An efficient copper(I) complex catalyzed Sonogashira type cross-coupling of aryl halides with terminal alkynes

A wide range of arylated alkynes are synthesized from the corresponding aryl halides and terminal alkynes through Sonogashira type cross-coupling reactions through C(aryl)-C bond formation in the presence of a catalytic amount of N,N′-dibenzyl BINAM-CuI complex under mild reaction conditions.     

Novel one pot synthesis of substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones and pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-7(6H)-ones using copper iodide,azides and terminal alkynes

A simple and highly efficient copper iodide catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 2-substituted quinazolin-4(3H)-ones have been developed from anthranilamide, terminal alkynes and azides. A wide variety of alkynes were screened to understand the scope of this methodology. This method has been extended for the synthesis of 5-substituted pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-7(6H)-ones which are having potential applications in medicinal chemistry.     

Ligand-free Ag(I)-catalyzed carboxylative coupling of terminal alkynes,chloride compounds,and CO2

Simple silver(I) slats were found to be highly efficient and selective catalyst for carboxylative coupling of aryl- or alkyl-substituted terminal alkynes, CO₂, and various allylic, propargylic or benzylic chlorides to exclusively yield functionalized 2-alkynoates. The activity is about 300 times that of the previously reported N-heterocyclic carbene copper(I) catalytic system. The ligand-free silver(I) catalytic system showed the wide generality of substrates involving both functionalized terminal alkynes and chloride compounds.     

Silver-promoted regio- and stereoselective aminocyanation of alkynes for the synthesis of β-aminoacrylonitriles using N-isocyanoiminotriphenylphosphorane

The silver-promoted intermolecular aminocyanation of alkynes for the synthesis of (Z)-β-aminoacrylonitriles is reported, using N-isocyanoiminotriphenylphosphorane (NIITP) as both the nitrile and amine source. The transformation proceeds in moderate to good yields, and in a regio- and stereoselective manner, using a wide range of acetylenes.     

Copper-catalyzed Z-selective semihydrogenation of alkynes with hydrosilane: a convenient approach to cis-alkenes

A copper catalyst generated in situ from widely available copper salt and imidazolium salt in the presence of t-BuOK showed high efficiency for the semihydrogenation of a wide range of internal and terminal alkynes to their corresponding alkenes without obvious over-reduction. Functional groups, such as hydroxyl, nitro, halides, and amino, etc. were tolerated. The Z/E ratios of the obtained alkenes were generally >99%. Finally, semireduction of bulky alkynes also went smoothly.     

N-triflyl-propiolamides: Preparation and transamidation reactions

N-Trifluoromethylsulfonyl-propiolamides have been prepared by two methods: a) N-triflation of secondary acetylenic carboxanilides, prepared in two steps from terminal alkynes, with triflic anhydride (Tf₂O) and b) from terminal alkynes and an aryl or alkyl isocyanate followed by Tf₂O in a consecutive one-pot reaction. The title compounds are bench-stable and insensitive to water and alcohols but amenable to transamidation reactions with a wide range of amine nucleophiles. Conversely, they are excellent reagents for the propynoylation of ammonia, primary and secondary amines, anilines, and hydrazines.     

p-Toluenesulfonic acid-promoted selective functionalization of unsymmetrical arylalkynes: a regioselective access to various arylketones and heterocycles

Regioselective hydration of a wide range of internal alkynes has been afforded in high to good yields by using PTSA in EtOH. The scope of the reaction of alkynes has been delineated. Arylaliphatic alkynes and diarylalkynes were regioselectively hydrated in good to excellent yields and short reaction times when the reaction was achieved under microwave irradiation. Moreover, diarylalkynes, arylenynes as well as diaryldiynes bearing a methoxy- or a thiomethyl substituent on the ortho position underwent a regioselective 5-endo-dig-cyclization to give a variety of 2-aryl- and 2-styrylbenzofuran or benzothiphene derivatives. We believe that, this new environmentally metal-free procedure combined to microwave irradiation would be in importance in the search of green laboratory-scale synthesis.     

Copper-catalyzed tandem reaction between imines and alcohols leading to indoles

A copper-catalyzed tandem reaction between 2-alkynyl-N-arylideneanilines and alcohols is found to produce N-(alkoxybenzyl)indoles in good to high yields. A wide variety of substituted N-(alkoxybenzyl)indole derivatives can be synthesized by utilizing this protocol, since the derived indoles are essentially formed by the four-component assemblies of aldehydes, 2-iodoanilines, terminal alkynes, and alcohols.     

Halodeboronation of organotrifluoroborates using tetrabutylammonium tribromide or cesium triiodide

Halodeboronation of organotrifluoroborates using commercially available tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TBATB) or cesium triiodide in aqueous medium is reported. The mild, transition metal-free method has proven to be tolerant of a wide range of functional groups. High regio- and chemoselectivity are observed. Two synthetic routes to (Z)-dibromoalkenes from alkynes, through stereodefined (Z)-2-bromoalkenyltrifluoroborates and (Z)-1,2-bis(boryl)alkenyltrifluoroborates, have been developed using the TBATB mediated bromodeboronation as the key step.     

Photoinduced Bisphosphination of Alkynes with Phosphorus Interelement Compounds and Its Application to Double-Bond Isomerization

The addition of interelement compounds with heteroatom-heteroatom single bonds to carbon-carbon unsaturated bonds under light irradiation is believed to be an atomically efficient method to procure materials with carbon-heteroatom bonds. In this study, we achieved the photoinduced bisphosphination of alkynes using the phosphorus interelement compound, tetraphenyldiphosphine monosulfide (1), to stereoselectively obtain the corresponding (E)-vic-1,2-bisphosphinoalkenes, which are important transition-metal ligands. The bisphosphination reaction was performed by mixing 1 and various alkynes and then exposing the mixture to light irradiation. Optimization of the conditions for the bisphosphination reaction resulted in a wide substrate range and excellent trans-selectivity. Moreover, the completely regioselective introduction of pentavalent and trivalent phosphorus groups to the terminal and internal positions of the alkynes, respectively, was achieved. We also found that the novel double-bond isomerization reaction of the synthesized bisphosphinated products occurred with a catalytic amount of a base under mild conditions. Our method for the photoinduced bisphosphination of carbon-carbon unsaturated compounds may have strong implications for both organic synthesis and organometallic and catalyst chemistry.     

Copper-catalyzed tandem synthesis of [1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines and their transformation to 1,3-disubstituted isoquinolines

2-Azido-3-(2-iodophenyl)acrylates react with terminal alkynes in the presence of a copper(II) catalyst without ligands to give a wide range of [1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines in good yields. These compounds favor expulsion of N₂ in refluxed acetic acid to form 1,3-disubstituted isoquinolines. The procedure is simple, economical, and efficient.     

Regioselective construction of six-membered fused heterocyclic rings via Pd/C-mediated C-C coupling followed by iodocyclization strategy: a new entry to 2H-1,2-benzothiazine-1,1-dioxides

We describe a practical and elegant method of constructing a thiazine ring fused with benzene under mild reaction conditions. A variety of 4-iodo-2H-benzo[e][1,2]thiazine-1,1-dioxides were prepared with high regioselectivity via a two-step process involving Pd/C-mediated C-C coupling of o-halobenzenesulfonamides with terminal alkynes, followed by iodocyclization of the resulting o-(1-alkynyl)arenesulfonamide using elemental iodine in acetonitrile. The coupling reaction was carried out using 10% Pd/C-PPh₃-CuI as a catalyst system in the presence of Et₃N. The process worked well for bromides and iodides, and a wide array of terminal alkynes containing alkyl and aryl substituents were employed. The iodocyclization step tolerated a variety of functional groups such as hydroxy, chloro, cyano, and methoxy, producing the six-membered heterocyclic ring selectively. The resulting 4-iodo-2H-benzo[e][1,2]thiazine-1,1-dioxides participated in Sonogashira, Heck, and Suzuki reactions producing a wide range of functionally substituted benzothiazines in good yields.     

InBr3-catalyzed direct alkynylation of nitrones with terminal alkynes: an efficient synthesis of N-hydroxy-propargyl amines

An InBr₃-catalyzed direct and efficient alkynylation of nitrones with terminal alkynes was developed. The process enables practical synthesis of a wide range of synthetically useful N-hydroxy-propargyl amine derivatives in good yields under mild conditions. The application of this method to optically active propargylic N-hydroxyamines syntheses was also described. With chiral nitrones, good diastereoselectivities were obtained. Moreover, the first chiral indium(III) complex-catalyzed asymmetric alkynylation of nitrone was achieved with moderate enantioselectivity.     

Cu(I)-catalyzed reaction of diazo compounds with terminal alkynes: a direct synthesis of trisubstituted furans

A method for the synthesis of tri-substituted furans has been developed based on Cu(I)-catalyzed reaction of terminal alkynes with β-keto α-diazoesters. This method for the synthesis of 2,3,5-trisubstituted furans is operationally simple and applicable to wide substrate scope. Moreover, this synthesis employs cheap Cu(MeCN)₄PF₆ as the catalyst and no additional ligand is needed. Similar reaction has also been applied to ethyl (E)-2-diazo-3-(methoxyimino)butanoate for the synthesis of 2,3,5-trisubstituted N-methoxypyrroles with limited success.     

Rapid access to t-butylalkylated olefins enabled by Ni-catalyzed intermolecular regio- and trans-selective cross-electrophile t-butylalkylation of alkynes

Among the carbo-difunctionalization of alkynes, the stereoselective dialkylation of alkynes is the most challenging transformation due to associated competitive side reactions and thus remains underdeveloped. Herein, we report the first Ni-catalyzed regio- and trans-selective cross-dialkylation of alkynes with two distinct alkyl bromides to afford olefins with two aliphatic substituents. The reductive conditions circumvent the use of organometallic reagents, enabling the cross-dialkylation process to occur at room temperature from two different alkyl bromides. This operationally simple protocol provides a straightforward and practical access to a wide range of stereodefined dialkylated olefins with broad functional group tolerance from easily available starting materials.

A direct reductive cross-dialkylation of alkynes is achieved to afford trans-dialkylated olefins using two distinct alkyl bromides. The reaction undergoes with exclusive chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity without the use of organometallic reagents.     

Zr-Mediated hydroboration: stereoselective synthesis of vinyl boronic esters

An improved process for the preparation of (E)-vinylboronic esters via a Zr-mediated hydroboration of alkynes, especially oxygen-containing alkynes, is described.     

Regioselective synthesis of phthalans via Cu(OTf)2-catalyzed 5-exo-dig intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of 2-(ethynyl)benzyl alcohols

An efficient, regioselective Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed 5-exo-dig intramolecular hydroalkoxylation of 2-(ethynyl)benzyl alcohol, which provides a concise access to functionalized phthalan in high yields has been developed. A wide range of substrates possessing terminal, internal, and heteroaromatic alkynes can be efficiently transformed into the targeted phthalans. Substrates with primary, secondary, and tertiary benzyl alcohols also proceed well to produce the corresponding phthalans in good yields. Irrespective of the nature of the substrates, the cyclization follows highly selective 5-exo-dig regiochemistry when regioselectivity is an issue.     

A General and Scalable Synthesis of Polysubstituted Indoles

A consecutive 2-step synthesis of N-unprotected polysubstituted indoles bearing an electron-withdrawing group at the C-3 position from readily available nitroarenes is reported. The protocol is based on the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of N-oxyenamines generated by the DABCO-catalyzed reaction of N-arylhydroxylamines and conjugated terminal alkynes, and delivers indoles endowed with a wide array of substitution patterns and topologies.     

Reactions of alkynes with trisubstituted (Z)-bromoalkenyl-pinacolboronates towards the synthesis of 1,2,4,6-tetrasubstituted benzenes

Treatment of trisubstituted (Z)-bromoalkenyl-pinacolboronates with terminal alkynes in the presence of cuprous iodide, palladium(0) tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) and Hünig’s base leads to the formation of 1,2,4,6-tetrasubstituted aromatic compounds in a one-pot fashion. Substrate scope was shown for three trisubstituted (Z)-bromoalkenyl-pinacolboronates and four terminal alkynes.     

Hydrothiolation of terminal alkynes with diaryl disulfides and diphenyl diselenide: selective synthesis of (Z)-1-alkenyl sulfides and selenides

A simple, stereoselective and efficient method for the hydrothiolation of terminal alkynes with diaryl disulfides and diphenyl diselenide has been developed. In the presence of CuI, rongalite, and Cs₂CO₃, a variety of disulfides underwent the reaction of terminal alkynes stereoselectively to afford the corresponding (Z)-1-alkenyl sulfides in moderate to excellent yields. It is noteworthy that hydroselenations of 1,2-diphenyldiselane with alkynes are also conducted smoothly to afford (Z)-1-alkenyl selenides in good yields under the standard conditions.