Palladium-catalyzed alpha-arylation of esters

A new and simple one-pot procedure for the palladium-catalyzed intermolecular alpha-arylation of esters is described. A number of esters can be functionalized with a wide range of aryl bromides using Pd(OAc)(2) or Pd(2)(dba)(3) and bulky electron-rich o-biphenyl phosphines 1-3. Under the reaction conditions, using LiHMDS as base, alpha-arylation proceeds at room temperature or at 80 degrees C with very good yields and high selectivities for monoarylation. Important nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug derivatives such as (+/-)-naproxen tert-butyl ester and (+/-)-flurbiprofen tert-butyl ester can be prepared in 79% and 86% yield, respectively. The catalyst system based on the di-tert-butylphosphine (2) is also active for the alpha-arylation of esters using aryl chlorides. Furthermore, using (3) the alpha-arylation of trisubstituted ester enolates can be accomplished to provide compounds that have quaternary centers.     

A novel alpha-arylation of ketones,aldehydes, and esters via a photoinduced SN1 reaction through 4-aminophenyl cations

4-Aminophenyl cations (expediently generated by photolysis of 4-chloroaniline and its N,N-dimethyl derivative by photolysis in MeCN) added to enamines and gave the corresponding alpha-(4-aminophenyl) ketones in satisfactory yields. The yields of the same ketones were increased when silyl enol ethers were used in the place of enamines. The alpha-arylation of silyl enol ethers of aldehydes occurred with lower yields and only with the N,N-dimethyl derivative. The procedure was successful with ketene silyl acetals giving in a single step a good yield of alpha-(4-aminophenyl)propionic(acetic) esters, known intermediates for the preparation of analgesic compounds. The reaction of the aryl cation with Danishefsky's diene gave the arylated beta-methoxy enone. The method is complementary to the recently developed palladium-catalyzed alpha-arylation and occurs under neutral conditions.     

Synthesis of indole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives by Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation of beta-(2-iodoanilino) esters

beta-(2-Iodoanilino) esters undergo intramolecular alpha-arylation in the presence of Pd(PPh(3))(4) and potassium phenoxide. The reaction is a useful methodology for the preparation of indole-3-carboxylic acid ester derivatives.     

Asymmetric construction of quaternary carbon stereocenter by Pd-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation

The catalyst comprised of Pd(OAc)(2) and H(8)-BINAP provides good reaction conversions for a catalytic enantioselective intramolecular alpha-arylation of N-(2-bromophenyl)-N-methyl-2-arylpropanamide to form the quaternary carbon with up to 68% enantioselectivity.     

A short synthesis of (+/-)-cytisine

The synthesis of racemic cytisine has been completed using (i)N-selective alkylation of 6-bromopyridone with bromide and (ii) Pd(0) mediated intramolecular alpha-arylation of lactam as key steps to achieve rapid assembly of the tricyclic core skeleton of the lupin alkaloids.     

Nickel-BINAP catalyzed enantioselective alpha-arylation of alpha-substituted gamma-butyrolactones

A Ni(0)-BINAP system is utilized for the highly enantioselective alpha-arylation of alpha-substituted gamma-butyrolactones with aryl chlorides and bromides. alpha-Quaternization is achieved in moderate to excellent yields. Furthermore, the rate accelerating effect caused by the addition of Zn(II) salts is investigated.     

An improved protocol for the Pd-catalyzed alpha-arylation of aldehydes with aryl halides

An improved protocol for the Pd-catalyzed alpha-arylation of aldehydes with aryl halides has been developed. The new catalytic system allows for the coupling of an array of substrates including challenging electron-rich aryl bromides and less reactive aryl chlorides. The utility of this method has been demonstrated in a new total synthesis of (+/-)-sporochnol.     

Palladium-catalyzed alpha-arylation of oxindoles

A catalyst generated from Pd(dba)2 and the bulky electron-rich phosphine ligand 2-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-2',4', 6'-tri-i-propyl-1-1'-biphenyl is effective for the alpha-arylation of oxindoles. Generation of the potassium-enolates of a range of oxindoles allows coupling with aryl chlorides, bromides, and triflates. Significant variation of the substitution pattern on both the oxindole and aryl halide is possible.     

Function of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on concept of chiral mimetic

Function of a new N-heterocyclic carbene ligand based on the concept of a chiral mimetic is described. With (4R,5R)-4,5-diphenyl-1,3-dialkyl-4,5-dihydro-3H-imidazol-1-ium tetrafluoroborates as N-heterocyclic carbene precursors, Rh-catalyzed enantioselective arylation (up to 27% ee) of aromatic aldehydes with arylboronic acids and Pd-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular alpha-arylation (up to 66% ee) of N-(2-bromoaryl)-N-alkyl-2-arylpropanamides are investigated.     

Palladium-catalyzed ring expansion reaction of (Z)-1-(1,3-butadienyl)cyclobutanols with aryl iodides. stereospecific synthesis of (Z)-2-(3-aryl-1-propenyl)cyclopentanones

[reaction: see text] A novel type of cascade ring expansion process has been developed by the palladium-catalyzed reaction of (Z)-1-(1,3-butadienyl)cyclobutanols with aryl iodides. The reaction proceeds in a stereospecific manner to produce (Z)-2-(3-aryl-1-propenyl)cyclopentanones. It has also been found that regioselective alpha-arylation of alkenyl cyclopentanones proceeds to afford the alpha-arylated cyclopentanones.     

Hydrogen-bond-directed catalysis: faster, regioselective and cleaner Heck arylation of electron-rich olefins in alcohols

A general method for the regioselective Heck reaction of electron-rich olefins is presented. Fast, highly regioselective Pd-catalysed alpha-arylation of electron-rich olefins, vinyl ethers (1 a-d), hydroxyl vinyl ethers (1 e, f), enamides (1 g, h) and a substituted vinyl ether (1i) has been accomplished with a diverse range of aryl bromides (2 a-r), for the first time, in cheap, green and easily available alcohols with no need for any halide scavengers or salt additives. The reaction proceeds with high efficiency, leading exclusively to the alpha-products, in 2-propanol and particularly in ethylene glycol. In the latter, the arylation can be catalysed at a palladium loading of 0.1 mol% and finish in as short a time as 0.5 h. The remarkable performance of the alcohol solvents in promoting alpha regiocontrol is attributed to their hydrogen-bond-donating capability, which is believed to facilitate the dissociation of halide anions from PdII, and hence, the generation of a key ionic PdII-olefin intermediate responsible for the alpha product. This belief is further strengthened by the study of a benchmark arylation reaction in 21 different solvents. The study revealed that exclusive alpha-regioselective arylation takes place in almost all of the protic solvents, and there is a rough correlation between the alpha-arylation rates and the solvent parameter E(T)N. The method is simpler, cleaner and more general than those established thus far.     

Nickel-catalyzed asymmetric alpha-arylation of ketone enolates

An atropisomeric dipyridyldiphosphine, P-Phos, can effect highly enantioselective Ni-catalyzed alpha-arylation of ketone enolates with aryl halides to install an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center in up to 98% ee and excellent yields.     

Palladium-catalyzed intermolecular alpha-arylation of N-protected 2-piperidinones

[reaction: see text] The alpha-arylation of the zinc enolate of N-protected 2-piperidinones with aryl bromides in the presence of a palladium catalyst is described as a general method.     

Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligands for asymmetric catalytic oxindole synthesis

The Pd-catalysed asymmetric intramolecular alpha-arylation of amide enolates containing heteroatom substituents gives chiral 3-alkoxy or 3-aminooxindoles in high yield and with enantioselectivities up to 97% ee when a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is used.     

P(i-BuNCH2CH2)3N: an efficient ligand for the direct alpha-arylation of nitriles with aryl bromides

A new catalyst system for the synthesis of alpha-aryl-substituted nitriles is reported. The bicyclic triaminophosphine P(i-BuNCH(2)CH(2))(3)N (1b) serves as an efficient and versatile ligand for the palladium-catalyzed direct alpha-arylation of nitriles with aryl bromides. Using ligand 1b, ethyl cyanoacetate and primary as well as secondary nitriles are efficiently coupled with a wide variety of aryl bromides possessing electron-rich, electron-poor, electron-neutral, and sterically hindered groups.     

sp3 C-H bond arylation directed by amidine protecting group: alpha-arylation of pyrrolidines and piperidines

A new ruthenium-catalyzed direct sp3 C-H to C-C bond transformation is disclosed. Specifically, a method for the alpha-arylation of cyclic amines, containing either permanent (pyridine, pyrimidine) or removable (amidine) directing groups, is described. This cross-coupling reaction involves heating amine substrates with arylboronate ester at 150 degrees C in a ketone solvent with a catalytic amount of ruthenium carbonyl [Ru3(CO)12]. Arylboronate esters containing either electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents could be efficiently coupled. Heteroarene boronates were also effective donors.     

Cyclic sulfamidates as versatile lactam precursors. An evaluation of synthetic strategies towards (-)-aphanorphine

A full account of studies which led to the efficient asymmetric synthesis of (-)-aphanorphine is reported. Two routes to the key cyclic sulfamidate intermediate are described, the first was based on a chiral auxiliary approach and the second utilised asymmetric hydrogenation methodology. A range of C(3)-substituted lactams (, and ) were synthesised and evaluated as precursors for Pd(0) catalysed entries (based on (i) alpha-arylation of a lactam enolate and (ii) reductive Heck reaction) to the 3-benzazepine core of . These approaches were less effective than an aryl radical cyclisation which allowed the completion of a synthesis of in 12 steps from anisaldehyde.     

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation of alpha-amino acid esters.

The Pd-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation of alpha-amino acid esters is described. Starting from readily available amino acids, the synthesis of a variety of isoindolines and tetrahydroisoquinoline carboxylic acid esters has been accomplished. Additionally, fused tricyclic systems can be efficiently prepared from cyclic amino acid esters. Reaction conditions have been found that allow the use of tert-butyl ester and N-(benzyloxycarbonyl) protecting groups.     

A useful Pd-catalyzed Negishi coupling approach to benzylic sulfonamide derivatives

A mild catalytic system to access diversely functionalized benzylic sulfonamides has been developed. Palladium-catalyzed alpha-arylation by Negishi cross-coupling of sulfonamide-stabilized anions and a wide range of aryl iodides, bromides, and triflates constitutes a practical strategy for the synthesis of various benzylic sulfonamides.     

A new route for installing the isocyclic ring on chlorins yielding 13 1-oxophorbines

A new route to 13(1)-oxophorbines, the parent macrocycle of chlorophylls, begins with the synthesis of a 13-bromochlorin. Pd-mediated coupling of the latter with tributyl(1-ethoxyvinyl)tin and subsequent acidic hydrolysis afforded the 13-acetylchlorin (1). Treatment of 1 with NBS afforded the 15-bromo analogue in 70% yield. Pd-mediated alpha-arylation closed the isocyclic ring to give the 13(1)-oxophorbine (2) in 85% yield. Facile access to 13(1)-oxophorbines should enable a variety of spectroscopic studies and diverse applications.