Catalytic C-H functionalization by metalloporphyrins: recent developments and future directions

Metalloporphyrins are a class of versatile catalysts with the capability to functionalize saturated C-H bonds via several well-defined atom/group transfer processes, including oxene, nitrene, and carbene C-H insertions. The corresponding hydroxylation, amination, and alkylation reactions provide direct approaches for the catalytic conversion of abundant hydrocarbons into value-added functional molecules through C-O, C-N, and C-C bond formations, respectively. This tutorial review describes metalloporphyrin-based catalytic systems for the functionalization of different types of sp(3) C-H bonds, both inter- and intramolecularly, including challenging primary C-H bonds. Additional features of metalloporphyrin-catalyzed C-H functionalization include unusual selectivities and high turnover numbers.     

Role of metal-oxo complexes in the cleavage of C-H bonds

The functionalization of C-H bonds has yet to achieve widespread use in synthetic chemistry in part because of the lack of synthetic reagents that function in the presence of other functional groups. These problems have been overcome in enzymes, which have metal-oxo active sites that efficiently and selectively cleave C-H bonds. How high-energy metal-oxo transient species can perform such difficult transformations with high fidelity is discussed in this tutorial review. Highlighted are the relationships between redox potentials and metal-oxo basicity on C-H bond activation, as seen in a series of bioinspired manganese-oxo complexes.     

Preface for the Special Column of Methane Transformation

Methane is the main constituent of natural gas, coal-bed gas, landfill gas and methane hydrate resources. These resources may be used more efficiently as clean fuels or as chemical feedstocks if methane can be effectively transformed into liquid fuels or chemicals. However, methane only possesses C-H bonds and is a very stable organic molecule hard to functionalize. The C-H activation, particularly the selective functionalization of C-H bonds in saturated hydrocarbons, remains a difficult challenge in chemistry. The present technology for chemical utilization of methane involves the steam reforming of methane to synthesis gas and the subsequent transformation of synthesis gas to methanol or hydrocarbon fuels via methanol synthesis or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. However, the steam reforming of methane is a high-cost process. The development of more efficient and economical processes for methane transformation is a dream of all chemists and chemical engineers. I think that this is also one of the most important themes of the Journal of Natural Gas Chemistry.     

Quinuclidine and its derivatives as hydrogen-atom-transfer catalysts in photoinduced reactions

Hydrogen-atom-transfer(HAT) is an efficient way for direct C-H functionalization of inert C-H bonds,therefore it has attracted great interests in recent years. So far, various HAT catalysts have been developed. Among them, quinuclidine and its derivatives show different characters toward other HAT catalysts as they tend to abstract electron-rich and hydridic hydrogens in the presence of weak and neutral C-H bonds. These features enable direct C-H functionalization of compounds with various groups which are unable or difficult by other methods. This review summarizes recent advance of photoinduced reactions with quinuclidine and its derivatives as HAT catalysts and exhibits powerful synthetic potential by using quinuclidine and its derivatives as HAT catalysts.     

Transient Directing Groups in Metal−Organic Cooperative Catalysis

The direct functionalization of C−H bonds is among the most fundamental chemical transformations in organic synthesis. However, when the innate reactivity of the substrate cannot be utilized for the functionalization of a given single C−H bond, this selective C−H bond functionalization mostly relies on the use of directing groups that allow bringing the catalyst in close proximity to the C−H bond to be activated and these directing groups need to be installed before and cleaved after the transformation, which involves two additional undesired synthetic operations. These additional steps dramatically reduce the overall impact and the attractiveness of C−H bond functionalization techniques since classical approaches based on substrate pre-functionalization are sometimes still more straightforward and appealing. During the past decade, a different approach involving both the in situ installation and removal of the directing group, which can then often be used in a catalytic manner, has emerged: the transient directing group strategy. In addition to its innovative character, this strategy has brought C−H bond functionalization to an unprecedented level of usefulness and has enabled the development of remarkably efficient processes for the direct and selective introduction of functional groups onto both aromatic and aliphatic substrates. The processes unlocked by the development of these transient directing groups will be comprehensively overviewed in this review article.     

交叉脱氢偶联反应*

发现高效高选择性的有机合成反应是有机合成化学研究中一个重要的发展方向。传统的有机合成化学是建立在官能团相互转化基础上的,又称官能团化学。非活泼化学键（如C-H键）的直接官能团化省去了一步甚至多步制备官能团化的反应底物,因此,非活泼化学键活化是提高有机合成反应效率的一个重要发展方向。交叉脱氢偶联（Cross-Dehydrogenative-Coupling,CDC）反应就是直接利用不同反应底物中的C-H键,在氧化条件下,进行脱氢偶联反应形成C-C键。交叉脱氢偶联反应实现了更短的合成路线和更高的原子利用效率,为直接利用简单的原料进行高效的复杂的有机合成任务提供了一种新的思路和手段。     

Precise Functionalization of Remote C―H Bonds

Remote C-H bond functionalization of arenes with precise control is a recognized extraordinary challenge in organic synthesis. Recently, Yu and Houk et al. developed an elegant strategy to distinguish and functionalize remote C_sp²-H bonds of (hetero)arenes within one-bond distance by the interplay of a remote directing template and a transient norbornene-type mediator. A wide range of medicinally important benzoazines are well compatible with this method. The chemistry significantly expands the toolbox for site-selective functionalization of remote C_sp²-H bond of (hetero)arenes. This work has been published in Nature Chemistry in March, 2020.     

Steering Site-Selectivity in Transition Metal-Catalyzed C−H Bond Functionalization: the Challenge of Benzanilides

Selective C−H bond functionalization catalyzed by metal complexes have completely revolutionized the way in which chemical synthesis is conceived nowadays. Typically, the reactivity of a transition metal catalyst is the key to control the site-, regio- and/or stereo-selectivity of a C−H bond functionalization. Of particular interests are molecules that contain multiple C−H bonds prone to undergo C−H bond activations with very similar bond dissociation energies at different positions. This is the case of benzanilides, relevant chemical motifs that are found in many useful fine chemicals, in which two C−H sites are present in chemically different aromatic fragments. In the last years, it has been found that depending on the metal catalyst and the reaction conditions, the amide motif might behave as a directing group towards the metal-catalyzed C−H bond activation in the benzamide site or in the anilide site. The impact and the consequences of such subtle control of site-selectivity are herein reviewed with important applications in carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond forming processes. The mechanisms unraveling these unique transformations are discussed in order to provide a better understanding for future developments in the field of site-selective C−H bond functionalization with transition metal catalysts.     

Towards mild metal-catalyzed C-H bond activation

Functionalizing traditionally inert carbon-hydrogen bonds represents a powerful transformation in organic synthesis, providing new entries to valuable structural motifs and improving the overall synthetic efficiency. C-H bond activation, however, often necessitates harsh reaction conditions that result in functional group incompatibilities and limited substrate scope. An understanding of the reaction mechanism and rational design of experimental conditions have led to significant improvement in both selectivity and applicability. This critical review summarizes and discusses endeavours towards the development of mild C-H activation methods and wishes to trigger more research towards this goal. In addition, we examine select examples in complex natural product synthesis to demonstrate the synthetic utility of mild C-H functionalization (84 references).     

C-H键选择性直接电氧化研究

C-H键是有机化合物中最基本的化学键,C-H键的活化和直接转化避免了反应物的预先官能化,是最终实现烷烃类化合物转化为不同种类有机化合物最直接、高效的转换方式,通过C-H键构建C-X键（X=O、C、N）是非常重要和具有挑战性的研究. C-H键直接电氧化活化过程中以“电子”参与反应,不需要加入额外的催化剂,并可通过选择合适的电极材料、支持电解质、溶剂和反应温度,通过恒电流或者恒电位电解,进行具有特定的反应选择性和区域选择性的C-H键电氧化活化,从而获得含其他活性基团的目标产物.     

钌催化C-H键活化构建C-C键反应的研究进展

根据定位基团类型并结合其反应机理,介绍了近几年来钌催化的C-H键活化构建C-C键的研究进展.参考文献40篇.     

Reactions of hypervalent iodine reagents with palladium: mechanisms and applications in organic synthesis

The unique reactivity of hypervalent iodine reagents with Pd0 and PdII complexes has been exploited for a variety of synthetically useful organic transformations. For example, IIII reagents have been used in place of aryl halides for diverse Pd-catalyzed C-C and C-heteroatom bond-forming cross-coupling reactions. In addition, these reagents have found application in Pd-catalyzed oxidation reactions, including the oxidative functionalization of C-H bonds and the 1,2-aminooxygenation of olefinic substrates. This review discusses both the synthetic utility and the interesting mechanistic features of these transformations.     

稀土金属催化的碳氢官能团化反应

过渡金属催化的碳氢官能团化反应具有原子经济性高、区域选择性好和合成路线简短等优点,近年来得到了化学家们的广泛关注,是当前有机合成化学的热门研究领域之一。近几年来,稀土金属催化剂也逐渐被开发应用于该领域,得到优异的结果,同时也表现出一些独特的催化活性。本文综述了稀土金属络合物催化的碳氢官能团化反应,主要包括C-H烷基化反应以及C-Hβ-胺烷基化反应,这些反应为C-C键的构筑提供了新方法。同时本文也针对该领域目前存在的挑战,对未来的研究工作做了展望。     

P450 fingerprinting method for rapid discovery of terpene hydroxylating P450 catalysts with diversified regioselectivity

Engineered P450 enzymes constitute attractive catalysts for the selective oxidation of unactivated C-H bonds in complex molecules. A current bottleneck in the use of P450 catalysis for chemical synthesis is the time and effort required to identify the P450 variant(s) with the desired level of activity and selectivity. In this report, we describe a method to map the active site configuration of engineered P450 variants in high throughput using a set of semisynthetic chromogenic probes. Through analysis of the resulting 'fingerprints', reliable predictions can be made regarding the reactivity of these enzymes toward complex substrates structurally related to the fingerprint probes. In addition, fingerprint analysis offers a convenient and time-effective means to assess the regioselectivity properties of the fingerprinted P450s. The described approach can represent a valuable tool to expedite the discovery of P450 oxidation catalysts for the functionalization of relevant natural products such as members of the terpene family.     

Chiral Catalysts for Pd0-Catalyzed Enantioselective C−H Activation

In the past few decades, processes that involve transition-metal catalysis have represented a major part of the synthetic chemist′s toolbox. Recently, the interest has shifted from the well-established cross-coupling reactions to C−H bond functionalization, thus making it a current frontier of transition-metal-catalyzed reactions. Constant progress in this field has led to the discovery of enantioselective methods to generate and control various types of stereogenic elements, thereby demonstrating its high value to generate scalemic chiral molecules. The present review is dedicated to enantioselective Pd⁰-catalyzed C−H activation, which may be considered as an evolution of Pd⁰-catalyzed cross-couplings, with a focus on the different chiral ligands and catalysts that enable these transformations.     

Synthetic Advantages of Defluorinative C−F Bond Functionalization

Much progress has been made in the development of methods to both create compounds that contain C−F bonds and to functionalize C−F bonds. As such, C−F bonds are becoming common and versatile synthetic functional handles. This review summarizes the advantages of defluorinative functionalization reactions for small molecule synthesis. The coverage is organized by the type of carbon framework the fluorine is attached to for mono- and polyfluorinated motifs. The main challenges, opportunities and advances of defluorinative functionalization are discussed for each class of organofluorine. Most of the text focuses on case studies that illustrate how defluorofunctionalization can improve routes to synthetic targets or how the properties of C−F bonds enable unique mechanisms and reactions. The broader goal is to showcase the opportunities for incorporating and exploiting C−F bonds in the design of synthetic routes, improvement of specific reactions and advent of new methods.     

Catalytic Approaches for the Direct Heterofunctionalization of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids and Their Equivalents with Group 16 Elements

In contrast to traditional multistep synthesis, modern organic synthesis extensively depends on the direct functionalization of unactivated C?H bonds for the construction of various C?C and C‐heteroatom bonds in atom‐ and step‐economic manner. Common aliphatic substrates, e. g. carboxylic acids and their synthetic equivalents, are regiospecifically functionalized based on either a directed approach, in which the polar directing group assists to functionalize a specific C?H bond positioned at β‐ and γ‐carbon centers, or a non‐directed approach typically leading to α‐functionalization. While numerous reviews on catalytic C?H functionalization have appeared, a concise review on the direct C(sp³)?H heterofunctionalization of carboxylic acid synthons with Group 16 elements has been awaited. The recent advances on the direct oxy‐functionalization and chalcogenation of aliphatic carboxylic acid synthons enabled by transition metal, organo‐ and photocatalysts are described herein.     

Frontiers and opportunities in chemoenzymatic synthesis

Natural product biosynthetic pathways have evolved enzymes with myriad activities that represent an expansive array of chemical transformations for constructing secondary metabolites. Recently, harnessing the biosynthetic potential of these enzymes through chemoenzymatic synthesis has provided a powerful tool that often rivals the most sophisticated methodologies in modern synthetic chemistry and provides new opportunities for accessing chemical diversity. Herein, we describe our research efforts with enzymes from a broad collection of biosynthetic systems, highlighting recent progress in this exciting field.     

Copper(II)-catalyzed aerobic oxidative synthesis of substituted 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-triazoles from bisarylhydrazones via C-H functionalization/C-C/N-N/C-N bonds formation

An unprecedented copper(II)-catalyzed aerobic oxidative synthesis of 2,4,5-triaryl-1,2,3-triazoles and 1,3,5-triaryl-1,2,4-triazoles from bisarylhydrazones as the common starting precursor has been achieved via cascade C-H functionalization/C-C/N-N/C-N bonds formation under mild reaction conditions. One of the enthralling outcomes of this strategy is the copper(II)-catalyzed room temperature C-H functionalization/C-N bond formation in presence of air, which has been accomplished during the synthesis of substituted 1,2,4-triazoles. This new class of compounds could give prospective luminescence as an iconic component in the area of pharmaceutical and biological sciences. The intermediates for both the processes have been isolated to elucidate the mechanistic scenario.     

Electrophotocatalytic Decarboxylative C−H Functionalization of Heteroarenes

Decarboxylative C?H functionalization reactions are highly attractive methods for forging carbon–carbon bonds considering their inherent step‐ and atom‐economical features and the pervasiveness of carboxylic acids and C?H bonds. An ideal approach to achieve these dehydrogenative transformations is through hydrogen evolution without using any chemical oxidants. However, effective couplings by decarboxylative carbon–carbon bond formation with proton reduction remain an unsolved challenge. Herein, we report an electrophotocatalytic approach that merges organic electrochemistry with photocatalysis to achieve the efficient direct decarboxylative C?H alkylation and carbamoylation of heteroaromatic compounds through hydrogen evolution. This electrophotocatalytic method, which combines the high efficiency and selectivity of photocatalysis in promoting decarboxylation with the superiority of electrochemistry in effecting proton reduction, enables the efficient coupling of a wide range of heteroaromatic bases with a variety of carboxylic acids and oxamic acids. Advantageously, this method is scalable to decagram amounts, and applicable to the late‐stage functionalization of drug molecules.