Regioselective oxidative ring-opening of cyclopropenyl carboxylates by visible light photoredox catalysis

Catalyzed by Ir(dFCF₃ppy)₂(dtbbpy)PF₆, several aroyl methylidenemalonates were synthesized in good to excellent yields via visible light photoredox-catalyzed the oxidative ring-opening of cyclopropenyl carboxylate derivatives. The possible mechanism of oxidative quenching cycle was proposed.     

Visible light photoredox catalysis: aerobic oxidation of perimidines to perimidinones

Aerobic oxidation of a series of 2,3-dihydro-1H-perimidines to the corresponding 4- and 6-perimidinones via visible light photoredox catalysis using Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ as a catalyst was reported. The scope and limitation of this oxidation were investigated and a possible photochemical mechanism was proposed.     

Oxidative photoredox catalysis: mild and selective deprotection of PMB ethers mediated by visible light

Herein we report an advancement in the application of visible light photoredox catalysts in the oxidation of electron-rich arenes resulting in the selective deprotection of para-methoxybenzyl (PMB) ethers. This method is highlighted by excellent functional group tolerance, protecting group orthogonality, mild reaction conditions and avoidance of stoichiometric redox byproducts.     

Visible light induced oxidative hydroxylation of boronic acids

We report herein a visible light-induced aerobic oxidative hydroxylation of boronic acids. The reaction employed 7H-benzo[c]thioxanthen-7-one as metal-free catalyst and dimethyl carbonate as green solvent. Scale-up experiment was achieved using 0.1?mol% catalyst in a good yield with column-free purification. This reaction showed great green chemistry features and potential in synthetic applications.     

Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes-catalyzed aerobic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids induced by visible-light

The cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes-catalyzed aerobic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids under visible-light has been successfully developed. This catalytic system has a broad substrate scope, affording a series of phenols smoothly with the highest isolated yield up to 95%. Moreover, this protocol is capable to synthesize several useful phenols containing bulky moieties, which are potential candidates or intermediates used as pharmaceuticals and functional materials. The Ir(III)-catalyzed hydroxylation of arylboronic acids could be applied in a one-pot synthesis of several important phenol derivatives, including 1,1′-methylene-bis(2-naphthol), 2,3-dihydro-1H-naphtho[2,1-e][1,3]oxazine and a bioactive compound LUF5771.     

Quaternary ammonium hydroxide-functionalized g-C3N4 catalyst for aerobic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids to phenols

A new and efficient metal-free approach toward the synthesis of phenols via an aerobic hydroxylation of arylboronic acids by using a novel quaternary ammonium hydroxide g-C₃N₄ catalyst has been described. The functionalized quaternary ammonium hydroxide (g-C₃N₄-OH) has been prepared from graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) scaffold by converting the residual –NH₂ and –NH groups to quaternary methyl ammonium iodide by performing a methylation reaction with methyl iodide followed by ion-exchange with 0.1 N KOH or anion exchange resin Amberlyst A26 (OH- form) by post-synthetic modification. The resultant g-C₃N₄-OH was characterized by XRD, FTIR, field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, and acid–base titration. Tested as solid-base catalysts, the g-C₃N₄-OH showed excellent catalytic activity in the aerobic hydroxylation reaction by converting a variety of arylboronic acids to the corresponding phenols in high yields. More importantly, the g-C₃N₄-OH solid-base has been successfully reused four times with the minor loss of initial catalytic activity (10.5%).     

TEMPO visible light photocatalysis: The selective aerobic oxidation of thiols to disulfides

TEMPO(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpipe ridine-1-oxyl) is well-established in orangocatalysis that usually work in synergy with transition-metal catalysis or semiconductor photocatalysis.Here,TEMPO was turned into a visible light photocatalyst to conduct the selective aerobic oxidation of thiols into disulfides.With O_2 as an oxidant,a mild and efficient protocol for the selective oxidation of thiols into disulfides including symmetrical and unsymmetrical ones with 5 mol% of TEPMO as a photocatalyst was developed at room temperature under the irradiation of 460 nm blue LEDs.It was found that a complex formed between TEMPO and thiols underpinned the visible light activity and disulfides were obtained in very high isolated yields.This work suggests that TEMPO takes diverse roles in for photocatalytic selective oxidative transformations with O_2 as the oxidant.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Monoalkenylation of Aromatic Ketones by Cleavage of Carbon–Heteroatom Bonds with Unconventional Chemoselectivity

Ruthenium‐catalyzed selective monoalkenylation of ortho C? O or C? N bonds of aromatic ketones was achieved. The reaction allowed the direct comparison of the relative reactivities of the cleavage of different carbon‐heteroatom bonds, thus suggesting an unconventional chemoselectivity, where smaller, more‐electron‐donating groups are more easily cleaved. Selective monofunctionalization of C? O bonds in the presence of ortho C? H bonds was also achieved.     

Copper-catalyzed, aerobic oxidative cross-coupling of alkynes with arylboronic acids: remarkable selectivity in 2,6-lutidine media

Aerobic oxidative cross-coupling reactions between alkynes and boronic acids under mild conditions catalyzed by low loadings of a copper salt are reported. 2,6-Lutidine accelerated the reactions dramatically, and the desired coupling products were obtained in high yields with high selectivities.     

Phosphine‐ and Hydrogen‐Free: Highly Regioselective Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Hydroaminomethylation of Olefins

A highly regioselective ruthenium‐catalyzed hydroaminomethylation of olefins is reported. Using easily available trirutheniumdodecacarbonyl an efficient sequence consisting of a water‐gas shift reaction, hydroformylation of olefins, with subsequent imine or enamine formation and final reduction is realized. This novel procedure is highly practical (ligand‐free, one pot) and economic (low catalyst loading and inexpensive metal). Bulk industrial as well as functionalized olefins react with various amines to give the corresponding tertiary amines generally in high yields (up to 92 %), excellent regioselectivities (n/iso>99:1), and full chemoselectivity in favor of terminal olefins.     

Oxidative Coupling of Aryl Boron Reagents with sp3‐Carbon Nucleophiles: The Enolate Chan–Evans–Lam Reaction

Reported is a versatile new oxidative method for the arylation of activated methylene species. Under mild reaction conditions (RT to 40 °C), Cu(OTf)₂ mediates the selective coupling of functionalized aryl boron species with a variety of stabilized sp³‐nucleophiles. Tertiary malonates and amido esters can be employed as substrates to generate quaternary centers. Complementing either traditional cross‐coupling or S_NAr protocols, the transformation is chemoselective in the presence of halogen electrophiles, including aryl bromides and iodides. Substrates bearing amide, sulfonyl, and phosphonyl groups, which are not amenable to coupling under mild Hurtley‐type conditions, are suitable reaction partners.     

Efficient ruthenium-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of amines by using a biomimetic coupled catalytic system

Efficient aerobic oxidation of amines was developed by the use of a biomimetic coupled catalytic system involving a ruthenium-induced dehydrogenation. The principle for this aerobic oxidation is that the electron transfer from the amine to molecular oxygen occurs stepwise via coupled redox systems and this leads to a low-energy electron transfer. A substrate-selective ruthenium catalyst dehydrogenates the amine and the hydrogen atoms abstracted are transported to an electron-rich quinone (2a). The hydroquinone thus formed is subsequently reoxidized by air with the aid of an oxygen-activating [Co(salen)]-type complex (27). The reaction can be used for the preparation of ketimines and aldimines in good to high yields from the appropriate corresponding amines. The reaction proceeds with high selectivity, and the catalytic system tolerates air without being deactivated. The rate of the dehydrogenation was studied by using quinone 2a as the terminal oxidant. A catalytic cycle in which the amine promotes the dissociation of the dimeric catalyst 1 is presented.     

Highly Diastereoselective and Enantiospecific Allylation of Ketones and Imines Using Borinic Esters: Contiguous Quaternary Stereogenic Centers

3,3‐Disubstituted allylic boronic esters are not sufficiently reactive to react with ketones and imines. However, they can be converted into the corresponding borinic esters by the sequential addition of nBuLi and TFAA. These reactive intermediates possess the perfect balance between reactivity and configurational stability. Their enhanced reactivity allows the highly selective allylation of both ketones and ketimines, and facile access to adjacent quaternary stereocenters with full stereocontrol. The versatility of the methodology is demonstrated in the construction of all possible stereoisomers of a quaternary‐quaternary motif and by the allylation of the heterocycles, dihydroisoquinoline and indole.