Copper-catalyzed alkylation of benzoxazoles with secondary alkyl halides

Copper-catalyzed direct alkylation of benzoxazoles using nonactivated secondary alkyl halides has been developed. The best catalyst is a new copper(I) complex (1), and the reactions are promoted by bis[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl] ether.     

Copper-catalyzed regioselective alkylation of heteroarenes with functionalized alkyl halides

The Cu-catalyzed regioselective alkylation of heteroarenes with functionalized primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl halides is reported. The reaction proceeds via the copper-catalyzed addition of alkyl radicals to a wide range of heteroarenes, including coumarin, quinolinone, naphthoquinone, and benzofuran derivatives, with a broad substrate scope and wide functional group tolerance.     

General electrochemical Minisci alkylation of N-heteroarenes with alkyl halides

Herein, we report, a general, facile and environmentally friendly Minisci-type alkylation of N-heteroarenes under simple and straightforward electrochemical conditions using widely available alkyl halides as radical precursors. Primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl radicals have been shown to be efficiently generated and coupled with a large variety of N-heteroarenes. The method presents a very high functional group tolerance, including various heterocyclic-based natural products, which highlights the robustness of the methodology. This applicability has been further proved in the synthesis of various interesting biologically valuable building blocks. In addition, we have proposed a mechanism based on different proofs and pieces of electrochemical evidence.

Herein, we report, a general, facile and environmentally friendly Minisci-type alkylation of N-heteroarenes under simple and straightforward electrochemical conditions using widely available alkyl halides as radical precursors.     

The Barbier-Grignard-type carbonyl alkylation using unactivated alkyl halides in water

The aqueous Barbier-Grignard-type alkylation of aldehydes with unactivated alkyl iodides and bromides was developed. By using a combination of zinc and cuprous iodide, catalyzed by indium(I) chloride, we successfully added tertiary, secondary, and primary alkyl halides to various aromatic aldehydes in 0.07 M aqueous Na2C2O4. A mechanistic rationale for the success of the reaction has been proposed.     

Dual reactivity of the trinitromethane anion in alkylation with primary alkyl halides

Conclusions The alkylation of the silver salt of trinitromethane with primary alkyl halides can take simultaneously in two ways, by schemes of C- or O-alkylation.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2113–2116, September, 1968.     

Evaluation of tributylgermanium hydride as a reagent for the reductive alkylation of active olefins with alkyl halides

The reductive alkylation of acrylonitrile and of 2-cyclohexen-1-one by alkyl halides using tributylgermanium hydride was systematically evaluated. The performance of the germanium reagent was compared to that of the more commonly employed tributyltin hydride. For certain applications the germanium reagent afforded improved yields without the use of large excess olefin concentrations. Disadvantages of the germanium reagent include a tendency to hydrogermylate active terminal olefins and a general low reactivity towards alkyl halide substrates. The following series of six other triorganotin and triorganogermanium hydrides were also briefly screened for possible application to reductive alkylations: trimesityltin hydride, trimesitylgermanium hydride, triphenyltin hydride, triphenylgermanium hydride, trineopentyltin hydride, and tricyclohexylgermanium hydride.     

Copper(I) tert-butoxide-promoted stereospecific alkylation of β-hydroxymethylvinylsilanes with alkyl halides

Stereospecific alkylation of (Z)-β-hydroxymethylvinylsilanes proceeded by treatment with copper(I) tert-butoxide and alkyl halides. Tri- and tetra-substituted allylic alcohols were obtained with complete retention of configuration.     

Indium-copper and indium-silver mediated barbier-grignard-type alkylation reaction of aldehydes using unactivated alkyl halides in water

An efficient method has been developed for the Barbier-Grignard-type alkylation reaction of aldehydes (including aliphatic version) using unactivated alkyl halides in water in the presence of an In/CuI/I(2) or In/AgI/I(2) system. The reactions proceeded more efficiently in water than in organic solvent. In, CuI or AgI, and I(2) were all essential for the efficient progress of the reactions. A radical-type reaction mechanism was studied and proposed by using 4-pentenal as substrate.     

Copper-free defluorinative alkylation of allylic difluorides through Lewis acid-mediated C-F bond activation

The reactions of difluorohomoallyl alcohols with trialkylaluminiums smoothly proceeded in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature to give (Z)-fluoro-olefin products in excellent yields. On the basis of this chemistry, fluoro-olefinic dipeptide isostere of norvalinyl glycine was synthesized in stereoselective manner.     

Palladium-catalyzed alkylation of ortho-C(sp2)-H bonds of benzylamide substrates with alkyl halides

A highly efficient and generally applicable method has been developed to functionalize the ortho-C(sp(2))-H bonds of picolinamide (PA)-protected benzylamine substrates with a broad range of β-H-containing alkyl halides. Sodium triflate has been identified as a critical promoter for this reaction system. The PA group can be easily installed and removed under mild conditions. This method provides a new strategy to prepare highly functionalized benzylamines for the synthesis of complex molecules.     

Indium-silver- and zinc-silver-mediated barbier-grignard-type alkylation reactions of imines by using unactivated alkyl halides in aqueous media

In the presence of In or Zn/AgI/InCl(3), an efficient and practical method for the Barbier-Grignard-type alkylation reactions of simple imines by using a one-pot condensation of various aldehydes, amines (including the aliphatic and chiral version), and secondary alkyl iodides has been developed. The reaction proceeded more efficiently in water than in organic solvents. Without the use of CuI, it mainly gave the imine self-reductive coupling product, which was not the alkylated product. Good diastereoselectivities (up to 92:8 dr) were obtained when L-valine methyl ester was used as the substrate.     

Cobalt-catalyzed trimethylsilylmethylmagnesium-promoted radical alkenylation of alkyl halides: a complement to the Heck reaction

A cobalt complex, [CoCl2(dpph)] (DPPH = [1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane]), catalyzes an intermolecular styrylation reaction of alkyl halides in the presence of Me3SiCH2MgCl in ether to yield beta-alkylstyrenes. A variety of alkyl halides including alkyl chlorides can participate in the styrylation. A radical mechanism is strongly suggested for the styrylation reaction. The sequential isomerization/styrylation reactions of cyclopropylmethyl bromide and 6-bromo-1-hexene provide evidence of the radical mechanism. Crystallographic and spectroscopic investigations on cobalt complexes reveal that the reaction would begin with single electron transfer from an electron-rich (diphosphine)bis(trimethylsilylmethyl)cobalt(II) complex followed by reductive elimination to yield 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethane and a (diphosphine)cobalt(I) complex. The combination of [CoCl2(dppb)] (DPPB = [1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane]) catalyst and Me3SiCH2MgCl induces intramolecular Heck-type cyclization reactions of 6-halo-1-hexenes via a radical process. On the other hand, the intramolecular cyclization of the prenyl ether of 2-iodophenol would proceed in a fashion similar to the conventional palladium-catalyzed transformation. The nonradical oxidative addition of carbon(sp2)-halogen bonds to cobalt is separately verified by a cobalt-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of alkenyl halides with Me3SiCH2MgCl with retention of configuration of the starting vinyl halides. The cobalt-catalyzed intermolecular radical styrylation reaction of alkyl halides is applied to stereoselective variants. Styrylations of 1-alkoxy-2-bromocyclopentane derivatives provide trans-1-alkoxy-2-styrylcyclopentane skeletons, one of which is optically pure.     

Phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation of guanidines by alkyl halides under biphasic conditions: a convenient protocol for the synthesis of highly functionalized guanidines

An operationally straightforward and efficient method for the alkylation of carbamate-protected guanidines with various alkyl halides and mesylates is described. This protocol proceeds via deprotonation of the acidic N-carbamate hydrogen of the guanidine under biphasic conditions using a catalytic amount of a tetrabutylammonium salt as a phase-transfer catalyst. In this manner, highly functionalized guanidines can be obtained. The reaction is tolerant of a wide range of functional groups on both the alkyl halide and guanidine component. In addition, the reaction is sufficiently mild such that simple aqueous workup and filtration through a short silica gel column yields the substituted guanidines in high purity. In conjunction with the EDCI-mediated guanylation of disubstituted thioureas with amines, phase-transfer catalyzed alkylation of guanidines via a one-pot, three-component synthesis of substituted guanidines was achieved.     

Catalysts for cross-coupling reactions with non-activated alkyl halides

Despite the problems inherent to metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with alkyl halides, these reactions have become increasingly important during the last few years. Detailed mechanistic investigations have led to a variety of novel procedures for the selective cross-coupling of non-activated alkyl halides bearing beta hydrogen atoms with a variety of organometallic nucleophiles under mild reaction conditions. This Minireview highlights selected examples of metal-catalyzed coupling methods and is intended to encourage chemists to exploit the potential of these approaches in organic synthesis.     

Reaction of N-vinylimidazoles with alkyl halides

Quaternary salts of N-vinylimidazole and N-vinylbenzimidazole were synthesized. The structures of the products of quaternization of the N-vinylimidazoles were proved by IR and UV spectra. The distribution of the -electron density in the N-vinylimidazole molecules was obtained by quantum-chemical calculation.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 958–960, July, 1971.     

Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl halides

Cross-coupling reactions have become indispensable tools for creating carbon-carbon (or heteroatom) bonds in organic synthesis. Like in other important transition metal catalyzed reactions, such as metathesis, addition, and polymerization, unsaturated compounds are usually employed as substrates for cross-coupling reactions. However during the past decade, a great deal of effort has been devoted to the use of alkyl halides as saturated compounds in cross-coupling reactions, which has resulted in significant progress in this undeveloped area by introducing new effective ligands. Many useful catalytic systems are now available for synthetic transformations based on C(sp(3))-C(sp(3)), C(sp(3))-C(sp(2)) and C(sp(3))-C(sp) bond formation as complementary methods to conventional C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)), C(sp(2))-C(sp) and C(sp)-C(sp) coupling. This tutorial review summarizes recent advances in cross-coupling reactions of alkyl halides and pseudohalides catalyzed by a palladium complex.