Harnessing the Dual Properties of Thiol‐Grafted Cellulose Paper for Click Reactions: A Powerful Reducing Agent and Adsorbent for Cu

A new approach exploiting the dual properties of thiol‐grafted cellulose paper for promoting copper‐catalyzed [3+2]‐cycloadditions of organic azides with alkynes and adsorbing residual copper species in solution was developed. The thiol‐grafted cellulose paper, used as a paper strip, effects the reduction of Cu^II to catalytically active Cu^I and acts as a powerful adsorbent for copper, thereby facilitating the work‐up process and leaving the crude mixture almost free of copper residues after a single filtration.     

The “Click” Reaction Involving Metal Azides,Metal Alkynes,or Both: An Exploration into Multimetal Structures

Cu^I‐catalyzed 1,3‐cycloaddition of azides and alkynes (CuAAC) is one of the most powerful synthetic methodologies known. However, its use to prepare well‐defined multimetallic structures is underdeveloped. Apart from the applications of this reaction to anchor different organometallic reagents to surfaces, polymers, and dendrimers, only isolated examples of CuAAC with metal–η¹‐alkyne and metal–azide complexes to prepare multimetal entities have been reported. This concept sketches the potential of these reactions not only to prepare “a la carte” multimetal 1,2,3‐triazole derivatives, but also to discover new and unprecedented reactions.     

Triazolyl‐Based Molecular Gels as Ligands for Autocatalytic ‘Click’ Reactions

The catalytic performance of triazolyl‐based molecular gels was investigated in the Huisgen 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of alkynes and azides. Low‐molecular‐weight gelators derived from l ‐valine were synthesized and functionalized with a triazole fragment. The resultant compounds formed gels either with or without copper, in a variety of solvents of different polarity. The gelators coordinated Cu^I and exhibited a high catalytic activity in the gel phase for the model reaction between phenylacetylene and benzylazide. Additionally, the gels were able to participate in autocatalytic synthesis and the influence of small structural changes on their performance was observed.     

A Supported Copper Hydroxide on Titanium Oxide as an Efficient Reusable Heterogeneous Catalyst for 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of Organic Azides to Terminal Alkynes

An easily prepared supported copper hydroxide on titanium oxide (Cu(OH)_x/TiO₂) showed high catalytic performance for the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of organic azides to terminal alkynes in non‐polar solvents under anaerobic conditions. The reactions of various combinations of organic azides (four examples, including aromatic and aliphatic ones) and terminal alkynes (eleven examples, including aromatic, aliphatic, and double bond‐containing ones) exclusively proceeded to give the corresponding 1,4‐disubstituted‐1,2,3‐triazole derivatives in a completely regioselective manner. For the transformation of benzyl azide and ethynylbenzene with 0.12 mol % of Cu(OH)_x/TiO₂, the turnover frequency was 505 h^?1 and the turnover number reached up to 800. These values were the highest among those with previously reported heterogeneous catalysts including Cu(OH)_x/Al₂O₃. The observed catalysis was truly heterogeneous and the retrieved catalyst after the reaction could be reused at least three times with retention of its high catalytic performance. It was confirmed by the UV/Vis spectrum of Cu(OH)_x/TiO₂ and the amount of diyne formed that the Cu^II species in Cu(OH)_x/TiO₂ were reduced to Cu^I species by the alkyne–alkyne homocoupling at the initial stage of the reaction (during the pretreatment of Cu(OH)_x/TiO₂ with an alkyne). The catalytic reaction rate for the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition linearly increased with an increase in the amount of in situ generated Cu^I species. Therefore, the in situ generated Cu^I species would be the catalytically active species for the present 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition.     

Alkyne–Azide Cycloadditions with Copper Powder in a High‐Pressure Continuous‐Flow Reactor: High‐Temperature Conditions versus the Role of Additives

A safe and efficient flow‐chemistry‐based procedure is presented for 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions between organic azides and acetylenes. This simple and inexpensive technique eliminates the need for costly special apparatus and utilizes Cu powder as a plausible Cu^I source. To maximize the reaction rates, high‐pressure/high‐temperature conditions are utilized; alternatively, the harsh reaction conditions can be moderated at room temperature by the joint application of basic and acidic additives. A comparison of the performance of these two approaches in a series of model reactions has resulted in the formation of useful 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles in excellent yields. The risks that are associated with the handling of azides are lowered, thanks to the benefits of flow processing, and gram‐scale production has been safely implemented. The synthetic capability of this continuous‐flow technique is demonstrated by the efficient syntheses of some highly functionalized derivatives of the antifungal cispentacin.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Copper(I) Rotaxanes Mediate Sequential Click Ligations with All Reagents Premixed

We have prepared NHC‐Cu^I complexes with a rotaxane structure and used them as sterically sensitive catalysts for one‐pot sequential copper‐catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloadditions in solutions containing all of the coupling partners premixed in unprotected form. Most notably, a photolabile and sterically encumbered complex first catalyzed the coupling of a less bulky azide/alkyne pair; after removing the protective macrocyclic component from the rotaxane structure, through irradiation with light, the exposed dumbbell‐shaped NHC‐Cu^I complex catalyzed the second click reaction of a bulkier azide/alkyne pair. Using this approach, we obtained predominantly, from a single sealed pot, a bis‐triazole product (84 %) from a mixture of two sterically distinct azides and a diyne.     

Carbon‐Supported Copper Nanomaterials: Recyclable Catalysts for Huisgen [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions

Highly disperse copper nanoparticles immobilized on carbon nanomaterials (CNMs; graphene/carbon nanotubes) were prepared and used as a recyclable and reusable catalyst to achieve Cu^I‐catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition click chemistry. Carbon nanomaterials with immobilized N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)‐Cu complexes prepared from an imidazolium‐based carbene and Cu^I show excellent stability including high efficiency at low catalyst loading. The catalytic performance evaluated in solution and in bulk shows that both types of Cu‐CNMs can function as an effective recyclable catalysts (more than 10 cycles) for click reactions without decomposition and the use of external additives.     

A Novel ‘Domino‐Click Approach’ to Unsymmetrical Bis‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles

Aryl azides 1 were treated with allenylmagnesium bromide ( 2 ) to generate 1,5‐disubstituted butynyl‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles 3 in a domino fashion, which upon Cu^I‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition with aryl azides 4 afforded novel bis‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles 5 in quantitative yields (Scheme 1 and Table).     

Catalytic Enantioselective Conjugate Alkynylation of α,β‐Unsaturated 1,1,1‐Trifluoromethyl Ketones with Terminal Alkynes

The first catalytic enantioselective conjugate alkynylation of α,β‐unsaturated 1,1,1‐trifluoromethyl ketones has been carried out. Terminal alkynes and 1,3‐diynes were treated with trifluoromethyl ketones in the presence of a low catalytic load of a Cu^I‐MeOBIPHEP complex (2.5 mol %) and triethylamine (10 mol %) to give the corresponding trifluoromethyl ketones bearing a propargylic stereogenic center at the β position with good yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses in most of the cases. No 1,2‐addition products were formed under the reaction conditions. The procedure showed broad substrate scope for alkyne, diyne, and enone. A rationale for the observed stereochemistry has been provided. Finally, the potential application of the reaction products in the synthesis of chiral tetrahydrofurans bearing a trifluoromethylated quaternary stereocenter has been devised.     

Evidence of CuI/CuII Redox Process by X‐ray Absorption and EPR Spectroscopy: Direct Synthesis of Dihydrofurans from β‐Ketocarbonyl Derivatives and Olefins

The Cu^I/Cu^II and Cu^I/Cu^III catalytic cycles have been subject to intense debate in the field of copper‐catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions. A mechanistic study on the Cu^I/Cu^II redox process, by X‐ray absorption (XAS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies, has elucidated the reduction mechanism of Cu^II to Cu^I by 1,3‐diketone and detailed investigation revealed that the halide ion is important for the reduction process. The oxidative nature of the thereby‐formed Cu^I has also been studied by XAS and EPR spectroscopy. This mechanistic information is applicable to the copper‐catalyzed oxidative cyclization of β‐ketocarbonyl derivatives to dihydrofurans. This protocol provides an ideal route to highly substituted dihydrofuran rings from easily available 1,3‐dicarbonyls and olefins.     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Annulation of Salicylaldehydes and Alkynes to Form Chromones and 4‐Chromanones

A unique cobalt(I)–diphosphine catalytic system has been identified for the coupling of salicylaldehyde (SA) and an internal alkyne affording a dehydrogenative annulation product (chromone) or a reductive annulation product (4‐chromanone) depending on the alkyne substituents. Distinct from related rhodium(I)‐ and rhodium(III)‐catalyzed reactions of SA and alkynes, these annulation reactions feature aldehyde C?H oxidative addition of SA and subsequent hydrometalation of the C=O bond of another SA molecule as common key steps. The reductive annulation to 4‐chromanones also involves the action of Zn as a stoichiometric reductant. In addition to these mechanistic features, the Co^I catalysis described herein is complementary to the Rh^I‐ and Rh^III‐catalyzed reactions of SA and internal alkynes, particularly in the context of chromone synthesis.     

Copper‐Mediated Controlled/“Living” Radical Polymerization in Polar Solvents: Insights into Some Relevant Mechanistic Aspects

The field of transition‐metal‐mediated controlled/“living” radical polymerization (CLRP) has become the subject of intense discussion regarding the mechanism of this widely‐used and versatile process. Most mechanistic analyses (atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) vs. single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP)) have been based on model experiments, which cannot correctly mimic the true reaction conditions. We present, for the first time, a determination of the [Cu^IBr]/[L] (L=nitrogen‐based chelating ligand) ratio and the extent of Cu^IBr/L disproportionation during CLRP of methyl acrylate (MA) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) with Cu⁰ wire as a transition‐metal catalyst source. The results suggest that Cu⁰ acts as a supplemental activator and reducing agent of Cu^IIBr₂/L to Cu^IBr/L. More importantly, the Cu^IBr/L species seem to be responsible for the activation of SET‐LRP.     

Copper‐catalyzed Synthesis of N‐alkylated 2‐(4‐substituted‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐1H‐indole‐3‐carbaldehyde by Step‐wise and One‐pot Three‐component Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar Cycloaddition Reaction

An efficient method for the synthesis of N‐alkylated 2‐(4‐substituted‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐1H‐indole‐3‐carbaldehyde has been developed starting from oxindole and indole using Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of organic azides to alkynes. The effect of catalysts and solvent on these reactions has been investigated. Among all these conditions, while using CuSO₄·5H₂O, DMF was found to be the best system for this reaction. It could also be prepared in a one‐pot three‐component manner by treating equimolar quantities of halides, azides, and alkynes. The Huisgen's 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction was performed using CuSO₄·5H₂O in DMF with easy work‐up procedure.     

Experimental Evidence for the Involvement of Dinuclear Alkynylcopper(I) Complexes in Alkyne–Azide Chemistry

Dinuclear alkynylcopper(I) ladderane complexes are prepared by a robust and simple protocol involving the reduction of Cu₂(OH)₃OAc or Cu(OAc)₂ by easily oxidised alcohols in the presence of terminal alkynes; they function as efficient catalysts in copper‐catalysed alkyne–azide cycloaddition reactions as predicted by the Ahlquist–Fokin calculations. The same copper(I) catalysts are formed during reactions by using the Sharpless–Fokin protocol. The experimental results also provide evidence that sodium ascorbate functions as a base to deprotonate terminal alkynes and additionally give a convincing alternative explanation for the fact that the Cu^I‐catalysed reactions of certain 1,3‐diazides with phenylacetylene give bis(triazoles) as the major products. The same dinuclear alkynylcopper(I) complexes also function as catalysts in cycloaddition reactions of azides with 1‐iodoalkynes.     

Reprogramming Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases for “Clickable” Amino Acids

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are multifunctional enzymes that produce a wide array of bioactive peptides. Here we show that a single tryptophan‐to‐serine mutation in phenylalanine‐specific NRPS adenylation domains enables the efficient activation of non‐natural aromatic amino acids functionalized with azide and alkyne groups. The resulting 10⁵‐fold switch in substrate specificity was achieved without appreciable loss of catalytic efficiency. Moreover, the effective communication of the modified A domains with downstream modules in dipeptide synthetases permitted incorporation of O‐propargyl‐L ‐tyrosine into diketopiperazines both in vitro and in vivo, even in the presence of competing phenylalanine. Because azides and alkynes readily undergo bioorthogonal click reactions, reprogramming NRPSs to accept non‐natural amino acids that contain these groups provides a potentially powerful means of isolating, labeling, and modifying biologically active peptides.     

Isolation of the Copper Redox Steps in the Standard Selective Catalytic Reduction on Cu‐SSZ‐13

Operando X‐ray absorption experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are reported that elucidate the role of copper redox chemistry in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO over Cu‐exchanged SSZ‐13. Catalysts prepared to contain only isolated, exchanged Cu^II ions evidence both Cu^II and Cu^I ions under standard SCR conditions at 473 K. Reactant cutoff experiments show that NO and NH₃ together are necessary for Cu^II reduction to Cu^I. DFT calculations show that NO‐assisted NH₃ dissociation is both energetically favorable and accounts for the observed Cu^II reduction. The calculations predict in situ generation of Brønsted sites proximal to Cu^I upon reduction, which we quantify in separate titration experiments. Both NO and O₂ are necessary for oxidation of Cu^I to Cu^II, which DFT suggests to occur by a NO₂ intermediate. Reaction of Cu‐bound NO₂ with proximal NH₄⁺ completes the catalytic cycle. N₂ is produced in both reduction and oxidation half‐cycles.     

CuH‐Catalysed Hydroamination of Styrene with Hydroxylamine Esters: A Coupled Cluster Scrutiny of Mechanistic Pathways

A detailed computational exploration of mechanistic intricacies of the copper(I) hydride (CuH)‐catalysed hydroamination of styrene with a prototype hydroxylamine ester by a recently reported [(dppbz)CuH] catalyst (dppbz≡{P^P}≡1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐benzene) is presented. A variety of plausible mechanistic avenues have been pursued by means of a sophisticated computational methodology, from which a general understanding of the factors controlling hydroamination catalysis emerged. The catalytically competent {P^P}Cu^I hydride, which is predominantly present as its dimer, involves in irreversible hydrocupration proceeding with complete 2,1 regioselectivity to form a secondary {P^P}Cu^I benzyl intermediate. Its interception with benzylamine ester produces the branched tertiary amine product and {P^P}Cu^I benzoate upon intramolecular S_N2 disruption of the amine electrophile′s N?O linkage, to precede a highly rapid, strongly exergonic C?N bond‐forming reductive elimination. The {P^P}Cu^I benzoate corresponds to the catalyst resting state and its conversion back into the {P^P}Cu^I hydride upon transmetalation with a hydrosilane is turnover limiting. The effect of electronic perturbations at the amine electrophile upon the reaction rate for productive hydroamination catalysis and also non‐productive reduction of the hydroxylamine ester has been gauged, which unveiled a more fundamental insight into catalytic structure‐performance relationships.     

Electrochemiluminescence of Supramolecular Nanorods and Their Application in the “On–Off–On” Detection of Copper Ions

In this work, an “on–off–on” switch system has been successfully applied through the construction of an electrochemiluminscent biosensor for copper ion (Cu²⁺) detection based on a new electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter of supramolecular nanorods, which was achieved through supramolecular interactions between 3,4,9,10‐perylenetetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) and aniline. The initial “signal‐on” state with strong and stable ECL emission was obtained by use of the supramolecular nanorods with a new signal amplification strategy involving a co‐reaction accelerator. In addition, ECL quencher probes (Fc‐NH₂/Cu‐Sub/nano‐Au) were fabricated by immobilizing aminoferrocene (Fc‐NH₂) on Cu‐substrate strand modified Au nanoparticles. The quencher probes were hybridized with the immobilized Cu‐enzyme strand to form Cu²⁺‐specific DNAzyme. Similarly, the “signal‐off” state was obtained by the high quenching effect of Fc‐NH₂ on the ECL of the excited‐state PTCA (¹PTCA*). As expected, the second “switch‐on” state could achieved by incubating with the target Cu²⁺, owing to the Cu²⁺‐specific DNAzyme, which was irreversibly cleaved, resulting in the release of the quencher probes from the sensor interface. Herein, on the basis of the ECL intensity changes (ΔI_ECL) before and after incubating with the target Cu²⁺, the prepared Cu²⁺‐specific DNAzyme‐based biosensor was used for the determination of Cu²⁺ concentrations with high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, and good regeneration.     

Exploring Strain‐Promoted 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of End Functionalized Polymers

Strain‐promoted 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of cyclooctynes with 1,3‐dipoles such as azides, nitrones, and nitrile oxides, are of interest for the functionalization of polymers. In this study, we have explored the use of a 4‐dibenzocyclooctynol (DIBO)‐containing chain transfer agent in reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerizations. The controlled radical polymerization resulted in well‐defined DIBO‐terminating polymers that could be modified by 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions using nitrones, nitrile oxides, and azides having a hydrophilic moiety. The self‐assembly properties of the resulting block copolymers have been examined. The versatility of the methodology was further demonstrated by the controlled preparation of gold nanoparticles coated with the DIBO‐containing polymers to produce materials that can be further modified by strain‐promoted cycloadditions.     

Designing dendritic frameworks using versatile building blocks suitable for Cu-catalyzed alkyne azide ‘click’ chemistry

Synthesis of molecular building blocks that incorporate azide and alkyne-terminated functionalities suitable for Cu^I-catalyzed cycloaddition between alkynes and azides is reported. Their utility in constructing dendritic frameworks with 4, 6, or 12 peripheral acetylene groups using either the convergent or divergent methodology, and their functionalization with desirable end groups are demonstrated.