Intermolecular Radical C(sp3)−H Amination under Iodine Catalysis

The direct amination of aliphatic C?H bonds has remained one of the most tantalizing transformations in organic chemistry. Herein, we report on a unique catalyst system, which enables the elusive intermolecular C(sp³)?H amination. This practical synthetic strategy provides access to aminated building blocks and fosters innovative multiple C?H amination within a new approach to aminated heterocycles. The synthetic utility is demonstrated by the synthesis of four relevant pharmaceuticals.     

Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Atroposelective C−H Amination of Arenes

N‐arylcarbazole structures are important because of their prevalence in natural products and functional OLED materials. C?H amination of arenes has been widely recognized as the most efficient approach to access these structures. Conventional strategies involving transition‐metal catalysts suffer from confined substrate generality and the requirement of exogenous oxidants. Organocatalytic enantioselective C–N chiral axis construction remains elusive. Presented here is the first organocatalytic strategy for the synthesis of novel axially chiral N‐arylcarbazole frameworks by the assembly of azonaphthalenes and carbazoles. This reaction accommodates broad substrate scope and gives atropisomeric N‐arylcarbazoles in good yields with excellent enantiocontrol. This approach not only offers an alternative to metal‐catalyzed C–N cross‐coupling, but also brings about opportunities for the exploitation of structurally diverse N‐aryl atropisomers and OLED materials.     

Copper‐Catalyzed N−F Bond Activation for Uniform Intramolecular C−H Amination Yielding Pyrrolidines and Piperidines

The dual function of the N?F bond as an effective oxidant and subsequent nitrogen source in intramolecular aliphatic C?H functionalization reactions is explored. Copper catalysis is demonstrated to exercise full regio‐ and chemoselectivity control, which opens new synthetic avenues to nitrogenated heterocycles with predictable ring sizes. For the first time, a uniform catalysis manifold has been identified for the construction of both pyrrolidine and piperidine cores. The individual steps of this new copper oxidation catalysis were elucidated by control experiments and computational studies, clarifying the singularity of the N?F function and characterizing the catalytic cycle to be based on a copper(I/II) manifold.     

Arene‐Limited Nondirected C−H Activation of Arenes

The nondirected C(sp²)−H activation of simple arenes has advanced significantly in recent years through the discovery of new catalyst systems that are able to perform transformations with the arene as the limiting reagent. Important developments in catalyst and ligand design that have improved reactivity and selectivity are reviewed.     

Catalytic C−H Trifluoromethoxylation of Arenes and Heteroarenes

The intermolecular C?H trifluoromethoxylation of arenes remains a long‐standing and unsolved problem in organic synthesis. Herein, we report the first catalytic protocol employing a novel trifluoromethoxylating reagent and redox‐active catalysts for the direct (hetero)aryl C?H trifluoromethoxylation. Our approach is operationally simple, proceeds at room temperature, uses easy‐to‐handle reagents, requires only 0.03 mol % of redox‐active catalysts, does not need specialized reaction apparatus, and tolerates a wide variety of functional groups and complex structures such as sugars and natural product derivatives. Importantly, both ground‐state and photoexcited redox‐active catalysts are effective. Detailed computational and experimental studies suggest a unique reaction pathway where photoexcitation of the trifluoromethoxylating reagent releases the OCF₃ radical that is trapped by (hetero)arenes. The resulting cyclohexadienyl radicals are oxidized by redox‐active catalysts and deprotonated to form the desired products of trifluoromethoxylation.     

Electrochemical C−H Amination by Cobalt Catalysis in a Renewable Solvent

Syntheses of substituted anilines primarily rely on palladium‐catalyzed coupling chemistry with prefunctionalized aryl electrophiles. While oxidative aminations have emerged as powerful alternatives, they largely produce undesired metal‐containing by‐products in stoichiometric quantities. In contrast, described herein is the unprecedented electrochemical C?H amination by cobalt‐catalyzed C?H activation. The environmentally benign electrocatalysis avoids stoichiometric metal oxidants, can be conducted under ambient air, and employs a biomass‐derived, renewable solvent for sustainable aminations in an atom‐ and step‐economical manner with H₂ as the sole byproduct.     

Beyond Friedel and Crafts: Directed Alkylation of C−H Bonds in Arenes

Alkylation of arenes is one of the most fundamental transformations in chemical synthesis and leads to privileged scaffolds in many areas of science. Classical methods for the introduction of alkyl groups to arenes are mostly based on the Friedel–Crafts reaction, radical additions, metalation, or prefunctionalization of the arene: these methods, however, suffer from limitations in scope, efficiency, and selectivity. Moreover, they are based on the innate reactivity of the starting arene, favoring the alkylation at a certain position and rendering the introduction of alkyl chains at other positions much more challenging. This can be addressed by the use of a directing group that facilitates, in the presence of a metal catalyst, the regioselective alkylation of a C?H bond. These directed alkylations of C?H bonds in arenes will be comprehensively summarized in this Review.     

Beyond Friedel and Crafts: Innate Alkylation of C−H Bonds in Arenes

Alkylated arenes are ubiquitous molecules and building blocks commonly utilized in most areas of science. Despite its apparent simplicity, the regioselective alkylation of arenes is still a challenging transformation in a lot of cases. Classical methods for the introduction of alkyl groups to arenes, such as the venerable Friedel–Crafts reaction, radical additions, metalation or prefunctionalization of the arene followed by further alkylation, as well as alternatives such as the directed alkylation of C?H bonds, still suffer from severe limitations in terms of scope, efficiency, and selectivity. This can be addressed by exploiting the innate reactivity of some (hetero)arenes, in which electronic and steric properties, governed (or not) by the presence of one (or multiple) heteroatom(s), ensure high levels of regioselectivity. These innate alkylations of C?H bonds in (hetero)arenes will be overviewed comprehensively in this Review.     

Enantioselective Copper(I)/Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Intramolecular Amination of Allylic and Benzylic C−H Bonds

Radical‐involved enantioselective oxidative C?H bond functionalization by a hydrogen‐atom transfer (HAT) process has emerged as a promising method for accessing functionally diverse enantioenriched products, while asymmetric C(sp³)?H bond amination remains a formidable challenge. To address this problem, described herein is a dual Cu^I/chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) catalytic system for radical‐involved enantioselective intramolecular C(sp³)?H amination of not only allylic positions but also benzylic positions with broad substrate scope. The use of 4‐methoxy‐NHPI (NHPI=N‐hydroxyphthalimide) as a stable and chemoselective HAT mediator precursor is crucial for the fulfillment of this transformation. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that a crucial allylic or benzylic radical intermediate resulting from a HAT process is involved.     

Regioselective Arene C−H Alkylation Enabled by Organic Photoredox Catalysis

Expanding the toolbox of C?H functionalization reactions applicable to the late‐stage modification of complex molecules is of interest in medicinal chemistry, wherein the preparation of structural variants of known pharmacophores is a key strategy for drug development. One manifold for the functionalization of aromatic molecules utilizes diazo compounds and a transition‐metal catalyst to generate a metallocarbene species, which is capable of direct insertion into an aromatic C?H bond. However, these high‐energy intermediates can often require directing groups or a large excess of substrate to achieve efficient and selective reactivity. Herein, we report that arene cation radicals generated by organic photoredox catalysis engage in formal C?H functionalization reactions with diazoacetate derivatives, furnishing sp²–sp³ coupled products with moderate‐to‐good regioselectivity. In contrast to previous methods utilizing metallocarbene intermediates, this transformation does not proceed via a carbene intermediate, nor does it require the presence of a transition‐metal catalyst.     

Pyridyl Radical Cation for C−H Amination of Arenes

Electron‐transfer photocatalysis provides access to the elusive and unprecedented N‐pyridyl radical cation from selected N‐substituted pyridinium reagents. The resulting C(sp²)?H functionalization of (hetero)arenes furnishes versatile intermediates for the development of valuable aminated aryl scaffolds. Mechanistic studies that include the first spectroscopic evidence of a spin‐trapped N‐pyridyl radical adduct implicate SET‐triggered, pseudo‐mesolytic cleavage of the N?X pyridinium reagents mediated by visible light.     

Cu/Fe Catalyzed Intermolecular Oxidative Amination of Benzylic C−H Bonds

We report a Cu/Fe co‐catalyzed Ritter‐type C?H activation/amination reaction that allows efficient and selective intermolecular functionalization of benzylic C?H bonds. This new reaction is featured by simple reaction conditions, readily available reagents and general substrate scope, allowing facile synthesis of biologically interesting nitrogen containing heterocycles. The Cu and Fe salts were found to play distinct roles in this cooperative catalysis.     

Electrochemical Desulfurizative Amination of Heteroaromatic Thiols by Iodine Catalysis

N-Heterocyclic amines have been known as an important class of nitrogen-containing molecules with a wide range of applications. Described here is a mild and efficient electrochemical desulfurizative amination of readily accessible heteroaromatic thiols without necessity of metal catalyst. The key to success for this reaction is the in-situ generation of a hypervalent iodine reagent as an organocatalyst from iodoarene by anodic oxidation. This mild desulfurizative amination presents ample substrate scope and good functional group tolerance without the use of extra stoichiometric chemical oxidants. As only electrons serve as the oxidation reagents, this method offers a straightforward and sustainable manner towards versatile N-heterocyclic amines, including late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutically relevant molecules.     

A Metal–Organic Framework with Exceptional Activity for C−H Bond Amination

The development of catalysts capable of fast, robust C?H bond amination under mild conditions is an unrealized goal despite substantial progress in the field of C?H activation in recent years. A Mn‐based metal–organic framework (CPF‐5) is described that promotes the direct amination of C?H bonds with exceptional activity. CPF‐5 is capable of functionalizing C?H bonds in an intermolecular fashion with unrivaled catalytic stability producing >10⁵ turnovers.     

A Rhodium Catalyst Superior to Iridium Congeners for Enantioselective Radical Amination Activated by Visible Light

A bis‐cyclometalated rhodium(III) complex catalyzes a visible‐light‐activated enantioselective α‐amination of 2‐acyl imidazoles with up to 99 % yield and 98 % ee. The rhodium catalyst is ascribed a dual function as a chiral Lewis acid and, simultaneously, as a light‐activated smart initiator of a radical‐chain process through intermediate aminyl radicals. Notably, related iridium‐based photoredox catalysts reported before were unsuccessful in this enantioselective radical C?N bond formation. The surprising preference for rhodium over iridium is attributed to much faster ligand‐exchange kinetics of the rhodium complexes involved in the catalytic cycle, which is crucial to keep pace with the highly reactive and thus short‐lived nitrogen‐centered radical intermediate.     

meta‐Selective C−H Activation of Arenes at Room Temperature Using Visible Light: Dual‐Function Ruthenium Catalysis

Ruthenium‐catalyzed meta‐C?H activation of arenes at room temperature is reported to proceed under blue‐light irradiation. A variety of heteroarenes are compatible with this photochemical process, which leads to the corresponding meta C?C coupling products in good to very good yields. Initial mechanistic studies suggest a single‐electron transfer process occurs between a photoexcited Ru^II‐cyclometalated complex and alkyl halides, enabling meta‐C?H functionalization reaction via carbon‐centered radicals.     

Manganese‐Mediated C−H Alkylation of Unbiased Arenes Using Alkylboronic Acids

The alkylation of arenes is an essential synthetic step of interest not only from the academic point of view but also in the bulk chemical industry. Despite its limitations, the Friedel–Crafts reaction is still the method of choice for most of the arene alkylation processes. Thus, the development of new strategies to synthesize alkyl arenes is a highly desirable goal, and herein, we present an alternative method to those conventional reactions. Particularly, a simple protocol for the direct C?H alkylation of unbiased arenes with alkylboronic acids in the presence of Mn(OAc)₃?2H₂O is reported. Primary or secondary unactivated alkylboronic acids served as alkylating agents for the direct functionalization of representative polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or benzene. The results are consistent with a free‐radical mechanism.     

Dual Ligand‐Enabled Nondirected C−H Olefination of Arenes

The application of the Pd‐catalyzed oxidative C?H olefination of arenes, also known as the Fujiwara–Moritani reaction, has traditionally been limited by the requirement for directing groups on the substrate or the need to use the arene in large excess, typically as a (co)solvent. Herein the development of a catalytic system is described that, through the combined action of two complementary ligands, makes it possible to use directing‐group‐free arenes as limiting reagents for the first time. The reactions proceed under a combination of both steric and electronic control and enable the application of this powerful reaction to valuable arenes, which cannot be utilized in excess.