Intermolecular C-N addition of amides and S-N addition of sulfinamides to arynes

An efficient, mild, transition-metal-free method has been developed for the intermolecular C-N sigma-bond addition of amides and S-N sigma-bond addition of sulfinamides to arynes to form one C-C bond and one heteroatom-carbon bond in one step at room temperature. Evidence for a stepwise mechanism is provided.     

The catalytic hydration of nitriles to amides using a homogeneous platinum phosphinito catalyst

New homogeneous catalysts for the hydration of nitriles to amides are described. The catalyst precursors are coordination compounds of Pt(II) with secondary phosphine oxides. They contain a hydrogen bridged mono-anionic didentate phosphinito group, together with a third phosphine oxide ligand and a monodentate anionic ligand, either hydride or chloride. Reacting the chloride with silver ion, or the hydride with water gives a cationic species which is the active catalyst. On coordination to the cation the nitrile becomes susceptible to nucleophilic attack. The hydrolysis gives the amide as the sole product, and there is no tendency towards further hydrolysis to the acid. The effects of substituents on phosphorus are investigated, and a reaction mechanism is suggested. The most active catalyst, [PtH(PMe₂OH)(PMe₂O)₂H], 2a, is derived from dimethylphosphine oxide, and this precursor catalyses the hydration of acrylonitrile to acrylamide with a turnover number of 77,000, without addition to the C=C double bond.     

Efficient dehydrative C-N bond formation using alcohols and amides in the presence of silica supported perchloric acid as a heterogeneous catalyst

Silica supported perchloric acid has been utilized as an efficient heterogeneous recyclable catalyst for N-alkylation of amides (sulfonamides and carboxamides) using alcohols (primary and secondary aliphatic as well as benzylic). The products are formed in high yields within 2-3 h.     

Palladium and platinum catalyzed hydroselenation of alkynes: SeH vs SeSe addition to CC bond

A mechanistic study of the hydroselenation of alkynes catalyzed by Pd(PPh₃)₄ and Pt(PPh₃)₄ has shown that the palladium complex gives products of both SeH and SeSe bond addition to the triple bond of alkynes, while the platinum complex selectively catalyzes SeH bond addition. The key intermediate of PhSeH addition to the metal center, namely Pt(H)(SePh)(PPh₃)₂, was detected by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. The analogous palladium complex rapidly decomposes with evolution of molecular hydrogen. A convenient method was developed for the preparation of Markovnikov hydroselenation products H₂CC(SePh)R, and the scope of this reaction was investigated. The first X-ray structure of the Markovnikov product H₂CC(SePh)CH₂N⁺HMe₂·HOOCCOO⁻ is reported.     

The concerted addition of HBr to aryl alkynes; orthogonal pi bond selectivity

In a weakly acidic solution, the addition of HBr to 1-phenylprop-1-yne produces predominantly the anti-Markovnikov product. In this paper, we consider five possible explanations for this behavior and conclude that the concerted addition is occurring on the acetylenic pi bond orthogonal to the extended aromatic pi system. The electronic effect of the distal methyl group and the steric hindrance of the coplanar phenyl ring combine to promote bromide attack at the beta carbon. Attack on this pi bond is insensitive to the electronic effect of meta and para substituents on the ring but is very (sterically) sensitive toward all ortho substituents.     

Iridium as a general catalyst for the decarbonylative addition of aldehydes to alkynes

A general catalytic system for the decarbonylative addition reaction of aldehydes with alkynes is developed by using an iridium catalyst system. Both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes reacted with terminal alkynes efficiently to give the corresponding olefination products in high yields and up to 11:1 E/Z selectivity.     

Cobalt-catalyzed, room-temperature addition of aromatic imines to alkynes via directed C-H bond activation

A quaternary catalytic system consisting of a cobalt salt, a triarylphosphine ligand, a Grignard reagent, and pyridine has been developed for chelation-assisted C-H bond activation of an aromatic imine, followed by insertion of an unactivated internal alkyne that occurs at ambient temperature. The reaction not only tolerates potentially senstitive functional groups (e.g., Cl, Br, CN, and tertiary amide), but also displays a unique regioselectivity. Thus, the presence of substituents such as methoxy, halogen, and cyano groups at the meta-position of the imino group led to selective C-C bond formation at the more sterically hindered ortho positions. Under acidic conditions, the hydroarylation products of dialkyl- and alkylarylacetylenes underwent cyclization to afford benzofulvene derivatives, while those of diarylacetylenes afforded the corresponding ketones in moderate to good yields. A mechanistic investigation into the reaction with the aid of deuterium-labeling experiments and kinetic analysis has indicated that oxidative addition of the ortho C-H bond is the rate-limiting step of the reaction. The kinetic analysis has also shed light on the complexity of the quaternary catalytic system.     

Intramolecular hydroarylation of alkynes catalyzed by platinum or gold: mechanism and endo selectivity

The cyclization of differently substituted aryl alkynes with PtII or AuI catalysts proceeds by endo-dig pathways. When AgI was used to generate reactive cationic AuI catalysts, 2H-chromenes dimerize to form cyclobutane derivatives by a AgI-catalyzed process. A DFT study on the cyclization mechanism shows a kinetic and thermodynamic preference for 6-endo-dig versus 5-exo-dig cyclizations in PtII-catalyzed processes. Calculations indicate that although Friedel-Crafts and the cyclopropanation processes via metal cyclopropyl carbenes show very similar activation energies, platinum cyclopropyl carbenes are the stationary points with the lowest energy.     

Intramolecular functionalization of amides leading to lactams

Formation of lactams is observed by photolysis of amides in the presence of the iodosobenzene diacetate/I₂ system and other oxidation agents through intramolecular functionalization of non-activated carbons involving a 1,6- or 1,5-hydrogen shift.     

Nickel-catalyzed chelation-assisted transformations involving ortho C-H bond activation: regioselective oxidative cycloaddition of aromatic amides to alkynes

Although the pioneering example of ortho metalation involving cleavage of C-H bonds was achieved using a nickel complex (Kleiman, J. P.; Dubeck, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1963, 85, 1544), no examples of catalysis using nickel complexes have been reported. In this work, the Ni-catalyzed transformation of ortho C-H bonds utilizing chelation assistance, such as oxidative cycloaddition of aromatic amides with alkynes, has been achieved.     

The origin of hindered rotation around the Pt-N bond in platinum amides

Several platinum amides of formula trans-[PtCl(NHAr)(PEt(3))(2)] (Ar = 3-FC(6)H(4), 2; 4-FC(6)H(4), 3; 4-ClC(6)H(4), 4; 4-IC(6)H(4), 5; 4-Cl,3-NO(2)-C(6)H(3), 6) have been synthesized by reaction of [PtHCl(PEt(3))(2)] with aryl azides. All the complexes feature planar arylamido moieties and hindered rotation around the N-aryl and Pt-N bonds have been detected and separately studied. The X-ray crystal structures of complexes 5 and 6 have been determined. Complex 5 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, with a = 23.806(4) A, b = 15.099(2) A, c = 6.7593(10) A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees, and Z = 4. Compound 6 shows an N-H...O(NO) hydrogen bond and it crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, with a = 12.215(3) A, b = 8.078(2) A, c = 13.052(4) A, alpha = gamma = 90 degrees, beta = 90.057(6) degrees, and Z = 2. Except for Ar = 4-Cl,3-NO(2)-C(6)H(3), the activation energies obtained for the complexes indicate that both dynamic processes occur simultaneously with a common barrier which originates in the multiple bond character of the N-aryl bond due to a strong pi-donor behavior of the N atom in the N-aryl bond. The rotation about the Pt-N bond is unfavorable because of steric congestion with the planar amide, which can be overcome only when the aromatic ring can rotate. For the complex trans-[PtCl[NH(4-Cl,3-NO(2)-C(6)H(3))](PEt(3))(2)] the barrier to rotation is mostly due to hydrogen bond interaction between the NO(2) ortho substituent and the amide H atom.     

A copper-catalyzed C-N bond formation involving sp-hybridized carbons. A direct entry to chiral ynamides via N-alkynylation of amides

A copper-catalyzed new C-N bond formation involving a sp-hybridized carbon is described here leading to a facile entry for syntheses of chiral ynamides. This direct N-alkynylation of amides should have a significant impact on the future development of synthetic methodologies employing ynamides.     

Nickel-catalyzed addition of alkynylboranes to alkynes

Alkynylboration has been achieved in the reaction of alkynyl(pinacol)boranes with alkynes in the presence of nickel catalysts, giving cis-1-borylbut-1-en-3-yne derivatives. 1-Aryl-1-alkynes underwent the alkynylboration regioselectively with the selective introduction of the alkynyl groups at their 1-positions, where the aryl groups were attached. The boryl-substituted enynes were reacted with sp2 halides under the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling conditions, giving highly conjugated enynes in high yields.     

Palladium-catalyzed addition of alkynes to cyclopropenes

The palladium catalyzed coupling of alkynes and cyclopropenes provides a powerful method for the synthesis of alkynylcyclopropanes, proceeding under mild conditions in the presence of many functional groups (such as esters, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and alcohols).     

First hypervalent iodine(III)-catalyzed C-N bond forming reaction: catalytic spirocyclization of amides to N-fused spirolactams

A protic solvent, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (CF(3)CH(2)OH), was successfully introduced into hypervalent iodine(III)-involved catalytic cycles as an effective solvent, and the first iodoarene-catalyzed intramolecular carbon-nitrogen bond forming reaction was achieved under strong acid-free and mild conditions.