Hydrogenation of azides over copper nanoparticle surface using ammonium formate in water

Aryl azides undergo clean reduction by copper nanoparticles and ammonium formate in water. The surface hydrogen on copper nanoparticles is considered to be the active reducing species. A variety of functionalized aryl azides and aryl sulfonyl azides are reduced by this procedure to the corresponding amines with excellent chemoselectivity in high yields.     

Hydrazines and azides via the metal-catalyzed hydrohydrazination and hydroazidation of olefins

The discovery, study, and implementation of the Co- and Mn-catalyzed hydrohydrazination and hydroazidation reactions of olefins are reported. These reactions are equivalent to direct hydroaminations of C-C double bonds with protected hydrazines or hydrazoic acid but are based on a different concept in which the H and the N atoms come from two different reagents, a silane and an oxidizing nitrogen source (azodicarboxylate or sulfonyl azide). The hydrohydrazination reaction using di-tert-butyl azodicarboxylate is characterized by its ease of use, large functional group tolerance, and broad scope, including mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted olefins. Key to the development of the hydroazidation reaction was the use of sulfonyl azides as nitrogen sources and the activating effect of tert-butyl hydroperoxide. The reaction was found to be efficient for the functionalization of mono-, di-, and trisubstituted olefins, and only a few functional groups are not tolerated. The alkyl azides obtained are versatile intermediates and can be transformed to the free amines or triazoles without isolation of the azides. Preliminary mechanistic investigations suggest a rate-limiting hydrocobaltation of the alkene, followed by an amination reaction. Radical intermediates cannot be ruled out and may be involved.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of 2,5‐Dihydropyrroles from Terminal Alkynes,Azides, and Propargylic Alcohols by Relay Actions of Copper,Rhodium, and Gold

Relay actions of copper, rhodium, and gold formulate a one‐pot multistep pathway, which directly gives 2,5‐dihydropyrroles starting from terminal alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and propargylic alcohols. Initially, copper‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of terminal alkynes with sulfonyl azides affords 1‐sulfonyl‐1,2,3‐triazoles, which then react with propargylic alcohols under the catalysis of rhodium. The resulting alkenyl propargyl ethers subsequently undergo the thermal Claisen rearrangement to give α‐allenyl‐α‐amino ketones. Finally, a gold catalyst prompts 5‐endo cyclization to produce 2,5‐dihydropyrroles.     

Copper-catalyzed three-component reaction for the synthesis of fluoroalkoxyl imidates

A Cu-catalyzed three-component reaction of aromatic terminal alkynes with aryl sulfonyl azides and primary fluoroalkyl alcohols for the synthesis of fluoroalkoxyl imidates was developed. This simple method enabled the efficient synthesis of trifluoroethoxyl, pentafluoropropoxyl, and heptafluorobutoxyl imidates in good to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions with excellent functional group tolerance.     

Three-component synthesis of N-sulfonylformamidines in the presence of magnetic cellulose supported N-heterocyclic carbene-copper complex,as an efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst

A cellulose based magnetic nanocomposite possessing NHC-Cu Complex has been synthesized and characterized. It was then applied as a highly active catalyst in one-pot three-component reaction of sulfonyl azides, secondary amines and triethylamine to afford N-sulfonylformamidines. Copper catalyzed oxidative transformation of C-N bond of triethylamine is a key step to give desired products. In contrast with the good reactivity of the conventional secondary amines, aromatic amines and NH containing heteroaromatics had no activity in these reactions. Moreover, the used nanocatalyst which could be recovered by external magnet, showed reasonable catalytic activity for several times.     

An unexpected diethyl azodicarboxylate-promoted dehydrogenation of tertiaryamine and tandem reaction with sulfonyl azide

It is shown here for the first time that diethyl azodicarboxylate promotes dehydrogenation of tertiaryamines to afford enamines, which subsequently take place in tandem reactions with sulfonyl azides to give the N-sulfonyl amidine derivatives. A number of different substituted tertiaryamines and sulfonyl azides can successfully be coupled, and several functionalized groups are tolerated in this system. The reaction described here is mild, general, and efficient, thus providing an extremely preferable method for synthesis of a variety of N-sulfonyl amidine derivatives.     

Ti(O-i-Pr)4/Me3SiCl/Mg-mediated reductive cleavage of sulfonamides and sulfonates to amines and alcohols

A low-valent titanium generated in situ from Ti(O-i-Pr)(4), Me(3)SiCl, and Mg powder in THF reacted with aryl- and alkyl-sulfonamides of aryl and alkyl amines in a reductive N-S/S-O/S-C bond cleaving pathway to provide the corresponding amines and hydrocarbons (and thiols) derived from the sulfonyl moiety. The reagent could also cleave sulfonates to the corresponding alcohols.     

Intramolecular Amido Transfer Leading to Structurally Diverse Nitrogen‐Containing Macrocycles

Reported herein is the development of rhodium‐catalyzed intramolecular amido transfer as an efficient route to nitrogen‐containing macrocycles starting from acetophenone ketoximes tethered with either aryl or alkyl azides. Facile generation of rhodacycles and metal imido intermediates was the key to success in this mechanistic scaffold to represent the first example of an intramolecular inner‐sphere C−H amination. While substrates bearing aryl azides underwent a monomeric ring formation in high yields, a dimeric double cyclization took place exclusively with alkyl‐azide‐tethered ketoximes, thus affording up to 36‐membered azamacrocyclic products.     

Highly efficient synthesis of α-amino amidines from ynamides by the Cu-catalyzed three-component coupling reactions

Using ynamides as one of the reacting components, the Cu-catalyzed three-component reaction of sulfonyl or phosphoryl azides and amines affords α-amino amidines in high yields under mild conditions. Synthetic utility of the produced compounds was demonstrated in the diastereoselective alkylation of α-amino amidines bearing a chiral oxazolidinone moiety. It was also shown that α-amino imidates could be readily prepared by employing alcohols instead of amines.     

Copper-catalyzed hydrative amide synthesis with terminal alkyne, sulfonyl azide, and water

It is shown for the first time that N-sulfonyl amides can be efficiently prepared by an unconventional approach of the hydrative reaction between terminal alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and water in the presence of copper catalyst and amine base under very mild conditions. The present route is quite general, and a wide range of alkynes and sulfonyl azides are readily coupled catalytically with water to furnish amides in high yields. A variety of labile functional groups are tolerated under the conditions, and the reaction is regioselective in that only terminal alkynes react while double or internal triple bonds are intact. The reaction can be readily scaled up and is also adaptable to a solid-phase procedure with high efficiency.     

A one-pot azido reductive tandem mono-N-alkylation employing dialkylboron triflates: online ESI-MS mechanistic investigation

An efficient one-pot reductive tandem mono-N-alkylation of both aromatic and aliphatic azides using dialkylboron triflates as alkylating agents has been examined under standardized reaction conditions. This methodology after optimization has been employed toward the syntheses of various secondary alkyl as well as aryl amines, including the synthesis of N10-butylated pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine-5,11-diones via in situ azido reductive-cyclization process. This protocol is particularly attractive to provide an environmentally benign and practical method for mono-N-alkylation from organic azides without the use of toxic catalysts or corrosive alkylating agents. In addition, the mechanistic aspects have been investigated and the intermediates associated with this selective transformation have been intercepted and characterized by online monitoring of the reaction by ESI-MS/MS.     

Destabilizing Predictive Copper-Catalyzed Click Reactions by Remote Interactions with a Zinc-Porphyrin Backbone

In order to obtain new supramolecular ligands that build up around a zinc-porphyrin scaffold, we envisioned to access sulfonyl triazole intermediates by well-known copper-catalyzed click reactions. Unexpectedly, these triazole intermediates do not form due to the presence of the zinc-porphyrin moiety at close proximity of the active copper species. Indeed, the copper catalyst undergoes a different chemo-selective reaction pathway reacting with traces of alcohols or water from the media that behave as effective nucleophiles leading to sulfonyl imidates or sulfonyl amides covalently connected to the zinc-porphyrin. We show that copper-catalyzed click reactions can follow different reaction mechanisms when the catalytic events occur at close proximity of a zinc-porphyrin unit which likely acts as a Lewis acid to stabilize otherwise inaccessible reaction intermediates.     

Tandem Coupling of Azide with Isonitrile and Boronic Acid: Facile Access to Functionalized Amidines

Amidine is a notable nitrogen‐containing structural motif found in bioactive natural products and pharmaceuticals. Herein, a novel rhodium(I)‐catalyzed tandem reaction of readily accessible azides with isonitriles and boronic acids via a carbodiimide intermediate is achieved. This protocol offers an alternative approach toward N‐sulfonyl‐, N‐acyl‐, and N‐ phosphoryl‐functionalized, as well as general N‐aryl and N‐alkyl amidines with broad substrate scope. In addition, functionalized guanidines can also been synthesized when amines are used instead. The accomplishment of estrone‐derived amidine and glibenclamide bioisosteres further reveals the practical utility of this strategy.     

Glycosylated N-sulfonylamidines: highly efficient copper-catalyzed multicomponent reaction with sugar alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and amines

Copper-catalyzed multicomponent reactions with sugar alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and amines to furnish glycosylated N-sulfonylamidines are reported. The reaction is established to be general in terms of different combinations of sugar alkyne, sulfonyl azide, and amines.     

Intermolecular C−H Amidation of (Hetero)arenes to Produce Amides through Rhodium‐Catalyzed Carbonylation of Nitrene Intermediates

Amide bond formation is one of the most important reactions in organic chemistry because of the widespread presence of amides in pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. Existing methods for amides synthesis are reaching their inherent limits. Described herein is a novel rhodium‐catalyzed three‐component reaction to synthesize amides from organic azides, carbon monoxide, and (hetero)arenes via nitrene‐intermediates and direct C?H functionalization. Notably, the reaction proceeds in an intermolecular fashion with N₂ as the only by‐product, and either directing groups nor additives are required. The computational and mechanistic studies show that the amides are formed via a key Rh‐nitrene intermediate.     

Activated metallic gold as an agent for direct methoxycarbonylation

We have discovered that metallic gold is a highly effective vehicle for the low-temperature vapor-phase carbonylation of methanol by insertion of CO into the O-H bond to form methoxycarbonyl. This reaction contrasts sharply to the carbonylation pathway well known for homogeneously catalyzed carbonylation reactions, such as the synthesis of acetic acid. The methoxycarbonyl intermediate can be further employed in a variety of methoxycarbonylation reactions, without the use or production of toxic chemicals. More generally we observe facile, selective methoxycarbonylation of alkyl and aryl alcohols and secondary amines on metallic gold well below room temperature. A specific example is the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate, which has extensive use in organic synthesis. This work establishes a unique framework for using oxygen-activated metallic gold as a catalyst for energy-efficient, environmentally benign production of key synthetic chemical agents.     

A facile access to N-sulfonylimidates and their synthetic utility for the transformation to amidines and amides

[reaction: see text] It is shown that N-sulfonylimidates can be efficiently prepared by a three-component coupling of terminal alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and alcohols with use of a copper catalyst and an amine base. The reaction is characterized by mild conditions, high selectivity, and tolerance with various functional groups. Facile transformation of imidates to amidines was also achieved by sodium cyanide. Additionally, a protocol for the extremely efficient Pd-catalyzed [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic sulfonimidates to N-allylic sulfonamides has been developed.     

Solid-phase synthesis of aryl, heteroaryl, and sterically hindered alkyl amines using the Curtius rearrangement

An efficient method for the solid-phase synthesis of aryl amines, heteroaryl amines, and sterically hindered alkyl amines has been developed. The key step in this process was the formation of resin-bound carbamates (B) by the Curtius rearrangement of aryl carboxylic acids with Wang resin providing the trapping hydroxyl group. N-Alkylation reactions of B gave secondary amines in good yield. Some biaryl amines, which are found widely in biologically active substances, were also prepared by the Suzuki reaction of resin-bound carbamates of 2-iodoaniline (16) or 3-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)aniline (21). The developed methods can be applied to the preparation of libraries containing aryl, heteroaryl, and sterically hindered alkyl amine structures as the pharmacophores.     

Direct electrochemical imidation of aliphatic amines via anodic oxidation

Direct electrochemical synthesis of sulfonyl amidines from aliphatic amines and sulfonyl azides was realized with good to excellent yields. Traditional tertiary amine substrates were broadened to secondary and primary amines. The reaction intermediates were observed and a reaction mechanism was proposed and discussed.     

Chemoselective Aromatic Azido Reduction with Concomitant Aliphatic Azide Employing Al/Gd Triflates/NaI and ESI‐MS Mechanistic Studies

Aluminium and gadolinium triflates catalyze the chemoselective reduction of aromatic azides to the corresponding amines in combination with sodium iodide. This mild chemoselective method has been applied to the synthesis of various aryl amines, C2‐azido‐substituted pyrrolo[2,1‐c][1,4]benzodiazepines, and fused[2,1‐b]quinazolinones by an intramolecular azido reduction tandem cyclization reaction. Interestingly, this methodology selectively reduces aryl azides with enhanced yields and proceeds in shorter reaction times than previous strategies. The mechanistic aspects have been investigated and the intermediates associated with this selective transformation have been intercepted and characterized by online monitoring of the reaction by ESI‐MS.