Palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of benzoxazoles with unactivated simple arenes

Using CuBr(2) as an additive, the Pd-catalyzed intermolecular C-H-C-H cross-coupling between benzoxazoles and unactivated simple arenes has been developed. This protocol provides a straightforward approach for the biological activity of 2-arylbenzoxazole derivatives.     

Palladium-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl Halides

An efficient palladium-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of unactivated arenes has been discovered. This method employs aryl halides as the direct coupling partners with arenes without using any external ligands. This catalysis opens a new methodology for the preparation of symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical biaryls in a user-friendly approach.     

C-H arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl halides catalyzed by cobalt porphyrin

A general procedure for cobalt-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of unactivated arenes has been discovered. This method employs aryl halides as the direct coupling partners with arenes without using any Grignard-type reagents. This catalysis opens a new methodology for the preparation of symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical biaryls in a user-friendly approach.     

BNN-1,3-dipoles: isolation and intramolecular cycloaddition with unactivated arenes

The mono-base-stabilized 1,2-diboranylidenehydrazine derivatives featuring a 1,3-dipolar BNN skeleton are obtained by dehydrobromination of [ArB(Br)NH]₂ (Ar = 2,6-diphenylphenyl (Dpp), Ar = 2,6-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)phenyl (Dmp) or Ar = 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl (Mes*)) with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). Depending on the Ar substituents, such species can be isolated as a crystalline solid (Ar = Mes*) or generated as reactive intermediates undergoing spontaneous intramolecular aminoboration of the proximal arene rings via [3 + 2] cycloaddition (Ar = Dpp or Dmp). The latter reactions showcase the 1,3-dipolar reactivity toward unactivated arenes at ambient temperature. In addition, double cycloaddition of the isolable BNN species with two CO₂ molecules affords a bicyclic species consisting of two fused five-membered BN₂CO rings. The electronic structures of these BNN species and the mechanisms of these cascade reactions are interrogated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

The mono-base-coordinated 1,2-diboranylidenehydrazine derivatives exhibiting the BNN-1,3-dipolar reactivity toward unactivated arenes and CO₂ are reported.     

New ligands that promote cross-coupling reactions between aryl halides and unactivated arenes

Several ligands were designed to promote transition-metal-free cross-coupling reactions of aryl halides with benzene derivatives. Among the systems probed, quinoline-1-amino-2-carboxylic acid was found to serve as an excellent catalyst for cross-coupling between aryl halides and unactivated benzene. Reactions using this inexpensive catalytic system displayed a high functional group tolerance as well as excellent chemoselectivities.     

Direct intramolecular arylation of unactivated arenes: application to the synthesis of aporphine alkaloids

The direct intramolecular C-H arylation of unactivated arenes is a viable strategy for the synthesis of aporphine alkaloids. These reactions occur with 3 to 5 mol% catalyst and generate the aporphine skeleton in up to 99% yield.     

Brønsted acid-promoted cyclizations of siloxy alkynes with unactivated arenes, alkenes, and alkynes

In this article, we describe the development of a general concept for the development of new carbon-carbon bond-forming processes, which is based on Brønsted acid-mediated activation of a siloxy alkyne, followed by efficient interception of the resulting highly reactive ketenium ion by unactivated arenes, alkenes or alkynes. We found that trifluoromethane sulfonimide (HNTf₂) proved to be a superior promoter of these reactions compared to a range of other Brønsted acids. This finding could be attributed to a high acidity of HNTf₂ in aprotic organic solvents combined with a low nucleophilicity of the NTf₂⁻ anion. Depending on the nature of the nucleophile, the carbocyclizations proceeded either via 6-endo-dig or 5-endo-dig manifolds. In the case of 1-siloxy-1,5-diynes, the cyclizations occurred with a concomitant halide abstraction or arylation.     

Transition-metal-free highly chemo- and regioselective arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl halides over recyclable heterogeneous catalysts

A novel heterogeneous catalysis system using metal-organic frameworks as catalyst demonstrated excellent chemo- and regioselectivity for the direct arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl iodides/bromides without the assistance of any transition metals.     

Palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization of pyridine N-oxides: highly selective alkenylation and direct arylation with unactivated arenes

Two catalytic protocols of the oxidative C-C bond formation have been developed on the basis of the C-H bond activation of pyridine N-oxides. Pd-catalyzed alkenylation of the N-oxides proceeds with excellent regio-, stereo-, and chemoselectivity, and the corresponding ortho-alkenylated N-oxide derivatives are obtained in good to excellent yields. Direct cross-coupling reaction of pyridine N-oxides with unactivated arene was also developed in the presence of Pd catalyst and Ag oxidant, which affords ortho-arylated pyridine N-oxide products with high site-selectivity.     

Highly efficient gold(III)-catalyzed intermolecular hydroarylation of unactivated alkenes with arenes under mild conditions

A simple and efficient method for functionalization of electron-rich arenes and heteroarenes with unactivated alkenes by Au(III)-catalyzed intermolecular hydroarylation under mild reaction conditions was developed. This method features a short reaction time (5 h) under mild conditions and has a broad substrate scope, including electron-rich arenes and heteroarenes, terminal and internal substituted aryl alkenes, and unactivated aliphatic alkenes.     

Nickel(0)/NaHMDS adduct-mediated intramolecular alkylation of unactivated arenes via a homolytic aromatic substitution mechanism

A variety of polycycles can be synthesized via an intramolecular alkylation cyclization promoted by Ni(PPh(3))(4) and NaHMDS. Mechanistic investigations support the catalytic nature of Ni(0) in the course of TEMPO scavenging experiments and its association with the substrate and NaHMDS to form an adduct by DOSY NMR.     

Silver‐Catalyzed Arylation of (Hetero)arenes by Oxidative Decarboxylation of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids

A long‐standing challenge in Minisci reactions is achieving the arylation of heteroarenes by oxidative decarboxylation of aromatic carboxylic acids. To address this challenge, the silver‐catalyzed intermolecular Minisci reaction of aromatic carboxylic acids was developed. With an inexpensive silver salt as a catalyst, this new reaction enables a variety of aromatic carboxylic acids to undergo decarboxylative coupling with electron‐deficient arenes or heteroarenes regardless of the position of the substituents on the aromatic carboxylic acid, thus eliminating the need for ortho‐substituted aromatic carboxylic acids, which were a limitation of previously reported methods.     

Arylation of lawsone through BF3-mediated coupling of its phenyliodonium ylide with activated arenes and aromatic aldehydes

Phenyliodonium ylide of lawsone, activated by BF₃·Et₂O, reacts with electron-rich arenes to afford the corresponding 2-aryl-3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones, in a coupling reaction without metal catalysts. The same type of products, in greater variety and higher yields, are obtained from the reaction of the BF₃·Et₂O-activated ylide with aromatic aldehydes in a synthetically and mechanistically interesting deformylation reaction.     

Light‐Induced CH Arylation of (Hetero)arenes by In Situ Generated Diazo Anhydrides

Diazo anhydrides (Ar?N?N?O?N?N?Ar) have been known since 1896 but have rarely been used in synthesis. This communication describes the development of a photochemical catalyst‐free C?H arylation methodology for the preparation of bi(hetero)aryls by the one‐pot reaction of anilines with tert‐butyl nitrite and (hetero)arenes under neutral conditions. The key step in this procedure is the in situ formation and subsequent photochemical (>300 nm) homolytic cleavage of a transient diazo anhydride intermediate. The generated aryl radical then efficiently reacts with a (hetero)arene to form the desired bi(hetero)aryls producing only nitrogen, water, and tert‐butanol as byproducts. The scope of the reaction for several substituted anilines and (hetero)arenes was investigated. A continuous‐flow protocol increasing selectivity and safety has been developed enabling the experimentally straightforward preparation of a variety of substituted bi(hetero)aryls within 45 min of reaction time.     

Organocatalytic hydroacylation of unactivated alkenes

N-Heterocyclic carbenes interact with aldehydes to generate the Breslow intermediate, a rendering of the prototypical electrophile into a nucleophile (umpolung). Recent work has indicated that these intermediates may also add to simple, unpolarized alkenes. The use of a chiral precatalyst leads to the generation of the derived adducts with high yields and very high selectivities.