Catalytic Kinetic Resolution by Enantioselective Aromatization: Conversion of Racemic Intermediates of the Barton–Zard Reaction into Enantioenriched 3‐Arylpyrroles

Racemic 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles, hypothetical intermediates of the Barton–Zard reaction, were synthesized in a highly diastereoselective manner and fully characterized for the first time. Kinetic resolution of the dihydropyrroles with a quinine‐derived thiourea afforded the (+)‐3‐arylpyrrole products and recovered (+)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles with high efficiency (s‐factor up to 153). The resolved (+)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles underwent subsequent aromatization with a quinidine‐derived thiourea catalyst to afford (?)‐3‐arylpyrroles with excellent central‐to‐axial chirality transfer. In contrast to the well‐accepted Barton–Zard mechanism, the aromatization of the 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles in the presence of a bifunctional catalyst is believed to proceed by an unprecedented sequence involving syn elimination of HNO₂ and aromatization.     

Preparation of Polymers with Viologen Moieties and Their Application to the Selective Reduction of Substituted Nitroarenes

Abstract

Polymers with viologen moieties were synthesized by using poly-chlorethyl vinyl ether (PCEVE) as mother supports. These polymers were used as electron-transfer catalysts (ETC) for the reduction of substituted nitroarenes under heterophase conditions (reductant: Na₂S₂O₄ in CH₂CI₂-H₂O). The experimental results show that the substituted nitroarenes were reduced selectively and efficiently to the corresponding aniline derivatives in the presence of viologen polymers. The catalytic active species of viologen were detected by ESR and electrochemical methods. It was found that the viologen cation radical (V⁺) acts as the active species during the viologen-mediated reduction of substituted nitroarenes.     

Use of Formic Acid as a CO Surrogate for the Reduction of Nitroarenes in the Presence of Dienes: A Two-Step Synthesis of N-Arylpyrroles via 1,2-Oxazines

Formic acid, activated by acetic anhydride and a base, was employed as a CO surrogate to deoxygenate nitroarenes to nitrosoarenes, a reaction catalyzed by a palladium/phenanthroline complex in the homogeneous phase. Nitrosoarenes were trapped by conjugated dienes to give 3,6-dihydro-2H-[1,2]-oxazines. The latter were then transformed into N-arylpyrroles employing CuCl as the catalyst. The reaction was designed to give the best results for pyrroles lacking any substituent in the 2 and 5 positions, which are difficult to produce employing most pyrrole syntheses.     

A photocatalytic green system for chemoselective reduction of nitroarenes

A highly efficient photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes using TiO₂/polyethylene glycol 400-water (TiO₂/PEG–H₂O) is reported. This system at deoxygenated and illuminated (sunlight or violet LED) conditions efficiently reduced nitroarenes using oxalic acid or ammonium formate as a sacrificial electron donor. Reducible functional groups such as chloro, hydroxy, flouro, bromo and carbonyl were intact under the optimized reaction conditions. The 0.1 and 0.5–1 mmol amount of nitroarenes was used under sunlight and violet LED (400 nm) irradiation, respectively. Reusability of the nanotitania was successfully carried out four times. The analyses of the recovered catalyst after five runs including TEM, XRD, TGA and CHN were done and results showed that PEG is located on TiO₂; no change in morphology, crystallinity and particle sizes was observed.     

Buchwald–Hartwig Amination of Nitroarenes

The Buchwald–Hartwig amination of nitroarenes was achieved for the first time by using palladium catalysts bearing dialkyl(biaryl)phosphine ligands. These cross‐coupling reactions of nitroarenes with diarylamines, arylamines, and alkylamines afforded the corresponding substituted arylamines. A catalytic cycle involving the oxidative addition of the Ar−NO₂ bond to palladium(0) followed by nitrite/amine exchange is proposed based on a stoichiometric reaction.     

1,4-Carbonylative addition of arylboronic acids to methyl vinyl ketone: a new synthetic tool for rapid furan and pyrrole synthesis

The rhodium catalysed 1,4-carbonylative addition of arylboronic acids to methyl vinyl ketone under carbon monoxide pressure was studied. High yields of 1,4-diketones were obtained using a catalytic system formed from Rh(COD)₂BF₄ (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) and triphenylphosphine even at very low catalyst loading (0.02 mol %). A short synthetic procedure combining this carbonylation reaction with a subsequent cyclisation step affords pyrroles or furans.     

Nitroarene products from the gas-phase reactions of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with the OH radical and N2O5

The nitroarene products of the gas-phase reactions of acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, phenanthrene, and anthracene-d₁₀ with N₂O₅ and the OH radical (in the presence of NO_x) are reported. The calculated atmospheric lifetimes of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), as well as those of naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene, biphenyl, fluoranthene, pyrene, and acephenanthrylene, show that reaction with the OH radical is the dominant loss process for these PAH, with the exception of acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, and acephenanthrylene which contain an external cyclopenta-fused ring. For these latter PAH, reaction with the NO₃ radical, and for acenaphthylene and acephenanthrylene reaction with O₃, are also expected to be important atmospheric loss processes. The nitroarenes observed as products of the atmospherically-important gas-phase reactions of the PAH in environmental chamber studies are compared with the nitroarenes measured in ambient air samples collected in California. It is concluded that although nitroarenes are formed in low yields (?5%) from the OH radical-initiated reactions of the PAH, atmospheric formation of nitroarenes may contribute significantly to ambient nitroarene concentrations.     

(Perhalogenmethylthio)heterocyclen. X. Säurekatalysierte Substitutionen an (Perchlorfluormethylthio)pyrrolen und deren agrobiologische Wirkung

(Perhalomethylthio)heterocycles. X

1 IX. Mitt.: s. [1].

. Acid-catalyzed substitutions on (perchlorofluoromethylthio)pyrroles and their agro-biological activities In the presence of C₄F₉SO₃H the (perhalomethylthio)pyrroles 1a–c react with Cl_3?nF_nCSCl (n = 1–3) to give mixtures of the 2,5- and 2,4-disubstituted pyrroles 2a–f and 3a–h . 2a and 3a react with CF₃SCl (catalyst CF₃SO₃H) yielding 2,3,5-tris (trifloromethylthio)pyrrole ( 4a ), which under similar conditions reacts further to give 2,3,4,5-tetrakis (trifluoromethylthio)pyrrole ( 5 ). As a by-product during the conversion of 3a to 4a 2,3,4-tris (trifluoromethylthio)pyrrole ( 4b ) is formed. The pyrroles 2a , 4a and 5 form the mercury salts 6a–c ; compound 5 yields also a silver salt 7 . The ¹H- and ¹⁹F-NMR. spectra are discussed and the agro-biological properties of the compounds investigated.     

Unimolecular and collision-induced fragmentation of protonated nitroarenes

The unimolecular fragmentation reactions of 28 protonated nitroarenes, occurring on the metastable ion time-scale, are reported. In addition, the collision-induced fragmentation of the same species have been studied at 10 eV and at 50 eV collision energy. When an OH, COOH or NH₂ substituent is ortho to the nitro function, the dominant fragmentation involves loss of H₂O, for both unimolecular and collision-induced reactions. When there is an electron-releasing substituent ortho or para to the litro group, loss of OH is the dominant fragmentation reaction both on the metastable ion time-scale and for ions activated by collision. When the electron-releasing substituent is meta to the nitro group, loss of NO₂ is the dominant low-energy unimolecular fragmentation reaction while loss of HNO₂ is the most important fragmentation for ions activated by 50 eV collisions. Elimination of NO from [MH]⁺ occurs to a significant extent in the unimolecular fragmentation of protonated nitrobenzene and those protenated nitrobenzenes containing electron- attracting substituents. In the collision-induced dissociation of these species loss of HNO₂ occurs at the expense of loss of NO. The results are consistent with protonation predominantly at the nitro group. The results are discussed in terms of the use of neutral loss scans in tandem mass spectrometry to monitor complex mixtures for nitroarenes.     

The versatile role of norbornene in C-H functionalization processes: concise synthesis of tetracyclic fused pyrroles via a threefold domino reaction

The synthesis of novel tetracyclic fused pyrroles from 1-(2-iodophenyl)-1H-pyrrole and various bromoalkyl-aryl alkynes via a palladium(0)-catalyzed and norbornene-mediated threefold domino reaction is reported. PdCl₂ and tri-2-furylphosphine (TFP) in the presence of norbornene and Cs₂CO₃ in CH₃CN at 90 °C gave a variety of tetracyclic fused pyrroles in usually high yields. In the described reaction sequence two of the three carbon-carbon bonds are formed by functionalization of an unactivated aryl C-H bond.     

Electrophilic hydrogen-deuterium exchange of some deactivated pyrroles

The rate coefficients and partial rate factors for the hydrogen-deuterium exchange of some 1-substituted pyrroles (1-substituents = -COCH₃, - COC₆H₅, -SO₂CH₃, -SO₂CF₃, -N(CH₃)₃, -NH(CH₃)₂, -SO₂C₆H₅) in deuterated trifluoroacetic acid have been determined. In all cases the rate of exchange is faster at the 2-position. Similarly, the hydrogen-deuterium exchange of some pyrroles with electron withdrawing substituents in the 2-position indicate a relative reactivity of 4→ 5→ 3-position with the selectivity being greatest for the more electron withdrawing groups. A nitro group in the 3-position of pyrrole shows a relative reactivity of 5→2→4-position for the hydrogen-deuterium exchange in deuterated trifluoroacetic acid. A linear correlation is observed for the log of the rate coefficient of the hydrogen-deuterium exchange at the 4-position of some 2-substituted pyrroles and the difference in the calculated energy of formation of the pyrrole and the corresponding 4-deuterated cation.     

Substituted pyrrole synthesis from nitrodienes

Though the Cadogan-Sundberg approach has been employed to synthesize a variety of indole and carbazole derivatives from nitroarenes, surprisingly, very little is reported for making pyrroles using the same approach from non-arene nitrodienes. Herein, we report a general method to synthesize substituted pyrroles, in one step with modest yields, from nitrodienes using triphenylphosphine in the presence of an Mo catalyst, bis(acetylaceto)dioxomolybdenum (VI). To shed light on the mechanism of this reaction, we performed DFT calculations using uB3LYP/6-31+G(d) basis set and observed that the reaction favors a path through a nitrene intermediate.     

Atomic Insights into Synergistic Nitroarene Hydrogenation over Nanodiamond-Supported Pt1−Fe1 Dual-Single-Atom Catalyst

Fundamental understanding of the synergistic effect of bimetallic catalysts is of extreme significance in heterogeneous catalysis, but a great challenge lies in the precise construction of uniform dual-metal sites. Here, we develop a novel method for constructing Pt₁−Fe₁/ND dual-single-atom catalyst, by anchoring Pt single atoms on Fe₁−N₄ sites decorating a nanodiamond (ND) surface. Using this catalyst, the synergy of nitroarenes selective hydrogenation is revealed. In detail, hydrogen is activated on the Pt₁−Fe₁ dual site and the nitro group is strongly adsorbed on the Fe₁ site via a vertical configuration for subsequent hydrogenation. Such synergistic effect decreases the activation energy and results in an unprecedented catalytic performance (3.1 s⁻¹ turnover frequency, ca. 100 % selectivity, 24 types of substrates). Our findings advance the applications of dual-single-atom catalysts in selective hydrogenations and open up a new way to explore the nature of synergistic catalysis at the atomic level.     

Reductive Buchwald-Hartwig Amination of Nitroarenes with Aryl (pseudo)Halides

De novo catalytic syntheses of diarylamines from a palladium-catalyzed reductive Buchwald-Hartwig amination of nitroarenes with aryl (pseudo)halides is described. The exquisite use of upstream nitroarenes as arylamine surrogates, the judicious selection of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B₂pin₂) as a stoichiometric reducing agent, and wide substrate scope including (hetero)aryl halides (Cl, Br and I) and aryl triflates, constitute the striking features of the current protocol. Moreover, application of this technique to the syntheses of advanced intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients also proved successful, thus providing an alternative step-economical approach to the syntheses of diarylamine-incorporated molecules. Preliminary mechanistic investigation demonstrates that an amine and a nitrosoarene intermediates might be involved in this reductive event.     

Mild and Efficient PtO2-Catalyzed One-Pot Reductive Mono-N-alkylation of Nitroarenes

A mild and efficient one-pot reductive monoalkylation of nitroarenes has been described using aldehydes as alkylating agents, molecular hydrogen as a reducing agent, and PtO₂ as a catalyst in methanol. This methodology is found to be applicable for both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and for a wide variety of nitroarenes.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Commuications® to view the free supplemental file.     

Oxidative nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen in nitroarenes by silyl enol ethers

Enolates generated by treatment of silyl ketene acetals and enol ethers with fluoride ion sources add to nitroarenes to produce σ^H adducts that oxidize either with KMnO₄ to give substituted nitroarenes or with dimethyldioxirane to give substituted phenols. In the latter case the oxidation results in replacement of the nitro group with a hydroxy group. It was shown that high effectiveness of these reactions is not due to stabilization of the σ^H adducts via O-silylation but due to the nature of the accompanying cation.     

Mono Halogen Substituted Calix[4]pyrroles: Fine-tuning the Anion Binding Properties of Calix[4]pyrrole

Abstract

Single halogen atom (i. e. I, Br, Cl and F) substituted calix[4]pyrroles, compounds 2, 3, 4 and 5, were synthesized. Studies of these systems reveal that replacement of a single β-pyrrolic hydrogen atom can increase the anion binding ability of calix[4]pyrroles for a variety of anions (e. g. Cl^?, Br^?, H₂PO₄ ^? and HSO^? ₄) relative to normal non-halogen substituted calix[4]pyrrole 1. In the case of chloride anion, the expected relative affinity sequence of 5 > 4 > 3 > 2 was observed. This was not found to be true for Br^?, H²PO^? ₄, and HSO^? ₄. Here, the chlorine substituted calix[4]pyrrole 4 was found to display a slightly higher affinity in the case of each anion than the fluorine-bearing derivative 5. This was rationalized in terms of intermolecular NH … F hydrogen bonding interactions being present in CD₂Cl₂ solutions of 5. Support for this latter conclusion came from concentration and temperature-dependent NMR spectroscopic studies.

A matched set of mono halogen substituted calix[4]pyrroles was used to study in detail, the extent to which halogen substituents may be used to fine-tune the anion binding properties of calix[4]pyrroles.     

Direct Synthesis of Highly Substituted Pyrroles and Dihydropyrroles Using Linear Selective Hydroacylation Reactions

Rhodium(I) catalysts incorporating small bite‐angle diphosphine ligands, such as (Cy₂P)₂NMe or bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm), are effective at catalysing the union of aldehydes and propargylic amines to deliver the linear hydroacylation adducts in good yields and with high selectivities. In situ treatment of the hydroacylation adducts with p‐TSA triggers a dehydrative cyclisation to provide the corresponding pyrroles. The use of allylic amines, in place of the propargylic substrates, delivers functionalised dihydropyrroles. The hydroacylation reactions can also be combined in a cascade process with a Rh^I‐catalysed Suzuki‐type coupling employing aryl boronic acids, providing a three‐component assembly of highly substituted pyrroles.     

Hydrogenation of nitroarenes catalyzed by a dipalladium complex

A dipalladium complex [Pd₂( L )Cl₂](PF₆)₂ ( 2 ), via the substitution of (PhCN)₂PdCl₂ with 5‐phenyl‐2,8‐bis(6′‐bipyridinyl)‐1,9,10‐anthyridine ( L ) followed by the anion exchange, was found to be a good pre‐catalyst for the reduction of nitroarenes to yield the corresponding anilines under atmospheric pressure of hydrogen in methanol. This method provides a straightforward access to a diverse array of functionalized anilines, exhibiting a possible application in synthetic chemistry. The catalytic activity of this complex is enhanced by the di‐metallic system via the synergistic effect.     

Ethynylation of pyrroles with 1-acyl-2-bromoacetylenes on alumina: a formal ‘inverse Sonogashira coupling’

Pyrroles are cross-coupled with 1-acyl-2-bromoacetylenes on the surface of Al₂O₃ at room temperature under solvent-free conditions to afford 2-(acylethynyl)pyrroles with 100% regioselectivity and in good yields, thus representing the first example of a palladium-, copper-, base-, and solvent-free (‘green’) ethynylation of pyrroles, which can be considered a formal ‘inverse Sonogashira coupling’. Given the interest in functionalized pyrroles and acetylenes, this new facile and environmentally friendly cross-coupling should be of significant interest for the role of acylhaloacetylenes in pyrrole and acetylene chemistry.