Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Widely Applicable Aerobic 1,2‐Diol Oxidative Cleavage

The oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols is a fundamental organic transformation. The stoichiometric oxidants that are still predominantly used for such oxidative cleavage, such as H₅IO₆ , Pb(OAc)₄ , and KMnO₄ , generate stoichiometric hazardous waste. Herein, we describe a widely applicable and highly selective silver(I)‐catalyzed oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols that consumes atmospheric oxygen as the sole oxidant, thus serving as a potentially greener alternative to the classical transformations.     

Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative C−O and C−N Coupling Reactions Using Air as Sole Oxidant**

We describe the oxygenation of tertiary arylamines, and the amination of tertiary arylamines and phenols. The key step of these coupling reactions is an iron-catalyzed oxidative C−O or C−N bond formation which generally provides the corresponding products in high yields and with excellent regioselectivity. The transformations are accomplished using hexadecafluorophthalocyanine−iron(II) (FePcF₁₆) as catalyst in the presence of an acid or a base additive and require only ambient air as sole oxidant.     

Total Synthesis of Talatisamine

Talatisamine ( 1 ) is a member of the C₁₉‐diterpenoid alkaloid family, and exhibits K⁺ channel inhibitory and antiarrhythmic activities. The formidable synthetic challenge that 1 presents is due to its highly oxidized and intricately fused hexacyclic 6/7/5/6/6/5‐membered‐ring structure (ABCDEF‐ring) with 12 contiguous stereocenters. Here we report an efficient synthetic route to 1 by the assembly of two structurally simple fragments, chiral 6/6‐membered AE‐ring 7 and aromatic 6‐membered D‐ring 6 . AE‐ring 7 was constructed from 2‐cyclohexenone ( 8 ) through fusing an N‐ethylpiperidine ring by a double Mannich reaction. After coupling 6 with 7 , an oxidative dearomatization/Diels–Alder reaction sequence generated fused pentacycle 4 b . The newly formed 6/6‐membered ring system was then stereospecifically reorganized into the 7/5‐membered BC‐ring of 3 via a Wagner–Meerwein rearrangement. Finally, Hg(OAc)₂ induced an oxidative aza‐Prins cyclization of 2 , thereby forging the remaining 5‐membered F‐ring. The total synthesis of 1 was thus accomplished by optimizing and orchestrating 33 transformations from 8 .     

Reoxidation of Transition‐metal Catalysts with O2

Transition‐metal catalyzed oxidation reactions are central components of organic chemistry. On behalf of green and sustainable chemistry, molecular oxygen (O₂) has been considered as an ideal oxidant due to its natural, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly characters, and therefore offers attractive academic and industrial prospects. In recent years, some powerful organic oxidation methods have been continuously developed. Among them, the use of molecular oxygen (O₂) as a green and sustainable oxidant has attracted considerable attentions. However, the development of new transition metal‐catalyzed protocols using O₂ as an ideal oxidant is highly desirable but very challenging because of the low standard electrode potential of O₂ to reoxidize the transition‐metal catalysts. In this Account, we highlight some of our progress toward the use of transition‐metal catalyzed aerobic oxidation reactions. Through the careful selection of ligand and the acidic additives, we have successfully realized the reoxidation of Cu, Pd, Mn, Fe, Ru, Rh, and bimetallic catalysts under O₂ or air atmosphere (1 atm) for the oxidative coupling, oxygenation reactions, oxidative C‐H/C‐C bond cleavage, oxidative annulation, and olefins difunctionalization reactions. Most of the reactions can tolerate a range of functional groups. These methods provide new strategies for the green synthesis of alkynes, (α ‐keto)amides/esters, ketones/diones, O/N‐heterocycles, β ‐azido alcohols, and nitriles. The high efficiency, low cost, and simple operation under air make these methodologies very attractive and practical. We will also discuss the mechanisms of these reactions which might be useful to promote the new type of aerobic oxidative reaction design.     

Transition‐Metal‐Free Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of Tetraarylborates to Biaryls Using Organic Oxidants

Readily prepared tetraarylborates undergo selective (cross)‐coupling through oxidation with Bobbitt's salt to give symmetric and unsymmetric biaryls. The organic oxoammonium salt can be used either as a stoichiometric oxidant or as a catalyst in combination with in situ generated NO₂ and molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant. For selected cases, oxidative coupling is also possible with NO₂/O₂ without any additional nitroxide‐based cocatalyst. Transition‐metal‐free catalytic oxidative ligand cross‐coupling of tetraarylborates is unprecedented and the introduced method provides access to various biaryl and heterobiaryl systems.     

Activation of CH Bonds through Oxidant‐Free Photoredox Catalysis: Cross‐Coupling Hydrogen‐Evolution Transformation of Isochromans and β‐Keto Esters

The direct and controlled activation of a C(sp³)?H bond adjacent to an O atom is of particular synthetic value for the conventional derivatization of ethers or alcohols. In general, stoichiometric amounts of an oxidant are required to remove an electron and a hydrogen atom of the ether for subsequent transformations. Herein, we demonstrate that the activation of a C?H bond next to an O atom could be achieved under oxidant‐free conditions through photoredox‐neutral catalysis. By using a commercial dyad photosensitizer (Acr⁺‐Mes ClO₄^?, 9‐mesityl‐10‐methylacridinium perchlorate) and an easily available cobaloxime complex (Co(dmgBF₂)₂?2 MeCN, dmg=dimethylglyoxime), the nucleophilic addition of β‐keto esters to oxonium species, which is rarely observed in photocatalysis, leads to the corresponding coupling products and H₂ in moderate to good yields under visible‐light irradiation. Mechanistic studies suggest that both isochroman and the cobaloxime complex quench the electron‐transfer state of this dyad photosensitizer and that benzylic C?H bond cleavage is probably the rate‐determining step of this cross‐coupling hydrogen‐evolution transformation.     

Direct Oxidative Coupling of Arenes with Olefins by Rh‐Catalyzed C?H Activation in Air: Observation of a Strong Cooperation of the Acid

A [{RhCl(cod)}₂]/CCl₃COOH system was developed for the oxidative coupling of non‐chelate‐assisted arenes with olefins in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(OAc)₂ ? H₂O as a co‐oxidant and oxygen as the terminal oxidant. The acid was an indispensable component in this system and played a very important role in the coupling reaction. This catalytic system was applied to the direct oxidative coupling of a series of arenes and olefins and the corresponding products were afforded in high yields with special chemo‐ and regioselectivity. This reaction provides an atom‐efficient route to vinylarenes, which are widely used in various fine chemicals.     

Mechanism and Selectivity of RuII‐ and RhIII‐Catalyzed Oxidative Spiroannulation of Naphthols and Phenols with Alkynes through a C−H Activation/Dearomatization Strategy

The ruthenium‐ and rhodium‐catalyzed oxidative spiroannulation of naphthols and phenols with alkynes was investigated by means of density functional theory calculations. The results show that the reaction undergoes O?H deprotonation/C(sp²)?H bond cleavage through a concerted metalation–deprotonation mechanism/migratory insertion of the alkyne into the M?C bond to deliver the eight‐membered metallacycle. However, the dearomatization through the originally proposed enol–keto tautomerization/C?C reductive elimination was calculated to be kinetically inaccessible. Alternatively, an unusual metallacyclopropene, generated from the isomerization of the eight‐membered metallacycle through rotation of the C?C double bond, was identified as a key intermediate to account for the experimental results. The subsequent C?C coupling between the carbene carbon atom and the carbon atom of the 2‐naphthol/phenol ring was calculated to be relatively facile, leading to the formation of the unexpected dearomatized products. The calculations reproduce quite well the experimentally observed formal [5+2] cycloaddition in the rhodium‐catalyzed oxidative annulation of 2‐vinylphenols with alkynes. The calculations show that compared with the case of 2‐alkenylphenols, the presence of conjugation effects and less steric repulsion between the phenol ring and the vinyl moiety make the competing reductive oxyl migration become dominant, which enables the selectivity switch from the spiroannulation to the formal [5+2] cycloaddition.     

Sulfonyl Hydrazones of Cyclic Amides and Quaternary Azo Sulfones of Heterocycles as Reagents in Azo Chemistry

Sulfonyl hydrazones of cyclic amides undergo oxidative coupling with phenols and reactive methylene components. The reaction proceeds via the azo sulfones, which may be used as such, and which, as ambident cations, enter into many reactions with nucleophiles and extend the scope of oxidative coupling. The reaction with phenols is a two-step process, in which the limiting cases k₁ ? k₂, k₁ ≈ k₂, and k₁ ? k₂ can be realized by slight variation of the reactants.     

Oxidative Cyclization Reaction of 2‐Aryl‐Substituted Cinnamates To Form Phenanthrene Carboxylates by Using MoCl5

The oxidative cyclization reaction of 2‐aryl cinnamates and derivatives thereof can be easily performed with MoCl₅ as the oxidant. This powerful reagent allows oxidative coupling reactions for which other reagents fail. The best results are obtained when the 2‐phenyl substituent of the cinnamate is equipped with two methoxy groups. Even iodo moieties in the bay region of phenanthrene are tolerated under the reaction conditions. If naphthalene moieties are involved, a rearrangement of the skeleton occurs, providing an elegant route to highly functionalized angular arenes. The cyclization is demonstrated for 15 example substrates with isolated yields of up to 99 % for the phenanthrene derivative. The broad scope of the reaction underlines the usefulness of MoCl₅ and MoCl₅/TiCl₄ in the oxidative coupling reaction.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Intermolecular Oxidative Coupling Reactions of (Z)‐Enamines with Isocyanides through Selective β‐C(sp2)‐H and/or C=C Bond Cleavage

Herein, two efficient palladium‐catalyzed intermolecular oxidative coupling reactions of (Z)‐enamines with isocyanides via selective β‐C(sp²)‐H and/or C=C bond cleavage have been developed, leading to controllable chemodivergent and stereoselective construction of a wide range of (E)‐β‐carbamoylenamine derivatives containing strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, possible reaction pathways for these transformations are proposed on the basis of preliminary mechanism studies.     

Iron(III) Chloride Catalyzed Oxidative Coupling Reaction of 1,2‐Diarylethylene Derivatives

A nontoxic FeCl₃ catalyzed intramolecular oxidative coupling reaction was developed for mild synthesis of a series of phenanthrenes with different substituents. The method involves cross dehydrogenative coupling of a variety of 1,2‐diarylethylene derivatives with di‐tert‐butylperoxide (DTBP) as a sole oxidant at room temperature in CH₂Cl₂/TFA (9:1 V/V) to yield phenanthrenes in good to excellent yields.     

Metal‐Free I2‐Catalyzed Highly Selective Dehydrogenative Coupling of Alcohols and Cyclohexenones

The I₂ catalyzed highly selective oxidative condensation of cyclohexenones and alcohols for the synthesis of aryl alkyl ethers has been described. DMSO is employed as the mild terminal oxidant. This novel methodology offers a metal‐free reaction condition, operational simplicity and broad substrate scope to afford valuable products from inexpensive reagents. Various meta‐substituted aromatic ethers which are hardly synthesized from the reported methods requiring meta‐substituted phenols, are efficiently prepared by the present protocol.     

Organo‐Iodine(III)‐Catalyzed Oxidative Phenol–Arene and Phenol–Phenol Cross‐Coupling Reaction

The direct oxidative coupling reaction has been an attractive tool for environmentally benign chemistry. Reported herein is that the hypervalent iodine catalyzed oxidative metal‐free cross‐coupling reaction of phenols can be achieved using Oxone as a terminal oxidant in 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoropropan‐2‐ol (HFIP). This method features a high efficiency and regioselectivity, as well as functional‐group tolerance under very mild reaction conditions without using metal catalysts.     

Short Chemoenzymatic Total Synthesis of ent‐Hydromorphone: An Oxidative Dearomatization/Intramolecular [4+2] Cycloaddition/Amination Sequence

A short synthesis of ent‐hydromorphone has been achieved in twelve steps from β‐bromoethylbenzene. The key transformations involved the enzymatic dihydroxylation of the arene to the corresponding cis‐dihydrodiol, Mitsunobu coupling with the ring A fragment, oxidative dearomatization of the C3 phenol, and the subsequent [4+2] cycloaddition to form ring B of the morphinan. The synthesis was completed by intramolecular amination at C9.     

Photocatalytic Synthesis of Dihydrobenzofurans by Oxidative [3+2] Cycloaddition of Phenols

We report a protocol for oxidative [3+2] cycloadditions of phenols and alkenes applicable to the modular synthesis of a large family of dihydrobenzofuran natural products. Visible‐light‐activated transition metal photocatalysis enables the use of ammonium persulfate as an easily handled, benign terminal oxidant. The broad range of organic substrates that are readily oxidized by photoredox catalysis suggests that this strategy may be applicable to a variety of useful oxidative transformations.     

Antioxidant,DNA interaction,molecular docking and cytotoxicity studies of aminoethylpiperazine‐containing macrocyclic binuclear copper(II) complexes

A series of new macrocyclic binuclear copper(II) complexes of the type [Cu₂L^1–5(ClO₄)](ClO₄) ( 1 – 5 ) were synthesized by template condensation between precursor compounds 2,6‐bis(4‐aminoethylpiperazin‐1‐ylmethyl)‐4‐substituted phenols and 2,6‐diformyl‐4‐substituted phenols. The synthesized precursors and complexes were characterized using regular physicochemical techniques. The rate constant values obtained for the hydrolysis of 4‐nitrophenylphosphate were in the range 1.83 × 10⁻²–4.19 × 10⁻² min⁻¹. Antioxidant studies against 2,2′‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl revealed the antioxidant potency of the synthesized complexes. Binding studies of the complexes with calf thymus DNA were conducted using electronic, viscometric and voltammetric techniques, and the obtained results suggested a non‐covalent groove mode of binding. The oxidative cleavage of pBR322 DNA in the presence of co‐reactant H₂O₂ and radical scavengers showed single strand scission and involvement of H₂O₂ radical in the cleavage process. Molecular docking studies were performed to insert complexes into the crystal structures of 1BNA and VEGFR kinase at active sites to determine the possible binding mode and predominant binding interactions. In vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes was tested against human epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431) by MTT assay, which revealed the effective anticancer activity of the complexes. Live cell and fluorescent imaging of A431 cells showed that the complexes induce cell death through apoptosis.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Coupling of Oxime Acetates with Sodium Sulfinates: An Efficient Synthesis of Sulfone Derivatives

Sulfone derivatives are important synthetic intermediates. However, the general method for their preparation is through traditional coupling reaction: the alkylation of sodium sulfinates with phenacyl halides. Based on our previous work on sodium sulfinates and oxime acetates, we herein report a novel method for sulfone derivatives by oxidative coupling with sodium sulfinates and oxime acetates using copper as catalyst. The sulfonylvinylamine products could be formed in excellent yields. Upon hydrolysis by silica gel in CH₂Cl₂, β‐ketosulfones could also be efficiently constructed. Various sulfonylvinylamines and β‐ketosulfones were obtained in good to excellent yields under the optimized reaction conditions. Mechanistic studies indicated that this transformation involved copper‐catalyzed N? O bond cleavage, activation of a vinyl sp² C? H bond, and C? S bond formation. The oxime acetates act as both a substrate and an oxidant, thus the reaction needs no additional oxidants or additives.     

Microwave‐Promoted Pd‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Dibenzofurans from Ortho‐Arylphenols

ortho‐Aryl phenols, synthesized via protecting group free Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of ortho‐halophenols and arene boronic acids, undergo a cyclization to dibenzofurans via oxidative C–H activation. The reaction proceeds under microwave irradiation in short reaction times using catalytic amounts of Pd(OAc)₂ without additional ligands.     

Cooperative Reductive Elimination: The Missing Piece in the Oxidative‐Coupling Mechanistic Puzzle

The reaction between benzoic acid and methylphenylacetylene to form an isocoumarin is catalyzed by Cp*Rh(OAc)₂ in the presence of Cu(OAc)₂(H₂O) as an oxidant and a leading example of oxidative‐coupling reactions. Its mechanism was elucidated by DFT calculations with the B97D functional. The conventional mechanism, with separate reductive‐elimination and reoxidation steps, was found to yield a naphthalene derivative as the major product by CO₂ extrusion, contradicting experimental observations. The experimental result was reproduced by an alternative mechanism with a lower barrier: In this case, the copper acetate oxidant plays a key role in the reductive‐elimination step, which takes place through a transition state containing both rhodium and copper centers. This cooperative reductive‐elimination step would not be accessible with a generic oxidant, which, again, is in agreement with available experimental data.