Highly efficient,general procedure for the preparation of alkylzinc reagents from unactivated alkyl bromides and chlorides

[reaction: see text] Alkylzinc bromides have been efficiently prepared by the direct insertion of zinc metal (dust, powder, granule, shot), activated with 1-5 mol % I(2), into alkyl bromides in a polar aprotic solvent. The zinc reagents thus formed undergo Ni- and Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling with aryl halides to produce functionalized alkylarenes in excellent yields.     

Oxidative cross-coupling through double transmetallation: surprisingly high selectivity for palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkylzinc and alkynylstannanes

Two different organometallic reagents now can cross-couple together with the oxidative cross-coupling strategy. Palladium catalyzed oxidative cross-couplings of alkylzinc and alkynylstannane reagents using desyl chloride as the oxidant have been explored, which produce the desired Csp-Csp3 cross-coupling product in surprisingly high selectivity and yields. The current catalytic system tolerates the presence of beta-H, and the reactions using long chain alkyl zinc reagents gave the cross-coupling product in excellent yields and selectivities.     

Acylation of α-(N-carbamoyl)alkylcuprates and alkyl- or aryl(halo)cuprates

α-(N-Carbamoyl)alkylcuprates [R₂CuLi·LiX or RCuXLi (X=CN, Cl)] when prepared from THF soluble CuX·2LiCl (X=Cl, CN) undergo a reliable and generally high yield reaction with aroyl, alkanoyl, and alkenoyl chlorides to provide a rapid and efficient synthesis of α-carbamoyl ketones. Cuprates prepared from acyclic, cyclic, and a functionalized carbamate can be utilized. Although yields are a function of cuprate reagent and substrate structure, nearly quantitative yields can be obtained with reagents generated from 2RLi+CuCN·2LiCl. The use of reagents generated from CuCl·2LiCl are more efficient in the α-(N-carbamoyl)alkyl ligand, although yields are slightly lower. Acylation of alkyl(chloro)cuprates generated from one equivalent of CuCl·2LiCl and organolithium or Grignard reagents provides an efficient and high yield procedure for ketone synthesis.     

SELECTIVE PREPARATION OF α,α-DICHLOROKETONES WITH COPPER(II) CHLORIDE

ABSTRACT

Aryl and enolizable alkyl ketones react with copper(II) chloride in dimethylformamide to produce the corresponding α,α-dichloroketone in high yields. Remarkable qualities of the process are high selectivity towards these substrates, undetected polychlorinated by-products, easy work-up, commercially available reagents and HCl as the only waste stream.     

Versatile palladium(II)-catalyzed Negishi coupling reactions with functionalized conjugated alkenyl chlorides

Under palladium catalysis, we found that organozincate reagents, generated in situ, by reaction of Grignard compounds with less than molar amounts of zinc chloride, in the presence of conjugated alkenyl chlorides, give rapidly and cleanly the corresponding coupling product in high yields. In this way, aryl as well as primary and secondary alkyl substituents have been introduced successfully. The selectivity of the reaction allows to prepare various functionalized conjugated enynes and dienes from chloroenyne and chlorodiene derivatives bearing a functional group.     

Catalytic cross-coupling of alkylzinc halides with alpha-chloroketones

The cross-coupling of alkylzinc halides with alpha-chloroketones catalyzed by Cu(acac)2 is described. Using this method, primary and secondary alkyl groups are introduced adjacent to a ketone carbonyl under mild reaction conditions and in good yield. Cyclic, acyclic, aromatic, and aliphatic alpha-chloroketones are suitable substrates. Optically active alpha-chloroketones are converted to optically active products. The reaction was found to proceed stereospecifically with inversion of stereochemistry. The reaction is proposed to occur by direct substitution of the chloride with the alkyl group of an organocopper, -magnesium, or -zinc species.     

Structurally Diverse Acyl Bicyclobutanes: Valuable Strained Electrophiles

Bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes (BCBs) are highly strained carbocycles that have emerged as versatile synthetic tools, particularly for the construction of functionalized small molecules. This work reports two efficient pathways for the rapid preparation of over 20 structurally diverse BCB ketones, encompassing simple alkyl and aryl derivatives, as well as unprecedented amino acid, dipeptide, bioisostere, and bifunctional linchpin reagents currently inaccessible using literature methods. Analogues are readily forged in two steps and in high yields from simple carboxylic acids or through unsymmetrical ketone synthesis beginning with a convenient carbonyl dication equivalent. The utility of this novel toolbox of strained electrophiles for the selective modification of proteinogenic nucleophiles is highlighted.     

Copper catalyzed asymmetric synthesis of chiral allylic esters

The complex derived from Taniaphos ligand 4 and CuBr*Me2S catalyzes the asymmetric addition of Grignard reagents to 3-bromopropenyl esters 1 to provide allylic esters 2 in high yields and high chemio-, regio-, and enantioselectivities. The work demonstrates that allylic asymmetric alkylation (AAA) can be done on substrates bearing a heteroatom at the gamma-position. The method is a practical route to chiral, nonracemic allylic alcohols. The use of functionalized substrates 1 or Grignard reagents leads to more complex products 2, which can be further manipulated as demonstrated in conversion to (S)-5-ethyl-2(5H)-furanone 6 and (S)-benzoic acid-cyclopent-2-enyl ester 7.     

Formation and reactions of alkylzinc reagents in room-temperature ionic liquids

[reaction: see text] The presence of a suitable amount of bromide or chloride ions was found to be critical in forming the alkylzinc reagents from alkyl iodides and zinc metal in the room-temperature ionic liquid, N-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate. Beta-hydride transfer in the reactions of butylzinc reagents with aldehydes can also be reduced by a bromide ion.     

Quinine synthesis studies: a radical-ionic annulation via Mn-mediated addition to chiral N-acylhydrazones

A radical-ionic annulation approach to functionalized perhydroisoquinolines involving Mn-mediated coupling of alkyl iodides and chiral N-acylhydrazones was achieved using only 1.25 equiv of the alkyl iodide. Application of this reaction to alkene-containing substrates en route to quinine offered modest yields, decreasing on scaleup. Control experiments revealed that the alkene interfered with the coupling reaction. A revised approach involving prior oxidation of the alkene offered 93% yield in the Mn-mediated coupling, with the adduct obtained as a single diastereomer.     

A rapid synthesis of asymmetric alkyl- and aryl-2,9-disubstitued 1,10-phenanthrolines

The finding that alkyl- and aryllithium reagents add almost instantly to the N-C2/C9 bond of 1,10-phenanthrolines led us to the development of a reaction scheme where the C2 and C9 positions of 1,10-phenanthroline can be functionalized by two different alkyl or aryl groups in a one-pot reaction. Furthermore, the total synthetic and work-up time needed for the entire transformation from unsubstituted 1,10-phenanthrolines into asymmetric 2,9-disubstituted 1,10-phenanthrolines was under 2 h and produced very high yields.     

Carboxylation and esterification of functionalized arylcopper reagents

Functionalized arylcopper reagents have been produced in good yields at 25 degrees C from activated copper and the corresponding functionalized aryl iodides without the need of traditional organolithium or Grignard precursors. These organocopper compounds will undergo carboxylation with CO(2) to form the corresponding copper benzoates. In turn, these salts can be acidified to produce the functionalized aryl acids or treated with appropriate alkyl halides in the presence of a dipolar aprotic solvent to generate the corresponding aryl esters. This methodology permits the formation of functionalized organic acids and esters that could not be generated by the carboxylation of organomagnesium compounds.     

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Open‐Chain Secondary Alkyllithium Compounds and Trapping Reactions with Electrophiles

A practical stereoselective iodide–lithium exchange was used in the first general preparation of functionalized stereodefined acyclic secondary nonstabilized lithium reagents from the corresponding secondary alkyl iodides. These lithium reagents react with various electrophiles including carbon electrophiles with high retention of configuration. Kinetic data on the configurational stability of these acyclic alkyllithium reagents are given. This methodology offers a new entry to chiral synthons for the stereoselective synthesis of open‐chain molecules.     

Oxidative bromination reaction using Cu-perfluorophthalocyanine-immobilized silica gel catalyst under mild reaction conditions

A simplified, facile route has been applied for the grafting of copper(II) perfluorophthalocyanine complex onto functionalized silica gel. The resulting organic-inorganic hybrid material is used as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for the regioselective oxidative bromination of various aromatic substrates using KBr/H₂O₂ as the reagents, affording high yields under mild conditions. High catalytic activity efficiency could be attributed to the heterogenization of soluble metal complexes on the high surface area host.     

Copper-catalyzed electrophilic amination of functionalized diarylzinc reagents

The copper-catalyzed electrophilic amination of functionalized diarylzinc reagents with O-acyl hydroxylamines allows for the preparation of functionalized tertiary arylamines in high yields, and is noteworthy for the mild reaction conditions employed. The functionalized diarylzinc reagents were prepared via an iodine/magnesium exchange of the corresponding aryl iodide followed by transmetalation of the resultant Grignard species with ZnCl(2).     

A novel and convenient synthesis of benzonitriles: electrophilic cyanation of aryl and heteroaryl bromides

N-Cyano-N-phenyl-p-methylbenzenesulfonamide has been used as a more benign electrophilic cyanation reagent for the synthesis of various benzonitriles from (hetero)aryl bromides via formation of Grignard reagents. Electronically different and sterically demanding aryl bromides including functionalized substrates and heteroaryl bromides are successfully cyanated in good to excellent yields. The efficiency of the present methodology is shown by the expeditious syntheses of interesting pharmaceutical intermediates. Notably, chemoselective monocyanation of dibromoarenes is also achieved.     

Iron‐Mediated Electrophilic Amination of Organozinc Halides using Organic Azides

A wide range of alkyl‐, aryl‐ and heteroarylzinc halides were aminated with highly functionalized alkyl, aryl, and heterocyclic azides. The reaction proceeds smoothly at 50 °C within 1 h in the presence of FeCl₃ (0.5 equiv) to furnish the corresponding secondary amines in good yields. This method was extended to peptidic azides and provided the arylated substrates with full retention of configuration. To demonstrate the utility of this reaction, we prepared two amine derivatives of pharmaceutical relevance using this iron‐mediated electrophilic amination as the key step.     

Effective Pd-nanoparticle (PdNP)-catalyzed Negishi coupling involving alkylzinc reagents at room temperature

Pd(OAc)(2) is an efficient catalyst precursor for Negishi coupling in the presence of Bu(4)NBr. Secondary and primary alkylzinc reagents with beta-H and arylzinc reagents all reacted with aryl iodides at temperatures as low as -20 degrees C, giving moderate to good yields. One example of coupling between alkynylzinc reagents and aryl iodides was tested and the yield was good. Preliminary kinetic studies indicated that the process involved PdNPs as the active catalytic species.     

Synthesis of polyfunctional allenes by successive copper-mediated substitutions

Readily available 1,1-dichloro-2-alkynes are versatile starting materials for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized allenes. They can be prepared from commercially available terminal alkynes in a two-step procedure. The Cu-mediated reaction of several 1,1-propargylic derivatives with functionalized alkyl, benzylic, or allylic zinc reagents proceeds exclusively with S(N)2' selectivity and allows a rapid and efficient synthesis of functionalized chloroallenes. These chloroallenes undergo a novel Cu(I) -catalyzed substitution reaction with functionalized arylmagnesium reagents with excellent S(N)2 selectivity to give trisubstituted polyfunctionalized allenes. The functional group tolerance is excellent and functionalities, such as cyano, keto, ester, phosphate, trifluoromethyl, and halogens, are well tolerated.     

Pd-catalyzed atom-economic couplings of triarylbismuth reagents with 2-bromo- and 2,6-dibromochromones and synthesis of medicinally important fisetin

Pd-catalyzed mono- and bis-arylation of chromones was demonstrated using triarylbismuths as threefold aryl transfer atom-economic reagents. This unprecedented study involving functionalized chromones afforded regio-selective mono-arylations leading to functionalized 2-arylchromones in good to high yields. Bis-arylation of 2,6-dibromochromones in one-pot operation furnished 2,6-diarylchromones in moderate to good yields. The present methodology was applied in the synthesis of naturally occurring and medicinally important fisetin molecule in high yield.