Diastereoselective Carbocyclization of 1,6‐Heptadienes Triggered by Rhodium‐Catalyzed Activation of an Olefinic CH Bond

The use of α,ω‐dienes as functionalization reagents for olefinic carbon–hydrogen bonds has been rarely studied. Reported herein is the rhodium(I)‐catalyzed rearrangement of prochiral 1,6‐heptadienes into [2,2,1]‐cycloheptane derivatives with concomitant creation of at least three stereogenic centers and complete diastereocontrol. Deuterium‐labeling studies and the isolation of a key intermediate are consistent with a group‐directed C? H bond activation, followed by two consecutive migratory insertions, with only the latter step being diastereoselective.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Directed Sulfenylation of Arene CH Bonds

The rhodium‐catalyzed intermolecular direct C?H thiolation of arenes with aryl and alkyl disulfides was developed for the first time to provide a convenient route to aryl thioethers. This strategy is compatible with many different directing groups and exhibits excellent functional group tolerance. More significantly, mono‐ or dithiolation can be selectively achieved, thus providing a straightforward way for selective preparation of aryl thioethers and dithioethers.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed CS and CN Functionalization of Arenes: Combination of CH Activation and Hypervalent Iodine Chemistry

Rhodium‐catalyzed sulfonylation, thioetherification, thiocyanation, and other heterofunctionalizations of arenes bearing a heterocyclic directing group have been realized. The reaction proceeds by initial Rh^III‐catalyzed C?H hyperiodination of arene at room temperature followed by uncatalyzed nucleophilic functionalization. A diaryliodonium salt is isolated as an intermediate, which represents umpolung of the arene substrate, in contrast to previous studies that suggested umpolung of the coupling partner.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed CH Alkynylation of Arenes at Room Temperature

The rhodium(III)‐catalyzed ortho C? H alkynylation of non‐electronically activated arenes is disclosed. This process features a straightforward and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of functionalized alkynes and represents the first example of merging a hypervalent iodine reagent with rhodium(III) catalysis. Notably, this reaction proceeds at room temperature, tolerates a variety of functional groups, and more importantly, exhibits high selectivity for monoalkynylation.     

Mechanistic Study on Rh‐Catalyzed Stereoselective CC/CH Activation of tert‐Cyclobutanols

A mechanistic study was performed on the Rh‐catalyzed stereoselective C?C/C?H activation of tert‐cyclobutanols. The present study corroborated the previous proposal that the reaction occurs by metalation, β‐C elimination, 1,4‐Rh transfer, C?O insertion, and a final catalyst‐regeneration step. The rate‐determining step was found to be the 1,4‐Rh transfer step, whereas the stereoselectivity‐determining step did not correspond to any of the aforementioned steps. It was found that both the thermodynamic stability of the product of the β‐C elimination and the kinetic feasibility of the 1,4‐Rh transfer and C?O insertion steps made important contributions. In other words, three steps (i.e., β‐C elimination, 1,4‐Rh transfer, and C?O insertion) were found to be important in determining the configurations of the two quaternary stereocenters.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Construction of Heteroatom‐Containing π‐Conjugated Systems by Intramolecular Oxidative CH/CH Coupling Reaction

Synthesis of heteroatom‐containing ladder‐type π‐conjugated molecules was successfully achieved via a palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling reaction. This reaction provides a variety of π‐conjugated molecules bearing heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur atoms, and a carbonyl group. The π‐conjugated molecules were synthesized efficiently, even in gram scale, and larger π‐conjugated molecules were also obtained by a double C?H/C?H cross‐coupling reaction and successive oxidative cycloaromatization.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed CC and CO Coupling of Quinoline N‐Oxides with Alkynes: Combination of CH Activation with O‐Atom Transfer

[Cp*Rh^III]‐catalyzed C? H activation of arenes assisted by an oxidizing N? O or N? N directing group has allowed the construction of a number of hetercycles. In contrast, a polar N? O bond is well‐known to undergo O‐atom transfer (OAT) to alkynes. Despite the liability of N? O bonds in both C? H activation and OAT, these two important areas evolved separately. In this report, [Cp*Rh^III] catalysts integrate both areas in an efficient redox‐neutral coupling of quinoline N‐oxides with alkynes to afford α‐(8‐quinolyl)acetophenones. In this process the N? O bond acts as both a directing group for C? H activation and as an O‐atom donor.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Phenanthridine/Benzoxazine‐Fused Quinazolinones by Intramolecular CH Bond Activation

A highly efficient synthesis of phenanthridine/benzoxazine‐fused quinazolinones by ligand‐free palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular C?H bond activation under mild conditions has been developed. The C?C coupling provides the corresponding N‐fused polycyclic heterocycles in good to excellent yields and with wide functional group tolerance.     

Phosphine‐Catalyzed Remote β‐CH Functionalization of Amines Triggered by Trifluoromethylation of Alkenes: One‐Pot Synthesis of Bistrifluoromethylated Enamides and Oxazoles

An unprecedented phosphine‐catalyzed remote β‐C? H functionalization of amine derivatives triggered by trifluoromethylation of an alkene with Togni’s reagent was disclosed. This reaction proceeded through the highly selective and concomitant activation of an unactivated alkene and the β‐C? H bond of an amine derivative, providing bistrifluoromethylated enamides in excellent yields with good regio‐, chemo‐, and stereoselectivity. Furthermore, the newly developed one‐pot protocol provides a facile and step‐economical access to valuable trisubstituted 5‐(trifluoromethyl)oxazoles. Mechanistic studies showed that this reaction may initiate with a novel phosphine‐catalyzed radical trifluoromethylation of unactivated alkene via a phosphorus radical cation.     

Metal‐Free Oxidative CC Bond Formation through CH Bond Functionalization

The formation of C?C bonds embodies the core of organic chemistry because of its fundamental application in generation of molecular diversity and complexity. C?C bond‐forming reactions are well‐known challenges. To achieve this goal through direct functionalization of C?H bonds in both of the coupling partners represents the state‐of‐the‐art in organic synthesis. Oxidative C?C bond formation obviates the need for prefunctionalization of both substrates. This Minireview is dedicated to the field of C?C bond‐forming reactions through direct C?H bond functionalization under completely metal‐free oxidative conditions. Selected important developments in this area have been summarized with representative examples and discussions on their reaction mechanisms.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed ortho‐Selective CF Bond Borylation of Polyfluoroarenes with BpinBpin

An ortho‐selective C? F bond borylation between N‐heterocycle‐substituted polyfluoroarenes and Bpin‐Bpin with simple and commercially available [Rh(cod)₂]BF₄ as a catalyst is now reported. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions with high efficiency and broad substrate scope, even toward monofluoroarene, thus providing a facile access to a wide range of borylated fluoroarenes that are useful for photoelectronic materials. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that a Rh^III/V catalytic cycle via a key intermediate rhodium(III) hydride complex [(H)Rh^IIIL_n(Bpin)] may be involved in the reaction.     

Reactivity of TpMe2‐Supported Yttrium Alkyl Complexes toward Aromatic N‐Heterocycles: Ring‐Opening or CC Bond Formation Directed by CH Activation

Unusual chemical transformations such as three‐component combination and ring‐opening of N‐heterocycles or formation of a carbon–carbon double bond through multiple C–H activation were observed in the reactions of Tp^Me2‐supported yttrium alkyl complexes with aromatic N‐heterocycles. The scorpionate‐anchored yttrium dialkyl complex [Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with 1‐methylimidazole in 1:2 molar ratio to give a rare hexanuclear 24‐membered rare‐earth metallomacrocyclic compound [Tp^Me2Y(μ‐N,C‐Im)(η²‐N,C‐Im)]₆ ( 1 ; Im=1‐methylimidazolyl) through two kinds of C–H activations at the C2‐ and C5‐positions of the imidazole ring. However, [Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with two equivalents of 1‐methylbenzimidazole to afford a C–C coupling/ring‐opening/C–C coupling product [Tp^Me2Y{η³‐(N,N,N)‐N(CH₃)C₆H₄NHCH?C(Ph)CN(CH₃)C₆H₄NH}] ( 2 ). Further investigations indicated that [Tp^Me2Y(CH₂Ph)₂(THF)] reacted with benzothiazole in 1:1 or 1:2 molar ratio to produce a C–C coupling/ring‐opening product {(Tp^Me2)Y[μ‐η²:η¹‐SC₆H₄N(CH?CHPh)](THF)}₂ ( 3 ). Moreover, the mixed Tp^Me2/Cp yttrium monoalkyl complex [(Tp^Me2)CpYCH₂Ph(THF)] reacted with two equivalents of 1‐methylimidazole in THF at room temperature to afford a trinuclear yttrium complex [Tp^Me2CpY(μ‐N,C‐Im)]₃ ( 5 ), whereas when the above reaction was carried out at 55 °C for two days, two structurally characterized metal complexes [Tp^Me2Y(Im‐Tp^Me2)] ( 7 ; Im‐Tp^Me2=1‐methyl‐imidazolyl‐Tp^Me2) and [Cp₃Y(HIm)] ( 8 ; HIm=1‐methylimidazole) were obtained in 26 and 17 % isolated yields, respectively, accompanied by some unidentified materials. The formation of 7 reveals an uncommon example of construction of a C?C bond through multiple C–H activations.     

Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed CH Bond Functionalizations: Feasible Access to a Diversity‐Oriented β‐Carboline Library

Diversification of the β‐carboline skeleton has been demonstrated to assemble a β‐carboline library starting from the tetrahydro‐β‐carboline framework. This strategy affords feasible access to heteroaryl‐, aryl‐, alkenyl‐, or alkynyl‐substituted β‐carbolines at the C1, C3, or C8 position through three categorically different types of transition‐metal‐catalyzed C?C bond‐forming reactions, in the presence of multiple potentially reactive positions. These site‐selective functionalizations include; 1) the Cu‐catalyzed C1/C3‐selective decarboxylative C?C and C?C_sp coupling of hexahydro‐β‐carboline‐3‐carboxylic acid with a C?H bond of a heteroarene or terminal alkyne; 2) the chelation‐assisted Pd‐catalyzed C1/C8‐selective C?H arylation of hexahydro‐β‐carboline with aryl boron reagents; and 3) the chelation‐assisted Pd‐catalyzed C1/C3‐selective oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling of β‐carboline‐N‐oxide with arenes, heteroarenes, or alkenes. The saturated structural feature of the hexahydro‐β‐carboline framework can increase reactivity and control site selectivity. The robustness of these approaches has been demonstrated through the synthesis of hyrtioerectine analogues and perlolyrine. We believe that these strategies could provide inspiration for late‐stage diversifications of bioactive core scaffolds.     

Diaryliodoniums by Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed CH Activation: Mild Synthesis and Diversified Functionalizations

Diaryliodonium salts play an increasingly important role as an aryl source. Reported is the first synthesis of diaryliodoniums by rhodium(III)‐catalyzed C? H hyperiodination of electron‐poor arenes under chelation assistance. This C? I coupling reaction occurred at room temperature with high regio‐selectivity and functional‐group compatibility. Subsequent diversified nucleophilic functionalization of a diaryliodonium allowed facile construction of C? C, C? N, C? O, C? S, C? P and C? Br bonds, and in all cases the initial functionalization occurred at the arene containing the chelating‐group.     

The Mechanism of NO Bond Cleavage in Rhodium‐Catalyzed CH Bond Functionalization of Quinoline N‐oxides with Alkynes: A Computational Study

Metal‐catalyzed C?H activation not only offers important strategies to construct new bonds, it also allows the merge of important research areas. When quinoline N‐oxide is used as an arene source in C?H activation studies, the N?O bond can act as a directing group as well as an O‐atom donor. The newly reported density functional theory method, M11L, has been used to elucidate the mechanistic details of the coupling between quinoline N?O bond and alkynes, which results in C?H activation and O‐atom transfer. The computational results indicated that the most favorable pathway involves an electrophilic deprotonation, an insertion of an acetylene group into a Rh?C bond, a reductive elimination to form an oxazinoquinolinium‐coordinated Rh^I intermediate, an oxidative addition to break the N?O bond, and a protonation reaction to regenerate the active catalyst. The regioselectivity of the reaction has also been studied by using prop‐1‐yn‐1‐ylbenzene as a model unsymmetrical substrate. Theoretical calculations suggested that 1‐phenyl‐2‐quinolinylpropanone would be the major product because of better conjugation between the phenyl group and enolate moiety in the corresponding transition state of the regioselectivity‐determining step. These calculated data are consistent with the experimental observations.     

Visible‐Light‐Induced CS Bond Activation: Facile Access to 1,4‐Diketones from β‐Ketosulfones

A novel method for the synthesis of 1,4‐diketones from β‐ketosulfones was developed by means of a visible light‐induced C?S bond activation process. Symmetrical and unsymmetrical 1,4‐diketones can be easily prepared in moderate to good yields.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed CH Annulation of Nitrones with Alkynes: A Regiospecific Route to Unsymmetrical 2,3‐Diaryl‐Substituted Indoles

The direct C? H annulation of anilines or related compounds with internal alkynes provides straightforward access to 2,3‐disubstituted indole products. However, this transformation proceeds with poor regioselectivity in the synthesis of unsymmetrically 2,3‐diaryl substituted indoles. Herein, we report the rhodium(III)‐catalyzed C? H annulation of nitrones with symmetrical diaryl alkynes as an alternative method to prepare 2,3‐diaryl‐substituted N‐unprotected indoles with two different aryl groups. One of the aryl substituents is derived from N?C‐aryl ring of the nitrone and the other from the alkyne substrate, thus providing the indole products with exclusive regioselectivity.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Selective ortho‐Olefinations of N‐Acyl and N‐Aroyl Sulfoximines by CH Bond Activation

Two new rhodium‐catalyzed oxidative couplings between sulfoximine derivatives and alkenes by regioselective C?H activation, affording ortho‐olefinated (Heck‐type) products, are reported. A synthetic application of the ortho‐alkenylated products into the corresponding cyclic derivatives has been demonstrated, and a mechanistic rational for the rhodium catalysis is presented.     

Oxygen‐Promoted CH Bond Activation at Palladium

[Pd(P(Ar)(tBu)₂)₂] ( 1 , Ar=naphthyl) reacts with molecular oxygen to form Pd^II hydroxide dimers in which the naphthyl ring is cyclometalated and one equivalent of phosphine per palladium atom is released. This reaction involves the cleavage of both C? H and O? O bonds, two transformations central to catalytic aerobic oxidizations of hydrocarbons. Observations at low temperature suggest the initial formation of a superoxo complex, which then generates a peroxo complex prior to the C? H activation step. A transition state for energetically viable C? H activation across a Pd? peroxo bond was located computationally.