Copper‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative C?C Bond Cleavage for C?N Bond Formation: From Ketones to Amides

A novel copper‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative C(CO) C(alkyl) bond cleavage reaction of aryl alkyl ketones for C N bond formation is described. A series of acetophenone derivatives as well as more challenging aryl ketones with long‐chain alkyl substituents could be selectively cleaved and converted into the corresponding amides, which are frequently found in biologically active compounds and pharmaceuticals.     

Efficient Synthesis of Functionalized Benzimidazoles and Perimidines: Ytterbium Chloride Catalyzed C?C Bond Cleavage

An efficient method is developed for the synthesis of functionalized benzimidazoles and perimidines by the condensation of aryl diamines with β‐carbonyl compounds catalyzed by ytterbium chloride. The reactions give good yields under mild conditions. A mechanism involving a lanthanide activated C C bond cleavage is proposed.     

Manganese‐Catalyzed Oxidative Azidation of Cyclobutanols: Regiospecific Synthesis of Alkyl Azides by C?C Bond Cleavage

A novel, manganese‐catalyzed oxidative azidation of cyclobutanols is described. A wide range of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl azides were generated in synthetically useful yields and exclusive regioselectivity. Aside from linear alkyl azides, otherwise elusive medium‐sized cyclic azides were also readily prepared. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the reaction likely proceeds by a radical‐mediated C C bond cleavage/C N₃ bond formation pathway.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Enantioselective C?C Bond Formation through C?O Cleavage in Aryl Esters

We report the first enantioselective C C bond formation through C O bond cleavage using aryl ester counterparts. This method is characterized by its wide substrate scope and results in the formation of quaternary stereogenic centers with high yields and asymmetric induction.     

Pd‐Catalyzed C?N Bond Formation with Heteroaromatic Tosylates

A protocol for the palladium(0)‐catalyzed amidation of heteroaromatic tosylates was successfully developed. The methodology proved to be effective for a variety of heteroaryl tosylates including the pyridine, pyrimidine, quinoline and quinoxaline ring systems. Successful carbon? nitrogen bond formation with these heteroaryl tosylates could be performed with a wide range of primary amides, oxazolidinones, lactams, anilines and indoles, including one cyclic urea. Moreover, this C? N bond forming reaction provided products with high structural diversity. The coupling reaction was also amenable to scale up applications.     

Amide‐Directed Tandem C?C/C?N Bond Formation through C?H Activation

The transformation of C? H bonds into other chemical bonds is of great significance in synthetic chemistry. C? H bond‐activation processes provide a straightforward and atom‐economic strategy for the construction of complex structures; as such, they have attracted widespread interest over the past decade. As a prevalent directing group in the field of C? H activation, the amide group not only offers excellent regiodirecting ability, but is also a potential C? N bond precursor. As a consequence, a variety of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles have been obtained by using these reactions. This Focus Review addresses the recent research into the amide‐directed tandem C? C/C? N bond‐formation process through C? H activation. The large body of research in this field over the past three years has established it as one of the most‐important topics in organic chemistry.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed C?C Bond Cleavage in Lignin Model Substrates

Ruthenium–triphos complexes exhibited unprecedented catalytic activity and selectivity in the redox‐neutral C C bond cleavage of the β‐O‐4 lignin linkage of 1,3‐dilignol model compounds. A mechanistic pathway involving a dehydrogenation‐initiated retro‐aldol reaction for the C C bond cleavage was proposed in line with experimental data and DFT calculations.