C-H Bond Functionalization via Hydride Transfer: Formation of α-Arylated Piperidines and 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinolines via Stereoselective Intramolecular Amination of Benzylic C-H Bonds

We here report a study of the intramolecular amination of sp(3) C-H bonds via the hydride transfer cyclization of N-tosylimines (HT-amination). In this transformation, 5-aryl aldehydes are subjected to N-toluenesulfonamide in the presence of BF(3)·OEt(2) to effect imine formation and HT-cyclization, leading to 2-arylpiperidines and 3-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines in a one-pot procedure. We examined the reactivity of a range of aldehyde substrates as a function of their conformational flexibility. Substrates of higher conformational rigidity were more reactive, giving higher yields of the desired products. However, a single substituent on the alkyl chain linking the N-tosylimine and the benzylic sp(3) C-H bonds was sufficient for HT-cyclization to occur. In addition, an examination of various arenes revealed that the electronic character of the hydridic C-H bonds dramatically affects the efficiency of the reaction. We also found that this transformation is highly stereoselective; 2-substituted aldehydes yield cis-2,5-disubstituted piperidines, while 3-substituted aldehydes afford trans-2,4-disubstituted piperidines. The stereoselectivity is a consequence of thermodynamic control. The pseudoallylic strain between the arene and tosyl group on the piperidine ring is proposed to rationalize the greater stability of the isomer with the aryl ring in the axial position. This preferential placement of the arene is proposed to affect the observed stereoselectivity.     

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.     

Membrane Transport of the Zwitterionic Aromatic α-Amino Acids by α-Aminophosphonates

Abstract

Bghly selective biological transport of amino acids is usually mediated by carrier proteins. The application of such membrane systems for the analysis and separation of amino acids has long studied. This work is devoted to the transport of zwitterionic form of aromatic a-amino acids such as d,l-Phe, d,l-DOPA, d,l-His, d,l-Tyr, d,l-Trp, via supported liquid membrane (SLM). The lipophilic α-aminophosphonates (I).

R₁ amyl or 2-ethylhexyl; R₂, R₂-(CH₂)4-(CH₂)5-CH₃ & (CH₃), C₄ H(CH₉) & H; H & H; have been used as carrier in the membrane systems composed of a porous polymeric support (Millipore Type FA) impregnated with 10^?1 M carrier in o-nitrophenyl n-octyl ether (amino acid concentration in source phase is 10^?3 M). The cell for membrane extractions is presented on Fig I.     

Activation of Aromatic C−F Bonds by a N-Heterocyclic Olefin (NHO)

A N-heterocyclic olefin (NHO), a terminal alkene selectively activates aromatic C−F bonds without the need of any additional catalyst. As a result, a straightforward methodology was developed for the formation of different fluoroaryl-substituted alkenes in which the central carbon–carbon double bond is in a twisted geometry.     

Photo-isomerization of Aromatic α-Hydroxy Hydrazone

Photo-isomerization of aromatic α-hydroxy hydrazone was reported. We investigated the structures of salicylaldehyde phenylhydrozone(SP) in the ground state using density functional theory(DFT) with the B3LYP functional and the 6-311+G(d) basis set. All nine possible isomers of SP in the ground state consist of seven phenol forms and two ketone forms. Intrisic reaction coordinate(IRC) analysis discloses the existence of a cycle driven by the two proton transfer processes in the ground and excited states of SP, which suggests that no ketonic form could exist in the ground state. Further theoretical studies of the potential energy surfaces support a trans-cis conversion followed by a relaxation to the stable form of SP in the excited states.     

Eco-Friendly Methodology for the Formation of Aromatic Carbon–Heteroatom Bonds by Using Green Ionic Liquids

A new sustainable method is reported for the formation of aromatic carbon–heteroatom bonds under solvent-free and mild conditions (no co-oxidant, no strong acid and no toxic reagents) by using a new type of green ionic liquid. The bromination of methoxy arenes was chosen as a model reaction. The reaction methodology is based on only using natural sodium bromine, which is transformed into an electrophilic brominating reagent within an ionic liquid, easily prepared from the melted salt FeCl₃ hexahydrate. Bromination reactions with this in-situ-generated reagent gave good yields and excellent regioselectivity under simple and environmentally friendly conditions. To understand the unusual bromine polarity reversal of sodium bromine without any strong oxidant, the molecular structure of the reaction medium was characterised by Raman and direct infusion electrospray ionisation mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS). An extensive computational investigation using density functional theory methods was performed to describe a mechanism that suggests indirect oxidation of Br⁻ through new iron adducts. The versatility of the methodology was successively applied to nitration and thiocyanation of methoxy arenes using KNO₃ and KSCN in melted hexahydrated FeCl₃.     

Functionalization of Olefinic C−H Bonds by an Aryl-to-Vinyl 1,4-Nickel Migration/Reductive Coupling Sequence

An attractive approach to selective functionalization of remote C−H bonds is a metal/hydride shift/cross-coupling reaction sequence. Complimentary to the heavily exploited 1,2-nickel/hydride shift along an sp³ chain, a chain-walking process, the 1,4-nickel/hydride shift along an sp² chain is more complex. Here we report an unprecedented aryl-to-vinyl 1,4-nickel/hydride shift reaction, in which the migratory alkenylnickel species generated in situ is selectively trapped by one of various coupling partners, such as isocyanates, alkyl bromides, aryl chlorides or alkynyl bromides, allowing regio- and stereoselective access to trisubstituted alkenes. In contrast to the well-reported ipso-aryl coupling reactions, this strategy provides remote alkenyl C−H functionalized products with good yield and with excellent chemo-, regio- and E/Z-selectivity.     

Gold-Catalyzed C−H Functionalization Polycondensation for the Synthesis of Aromatic Polymers

Homogeneous gold (Au) complexes have demonstrated tremendous utility in modern organic chemistry; however, their application for the synthesis of polymers remains rare. Herein, we demonstrate the first catalytic application of Au complexes toward the polycondensation of alkyne-containing comonomers and heteroarene nucleophiles. Polymerization occurs through successive intermolecular hydroarylation reactions to produce high molecular weight aromatic copolymers with 1,1-disubstituted alkene backbone linkages. Clear correlations between the rate and degree of polymerization (DP) were established based on catalyst structure and counterion pairing, thus enabling polymerization reactions that proceeded with remarkable efficiency, high reactivity, and exceptional DPs. The reactivity is broad in scope, enabling the copolymerization of highly functionalized aromatic and aliphatic monomers. These results highlight the untapped utility of Au catalysis in providing access to new macromolecular constructs.     

Enantioselective Borylation of Aromatic C−H Bonds with Chiral Dinitrogen Ligands

The borylation of C−H bonds catalyzed by transition metals has been investigated extensively in the past two decades, but no iridium-catalyzed enantioselective borylation of C−H bonds has been reported. We report a set of iridium-catalyzed enantioselective borylations of aromatic C−H bonds. This reaction relies on a set of newly developed chiral quinolyl oxazoline ligands. This process proceeds under mild conditions with good to excellent enantioselectivity, and the borylated products can be converted to enantioenriched derivatives containing new C−O, C−C, C−Cl, or C−Br bonds.     

General Functionalization Method for Synthesis of α-Functionalized Polymers by Combination of Anionic Polymerization and Hydrosilation Chemistry

A new general functionalization method (GFM) of synthesizing α-functionalized polymers has been developed. α-Vinyl-functionalized polystyrene was obtained by anionic polymerization of styrene using 4-pentenyllithium as an initiator. Chloromethyldimethylsilane-functionalized polystyrene was successfully synthesized from vinyl-functionalized polystyrene by hydrosilation using Karstedt's catalyst. Nucleophilic substitution of this polymer was carried out in presence of pyrrolidine to obtain α-pyrrolidine-functionalized polystyrene. α-Triethoxysilylpolystyrene was obtained by hydrosilation of a-4-pentenylpolystyrene with triethoxysilane using Karstedt's catalyst.     

Versatile synthesis of isocoumarins and α-pyrones by ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative C-H/O-H bond cleavages

An inexpensive cationic ruthenium(II) catalyst enabled the expedient synthesis of isocoumarins through oxidative annulations of alkynes by benzoic acids. This C-H/O-H bond functionalization process also proved applicable to the preparation of α-pyrones and was shown to proceed by rate-limiting C-H bond ruthenation.     

A Linear Free Energy Correlation Study of Rh(Ⅱ)-Mediated Carbenoid Intramolecular C-H Insertion

The reaction mechanism of Rh(Ⅱ)-mediated carbenoid intramolecular C-H insertion have been intensively investigated. The reaction has been observed to be affected by the electrophilicity of the Rh(Ⅱ)-carbene intermediate, the substituents on the carbon at which the C-H insertion occurs, and steric and conformational factors.¹ It has been well documented that the electronic property of the ligands of the Rh(Ⅱ) catalyst has marked influence over the electrophylicity of Rh(Ⅱ)-carbene intermediate. In addition, the α-substituent on the carbenoid carbon are expected to exert similar affect on the reactivity of Rh(Ⅱ)-carbene. According to the reaction mechanism proposed by Doyle, an electron-donating α-substituent decreases the electrophilicity of the Rh(Ⅱ)-carbene complex and causes the C-H insertion to occur with a later transition state,while an electron withdrawing α-substituent operates in the opposite way. However, this prediction is still lack of solid support by experimental data. Most of the studies on the electronic effects have so far been concentrated on electron-withdrawing α-substituent, such as ester or acetyl group. The α-substituent effect, although important, is generally subtle and may be readily overridden by other effects, such as steric and conformational effects. This makes it difficult to accurately evaluate the α-substituenteffect.     

A Facile Synthesis of Secondary α-Alkoxy or α-Acetoxy Aromatic Ketones

Abstract: The treatment of HNIB with aromatic ketones and subsequent solvolysis using alcohol or acetic acid in one-pot system makes it possible to give corresponding secondary α-alkoxy or α-acetoxy ketones in high yields.     

Reduction of Aromatic α-Halo Ketones with Metallic Bismuth

Aromatic α-bromo ketones and α-iodio ketones can be reduced by bismuth prepared from NaBH₄ and BiCl₃ in water to their parent ketones in high yields, but aromatic α-chloro ketones should be added to sodium iodide first.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Silylation of Csp−H by Silacyclobutanes

The signature reactivity of silacyclobutane (SCB) is their cycloaddition reactions with various π bonds. Recently, the first cases were disclosed where SCBs reacted with both C_sp2−H and C_sp3−H σ bonds in an intramolecular fashion. Herein, it is reported that SCB is also an efficient reagent for C_sp−H bond silylation. Thus, rhodium-catalyzed intermolecular reactions between SCBs and terminal alkynes produced a series of symmetrical and unsymmetrical tetraorganosilicons bearing a C_sp−Si functionality. Preliminary studies suggested that the reaction did not involve a cycloaddition pathway, but instead a direct activation of C_sp−H bonds.     

Metal-Free Intermolecular C−H Borylation of N-Heterocycles at B−B Multiple Bonds

Carbene-stabilized diborynes of the form LBBL (L=N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene (CAAC)) induce rapid, high yielding, intermolecular ortho-C−H borylation at N-heterocycles at room temperature. A simple pyridyldiborene is formed when an NHC-stabilized diboryne is combined with pyridine, while a CAAC-stabilized diboryne leads to activation of two pyridine molecules to give a tricyclic alkylideneborane, which can be forced to undergo a further H-shift resulting in a zwitterionic, doubly benzo-fused 1,3,2,5-diazadiborinine by heating. Use of the extended N-heteroaromatic quinoline leads to a borylmethyleneborane under mild conditions via an unprecedented boron-carbon exchange process.     

Chemoselective aromatic C-H insertion of α-diazo-β-ketoesters catalyzed by dirhodium(II) carboxylates

The ability of α-diazo-β-ketoesters bearing a substituent on the benzylic position to undergo aromatic C-H insertion is described. Good to excellent yields of the aromatic C-H insertion products were observed with Rh(2)(tpa)(4) or Rh(2)(esp)(2) catalysts. This is an attractive strategy to prepare tetralins carrying a methyl group on the benzylic position, a structural motif found in several types of natural products.     

Carbene-Catalyzed Intermolecular Dehydrogenative Coupling of Aldehydes with C(sp3)−H Bonds

The development of catalyst-controlled methods for direct functionalization of two distinct C−H bonds represents an appealing approach for C−C formations in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we describe an organocatalytic approach for straightforward acylation of C(sp³)−H bonds employing readily available aldehyde as “acyl source” involving dehydrogenative coupling of aldehydes with ether, amine, or benzylic C(sp³)−H bonds. The developed method affords a broad range of ketones under mild conditions. Mechanistically, simple ortho-cyanoiodobenzene is essential in the oxidative radical N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis to give a ketyl radical and C(sp³) radical through a rarely explored intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer pathway, rendering the acylative C−C formations in high efficiency under a metal- and light-free catalytic conditions. Moreover, the prepared products show promising anti-bacterial activities that shall encourage further investigations on novel agrochemical development.