential C(sp)?C(sp3) and C(sp3)?C(sp3) Bond Formation through Migratory Carbene Insertion

A Rh^I‐catalyzed three‐component reaction of tert‐propargyl alcohol, diazoester, and alkyl halide has been developed. This reaction can be considered as a carbene‐involving sequential alkyl and alkynyl coupling, in which C(sp) C(sp³) and C(sp³) C(sp³) bonds are built successively on the carbenic carbon atom. The Rh^I‐carbene migratory insertion of an alkynyl moiety and subsequent alkylation are proposed to account for the two separate C C bond formations. This reaction provides an efficient and tunable method for the construction of all‐carbon quaternary center.     

Nickel-Catalyzed C−I-Selective C(sp2)−C(sp3) Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Bromo(iodo)arenes with Alkyl Bromides

Despite several methodologies established for C(sp²)−I selective C(sp²)−C(sp³) bond formations, achieving arene-flanked quaternary carbons by cross-coupling of tertiary alkyl precursors with bromo(iodo)arenes in a C(sp²)−I selective manner is rare. Here we report a general Ni-catalyzed C(sp²)−I selective cross-electrophile coupling (XEC) reaction, in which, beyond 3° alkyl bromides (for constructing arene-flanked quaternary carbons), 2° and 1° alkyl bromides are also demonstrated to be viable coupling partners. Moreover, this mild XEC displays excellent C(sp²)−I selectivity and functional group compatibility. The practicality of this XEC is demonstrated in simplifying the routes to several medicinally relevant and synthetically challenging compounds. Extensive experiments show that the terpyridine-ligated Ni^I halide can exclusively activate alkyl bromides, forming a Ni^I−alkyl complex through a Zn reduction. Attendant density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal two different pathways for the oxidative addition of the Ni^I−alkyl complex to the C(sp²)−I bond of bromo(iodo)arenes, explaining both the high C(sp²)−I selectivity and generality of our XEC.     

Transition-Metal-Free C(sp2)–C(sp2) Cross-Coupling of Diazo Quinones with Catechol Boronic Esters

A transition-metal-free C(sp²)−C(sp²) bond formation reaction by the cross-coupling of diazo quinones with catechol boronic esters was developed. With this protocol, a variety of biaryls and alkenyl phenols were obtained in good to high yields under mild conditions. The reaction tolerates various functionalities and is applicable to the derivatization of pharmaceuticals and natural products. The synthetic utility of the method was demonstrated by the short synthesis of multi-substituted triphenylenes and three bioactive natural products, honokiol, moracin M, and stemofuran A. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the reaction involves attack of the boronic ester by a singlet quinone carbene followed by a 1,2-rearrangement through a stepwise mechanism.     

Pyrene-tethered bismoviologens for visible light-induced C(sp3)–P and C(sp2)–P bonds formation

Developing efficient photosensitizers for C–P bond construction is highly important and remains a challenge due to the urgently needed for the synthesis of modified nucleosides, nucleotides, and other phosphine-containing ligands. Herein, two pyrene-tethered bismoviologen derivatives (Py-BiV²⁺) were designed and synthesized for visible-light-induced C–P bonds formation. The photochemical and electrochemical properties of Py-BiV²⁺ were studied systemically, certifying fine-tunable opto-electronic properties through the number of pyrene groups (4, n = 1; 6, n = 2). The prepared Py-BiV²⁺ showed strong light absorption, while retaining good redox features and chromic response features that were inherent to viologens. 4 exhibited accelerated photoinduced electron transfer in the presence of the electron donor (pyrene) and the generated 4′ (radical cation) showed higher stability. Accordingly, Py-BiV²⁺ directly served as photosensitizers for the first time in the visible-light-induced C(sp³)–P and C(sp²)–P bonds formation. As expected, these novel viologen derivatives exhibited good catalytic performance and good substrate expansibility under ambient conditions.     

Substrate-Mediator Duality of 1,4-Dicyanobenzene in Electrochemical C(sp2)−C(sp3) Bond Formation with Alkyl Bromides

Electrochemical approaches to form C(sp²)−C(sp³) bonds have focused on coupling C(sp³) electrophiles that form stabilized carbon-centered radicals upon reduction or oxidation. Whereas alkyl bromides are desirable C(sp³) coupling partners owing to their availability and cost-effectiveness, their tendency to undergo radical-radical homocoupling makes them challenging substrates for electroreductive cross-coupling. Herein, we disclose a metal-free regioselective cross-coupling of 1,4-dicyanobenzene, a useful precursor to aromatic nitriles, and alkyl bromides. Alkyl bromide reduction is mediated directly by 1,4-dicyanobenzene radical anions, leading to negligible homocoupling and high cross-selectivity to form 1,4-alkyl cyanobenzenes. The cross-coupling scheme is compatible with oxidatively sensitive and acidic functional groups such as amines and alcohols, which have proven difficult to incorporate in alternative electrochemical approaches using carboxylic acids as C(sp³) precursors.     

Highly selective insertion of arynes into a C(sp)-O(sp3) σ bond

Arynes react with ethoxyacetylene to afford 2-ethoxyethynylaryl derivatives through a highly chemo- and regioselective formal insertion of the aryne into the C(sp)-O(sp(3)) bond of the alkyne. Computational studies suggest that the reaction does not proceed through a mechanism initiated by the nucleophilic addition of the oxygen atom to the aryne as previously proposed but by the addition of the triple bond of the alkyne to the aryne.     

Photoredox-catalyzed C(sp2)–N coupling reactions

Photoredox-catalyzed radical reactions have attracted intense interest from synthetic chemists over the past several years. The photoredox-catalyzed C(sp²)–N coupling reactions, including Ullmann type C–N coupling (C–X/N–H type coupling), redox neutral C–N coupling (C–H/N–X type coupling) and oxidative C–N coupling (C–H/N–H type coupling), have been summarized in this digest.     

Cobalt(II)-Catalyzed C(sp3)−C(sp3) Coupling for the Direct Stereoselective Synthesis of 2-Deoxy-C-Glycosides from Glycals

We report a ligand-controlled Co^II-catalyzed C(sp³)−C(sp³) coupling hydroalkylation for direct and β-selective synthesis of 2-deoxy-C-glycosides from glycals. This reaction proceeds by a radical pathway for alkyl halide activation and is β-selective through ligand control. This approach may inspire the development of further stereoselective coupling reactions with potential application in the field of carbohydrates.     

Enantioconvergent Reductive C(sp)−C(sp3) Cross-Coupling to Access Chiral α-Alkynyl Phosphonates Under Dual Nickel/Photoredox Catalysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric carbon−carbon bond formation to forge phosphonates with an α-chiral carbon center through C(sp³)−C(sp³) and C(sp²)−C(sp³) couplings has been successful. However, the enantioselective C(sp)−C(sp³) coupling has not yet been disclosed. Reported herein is an unprecedented enantioconvergent cross-coupling of alkynyl bromides and α-bromo phosphonates to deliver chiral α-alkynyl phosphonates.     

C(sp)H?O and C(sp)H?O hydrogen bonds in acyclic- and cyclic-organotellurium carboxylates

The reactions between R₂TeI₂ (R₂=(CH₃)₂, C₄H₈, C₅H₁₀) and AgOCOR′ (R′=C₆H₅, 4-NO₂C₆H₄, CHCHC₆H₅) (molar ratio 1:2) yield diorganotellurium dicarboxylates: (CH₃)₂Te(OCOC₆H₅)₂ (1), C₅H₁₀ Te(OCOC₆H₅)₂ (2), C₄H₈Te(OCO4-NO₂C₆H₄)₂ (3) and C₄H₈Te(OCOCHCHC₆H₅)₂ (4). They are characterized by IR, (¹H, ¹³C, ¹²⁵Te) solution NMR; (¹³C, ¹²⁵Te) solid state NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray structures of 1-4 (the immediate environment about tellurium is that of distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry with a stereochemically active electron lone pair) are described in the context of their ability to generate intermolecular CH?O hydrogen bonds, which lead to the formation of supramolecular assemblies.     

Nickel-Catalyzed Regioselective Intermolecular Dialkylation of Alkenylarenes: Generation of Two Vicinal C(sp3)−C(sp3) Bonds Across Alkenes**

We disclose a Ni-catalyzed regioselective dialkylation reaction of alkenylarenes with α-halocarbonyls and alkylzinc reagents. The reaction produces γ-arylated alkanecarbonyl compounds with the generation of two new C(sp³)−C(sp³) bonds at the vicinal carbons of alkenes. This reaction is effective for the use of primary, secondary and tertiary α-halocarboxylic esters, amides and ketones in conjunction with primary and secondary alkylzinc reagents as the sources of two C(sp³) carbons for the dialkylation of terminal and cyclic internal alkenes.     

Organopotassium-Catalyzed Silylation of Benzylic C(sp3)−H Bonds

Benzylsilanes have found increasing applications in organic synthesis as bench-stable synthetic intermediates, yet are mostly produced by stoichiometric procedures. Catalytic alternatives based on the atom-economical silylation of benzylic C(sp³)−H bonds remain scarcely available as specialized directing groups and catalytic systems are needed to outcompete the kinetically-favored silylation of C(sp²)−H bonds. Herein, we describe the first general and catalytic-in-metal undirected silylation of benzylic C(sp³)−H bonds under ambient, transition metal-free conditions using stable tert-butyl-substituted silyldiazenes (tBu−N=N−SiR₃) as silicon source. The high activity and selectivity of the catalytic system, exemplified by the preparation of various mono- or gem-bis benzyl(di)silanes, originates from the facile generation of organopotassium reagents, including tert-butylpotassium.     

Oxodealkenylative Cleavage of Alkene C(sp3)−C(sp2) Bonds: A Practical Method for Introducing Carbonyls into Chiral Pool Materials

Reported herein is a one-pot protocol for the oxodealkenylative introduction of carbonyl functionalities into terpenes and terpene-derived compounds. This transformation proceeds by Criegee ozonolysis of an alkene, reductive cleavage of the resulting α-alkoxy hydroperoxide, trapping of the generated alkyl radical with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl (TEMPO), and subsequent oxidative fragmentation with MMPP. Using readily available starting materials from chiral pool, a variety of carbonyl-containing products have been accessed rapidly in good yields.     

A Three-Component Arene Difunctionalization: Merger of C(sp3)/(sp2)−H Bond Addition

A tandem three-component C−H bond addition involving the activation of an inert C(sp³)−H bond is reported. The process enables the direct regioselective synthesis of 1,2-difunctionalized arenes with the formation of C(sp³)− and C(sp²)−C(arene) bonds. 2-Iodobenzoic acid derivatives behave as masked bifunctional reagent (BFR) and react with 2-pyridyl-methyl sulfoximine (MPyS) protected aliphatic acids bearing α,α-disubstituted groups, and alkenes to produce β-aryl-δ-alkenyl amide derivatives in a single operation. The transformation involves Pd(II)/Pd(IV) and Pd(II)/Pd(0) catalytic systems. Detailed mechanistic studies, including density functional theory (DFT) calculations, reveal the formation of large T-shaped palladacycles and the onset of a 1,2-palladium migration via decarboxylation.     

Direct Synthesis of Disubstituted 3-Isoquinolinone Derivatives through the Construction of C−N,C=O,and C(sp2)−C(sp3) Bonds under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions

The efficient three-component cascade coupling reaction of 3-haloisoquinolines, haloalkanes, and sp³-carbon nucleophiles (acetophenone or nitromethane) led to a series of structurally novel 1,2-disubstituted-3-isoquinolinones through the formation of C(sp³)−C(sp²), C−N, and C=O bonds. The NaOAc-promoted reaction described in this work is simple to operate, environment friendly, and highly selective.