Non-C2-Symmetric Bis-Benzimidazolium Salt Applied in the Synthesis of Sterically Hindered Biaryls

A novel non-C₂-symmetric bis-benzimidazolium salt derived from (±)-valinol has been prepared by a simple and straightforward process in good yield. The structure of bis-benzimidazolium salt provided a bulky steric group on the ethylene bridge; which facilitates the catalytic efficacy in the C(sp²)–C(sp²) formation. Its catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of unactivated aryl chlorides has been found to have high efficacy in 1 mol% Pd loading. This protocol demonstrated the potential on the synthesis of sterically hindered biaryls.     

Inhibition of (dppf)nickel-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions by α-halo-N-heterocycles

A nickel/dppf catalyst system was found to successfully achieve the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of 3- and 4-chloropyridine and of 6-chloroquinoline but not of 2-chloropyridine or of other α-halo-N-heterocycles. Further investigations revealed that chloropyridines undergo rapid oxidative addition to [Ni(COD)(dppf)] but that α-halo-N-heterocycles lead to the formation of stable dimeric nickel species that are catalytically inactive in Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. However, the corresponding Kumada–Tamao–Corriu reactions all proceed readily, which is attributed to more rapid transmetalation of Grignard reagents.

Nickel complexes with a dppf ligand can form inactive dinickel(ii) complexes during Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. However, these complexes can react with Grignard reagents in Kumada–Tamao–Corriu cross-coupling reactions.     

Increasing appendage diversity on 3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-2H-1,4-benzoxazines via Aphos–Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl chlorides

A library of 32 members of 3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-2H-1,4-benzoxazines has been synthesized from two substituted 2-aminophenols via microwave-assisted one-pot regioselective annulation of 2-bromoalkanoates and subsequent Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of the chloro-substituted scaffolds. The latter transformation was carried out using our Aphos–Pd(OAc)₂ catalyst and the coupling of the aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids proceeded under mild reaction conditions at 60–80 °C in THF–H₂O (10:1) in the presence of K₃PO₄·3H₂O as the base to furnish the corresponding biaryl products in 80–98% yields.     

Dual ligand approach increases functional group tolerance in the Pd-catalysed C–H arylation of N-heterocyclic pharmaceuticals

The excellent functional group tolerance of the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions has been decisive for their success in the pharmaceutical industry. Highly diversified (hetero)aromatic scaffolds can be effectively coupled in the final step(s) of a convergent synthetic route. In contrast, electrophilic Pd catalysts for non-directed C–H activation are particularly sensitive to inhibition by coordinating groups in pharmaceutical precursors. While C–H arylation enables the direct conversion of (hetero)aromatics without preinstalled functional or directing groups, its functional group tolerance should be increased to be viable in late-stage cross-couplings. In this work, we report on a dual ligand approach that combines a strongly coordinating phosphine ligand with a chelating 2-hydroxypyridine for the highly robust C–H coupling of bicyclic N-heteroaromatics with aryl bromide scaffolds. The catalyst speciation was studied via in situ XAS measurements, confirming the coordination of both ligands under the reaction conditions. The C–H activation catalyst was shown to be tolerant to a wide range of pharmaceutically relevant scaffolds, including examples of late-stage functionalization of known drug molecules.

Ligand combination of a 2-pyridone with traditional phosphines enables superior functional group tolerance in the C–H (hetero)arylation of pharmaceutically relevant N-heterocyclic scaffolds.     

S(vi) in three-component sulfonamide synthesis: use of sulfuric chloride as a linchpin in palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling

Sulfuric chloride is used as the source of the –SO₂– group in a palladium-catalyzed three-component synthesis of sulfonamides. Suzuki–Miyaura coupling between the in situ generated sulfamoyl chlorides and boronic acids gives rise to diverse sulfonamides in moderate to high yields with excellent reaction selectivity. Although this transformation is not workable for primary amines or anilines, the results show high functional group tolerance. With the solving of the desulfonylation problem and utilization of cheap and easily accessible sulfuric chloride as the source of sulfur dioxide, redox-neutral three-component synthesis of sulfonamides is first achieved.

Sulfuric chloride is used as the source of the –SO₂– group in a palladium-catalyzed three-component synthesis of sulfonamides.

Since its development in the 1970s,¹ Suzuki–Miyaura coupling has become a widely used synthetic step in diverse areas. With two of the most widely sourced materials, organoborons and alkyl/aryl halides, a number of C–C coupling reactions are established and the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction has successfully acted as the key step in the synthesis of medicines and agrochemicals.²In addition to the well-known aryl halides and esters, various other substrates such as acid chlorides,³ anhydrides,⁴ diazonium salts⁵ and sulfonyl chlorides⁶ were also reported for the coupling in the past decades. As far as acid chlorides are concerned, carbamoyl chlorides were successfully transformed to the corresponding benzamides in the early years of the 21st century.⁷ However, the use of sulfamoyl chlorides as coupling partners is challenging due to the strong electron-withdrawing properties of the sulfonyl group, which cause the tendency of desulfonylation to form tertiary amines.Synthesis of sulfonyl-containing compounds, especially sulfones and sulfonamides, via the insertion of sulfur dioxide has been extensively studied during the last decade.⁸ A series of sulfur-containing surrogates have been developed as the source of the –SO₂– group. Willis and co-workers first reported the use of DABCO·(SO₂)₂, a bench-stable solid adduct of DABCO and gaseous SO₂ discovered by Santos and Mello,^9a as the source of sulfur dioxide in the synthesis of sulfonylhydrazines.^9b Soon after, alkali metal metabisulfites were found to provide sulfur dioxide for the formation of sulfonyl compounds.¹⁰ In the recent developments in this field, DABCO·(SO₂)₂ and metabisulfites have become the most popular SO₂ surrogates for the insertion of sulfur dioxide.⁸ However, the practical applications of sulfur dioxide insertion reactions are limited by atom-efficiency problems and the unique properties of reactants. For instance, the three-component synthesis of aryl sulfonylhydrazines using aryl halides, SO₂ surrogates and hydrazines by a SO₂-doped Buchward–Hartwig reaction was realized in the earliest developments in this field.¹⁰ However, similar transformations from aryl halides and amines to the corresponding sulfonamides still remain unresolved (Scheme 1a).^11,12Open in a separate windowScheme 1Synthetic approaches to sulfonamides.In order to provide a simple and efficient method for the three-component synthesis of aryl sulfonamides without the pre-synthesis of sulfonyl chlorides, many scientists have made various attempts. Interestingly, the use of arylboronic acids instead of aryl halides provided an alternative route. An oxidative reaction between boronic acids, DABCO·(SO₂)₂ and amines for the preparation of aryl sulfonamides at high temperature was realized,¹² while reductive couplings of boronic acids, SO₂ surrogates and nitroarenes were also reported (Scheme 1b).¹³ However, due to the reversed electronic properties of boronic acids from halides, additional additives and restrictions had to be considered. Extra oxidants and harsh conditions were usually used, and some of the transformations required “oxidative” substrates, such as nitroarenes and chloroamines.¹⁴Early in 2020, a reductive hydrosulfonamination of alkenes by sulfamoyl chlorides was reported,¹⁵ which gave us the inspiration to use in situ generated sulfamoyl chlorides as the electrophile for the synthesis of aryl sulfonamides by Suzuki–Miyaura coupling. In this way, sulfamoyl chlorides could be formed by nucleophilic substitution of an amine to sulfuric chloride, and the S(vi) central atom introduced into the reaction could reverse the electronic properties of the amine, which would eliminate the addition of oxidants (Scheme 1c). With the utilization of boronic acids as the coupling partner, a palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling could provide the sulfonamide products. Compared with traditional attempts, reversing the electronic properties of an amine from nucleophilic to electrophilic could reverse the whole reaction process, and two-step synthesis starting from the amine side could bypass the existing difficulty of S–N bond forming reductive elimination.¹² Instead, a C–S bond formation could be the key for success (Scheme 2). In this proposed route, the presence of a base would be essential to remove the acid generated in situ during the reaction process. Additionally, we expected that the addition of a ligand would improve the oxidative addition of Pd(0) to sulfamoyl chloride, thus leading to the desired sulfonamide product.Open in a separate windowScheme 2Comparison between the traditional route and designed work.As designed based on our assumption, we used a commercialized sulfamoyl chloride intermediate A, which would be generated from morpholine 1a and SO₂Cl₂, to start our early investigations. The results showed that the direct Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of sulfamoyl chloride intermediate A and 2-naphthaleneboronic acid 2a mostly led to the generation of byproduct 3a′ with traditional phosphine ligands added to the reaction, and the desired product 3a was obtained in poor yields (Table 1, entries 1 and 2). It is known that an electron-rich ligand would enhance the oxidative addition of Pd(0) to the electrophile, and the bulky factor would facilitate the reductive elimination process. As expected, the yield of product 3a was increased significantly when electron-rich and bulky tris-(2,6-dimethoxyphenyl)phosphine was used as the ligand (Table 1, entry 3). Moreover, the reaction could proceed more efficiently by using a mixture of THF and MeCN as the co-solvent (Table 1, entry 4).Early investigations using morpholine-4-sulfonyl chloride A as the starting material

A Novel Utilization of Water Extract of Suaeda Salsa in the Pd/C Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling Reaction

Using biomass-derived solvents in various organic reactions is challenging for the fine chemicals industry. We herein report a Pd/C catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction in water extract of suaeda salsa (WES) without using external phosphine ligand, base, and organic solvent. The cross-coupling reactions were carried out in a basic WES medium with a broad substrate scope and wide functional group tolerance. Furthermore, the high purity of solid biaryl products can be obtained by column chromatography or filtration.     

Heterocyclic Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of metalla-aromatics and mechanistic analysis of site selectivity

Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling is one of the most straightforward and versatile methods for the construction of functionalized arenes and heteroarenes but site-selective cross-coupling of polyhalogenated (hetero)arenes containing identical halogen substituents remains a challenging problem. Herein, we report a new candidate for heterocyclic Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. This candidate has been applied in organometallic systems by combining classical aryl boronic acid reagents with non-classical heteroarenes. Experimental and computational studies of the mechanism of the reactions were performed, with an emphasis on the identity of the reactive species in the oxidative addition step and the nature of the precise site selectivity. The influence of both the aromaticity of the metalla-aromatic substrates and the steric and electronic properties of the halogenated sites are studied in detail.

We describe unique polyhalogenated heteroarene candidates for site-selective cross-coupling, which shows high catalytic performances in the functionalization of polycyclic metalla-aromatics with excellent photophysical properties.     

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。     

Aryl diazonium intermediates enable mild DNA-compatible C–C bond formation for medicinally relevant combinatorial library synthesis

Forging carbon–carbon (C–C) linkage in DNA-encoded combinatorial library synthesis represents a fundamental task for drug discovery, especially with broad substrate scope and exquisite functional group tolerance. Here we reported the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura, Heck and Hiyama type cross-coupling via DNA-conjugated aryl diazonium intermediates for DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) synthesis. Starting from commodity arylamines, this synthetic route facilely delivers vast chemical diversity at a mild temperature and pH, thus circumventing damage to fragile functional groups. Given its orthogonality with traditional aryl halide-based cross-coupling, the aryl diazonium-centered strategy expands the compatible synthesis of complex C–C bond-connected scaffolds. In addition, DNA-tethered pharmaceutical compounds (e.g., HDAC inhibitor) are constructed without decomposition of susceptible bioactive warheads (e.g., hydroxamic acid), emphasizing the superiority of the aryl diazonium-based approach. Together with the convenient transformation into an aryl azide photo-crosslinker, aryl diazonium''s DNA-compatible diversification synergistically demonstrated its competence to create medicinally relevant combinatorial libraries and investigate protein–ligand interactions in pharmaceutical research.

Taking advantage of aryl diazonium intermediates, this work reported a DNA-compatible C–C bond formation strategy, achieving broad substrate scope, exquisite functional group tolerance, and orthogonality to aryl halide-based coupling reactions.     

Ortho C–H arylation of arenes at room temperature using visible light ruthenium C–H activation

A ruthenium-catalyzed ortho C–H arylation process is described using visible light. Using the readily available catalyst [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂, visible light irradiation was found to enable arylation of 2-aryl-pyridines at room temperature for a range of aryl bromides and iodides.

A ruthenium-catalyzed ortho C–H arylation process is described using visible light.     

Solvent‐Free,Palladium‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Couplings of Aryl Chlorides with Arylboronic Acids

Pd(MeCN)₂Cl₂/PCy₃ was found to be an efficient catalytic system for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐couplings of aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids under solvent‐free conditions. Furthermore, the presence of the conventional solvents had deleterious effect on the reaction. In the presence of Pd(MeCN)₂Cl₂, PCy₃, and TBAF (tetra‐n‐butylammonium fluoride), a number of aryl chlorides including heteroaryl chlorides were coupled with arylboronic acids or heteroarylboronic acids smoothly to afford the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields.     

Ni(0)-promoted activation of Csp2–H and Csp2–O bonds

A dinickel(0)–N₂ complex, stabilized with a rigid acridane-based PNP pincer ligand, was studied for its ability to activate C(sp²)–H and C(sp²)–O bonds. Stabilized by a Ni–μ–N₂–Na⁺ interaction, it activates C–H bonds of unfunctionalized arenes, affording nickel–aryl and nickel–hydride products. Concomitantly, two sodium cations get reduced to Na(0), which was identified and quantified by several methods. Our experimental results, including product analysis and kinetic measurements, strongly suggest that this C(sp²)–H activation does not follow the typical oxidative addition mechanism occurring at a low-valent single metal centre. Instead, via a bimolecular pathway, two powerfully reducing nickel ions cooperatively activate an arene C–H bond and concomitantly reduce two Lewis acidic alkali metals under ambient conditions. As a novel synthetic protocol, nickel(ii)–aryl species were directly synthesized from nickel(ii) precursors in benzene or toluene with excess Na under ambient conditions. Furthermore, when the dinickel(0)–N₂ complex is accessed via reduction of the nickel(ii)–phenyl species, the resulting phenyl anion deprotonates a C–H bond of glyme or 15-crown-5 leading to C–O bond cleavage, which produces vinyl ether. The dinickel(0)–N₂ species then cleaves the C(sp²)–O bond of vinyl ether to produce a nickel(ii)–vinyl complex. These results may provide a new strategy for the activation of C–H and C–O bonds mediated by a low valent nickel ion supported by a structurally rigidified ligand scaffold.

A structurally rigidified nickel(0) complex was found to be capable of cleaving both C(sp²)–H and C(sp²)–O bonds.     

Enabling Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of Lewis-basic arylboronic esters with a nonprecious metal catalyst

The high cost and negative environmental impact of precious metal catalysts has led to increased demand for nonprecious alternatives for widely practiced reactions such as the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling (SMC). Ni-catalyzed versions of this reaction have failed to achieve high reactivity with Lewis-basic arylboron nucleophiles, especially pinacolboron esters. We describe the development of (PPh₂Me)₂NiCl₂ as an inexpensive and air-stable precatalyst that addresses this challenge. Under activation by n-BuMgCl, this complex can catalyze the coupling of synthetically important heteroaryl pinacolborons with heteroaryl halides. Mildly basic conditions (aqueous K₃PO₄) allow the reaction to tolerate sensitive functional groups that were incompatible with other Ni-SMC methods. Experimental and computational studies suggest that catalyst inhibition by substitution of PPh₂Me from Ni(ii) intermediates by Lewis basic reactants and products is disfavored relative to more commonly employed ligands in the Ni-SMC, which allows it to operate efficiently in the presence of Lewis bases such as unhindered pyridines.

A simple inexpensive ligand enables the Ni-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of heterocyclic and Lewis-basic arylboronic esters under mild conditions.     

General and highly efficient fluorinated-N-heterocyclic carbene–based catalysts for the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction

A general and highly efficient trifluoromethylated-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based catalyst for the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction was reported. In the presence of the catalyst, reactions of non-activated aryl chlorides and triflates with aryl boronic acids occurred at room temperature with good to excellent yields (63–98%). In addition, catalysts generated from a combination of Pd(OAc)₂/imidazolium salt 6a is not only effective for the coupling of heteroaryl boronic acid with aryl halides and heteroaryl halides, but also efficient for coupling of other heteroaryl halides and heteroaryl boronic acids. Finally, the catalyst is highly effective for Suzuki–Miyaura reaction of aryl bromides and chlorides with 0.01–0.1 mol % loading if the temperature was raised at refluxed THF/H₂O.     

Cover Picture

The cover picture shows the structure of a Pd(II)‐enaminone complex which is prepared from Pd(OAc)₂ and NH₂‐featured enaminone, as well as its application in catalyzing the Suzuki‐Miyaura cross coupling reaction. As unprecedented Pd(II)‐organic species, it has been broadly used to catalyze the Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction of aryl bromides/chlorides and exhibited evidently superior catalytic activity over those commercially available Pd‐catalysts. Alongside the efficient and broad catalysis in Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction in clean aqueous medium, simply modifying reaction conditions and the enaminone structure in the Pd(II)‐enaminone complex, the homo‐coupling of aryl boronic acids can also be efficiently executed. The results disclose the application promise of enaminones in new frontiers of organometallics and catalysis. More details are discussed in the article by Wan et al. on page on page 254—258.

     

Highly efficient orthopalladated complexes of second and third benzyl amine for catalyzing the Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction

In this work, ortho‐palladated complexes [Pd(µ‐Cl)(C₆H₄CH₂ NRR′‐κ²‐C,N)]₂ and [Pd(C₆H₄CH₂NH₂‐2‐C,N)Cl(Y)] were tested in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction. Cyclopalladated Pd(II) complexes as thermally stable catalysts can activate aryl bromides and chlorides. These complexes were active and efficient catalysts for the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction of aryl bromides and even less reactive aryl chlorides. The cross‐coupled products of a variety of aryl bromides and aryl chloride with phenylboronic acid in methanol as solvent at 60 °C were produced in excellent yields. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cobalt-catalyzed intramolecular decarbonylative coupling of acylindoles and diarylketones through the cleavage of C–C bonds

We report here cobalt–N-heterocyclic carbene catalytic systems for the intramolecular decarbonylative coupling through the chelation-assisted C–C bond cleavage of acylindoles and diarylketones. The reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups such as alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl groups, giving the decarbonylative products in moderate to excellent yields. This transformation involves the cleavage of two C–C bonds and formation of a new C–C bond without the use of noble metals, thus reinforcing the potential application of decarbonylation as an effective tool for C–C bond formation.

A method for cobalt–N-heterocyclic carbene catalytic systems for the intramolecular decarbonylative coupling of ketones was achieved.     

The simplest Diels–Alder reactions are not endo-selective

There is a widespread perception that the high level of endo selectivity witnessed in many Diels–Alder reactions is an intrinsic feature of the transformation. In contrast to expectations based upon this existing belief, the first experimental Diels–Alder reactions of a novel, deuterium-labeled 1,3-butadiene with commonly used mono-substituted alkenic dienophiles (acrolein, methyl vinyl ketone, acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, acrylamide and acrylonitrile) reveal kinetic endo : exo ratios close to 1 : 1. Maleonitrile, butenolide, α-methylene γ-butyrolactone, and N-methylmaleimide behave differently, as does methyl vinyl ketone under Lewis acid catalysis. CBS-QB3 calculations incorporating solvent and temperature parameters give endo : exo product ratios that are in near quantitative agreement with these and earlier experimental findings. This work challenges the preconception of innate endo-selectivity by providing the first experimental evidence that the simplest Diels–Alder reactions are not endo-selective. Trends in behaviour are traced to steric and electronic effects in Diels–Alder transition structures, giving new insights into these fundamental processes.

Cycloadditions of deuterium-labeled 1,3-butadiene with monosubstituted alkenic dienophiles challenge the widespread assumption of endo-selectivity in prototypical Diels–Alder reactions.     

Imine Palladacycles: Synthesis,Structural Analysis and Application in Suzuki–Miyaura Cross Coupling in Semi-Aqueous Media

Treatment of the imines a–c with palladium(II) acetate in acetic acid yielded the μ-acetate dinuclear complexes 1a–c, which readily reacted with sodium chloride or bromide to provide μ-halide analogues. The reaction of the latter with nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen donor nucleophiles yielded new imine palladacycles following the cleavage of the Pd₂X₂ unit. The complexes were fully characterized by microanalysis, ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectroscopies, as appropriate. The compounds were applied as catalysts in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction in aqueous and semi-aqueous media.     

Cooperative copper-squaramide catalysis for the enantioselective N–H insertion reaction with sulfoxonium ylides

The first examples of a highly efficient and enantioselective carbene-mediated insertion reaction, from a sulfur ylide, are described. By way of a catalytic asymmetric insertion reaction into N–H bonds from carbonyl sulfoxonium ylides and anilines, using a copper-bifunctional squaramide cooperative catalysis approach, thirty-seven α-arylglycine esters were synthesized in enantiomeric ratios up to 92 : 8 (99 : 1 after a single recrystallization) and reaction yields ranging between 49–96%. Furthermore, the protocol benefits from quick reaction times and is conducted in a straightforward manner.

The first examples of a highly efficient and enantioselective carbene-mediated insertion reaction, from a sulfur ylide, are described.