Synthesis of four series of quinoline‐based heterocycles by reacting 2‐chloroquinoline‐3‐carbonitriles with various types of isocyanides

Four distinct sets of functionalized quinolines were synthesized by reacting 2‐chloroquinoline‐3‐carbonitriles with various types of isocyanides under appropriate conditions. The palladium‐catalysed reaction of less hindered aliphatic and aromatic isocyanides with 2‐chloroquinoline‐3‐carbonitriles yielded 2‐alkyl(aryl)‐1‐imino‐1H‐pyrrolo[3,4‐b]quinolin‐3(2H)‐one derivatives; however, the catalysed reaction of more hindered isocyanides such as tert‐butyl isocyanide produced the corresponding 3‐cyanoquinoline‐2‐carboxamides. Interestingly, chloroquinoline‐3‐carbonitriles reacted with ethyl isocyanoacetate in the presence of Cs₂CO₃ to generate imidazo[1,5‐a]quinoline derivatives; notably, tosylmethyl isocyanide under the same conditions formed unprecedented 2‐tosyl‐3‐cyanoquinolines.     

SBA‐15‐functionalized melamine–pyridine group‐supported palladium(0) as an efficient heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst for N‐arylation of indoles through Ullmann‐type coupling reactions

SBA‐15‐functionalized melamine–pyridine group‐supported palladium(0) was found to serve as a heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst for N‐arylation of indoles with aryl iodides under a low catalyst loading (0.3 mol% of Pd) through Ullmann‐type C? N coupling reactions. A variety of aryl iodides could be aminated to provide the N‐arylated products in good to excellent yields without the need of an inert atmosphere. Also, this catalyst was found to be an efficient system for the N‐arylation of other nitrogen‐containing heterocycles with aryl iodides. The heterogeneous palladium catalyst could be recovered by simple filtration of the reaction solution and reused for six cycles without significant loss in its activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Amidophosphine‐stabilized palladium complexes catalyse Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐couplings in aqueous media

We report a simple and efficient procedure for Suzuki–Miyaura reactions in aqueous media catalysed by amidophosphine‐stabilized palladium complexes trans‐{L³PPh₂}₂PdCl₂ ( 3 ), trans‐{L³PPhtBu}₂PdCl₂ ( 4 ), [Pd(η³‐C₃H₅)(L³PPh₂)Cl] ( 5 ) and {Pd[2‐(Me₂NCH₂)C₆H₄](L³PPh₂)Cl} ( 6 ). The acidity of the NH proton in complexes 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 plays an important role in their catalytic activity. In addition, the palladium complexes cis‐{L¹PPh₂}PdCl₂ ( 1 ) and trans‐{L²PPh₂}₂PdCl₂ ( 2 ) stabilized by phosphines containing Y,C,Y‐chelating ligands L^1,2 have also been found to be useful catalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura reactions in aqueous media. The method can be effectively applied to both activated and deactivated aryl bromides yielding high or moderate conversions. The catalytic activity of couplings performed in pure water increases when utilizing a Pd complex with more acidic NH protons. A decrease of palladium concentration from 1.0 to 0.5 mol% does not lead to a substantial loss of conversion. In addition, Pd complex 1 can be efficiently recovered using two‐phase system extraction. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient,mild and selective Ullmann‐type N‐arylation of indoles catalysed by Pd immobilized on amidoxime‐functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 as heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst

A wide range of N‐arylated indoles were selectively synthesized through intermolecular C(aryl)? N bond formation from the corresponding aryl iodides and indoles through Ullmann‐type coupling reactions in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd immobilized on amidoxime‐functionalized mesoporous SBA‐15 (SBA‐15/AO/Pd(0)) under mild reaction conditions. These cross‐coupled products were obtained in excellent yields under mild conditions at extremely low palladium loading (ca 0.3 mol%), and the heterogeneous catalyst can be readily recovered by simple filtration and reused seven times with loss in its activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Annulation of Alkynyl Aryl Ethers with Allyl Pivalates To Give 2,3‐Bismethylenechromanes through Double C−H Bond Cleavage

The treatment of silylethynyloxyarenes with allylic pivalates in the presence of a palladium catalyst led to efficient C?H bond cleavage in both substrates and a novel annulation reaction to give 2,3‐bismethylenechromanes. When ortho‐allylated silylethynyloxybenzenes were used as the substrates, the same products were obtained. This result shows that site‐selective intramolecular hydrovinylation is involved in the annulation reaction. The synthetic utility of the products was demonstrated by the construction of condensed polycycles.     

A Heterogeneous‐Catalyst‐Based,Microwave‐Assisted Protocol for the Synthesis of 2,2′‐Bipyridines

A new method of preparing 2,2′‐bipyridines with short reaction times by using microwave assistance and heterogeneous catalysts has been developed. With a Negishi‐like protocol, it was found that Ni/Al₂O₃–SiO₂ afforded 2,2′‐bipyridine products in up to 86 % yield in 1 h. Palladium supported on alumina also provided yields of 2,2′‐bipyridines comparable to those seen for homogeneous PEPPSI^TM (1,3‐diisopropylimidazol‐2‐ylidene)(3‐chloropyridyl)palladium(II)dichloride) and tetrakis(triphenylphosphanyl)palladium complexes.     

Towards Ideal Synthesis: Alkenylation of Aryl CH Bonds by a Fujiwara–Moritani Reaction

An overview of recent progress in the Fujiwara–Moritani reaction, which is the palladium‐catalyzed oxidative coupling of arenes with olefins to afford alkenyl arenes, is described. It is emphasized that regioselectivity on aryl ortho‐ or meta‐C?H activation could be controlled very well in the presence of Pd, Rh, or Ru catalysts with the assistance of various chelation groups on aromatic rings in this coupling reaction. Catalytic alkenylation of aryl C?H bonds from simple arenes is also discussed, especially from electron‐deficient arenes. These advanced protocols would not only make the Fujiwara–Moritani reaction more useful and applicable in organic synthesis but also light the way for the further development of the functionalization of normal C?H bonds.     

Direct Transformation of Arenols Based on C—O Activation

In the view of substrate availability, atomic efficiency and cost, directly using arenols as coupling partners in cross‐coupling, would be one of the most attractive goals. Up to date, many efforts have been made to activate the C—O bond of phenols with different strategies, for example, through in‐situ formed intermediates, through a catalytic reductive dearomatization‐condensation‐rearomatization sequence or catalytic deoxygenation. In this review, we summarized recent advances in cross‐couplings of arenols as the electrophiles via C—O activation.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Alder‐Ene Type Cycloisomerization Reactions

An overview of the recent literature on palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular Alder‐ene (IMAE) reaction of a variety of 1,n‐unsaturated systems is presented. The reaction which was first reported by Trost and Lautens provided an efficient alternative to the thermal or Lewis acid catalyzed cycloisomerizations involving ene‐type reaction. The IMAE cyclization of enynes and dienes has emerged as an important area and found significant applications in building up of complex molecular architectures and in the synthesis of several bioactive natural products. Since highly impactful reviews on this subject have covered the literature till 2015, this article focuses on summarizing the works subsequent to 2015.     

Fe3O4@SiO2@l‐arginine@Pd(0): a new magnetically retrievable heterogeneous nanocatalyst with high efficiency for C–C bond formation

The surface of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles was modified using l ‐arginine as a green and available amino acid to trap palladium nanoparticles through a strong interaction between the metal nanoparticles and functional groups of the amino acid. The proposed green synthetic method takes advantage of nontoxic reagents through a simple procedure. Characterization of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@l ‐arginine@Pd(0) was done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and inductively coupled plasma analysis. The catalytic activity of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@l ‐arginine@Pd(0) as a new nanocatalyst was investigated in C – C coupling reactions. Waste‐free, use of green medium, efficient synthesis leading to high yield of products, eco‐friendly and economic catalyst, excellent reusability of the nanocatalyst and short reaction time are the main advantages of the method presented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of the Catalytic Activity of a 2‐Phenylidenepyridine Palladium(II) Complex Bearing 4,5‐Dicyano‐1,3‐bis(mesityl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene in the Mizoroki‐Heck Reaction

The phenylidenepyridine (ppy) palladacycles [PdCl(ppy)(IMes)] ( 4 ) [IMes = 1,3‐bis(mesityl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene] and [PdCl(ppy){(CN)₂IMes}] ( 6 ) [(CN)₂IMes = 4,5‐dicyano‐1,3‐bis(mesityl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene] were prepared by facile two step syntheses, starting with the reaction of palladium(II) chloride with 2‐phenylpyridine followed by subsequent addition of the NHC ligand to the precatalyst precursor [PdCl(ppy)]₂. Suitable crystals for the X‐ray analysis of the complexes 4 and 6 were obtained. It was shown that 6 has a shorter NHC‐palladium bond than the IMes complex 4 . The difference of the palladium carbene bond lengths based on the higher π‐acceptor strength of (CN)₂IMes in comparison to IMes. Thus, (CN)₂IMes should stabilize the catalytically active central palladium atom better than IMes. As a measure for the π‐acceptor strength of (CN)₂IMes compared to IMes, the selone (CN)₂IMes · Se ( 7 ) was prepared and characterized by ⁷⁷Se‐NMR spectroscopy. The π‐acceptor strength of 7 was illuminated by the shift of its ⁷⁷Se‐NMR signal. The ⁷⁷Se‐NMR signal of 7 was shifted to much higher frequencies than the ⁷⁷Se‐NMR signal of IMes · Se. Catalytic experiments using the Mizoroki‐Heck reaction of aryl chlorides with n‐butyl acrylate showed that 6 is the superior performer in comparison to 4 . Using complex 6 , an extensive substrate screening of 26 different aryl bromides with n‐butyl acrylate was performed. Complex 6 is a suitable precatalyst for para‐substituted aryl bromides. The catalytically active species was identified by mercury poisoning experiments to be palladium nanoparticles.     

Silica–acetylacetone‐supported palladium nanoparticles as an efficient and reusable catalyst in the Heck–Mizoroki C–C cross‐coupling reaction

The preparation of palladium nanoparticles supported on acetylacetone‐modified silica gel and their catalytic application for Heck olefination of aryl halides were investigated. The catalyst was characterized using X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission and scanning electron microscopies. The supported palladium nanoparticles are demonstrated to be a highly active and reusable catalyst for the Heck reaction. Several reaction parameters, including type and amount of solvent and base, were evaluated. The heterogeneity of the catalytic system was investigated with results indicating that there is a slight palladium leaching into the reaction solution under the applied reaction conditions. Despite this metal leaching, the catalyst can be reused nine times without significant loss of catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Methoxy C−H Addition to Carbon–Carbon Triple Bonds: Direct Synthesis of 3‐Substituted Benzofurans from o‐Methoxyphenylalkynes

Catalytic hydroalkylation of an alkyne with methyl ether was accomplished. Intramolecular addition of the C?H bond of a methoxy group in 1‐methoxy‐2‐(arylethynyl)benzenes across a carbon–carbon triple bond took place efficiently either in toluene at 110 °C or in p‐xylene at 135 °C in the presence of an iridium catalyst. The initial 5‐exo cyclization products underwent double‐bond migration during the reaction to give 3‐(arylmethyl)benzofurans in high yields.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Cascade Double C—N Bond Activation: A New Strategy for Aminomethylation of 1,3‐Dienes with Aminals

A new palladium‐catalyzed selective aminomethylation of conjugated 1,3‐dienes with aminals via double C—N bond activation is described. This simple method provides an effective and rapid approach for the synthesis of linear α,β‐unsaturated allylic amines with perfect regioselectivity. Mechanistic studies disclosed that one palladium catalyst cleaved two distinct C—N bond to furnish a cascade double C—N bond activation, in which an allylic 1,3‐diamine and allylic 1,2‐diamine were initially formed as key intermediates through the palladium‐catalyzed C—N bond activation of aminal and the α,β‐unsaturated allylic amine was subsequently produced via palladium‐catalyzed C—N bond activation of the allylic diamines.     

Stereoselective Preparation of Polyfunctional Alkenylindium(III) Halides and Their Cross‐Coupling with Unsaturated Halides

The direct insertion of indium powder to cycloalkenyl iodides in the presence of LiCl in THF allows the preparation of new highly functionalized cycloalkenylindium(III) derivatives. In addition, we discovered that, in contrast to many metal insertions to alkenyl iodides which proceed with a loss of stereochemistry, the insertion of In/LiCl to stereodefined (Z)‐ and (E)‐styryl iodides in THF proceeded with high retention of stereochemistry. After a palladium‐catalyzed cross‐coupling, various polyfunctionalized (Z)‐ and (E)‐stilbenes were obtained with high stereoselectivity.     

Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed ortho‐CH Arylation/Alkylation of N‐Benzoyl α‐Amino Ester Derivatives

The palladium‐catalyzed arylation/alkylation of ortho‐C?H bonds in N‐benzoyl α‐amino ester derivatives is described. In such a system both the NH‐amido and the CO₂R groups in the α‐amino ester moieties play a role in successful C?H activation/C?C bond formation using iodoaryl coupling partners. A wide variety of functional groups and electron‐rich/deficient iodoarenes are tolerated. The yields obtained range from 20 to 95 %.     

Binuclear,High‐Valent Nickel Complexes: Ni−Ni Bonds in Aryl–Halogen Bond Formation

Metal–metal bonds play a vital role in stabilizing key intermediates in bond‐formation reactions. We report that binuclear benzo[h ]quinoline‐ligated Ni^II complexes, upon oxidation, undergo reductive elimination to form carbon–halogen bonds. A mixed‐valent Ni(2.5+)–Ni(2.5+) intermediate is isolated. Further oxidation to Ni^III, however, is required to trigger reductive elimination. The binuclear Ni^III–Ni^III intermediate lacks a Ni−Ni bond. Each Ni^III undergoes separate, but fast reductive elimination, giving rise to Ni^I species. The reactivity of these binuclear Ni complexes highlights the fundamental difference between Ni and Pd in mediating bond‐formation processes.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed C−H Iodination of Arenes by Means of Sulfinyl Directing Groups

C?H iodination of aromatic compounds has been accomplished with the aid of sulfinyl directing groups under palladium catalysis. The reaction proceeds selectively at the peri‐position of polycyclic aryl sulfoxides or at the ortho‐position of phenyl sulfoxides. The iodination products can be further converted via iterative catalytic cross‐coupling at the expense of the C?I and C?S bonds. Computational studies suggest that peri‐C?H palladation would proceed via a non‐directed pathway, wherein neither of the sulfur nor oxygen atom of the sulfinyl group coordinates to the palladium before and at the transition state.     

Hydroarylation of 2‐Aryloxybut‐1‐en‐3‐ynes via Pd/Acid‐Catalyzed C−H Bond Activation: A Concise Synthesis of 2,3‐Bismethylene‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofurans

An intramolecular exo ‐hydroarylation of 2‐aryloxy‐1,4‐disilylbut‐1‐en‐3‐ynes via ortho ‐C−H bond activation under palladium(0) and acid catalysis was found to give 2,3‐bis(silylmethylidene)‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofurans. The two silyl groups present probably promoted the reaction and played a key role in stabilizing the diene moiety in the product. The products readily led to functionalized condensed cycles by a Diels–Alder reaction.     

Synthesis of Glycoborine,Glybomine A and B,the Phytoalexin Carbalexin A and the β‐Adrenoreceptor Antagonists Carazolol and Carvedilol

We describe a regioselective synthesis of 4‐ or 5‐substituted carbazoles by oxidative cyclisation of meta‐oxygen‐substituted N‐phenylanilines. Using the regiodirecting effect of a pivaloyloxy group, we prepared 4‐hydroxycarbazole, a precursor for the enantiospecific synthesis of the β‐adrenoreceptor antagonists (?)‐(S)‐carazolol ( 5 ) and (?)‐(S)‐carvedilol ( 6 ). Regioselective palladium(II)‐catalysed cyclisation of different diarylamines led to total synthesis of glycoborine ( 7 ) and the first total syntheses of the phytoalexin carbalexin A ( 8 ), glybomine A ( 9 ) and glybomine B ( 10 ). For glybomine B ( 10 ), a 5‐hydroxycarbazole was converted into the corresponding triflate and utilized for introduction of a prenyl substituent.