Macrolide Synthesis through Intramolecular Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of Alkenes

A Rh^III‐catalyzed intramolecular oxidative cross‐coupling between double bonds for the synthesis of macrolides is described. Under the optimized reaction conditions, macrocycles containing a diene moiety can be formed in reasonable yields and with excellent chemo‐ and stereoselectivity. This method provides an efficient approach to synthesize macrocyclic compounds containing a 1,3‐conjugated diene structure.     

Selective Synthesis of Partially Protected Nonsymmetric Biphenols by Reagent‐ and Metal‐Free Anodic Cross‐Coupling Reaction

The oxidative cross‐coupling of aromatic substrates without the necessity of leaving groups or catalysts is described. The selective formation of partially protected nonsymmetric 2,2′‐biphenols via electroorganic synthesis was accomplished with a high yield of isolated product. Since electric current is employed as the terminal oxidant, the reaction is reagent‐free; no reagent waste is generated as only electrons are involved. The reaction is conducted in an undivided cell, and is suitable for scale‐up and inherently safe. The implementation of O‐silyl‐protected phenols in this transformation results in both significantly enhanced yields and higher selectivity for the desired nonsymmetric 2,2′‐biphenols. The use of a bulky silyl group to block one hydroxyl moiety makes the final product less prone to oxidation. Furthermore, the partially silyl‐protected 2,2′‐biphenols are versatile building blocks that usually require tedious or low‐yielding synthetic pathways. Additionally, this strategy facilitates a large variety of new substrate combinations for oxidative cross‐coupling reactions.     

Oxidative C−H/C−H Cross‐Coupling Reactions between N‐Acylanilines and Benzamides Enabled by a Cp*‐Free RhCl3/TFA Catalytic System

By making use of a dual‐chelation‐assisted strategy, a completely regiocontrolled oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling reaction between an N‐acylaniline and a benzamide has been accomplished for the first time. This process constitutes a step‐economic and highly efficient pathway to 2‐amino‐2′‐carboxybiaryl scaffolds from readily available substrates. A Cp*‐free RhCl₃/TFA catalytic system was developed to replace the [Cp*RhCl₂]₂/AgSbF₆ system generally used in oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling reactions between two (hetero)arenes (Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, TFA=trifluoroacetic acid). The RhCl₃/TFA system avoids the use of the expensive Cp* ligand and AgSbF₆. As an illustrative example, the procedure developed herein greatly streamlines the total synthesis of the naturally occurring benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid oxynitidine, which was accomplished in excellent overall yield.     

Reagent‐ and Metal‐Free Anodic C−C Cross‐Coupling of Aniline Derivatives

The dehydrogenative cross‐coupling of aniline derivatives to 2,2′‐diaminobiaryls is reported. The oxidation is carried out electrochemically, which avoids the use of metals and reagents. A large variety of biphenyldiamines were thus prepared. The best results were obtained when glassy carbon was used as the anode material. The electrosynthetic reaction is easily performed in an undivided cell at slightly elevated temperature. In addition, common amine protecting groups based on carboxylic acids were employed that can be selectively removed under mild conditions after the cross‐coupling, which provides quick and efficient access to important building blocks featuring free amine moieties.     

Cobalt‐Catalyzed Oxidative C−H/C−H Cross‐Coupling between Two Heteroarenes

The first example of cobalt‐catalyzed oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling between two heteroarenes is reported, which exhibits a broad substrate scope and a high tolerance level for sensitive functional groups. When the amount of Co(OAc)₂?4 H₂O is reduced from 6.0 to 0.5 mol %, an excellent yield is still obtained at an elevated temperature with a prolonged reaction time. The method can be extended to the reaction between an arene and a heteroarene. It is worth noting that the Ag₂CO₃ oxidant is renewable. Preliminary mechanistic studies by radical trapping experiments, hydrogen/deuterium exchange experiments, kinetic isotope effect, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) suggest that a single electron transfer (SET) pathway is operative, which is distinctly different from the dual C?H bond activation pathway that the well‐described oxidative C?H/C?H cross‐coupling reactions between two heteroarenes typically undergo.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling of Alkenyl Carboxylates

Carboxylate esters have many desirable features as electrophiles for catalytic cross‐coupling: they are easy to access, robust during multistep synthesis, and mass‐efficient in coupling reactions. Alkenyl carboxylates, a class of readily prepared non‐aromatic electrophiles, remain difficult to functionalize through cross‐coupling. We demonstrate that Pd catalysis is effective for coupling electron‐deficient alkenyl carboxylates with arylboronic acids in the absence of base or oxidants. Furthermore, these reactions can proceed by two distinct mechanisms for C?O bond activation. A Pd^0/II catalytic cycle is viable when using a Pd⁰ precatalyst, with turnover‐limiting C?O oxidative addition; however, an alternative pathway that involves alkene carbopalladation and β‐carboxyl elimination is proposed for Pd^II precatalysts. This work provides a clear path toward engaging myriad oxygen‐based electrophiles in Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling.     

NiH‐Catalyzed Migratory Defluorinative Olefin Cross‐Coupling: Trifluoromethyl‐Substituted Alkenes as Acceptor Olefins to Form gem‐Difluoroalkenes

We report a NiH‐catalyzed migratory defluorinative coupling between two electronically differentiated olefins. A broad range of unactivated donor olefins can be joined directly to acceptor olefins containing an electron‐deficient trifluoromethyl substituent in both intra‐ and intermolecular fashion to form gem‐difluoroalkenes. This migratory coupling shows both site‐ and chemoselectivity under mild conditions, with the formation of a tertiary or quaternary carbon center.     

Selective Methylation of Arenes: A Radical C−H Functionalization/Cross‐Coupling Sequence

A selective, nonchelation‐assisted methylation of arenes has been developed. The overall transformation, which combines a C?H functionalization reaction with a nickel‐catalyzed cross‐coupling, offers rapid access to methylated arenes with high para selectivity. The reaction is amenable to late‐stage methylation of small‐molecule pharmaceuticals.     

Synthesis of Chiral Triarylmethanes Bearing All‐Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters: Catalytic Asymmetric Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of 2,2‐Diarylacetonitriles and (Hetero)arenes

A direct and enantioselective oxidative cross‐coupling of racemic 2,2‐diarylacetonitriles with electron‐rich (hetero)arenes has been described, which allows for efficient construction of triarylmethanes bearing all‐carbon quaternary stereocenters with excellent chemo‐ and enantioselectivity. The reaction has an excellent functional group tolerance, and exhibits a broad scope with respect to both 2,2‐diarylacetonitrile and (hetero)arene components. The rich chemistry of the cyano group allows for facile synthesis of other valuable chiral triarylmethanes bearing all‐carbon quaternary centers that are otherwise difficult to access.     

One‐Pot Process to Carborano‐Coumarin via Catalytic CascadeDehydrogenative Cross‐Coupling

Ir‐catalyzed cascade dehydrogenative CH/BH and BH/OH cross‐coupling of carboranyl carboxylic acid with readily available benzoic acid has been achieved, leading to the facile synthesis of previously unavailable carborano‐coumarin in a simple one‐pot process. Two cage B—H, one aryl C—H and one O—H bonds are activated to construct efficiently new B—C and B—O bonds. The cascade cyclization can stop at the first B—H/C—H cross‐coupling step by tuning the reaction conditions, resulting in a series of α‐carboranyl benzoic acid and aryl carborane derivatives. Control experiments indicate that B—H/C—H dehydrocoupling proceeds preferentially over B—H/O—H dehydrocoupling, and both directing groups and oxidants are crucial for this reaction. An iridium(V) intermediate is proposed to be involved in the catalytic cycle.     

Heterogeneous Rhodium‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Dehydrogenative Cross‐Coupling: Nonsymmetrical Biaryl Amines

The first heterogeneously catalyzed oxidative dehydrogenative cross‐coupling of aryl amines is reported herein. 2‐Naphthylamine analogues were reacted with various electron‐rich arenes using a heterogeneous Rh/C catalyst under mild aerobic conditions, thus affording nonsymmetrical biaryl amines in excellent yields with high selectivities. This reaction provides a mild, operationally simple, and efficient approach for the synthesis of biaryls which are important to pharmaceutical and materials chemistry.     

Synthesis of Biaryl-Bridged Cyclic Peptides via Catalytic Oxidative Cross-Coupling Reactions

Biaryl-bridged cyclic peptides comprise an intriguing class of structurally diverse natural products with significant biological activity. Especially noteworthy are the antibiotics arylomycin and its synthetic analogue G0775, which exhibits potent activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Herein, we present a simple, flexible, and reliable strategy based on activating-group-assisted catalytic oxidative coupling for assembling biaryl-bridged cyclic peptides from natural amino acids. The synthetic approach was utilized for preparing a number of natural and unnatural biaryl-bridged cyclic peptides, including arylomycin/G0775 and RP 66453 cyclic cores.     

Remote C−H Activation of Quinolines through Copper‐Catalyzed Radical Cross‐Coupling

Achieving site selectivity in carbon–hydrogen (C?H) functionalization reactions is a formidable challenge in organic chemistry. Herein, we report a novel approach to activating remote C?H bonds at the C5 position of 8‐aminoquinoline through copper‐catalyzed sulfonylation under mild conditions. Our strategy shows high conversion efficiency, a broad substrate scope, and good toleration with different functional groups. Furthermore, our mechanistic investigations suggest that a single‐electron‐transfer process plays a vital role in generating sulfonyl radicals and subsequently initiating C?S cross‐coupling. Importantly, our copper‐catalyzed remote functionalization protocol can be expanded for the construction of a variety of chemical bonds, including C?O, C?Br, C?N, C?C, and C?I. These findings provide a fundamental insight into the activation of remote C?H bonds, while offering new possibilities for rational design of drug molecules and optoelectronic materials requiring specific modification of functional groups.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of Benzylic Ethers with Aldehydes

The first one‐pot enantioselective oxidative coupling of cyclic benzylic ethers with aldehydes has been developed. A variety of benzylic ethers were transformed into the corresponding oxygen heterocycles with high enantioselectivity. Mechanistic experiments were conducted to determine the nature of the reaction intermediates. The application of this strategy to coupling reactions with other nucleophiles besides aldehydes was also explored.     

Sodium Iodide (NaI)‐Catalyzed Cross‐Coupling for C−S Bond Formation via Oxidative Dehydrogenation: Cheap,Direct Access to Unsymmetrical Aryl Sulfides

A simple and practical NaI‐catalyzed direct C−H sulfenylation of arenes has been developed under air. In this reaction, aryl sulfides were obtained in moderate to excellent yields with high regioselectivity from readily available aromatic compounds and aryl/alkyl thiols, even on gram scale. To demonstrate the practicability of this reaction, two bioactive compound skeletons were synthesized in good yields. This method can also be used to late‐stage modification of curcumin.     

Metal‐ and Oxidant‐Free Alkenyl C−H/Aromatic C−H Cross‐Coupling Using Electrochemically Generated Iodosulfonium Ions

A three‐step transformation consisting of 1) addition of electrochemically generated iodosulfonium ions to vinylarenes to give (1‐aryl‐2‐iodoethoxy)sulfonium ions, 2) nucleophilic substitution by subsequently added aromatic compounds to give 1,1‐diaryl‐2‐iodoethane, and 3) elimination of HI with a base to give 1,1‐diarylethenes was developed. The transformation serves as a powerful metal‐ and chemical‐oxidant‐free method for alkenyl C?H/aromatic C?H cross‐coupling.