Regioselective 5‐endo‐dig Electrophilic Iodocyclization of Enediynes: A Convenient Route to Iodo‐substituted Indenes and Cyclopenta‐Fused Arenes

An efficient iodine‐mediated regioselective tandem approach for the synthesis of symmetric and asymmetric iodo‐substituted indenes and stereoselective cyclopenta [b]pyridine/thiophenes from easily accessible enediynes that proceeds by in situ formation of an iodonium intermediate followed by a regioselective 5‐endo‐dig cyclization has been described. The intramolecular electrophilic iodocyclization was selectively triggered by a distribution of electronic density along the alkyne bond. Subsequently, the iodo‐substituted indenes were diversified by employing palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions and the coupled products were further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic studies.     

Gold(I)‐Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization Reactions of Allenynes for the Synthesis of Fused Cyclopropanes and Acenaphthenes

A gold‐catalyzed reaction of phenylene‐tethered allenynes with benzofurans gave 1‐(naphth‐1‐yl)cyclopropa[b]benzofuran derivatives, whereas the reaction of 1‐allenyl‐2‐ethynyl‐3‐methylbenzene derivatives in the absence of benzofurans gave acenaphthenes in good yields. These results can be rationalized by nucleophilic attack of the alkyne moiety on an activated allene to form a vinyl cation intermediate.     

Gold(I)‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerizations and Alkoxycyclizations of ortho‐(Alkynyl)styrenes

Indenes and related polycyclic structures have been efficiently synthesized by gold(I)‐catalyzed cycloisomerizations of appropriate ortho‐(alkynyl)styrenes. Disubstitution at the terminal position of the olefin was demonstrated to be essential to obtain products originating from a formal 5‐endo‐dig cyclization. Interestingly, a complete switch in the selectivity of the cyclization of o‐(alkynyl)‐α‐methylstyrenes from 6‐endo to 5‐endo was observed by adding an alcohol to the reaction media. This allowed the synthesis of interesting indenes bearing an all‐carbon quaternary center at C1. Moreover, dihydrobenzo[a]fluorenes can be obtained from substrates bearing a secondary alkyl group at the β‐position of the styrene moiety by a tandem cycloisomerization/1,2‐hydride migration process. In addition, diverse polycyclic compounds were obtained by an intramolecular gold‐catalyzed alkoxycyclization of o‐(alkynyl)styrenes bearing a nucleophile in their structure. Finally, the use of a chiral gold complex allowed access to elusive chiral 1H‐indenes in good enantioselectivities.     

Metal‐Catalyzed Cyclization Reactions of 2,3,4‐Trien‐1‐ols: A Joint Experimental–Computational Study

Controlled preparation of tri‐ and tetrasubstituted furans, as well as carbazoles has been achieved through chemo‐ and regioselective metal‐catalyzed cyclization reactions of cumulenic alcohols. The gold‐ and palladium‐catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions of cumulenols, including indole‐tethered 2,3,4‐trien‐1‐ols, to trisubstituted furans was effective, due to a 5‐endo‐dig oxycyclization by attack of the hydroxy group onto the central cumulene double bond. In contrast, palladium‐catalyzed heterocyclization/coupling reactions with 3‐bromoprop‐1‐enes furnished tetrasubstituted furans. Also studied was the palladium‐catalyzed cyclization/coupling sequence involving protected indole‐tethered 2,3,4‐trien‐1‐ols and 3‐bromoprop‐1‐enes that exclusively generated trisubstituted carbazole derivatives. These results could be explained through a selective 6‐endo‐dig cumulenic hydroarylation, followed by aromatization. DFT calculations were carried out to understand this difference in reactivity.     

Efficient Access to Bicyclo[4.3.0]nonanes: Copper‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Silylative Cyclization of Cyclohexadienone‐Tethered Allenes

The creation of three consecutive chiral carbon centers in one step is achieved using Cu‐catalyzed asymmetric silylative cyclization of cyclohexadienone‐tethered allenes. Through regioselective β‐silylation of the allene and subsequent enantioselective 1,4‐addition to cyclohexadienone, this tandem reaction could afford cis‐hydrobenzofuran, cis‐hydroindole, and cis‐hydroindene frameworks with excellent yields (80–98 %) and enantioselectivities (94–98 % ee) bearing vinylsilane and enone substructures. Meanwhile, this mild transformation is generally compatible with a wide range of functional groups, which allows further conversion of the bicyclic products to bridged and tricyclic ring structures.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cyclization of Furan‐Ynes bearing a Propargyl Carbonate Group: Intramolecular Diels–Alder Reaction with In Situ Generated Allenes

Gold‐catalyzed cyclization of various furan‐ynes with a propargyl carbonate or ester moiety results in the formation of a series of polycyclic aromatic ring systems. The reactions can be rationalized through a tandem gold‐catalyzed 3,3‐rearrangement of the propargyl carboxylate moiety in furan‐yne substrates to form an allenic intermediate, which is followed by an intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction of furan and subsequent ring‐opening of the oxa‐bridged cycloadduct. It was found that the steric and electronic properties of phosphine ligands on the gold catalyst had a significant impact on the reaction outcome. In the case of 1,5‐furan‐yne, the cleavage of the oxa‐bridge in the cycloadduct with concomitant 1,2‐migration of the R¹ group occurs to furnish anthracen‐1(2H)‐ones bearing a quaternary carbon center. For 1,4‐furan‐yne, a facile aromatization of the cycloadduct takes place to give 9‐oxygenated anthracene derivatives.     

Self‐Relay Gold(I)‐Catalyzed Pictet–Spengler/Cyclization Cascade Reaction for the Rapid Elaboration of Pentacyclic Indole Derivatives

Gold‐catalyzed cascade reactions allow the rapid elaboration of pentacyclic indolo[2,3‐a]quinolizidines from N‐allyl tryptamines and ortho‐alkynylarylaldehydes. The tandem process combines a gold‐catalyzed Pictet‐Spengler reaction and a cyclization occurring concomitantly with an allyl transfer from the nitrogen atom to the stilbene function. Various substituted allyls were successfully transferred, furnishing the products in yields typically ranging from 60–98 % in high diastereoselectivity. Tryptamines bearing a butenol chain undergo an additional cyclization to chiral hemiaminals in high diastereoselectivities.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Cascade Cyclization of Indolyl Homopropargyl Amides: Stereospecific Construction of Bridged Aza‐[n.2.1] Skeletons

Catalytic cycloisomerization‐initiated cascade cyclizations of terminal alkynes have received tremendous interest, and been widely used in the facile synthesis of a diverse array of valuable complex heterocycles. However, these tandem reactions have been mostly limited to noble‐metal catalysis, and are initiated by an exo‐cyclization pathway. Reported herein is an unprecedented copper‐catalyzed endo‐cyclization‐initiated tandem reaction of indolyl homopropargyl amides, where copper catalyzes both the hydroamination and Friedel–Crafts alkylation process. This method allows the practical and atom‐economical synthesis of valuable bridged aza‐[n.2.1] skeletons (n=3–6) with wide substrate scope, and excellent diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity by a chirality‐transfer strategy. Moreover, the mechanistic rationale for this novel cascade cyclization is also strongly supported by control experiments, and is distinctively different from the related gold catalysis.     

Mechanism of the Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Hydroarylation of Bromo‐Alkynes Revisited: Hydrogen versus Bromine Migration

A comprehensive mechanistic study of the InCl₃‐, AuCl‐, and PtCl₂‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of the 2‐(haloethynyl)biphenyl derivatives of Fürstner et al. was carried out by DFT/M06 calculations to uncover the catalyst‐dependent selectivity of the reactions. The results revealed that the 6‐endo‐dig cyclization is the most favorable pathway in both InCl₃‐ and AuCl‐catalyzed reactions. When AuCl is used, the 9‐bromophenanthrene product could be formed by consecutive 1,2‐H/1,2‐Br migrations from the Wheland‐type intermediate of the 6‐endo‐dig cyclization. However, in the InCl₃‐catalyzed reactions, the chloride‐assisted intermolecular H‐migrations between two Wheland‐type intermediates are more favorable. These Cl‐assisted H‐migrations would eventually lead to 10‐bromophenanthrene through proto‐demetalation of the aryl indium intermediate with HCl. The cause of the poor selectivity of the PtCl₂ catalyst in the experiments by the Fürstner group was predicted. It was found that both the PtCl₂‐catalyzed alkyne–vinylidene rearrangement and the 5‐exo‐dig cyclization pathways have very close activation energies. Further calculations found the former pathway would lead eventually to both 9‐ and 10‐bromophenanthrene products, as a result of the Cl‐assisted H‐migrations after the cyclization of the Pt–vinylidene intermediate. Alternatively, the intermediate from the 5‐exo‐dig cyclization would be transformed into a relatively stable Pt–carbene intermediate irreversibly, which could give rise to the 9‐alkylidene fluorene product through a 1,2‐H shift with a 28.1 kcal mol^?1 activation barrier. These findings shed new light on the complex product mixtures of the PtCl₂‐catalyzed reaction.     

Cross‐Coupling/Cyclization Reactions of Two Different Allenic Moieties

The allene moiety represents an excellent building block for allene cross‐coupling cyclization reactions, affording heterocyclic skeletons in a single step. This strategy is of particular interest when two different allene derivatives are involved in a series of metal‐catalyzed cross‐coupling heterocyclization processes. This Concept article is focused on the Pd‐catalyzed union of two different allenic moieties, with cyclization of at least one of them by intramolecular cyclometalation. These new, versatile, and highly effective transformations are complex multistep processes leading to potential privileged structures that could find wide applications in related medicinal chemistry.     

DFT Study of a 5‐endo‐trig‐Type Cyclization of 3‐Alkenoic Acids by Using Pd–Spiro‐bis(isoxazoline) as Catalyst: Importance of the Rigid Spiro Framework for Both Selectivity and Reactivity

The reaction pathway of an enantioselective 5‐endo‐trig‐type cyclization of 3‐alkenoic acids catalyzed by a chiral palladium–spiro‐bis(isoxazoline) complex, Pd–SPRIX, has been studied by density functional theory calculations. The most plausible pathway involves intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the carboxylate moiety on the C?C double bond activated by Pd–SPRIX and β‐H elimination from the resulting organopalladium intermediate. The enantioselectivity was determined in the cyclization step through the formation of a π‐olefin complex, in which one of the two enantiofaces of the olefin moiety was selected. The β‐H elimination occurs via a seven‐membered cyclic structure in which the acetate ligand plays a key role in lowering the activation barrier of the transition state. In the elimination step, the SPRIX ligand was found to behave as a monodentate ligand due to the hemilability of one of the isoxazoline units thereby facilitating the elimination. Natural population analysis of this pathway showed that the more weakly electron‐donating SPRIX ligand, compared with the bis(oxazoline) ligand, BOX, facilitated the formation of the π‐olefin complex intermediate, leading to a smaller overall activation energy and a higher reactivity of the Pd–SPRIX catalyst.     

Gold(III) Chloride Catalyzed Synthesis of Chiral Substituted 3‐Formyl Furans from Carbohydrates: Application in the Synthesis of 1,5‐Dicarbonyl Derivatives and Furo[3,2‐c]pyridine

This report describes a gold(III)‐catalyzed efficient general route to densely substituted chiral 3‐formyl furans under extremely mild conditions from suitably protected 5‐(1‐alkynyl)‐2,3‐dihydropyran‐4‐one using H₂O as a nucleophile. The reaction proceeds through the initial formation of an activated alkyne–gold(III) complex intermediate, followed by either a domino nucleophilic attack/anti‐endo‐dig cyclization, or the formation of a cyclic oxonium ion with subsequent attack by H₂O. To confirm the proposed mechanistic pathway, we employed MeOH as a nucleophile instead of H₂O to result in a substituted furo[3,2‐c]pyran derivative, as anticipated. The similar furo[3,2‐c]pyran skeleton with a hybrid carbohydrate–furan derivative has also been achieved through pyridinium dichromate (PDC) oxidation of a substituted chiral 3‐formyl furan. The corresponding protected 5‐(1‐alkynyl)‐2,3‐dihydropyran‐4‐one can be synthesized from the monosaccharides (both hexoses and pentose) following oxidation, iodination, and Sonogashira coupling sequences. Furthermore, to demonstrate the potentiality of chiral 3‐formyl furan derivatives, a TiBr₄‐catalyzed reaction of these derivatives has been shown to offer efficient access to 1,5‐dicarbonyl compounds, which on treatment with NH₄OAc in slightly acidic conditions afforded substituted furo[3,2‐c]pyridine.     

Gold(I)‐Catalyzed N‐Desulfonylative Amination versus N‐to‐O 1,5‐Sulfonyl Migration: A Versatile Approach to 1‐Azabicycloalkanes

Valuable 1‐azabicycloalkane derivatives have been synthesized through a novel gold(I)‐catalyzed desulfonylative cyclization strategy. An ammoniumation reaction of ynones substituted at the 1‐position with an N‐sulfonyl azacycle took place in the presence of a gold cation by intramolecular cyclization of the disubstituted sulfonamide moiety onto the triple bond. Depending on the size of the heterocyclic ring and substitution of the substrates, two unprecedented forms of nucleophilic attack on the sulfonyl group were exploited, that is, a N‐desulfonylation in the presence of an external protic O nucleophile (37–87 %, 10 examples) and a unique N‐to‐O 1,5‐sulfonyl migration (60–98 %, 9 examples).     

Highly Efficient Gold‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Dibenzocycloheptatrienes

Dibenzocycloheptatrienes are obtained by a gold‐catalyzed 7‐exo‐dig hydroarylation protocol in a highly efficient manner. The gold‐catalyzed reaction usually gives the products in high yields and excellent selectivity. This procedure provides an easy and efficient access to dibenzocycloheptanoids, which are an interesting and unique class of natural products. This was underlined by the first total synthesis of reticuol.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of Chiral Polycyclic Indolic Architectures through Pd0‐Catalyzed Tandem Deprotection/Cyclization of Tetrahydro‐β‐carbolines on Allenes

Enantioenriched N‐allyl tetrahydro‐β‐carbolines were prepared by chiral phosphoric acid‐catalyzed Pictet–Spengler reactions. The compounds undergo Pd⁰‐catalyzed cyclizations through a tandem deprotection/cyclization process. The regioselectivity of the attack is controlled by the chain length and by the substitution pattern of the allene function. Products resulting from 5‐exo‐ or 6‐exo‐attack were obtained with diastereoisomeric ratio up to 95:5. Azepinopyrrido[3,4‐b]indoles were obtained by 7‐endo‐cyclizations.     

Synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]furans via a gold(I)‐catalyzed rearrangement/cycloisomerization sequence of cyclic 1‐aryl‐2‐propargyl‐cyclohex‐2enols

A facile synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[b]furans via gold(I)‐catalyzed cycloisomerization of 1‐aryl‐2‐propargylcyclohex‐2‐enols is described. The transformation is suggested to proceed through a gold(I)‐catalyzed tertiary allylic alcohol rearrangement to give a secondary allylic alcohol that underwent a 5‐exo‐dig addition of the hydroxyl group onto the gold(I)‐activated alkyne to give a vinylgold species. Protodeauration of the resulting vinylgold intermediate followed by aromatization furnished the tetrahydrobenzo[b]furans.     

Synthesis of Highly Substituted γ‐Butyrolactones by a Gold‐Catalyzed Cascade Reaction of Benzyl Esters

Easily accessible benzylic esters of 3‐butynoic acids in a gold‐catalyzed cyclization/rearrangement cascade reaction provided 3‐propargyl γ‐butyrolactones with the alkene and the carbonyl group not being conjugated. Crossover experiments showed that the formation of the new C?C bond is an intermolecular process. Initially propargylic–benzylic esters were used, but alkyl‐substituted benzylic esters worked equally well. In the case of the propargylic–benzylic products, a simple treatment of the products with aluminum oxide initiated a twofold tautomerization to the allenyl‐substituted γ‐butyrolactones with conjugation of the carbonyl group, the olefin, and the allene. The synthetic sequence can be conducted stepwise or as a one‐pot cascade reaction with similar yields. Even in the presence of the gold catalyst the new allene remains intact.     

Reactivity of Bispropargyl Sulfones under Basic Conditions: Interplay Between Garratt–Braverman and Schmittel/Myers–Saito Cyclization Pathway

The preference for Garratt–Braverman (GB) over Myers–Saito (MS) and Schmittel (SCM) cyclizations has recently been demonstrated in sulfones capable of undergoing all three of the processes. As the GB cyclization is a self-quenching process, there is a need to change the selectivity to the non-self-quenching MS or SCM pathway so as to enhance the DNA-cleaving efficiency that operates through the radical-mediated process. Herein we report a conformational constraint-based strategy developed by using computations (M06-2X/6-31+G*) to switch the selectivity from GB to MS/SCM pathway which also results in greater DNA-cleavage activity. The preference for GB could be brought back by easing the constraint with the help of spacers.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Regiospecific C−H Annulation of o‐Ethynylbiaryls with Anthranils: π‐Extension by Ring‐Expansion En Route to N‐Doped PAHs

We describe a novel, short, and flexible approach to diverse N‐doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through gold‐catalyzed π‐extension of anthranils with o‐ethynylbiaryls as reagents. This strategy uses easily accessible starting materials, is simple due to high step and atom economy, and shows good functional‐group compatibility as well as scale‐up potential. Mechanistically, the tandem reaction is proposed to involve a nucleophilic addition/ring opening/regiospecific C?H annulation/protodeauration sequence terminated by a Friedel–Crafts‐type cyclization. Photophysical studies of the products indicated violet‐blue fluorescence emission with quantum yields up to 0.45.     

A Versatile Synthesis of β‐Lactam‐Fused Oxacycles through the Palladium‐Catalyzed Chemo‐, Regio‐, and Diastereoselective Cyclization of Allenic Diols

Chemo‐, regio‐ and stereocontrolled palladium‐catalyzed preparations of enantiopure morpholines, oxocines, and dioxonines have been developed starting from 2‐azetidinone‐tethered γ,δ‐, δ,ε‐, and ε,ζ‐allendiols. The palladium‐catalyzed cyclizative coupling reaction of γ,δ‐allendiols 2 with allyl bromide or lithium bromide was effective as 8‐endo cyclization by attack of the primary hydroxy group to the terminal allene carbon to afford enantiopure functionalized oxocines; whereas the palladium‐catalyzed cyclizative coupling reaction of 2‐azetidinone‐tethered ε,ζ‐allendiols 4 furnished dioxonines 16 through a totally chemo‐ and regioselective 9‐endo oxycyclization. By contrast, the palladium‐catalyzed cyclizative coupling reaction of 2‐azetidinone‐tethered δ,ε‐allendiols 3 with aryl and alkenyl halides exclusively generated six‐membered‐ring compounds 14 a and 15 a . These results could be explained through a 6‐exo cyclization by chemo‐ and regiospecific attack of the secondary hydroxy group to the internal allene carbon. Chemo‐ and regiocontrol issues are mainly influenced by the length of the tether rather than by the nature of the metal catalysts and substituents. This reactivity can be rationalized by means of density functional theory calculations.