Cover Picture

The cover picture shows the copper‐catalyzed Ullmann‐Ma reaction of aryl halides with nucleophiles by the assistance of two‐generation ligands, amino acids and oxalic diamides or related amides. Ullmann‐Ma reaction is one of the most important transformations for the construction of aryl carbon‐carbon and carbon‐heteroatom bonds in organic chemistry. For the details about the history, development, scope and applications of Ullmann‐Ma reaction, please see the article by Cai et al. on page 879–893.

     

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.     

Catalytic C?C,C?N,and C?O Ullmann‐Type Coupling Reactions

Copper‐catalyzed Ullmann condensations are key reactions for the formation of carbon–heteroatom and carbon–carbon bonds in organic synthesis. These reactions can lead to structural moieties that are prevalent in building blocks of active molecules in the life sciences and in many material precursors. An increasing number of publications have appeared concerning Ullmann‐type intermolecular reactions for the coupling of aryl and vinyl halides with N, O, and C nucleophiles, and this Minireview highlights recent and major developments in this topic since 2004.     

N2,N2′‐disubstituted oxalic acid bishydrazides: novel ligands for copper‐catalyzed C?N coupling reactions in water

A series of N²,N²′‐disubstituted oxalic acid bishydrazides were synthesized. Some, for example, N²,N²′‐di‐1‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐ethanyloxylic‐(bishydrazide), are novel and effective ligands for copper‐catalyzed Ullmann‐type C N coupling reaction in water. A variety of amines could be effectively N‐arylated with aryl halides under both microwave irradiation and conventional heating (even at 30 °C) with good to excellent yields. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Chemo‐selective copper‐catalyzed C‐O coupling reactions of phenols with aryl/vinyl halides using enaminone as efficient ligand

The copper‐catalyzed Ullmann C‐O coupling reactions between phenols and aryl/vinyl halides have been efficiently performed by employing (E)‐3‐(dimethylamino)‐1‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐en‐1‐one, an easily available enaminone, as ligand. This new ligand is advantageous for its easy availability, broad applicability and good efficiency. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pd(0)‐Catalyzed Tandem One‐Pot Reaction of Biphenyl Ketones/Aldehydes to the Corresponding Di‐substituted Aryl Olefins

Synthesis of di‐substituted aryl olefins via a Pd(0)‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of biphenyl ketones/aldehydes, tosylhydrazide, and aryl bromides (or benzyl halides) was developed. This methodology was achieved by one‐pot two‐step reactions involving the preparation of N ‐tosylhydrazones by reacting tosylhydrazide with biphenyl ketones/aldehydes, followed by coupling with aryl bromides (or benzyl halides) in the presence of Pd(PPh₃ )₄ and lithium t ‐butoxide to produce various di‐substituted aryl olefins in moderate to good yields.     

Nickel‐ and Photoredox‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions of Aryl Halides with 4‐Alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines as Formal Nucleophilic Alkylation Reagents

A combination of nickel and photoredox catalysts promoted novel cross‐coupling reactions of aryl halides with 4‐alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines. 4‐Alkyl‐1,4‐dihydropyridines act as formal nucleophilic alkylation reagents through a photoredox‐catalyzed carbon–carbon (C?C) bond‐cleavage process. The present strategy provides an alternative to classical carbon‐centered nucleophiles, such as organometallic reagents.     

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.     

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.     

Pd‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross‐Coupling of 2‐Carboxyazine N‐Oxides with Various (Hetero)aryl Halides

Decarboxylative cross‐coupling reactions of substituted 2‐carboxyazine N‐oxides, with a variety of (hetero)aryl halides, by bimetallic Pd⁰/Cu^I and Pd⁰/Ag^I catalysis are reported. Two possible pathways, a conventional bimetallic‐catalyzed decarboxylative arylation, as well as a protodecarboxylative/direct C?H arylation sequence have been considered. These methods provide the first general decarboxylative arylation methodology for the 2‐carboxyazine series.     

Practical Iron‐ and Cobalt‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling Reactions between N‐Heterocyclic Halides and Aryl or Heteroaryl Magnesium Reagents

The reaction scope of iron‐ and cobalt‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions in the presence of isoquinoline (quinoline) in the solvent mixture tBuOMe/THF has been further investigated. Various 2‐halogenated pyridine, pyrimidine, and triazine derivatives were arylated under these mild conditions in excellent yields. The presence of isoquinoline allows us to perform Fe‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions between 6‐chloroquinoline and aryl magnesium reagents. Furthermore, it was found that the use of 10 % N,N‐dimethylquinoline‐8‐amine increases the yields of some Co‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions with chloropyridines bearing electron‐withdrawing substituents.     

Methionine: a green and efficient promoter for copper‐catalyzed Sonogashira cross‐coupling reactions

In the presence of amino acids as environmentally friendly ligands, CuI‐catalyzed Sonogashira cross‐coupling of various aryl halides with phenylacetylene was conducted to afford the corresponding internal alkynes. l ‐Methionine was found to be useful for this palladium‐free and amine‐free coupling reaction. It was also found that the solvent system plays an important role in this reaction, and significantly affects the product formation and reaction rate. Sonogashira coupling of aryl iodides and aryl bromides in dimethylsulfoxide or dimethylformamide gave the coupled products in good to excellent yields. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficient Synthesis of Sterically Hindered Arenes Bearing Acyclic Secondary Alkyl Groups by Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Couplings

Bulky P,P?O ligands were designed to inhibit isomerization and reduction side reactions during the cross coupling between sterically hindered aryl halides and alkylboronic acids. Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐couplings between di‐ortho‐substituted aryl bromides and acyclic secondary alkylboronic acids have been achieved with high yields. The method has also enabled the preparation of ortho‐alkoxy di‐ortho‐substituted arenes bearing isopropyl groups in excellent yields. The utility of the synthetic method has been demonstrated in a late‐stage modification of estrone and in the application to a new synthetic route toward gossypol.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes through Sequential Iron‐Catalyzed Reductive anti‐Carbozincation of Terminal Alkynes and Base‐Metal‐Catalyzed Negishi Cross‐Coupling

The stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes is challenging. Here, we show that an iron‐catalyzed anti‐selective carbozincation of terminal alkynes can be combined with a base‐metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling to prepare trisubstituted alkenes in a one‐pot reaction and with high regio‐ and stereocontrol. Cu‐, Ni‐, and Co‐based catalytic systems are developed for the coupling of sp‐, sp²‐, and sp³‐hybridized carbon electrophiles, respectively. The method encompasses a large substrate scope, as various alkynyl, aryl, alkenyl, acyl, and alkyl halides are suitable coupling partners. Compared with conventional carbometalation reactions of alkynes, the current method avoids pre‐made organometallic reagents and has a distinct stereoselectivity.     

Palladium complex containing two sterically hindered ligands as highly efficient catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura reaction

A new palladium(II) complex containing two sterically hindered ligands, a P,P‐bonded diphosphine and N,N‐bonded Schiff base, within the same coordination sphere has been synthesized and investigated as a catalyst for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions of aryl halides with arylboronic acids. The reaction was highly efficient with aryl bromides in water at room temperature and aryl chlorides in dimethylformamide under relatively mild conditions. Excellent yields of coupling products were obtained for a wide range of aryl halides including heteroaryl halides with a low loading of catalyst. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

在催化体系可回收和无配体条件下溴化四丁基铵中钯催化卤代芳烃与芳基硼酸的Suzuki-Miyaura交叉偶联反应

我们发展一种在催化体系可回收和无配体条件下溴化四丁基铵（TBAB）中钯催化卤代芳烃与芳基硼酸的Suzuki-Miyaura交叉偶联反应方法。我们发现水的量对反应有很大的影响。当水的用量为1 %（质量比）时,反应的结果最好。在3 mol%的醋酸钯和1.5 g的TBAB（含1%的水）,一系列卤代芳烃与芳基硼酸的顺利地发生Suzuki-Miyaura交叉偶联反应,得到中等及良好的产率。而且在溴代芳烃和活泼的氯代芳烃的交叉反应中,Pd(OAc)2/TBAB催化体系可以回收重复使用多次,并且催化活性基本不变。     

Cesium carbonate‐catalyzed indium insertion into alkyl iodides and their synthetic utilities in cross‐coupling reactions

A catalytic amount of cesium carbonate (10 mol%) was found to be capable of effectively catalyzing the insertion of indium powder into alkyl iodides. The thus‐generated alkyl indium reagents could readily undergo palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions with a wide variety of aryl halides, showing compatibility to a range of important functional groups.     

BippyPhos: A Single Ligand With Unprecedented Scope in the Buchwald–Hartwig Amination of (Hetero)aryl Chlorides

Over the past two decades, considerable attention has been given to the development of new ligands for the palladium‐catalyzed arylation of amines and related NH‐containing substrates (i.e., Buchwald–Hartwig amination). The generation of structurally diverse ligands, by research groups in both academia and industry, has facilitated the accommodation of sterically and electronically divergent substrates including ammonia, hydrazine, amines, amides, and NH heterocycles. Despite these achievements, problems with catalyst generality persist and access to multiple ligands is necessary to accommodate all of these NH‐containing substrates. In our quest to address this significant limitation we identified the BippyPhos/[Pd(cinnamyl)Cl]₂ catalyst system as being capable of catalyzing the amination of a variety of functionalized (hetero)aryl chlorides, as well as bromides and tosylates, at moderate to low catalyst loadings. The successful transformations described herein include primary and secondary amines, NH heterocycles, amides, ammonia and hydrazine, thus demonstrating the largest scope in the NH‐containing coupling partner reported for a single Pd/ligand catalyst system. We also established BippyPhos/[Pd(cinnamyl)Cl]₂ as exhibiting the broadest demonstrated substrate scope for metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling of (hetero)aryl chlorides with NH indoles. Furthermore, the remarkable ability of BippyPhos/[Pd(cinnamyl)Cl]₂ to catalyze both the selective monoarylation of ammonia and the N‐arylation of indoles was exploited in the development of a new one‐pot, two‐step synthesis of N‐aryl heterocycles from ammonia, ortho‐alkynylhalo(hetero)arenes and (hetero) aryl halides through tandem N‐arylation/hydroamination reactions. Although the scope in the NH‐containing coupling partner is broad, BippyPhos/[Pd(cinnamyl)Cl]₂ also displays a marked selectivity profile that was exploited in the chemoselective monoarylation of substrates featuring two chemically distinct NH‐containing moieties.     

Palladium(II)‐N‐heterocyclic carbene complexes: synthesis,characterization and catalytic application

N‐Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are of great importance and are powerful ligands for transition metals. A new series of sterically hindered benzimidazole‐based NHC ligands (LHX) ( 2a , 2b , 2c , 2d , 2e , 2f ), silver–NHC complexes ( 3a , 3b , 3c , 3d , 3e , 3f ) and palladium–NHC complexes ( 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d , 4e , 4f ) have been synthesized and characterized using appropriate spectroscopic techniques. Studies have focused on the development of a more efficient catalytic system for the Suzuki coupling reaction of aryl chlorides. Catalytic performance of Pd–NHC complexes and in situ prepared Pd(OAc)₂/LHX catalysts has been investigated for the Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction under mild reaction conditions in aqueous N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). These complexes smoothly catalyzed the Suzuki–Miyaura reactions of electron‐rich and electron‐poor aryl chlorides. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.