Arene Trifunctionalization with Highly Fused Ring Systems through a Domino Aryne Nucleophilic and Diels–Alder Cascade

A convenient and efficient domino aryne process was developed under transition‐metal‐free conditions to generate a range of tetra‐ and pentacyclic ring systems. This transformation was realized via a 1,2‐benzdiyne through a nucleophilic and Diels–Alder reaction cascade using styrene as the diene moiety. Three new chemical bonds, namely one C?N and two C?C bonds, and two benzofused rings could be constructed concomitantly, which was made possible by distinct chemoselective control at both the 1,2‐aryne and 2,3‐aryne stages. Moreover, in‐depth studies were carried out on the domino aryne precursors and controlling the diastereoselectivity.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed C?S Activation/Aryne Insertion/Coupling Sequence: Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Quinolinones

The insertion of an aryne into a C S bond can suppress the addition of an S nucleophile to the aryne in the presence of palladium. Catalyzed by Pd(OAc)₂, a wide range of α‐carbamoyl ketene dithioacetals readily react with arynes to selectively afford functionalized 2‐quinolinones in high yields under neutral reaction conditions by a C S activation/aryne insertion/intramolecular coupling sequence. The attractive feature of the new strategy also lies in the versatile transformations of the alkythio‐substituted quinolinone products.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed CS Activation/Aryne Insertion/Coupling Sequence: Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Quinolinones

The insertion of an aryne into a C? S bond can suppress the addition of an S nucleophile to the aryne in the presence of palladium. Catalyzed by Pd(OAc)₂, a wide range of α‐carbamoyl ketene dithioacetals readily react with arynes to selectively afford functionalized 2‐quinolinones in high yields under neutral reaction conditions by a C? S activation/aryne insertion/intramolecular coupling sequence. The attractive feature of the new strategy also lies in the versatile transformations of the alkythio‐substituted quinolinone products.     

A Selective C−H Deprotonation Strategy to Access Functionalized Arynes by Using Hypervalent Iodine

Described here is an efficient method to access highly functionalized arynes from unsymmetrical aryl(mesityl)iodonium tosylate salts. The iodonium salts are prepared in a single pot from either commercially available aryl iodides or arylboronic acids. The aryne intermediates are generated by ortho‐C?H deprotonation of aryl(mesityl)iodonium salt with a commercially available amide base and trapped in a cycloaddition reaction with furan in moderate to good yields. Coupling partners for the aryne intermediates beyond furan are also described, including benzyl azide and alicyclic amine nucleophiles. The regio‐ and chemoselectivity of this reaction is discussed and evidence for the spectator aryl ligand of the iodonium salt as a critical control element in selectivity is presented.     

1,2‐Azaborine: The Boron‐Nitrogen Derivative of ortho‐Benzyne

The BN analogue of ortho‐benzyne, 1,2‐azaborine, is generated by flash vacuum pyrolysis, trapped under cryogenic conditions, and studied by direct spectroscopic techniques. The parent BN aryne spontaneously binds N₂ and CO₂, thus demonstrating its highly reactive nature. The interaction with N₂ is photochemically reversible. The CO₂ adduct of 1,2‐azaborine is a cyclic carbamate which undergoes photocleavage, thus resulting in overall CO₂ splitting.     

Transition-Metal-Free C2-Functionalization of Pyridines through Aryne Three-Component Coupling

The direct C2-functionalization of pyridines through a transition-metal-free protocol by using aryne multicomponent coupling is demonstrated. The reaction allowed a broad-scope synthesis of C2-substituted pyridine derivatives bearing the −CF₃ group in good yields with α,α,α-trifluoroacetophenones as the third component. Activated keto esters could also be employed as the third component in this formal 1,2-di(hetero)arylation of ketones. Performing the reaction under dilute conditions inhibited the competing pyridine–aryne polymerization pathway. Nucleophilic attack by the initially generated pyridylidene intermediate on the carbonyl followed by an S_NAr process resembling the Smiles rearrangement affords the desired products.     

Zinc‐Catalyzed Dual C–X and C–H Borylation of Aryl Halides

A zinc‐catalyzed combined C? X and C? H borylation of aryl halides using B₂pin₂ (pin=OCMe₂CMe₂O) to produce the corresponding 1,2‐diborylarenes under mild conditions was developed. Catalytic C? H bond activation occurs ortho to the halide groups if such a site is available or meta to the halide if the ortho position is already substituted. This method thus represents a novel use of a group XII catalyst for C? H borylation. This transformation does not proceed via a free aryne intermediate, but a radical process seems to be involved.     

Aryne‐Induced Novel Tandem 1,2‐Addition/(3+2) Cycloaddition to Generate Imidazolidines and Pyrrolidines

A new “single‐flask” method was developed for the synthesis of imidazolidines and pyrrolidines with high stereoselectivity. First, a Schiff base was arylated with an aryne. Second, an intramolecular proton transfer took place from the methylene position to the anionic aryne ring. Third, the resultant ylide reacted with a second equivalent of the same Schiff base in situ or an electron‐deficient alkene through a (3+2) cycloaddition. These sequential tandem 1,2‐addition/(3+2) cycloaddition reactions led to the desired heterocycles in 63–88 % yields.     

A Mixed‐Ligand Chiral Rhodium(II) Catalyst Enables the Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Piperarborenine B

A novel, mixed‐ligand chiral rhodium(II) catalyst, Rh₂(S‐NTTL)₃(dCPA), has enabled the first enantioselective total synthesis of the natural product piperarborenine B. A crystal structure of Rh₂(S‐NTTL)₃(dCPA) reveals a “chiral crown” conformation with a bulky dicyclohexylphenyl acetate ligand and three N‐naphthalimido groups oriented on the same face of the catalyst. The natural product was prepared on large scale using rhodium‐catalyzed bicyclobutanation/ copper‐catalyzed homoconjugate addition chemistry in the key step. The route proceeds in ten steps with an 8 % overall yield and 92 % ee.     

Fluorinated Phenanthrenes as Aryne Precursors: PAH Synthesis Based on Domino Ring Assembly Using 1,1‐Difluoroallenes

On treatment with the catalyst InBr₃, 1,1‐difluoroallenes that bear a cyclopentene moiety and an aryl group underwent domino ring assembly in the presence or absence of N‐bromosuccinimide or N‐iodosuccinimide to afford aryne precursors such as three‐ringed ortho‐fluoro(halo)phenanthrenes, four‐ringed ortho‐fluoro(halo)tetraphenes, ortho‐fluoro(halo)chrysenes and fluoro[4]helicenes. Metalation of the aryne precursors followed by elimination of the fluoride resulted in the unprecedented systematic generation of arynes bearing π‐extended systems. Diels?Alder reactions of these arynes with isobenzofurans afforded the corresponding cycloadducts whose reductive aromatisation in an SnCl₂/HBr system furnished fully aromatised benzotriphenylenes. In addition, oxidative aryl?aryl coupling (the Scholl reaction) of these benzotriphenylenes facilitated the synthesis of ‘half HBCs’ (hexabenzocoronenes).     

Palladium on magnetic Irish moss: A new nano‐biocatalyst for suzuki type cross‐coupling reactions

A novel heterogeneous magnetic palladium nano‐biocatalyst was designed by utilizing Irish moss, a family of sulfated polysaccharides extracted from algae, as a natural biopolymer. This magnetic Irish moss decorated with palladium (Pd–Fe₃O₄@IM) to form a biomagnetic catalytic system was synthesized and well characterized by FT–IR analysis, X‐ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The catalyst was stable to air and moisture and displayed high catalytic activity in ligand‐free Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions conducted under green chemistry reaction conditions. The aromatic ketones are produced by the cross‐coupling reaction between acid chlorides and aryl boronic acid derivatives in high yields.     

Rhodium/Phosphine catalysed selective hydroformylation of biorenewable olefins

This work reports rhodium catalyzed selective hydroformylation of natural olefins like eugenol, estragole, anethole, prenol and isoprenol using biphenyl based Buchwald phosphine ligands (S‐Phos ( L ₁ ), t‐Bu XPhos ( L ₂ ), Ru‐Phos ( L ₃ ), Johnphos ( L ₄ ) and DavePhos ( L ₅ ). Ru‐Phos ( L ₃ ) ligand exhibited high impact on the hydroformylation of eugenol providing high selectivity (90%) of linear aldehyde as major product. In addition, internal natural olefins like anethole and prenol provided moderate to high selectivity (65% and 85% respectively) of branched aldehydes as a major products. The various reaction parameters such as influence of ligands, P/Rh ratio, syngas pressure, temperature, time and solvents have been studied. A high activity and selectivity gained on the way to the linear aldehydes it may be due to the bulky, steric cyclohexyl and isopropoxy groups present in L ₃ phosphine ligand. Moreover, this catalytic system was smoothly converting natural olefins into corresponding linear and branched aldehydes with higher selectivity under the mild reaction conditions.     

Tuning Riboswitch‐Mediated Gene Regulation by Rational Control of Aptamer Ligand Binding Properties

Riboswitch‐mediated control of gene expression depends on ligand binding properties (kinetics and affinity) of its aptamer domain. A detailed analysis of interior regions of the aptamer, which affect the ligand binding properties, is important for both understanding natural riboswitch functions and for enabling rational design of tuneable artificial riboswitches. Kinetic analyses of binding reaction between flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and several natural and mutant aptamer domains of FMN‐specific riboswitches were performed. The strong dependence of the dissociation rate (52.6‐fold) and affinity (100‐fold) on the identities of base pairs in the aptamer stem suggested that the stem region, which is conserved in length but variable in base‐pair composition and context, is the tuning region of the FMN‐specific aptamer. Synthetic riboswitches were constructed based on the same aptamer domain by rationally modifying the tuning regions. The observed 9.31‐fold difference in the half‐maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) corresponded to a 11.6‐fold difference in the dissociation constant (K_D) of the aptamer domains and suggested that the gene expression can be controlled by rationally adjusting the tuning regions.     

The Hydrogenobyric Acid Structure Reveals the Corrin Ligand as an Entatic State Module Empowering B12 Cofactors for Catalysis

The B₁₂ cofactors instill a natural curiosity regarding the primordial selection and evolution of their corrin ligand. Surprisingly, this important natural macrocycle has evaded molecular scrutiny, and its specific role in predisposing the incarcerated cobalt ion for organometallic catalysis has remained obscure. Herein, we report the biosynthesis of the cobalt‐free B₁₂ corrin moiety, hydrogenobyric acid ( Hby ), a compound crafted through pathway redesign. Detailed insights from single‐crystal X‐ray and solution structures of Hby have revealed a distorted helical cavity, redefining the pattern for binding cobalt ions. Consequently, the corrin ligand coordinates cobalt ions in desymmetrized “entatic” states, thereby promoting the activation of B₁₂‐cofactors for their challenging chemical transitions. The availability of Hby also provides a route to the synthesis of transition metal analogues of B₁₂.     

Unsymmetrical Pincer‐Type Ruthenium Complex Containing β‐Protic Pyrazole and N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Arms: Comparison of Brønsted Acidity of NH Groups in Second Coordination Sphere

A reaction of a 2‐(imidazol‐1‐yl)methyl‐6‐(pyrazol‐3‐yl)pyridine with [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] resulted in tautomerization of the imidazole unit to afford the unsymmetrical pincer‐type ruthenium complex 2 containing a protic pyrazole and N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) arms. Deprotonation of 2 with one equivalent of a base led to the formation of the NHC–pyrazolato complex 3 , indicating that the protic NHC arm is less acidic. When 2 was treated with two equivalents of a base under H₂ or in 2‐propanol, the hydrido complex 4 containing protic NHC and pyrazolato groups was obtained through metal–ligand cooperation.     

Regioselective Synthesis of 1,2,3,4-Tetrasubstituted Arenes by Vicinal Functionalization of Arynes Derived from Aryl(Mes)iodonium Salts**

Herein, the synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted benzenoid rings, motifs found in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and natural products, is described.^[1] In the past, the regioselective syntheses of such compounds have been a significant challenge. This work reports a method using substituted arynes derived from aryl(Mes)iodonium salts to access a range of densely functionalized 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted benzenoid rings. Significantly, it was found that halide substituents are compatible under these conditions, enabling post-synthetic elaboration via palladium-catalyzed coupling. This concise strategy is predicated on two regioselective events: 1) ortho- deprotonation of aryl(Mes)iodonium salts to generate a substituted aryne intermediate, and 2) regioselective trapping of said arynes, thereby improving previously reported reaction conditions to generate arynes at room temperature and in shorter reaction times. Density functional theory (DFT) computations and linear free energy relationship (LFER) analysis suggest the regioselectivity of deprotonation is influenced by both proximal and distal ring substituents on the aryne precursor. A competition experiment further reveals the role of arene substituents on relative reactivity of aryl(Mes)iodoniums as aryne precursors.     

The disproportionation of Cu(I)X mediated by ligand and solvent into Cu(0) and Cu(II)X2 and its implications for SET‐LRP

Disproportionation of Cu(I)X is the major step in Single‐Electron Transfer Living Radical Polymerization (SET‐LRP). The disproportionation of Cu(I)X mediated by Me₆‐TREN in various solvents was studied through UV–vis spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). UV–vis experiments reveal that disproportionation is dependent on both solvent composition and concentration of Me₆‐TREN, consistent with a revised equilibrium expression and corroborated by mathematical models. Electrochemistry data do not accurately predict the extent of disproportionation in the presence of Me₆‐TREN. Exemplified by DMSO, a favored solvent for SET‐LRP, UV–vis spectroscopy shows that under certain conditions disproportionation is four‐orders of magnitude greater than the value reported from electrochemistry experiments. Through UV–vis and DLS analysis, it was demonstrated that DMSO, DMF, DMAC, and NMP, stabilize colloidal Cu(0), while acetone, EtOH, EC, MeOH, PC, and H₂O facilitate agglomeration of Cu(0) particles. Additionally, for colloidal Cu(0) stabilizing solvents, the amount of ligand and solvent composition decide the particle size distribution. Therefore, the kinetics of SET‐LRP are cooperatively and synergistically determined by the complex interplay of solvent polarity, the extent of disproportionation in the solvent/ligand mixture, and the ability of that mixture to stabilize colloidal Cu(0) or control particle size distribution. The implications of these results for SET‐LRP are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5606–5628, 2009     

Hydroboration of Arynes with N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Boranes

Arynes were generated in situ from ortho‐silyl aryl triflates and fluoride ions in the presence of stable N‐heterocyclic carbene boranes (NHC? BH₃). Spontaneous hydroboration ensued to provide stable B‐aryl‐substituted NHC‐boranes (NHC? BH₂Ar). The reaction shows good scope in terms of both the NHC‐borane and aryne components and provides direct access to mono‐ and disubstituted NHC‐boranes. The formation of unusual ortho regioisomers in the hydroboration of arynes with an electron‐withdrawing group supports a hydroboration process with hydride‐transfer character.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Crystal Structure of a Polymeric Copper(II) Complex Derived from 2‐(5‐Chloro‐2‐hydroxybenzylideneamino)‐2‐ethylpropane‐1,3‐diol with Catalytic Oxidation Property

The copper(II) complex [Cu₂L₂(μ_1,3‐NCS)₂]_n · nMeOH [HL = 2‐(5‐chloro‐2‐hydroxybenzylideneamino)‐2‐ethylpropane‐1,3‐diol] was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, as well as FT‐IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The structures of the ligand and the complex were confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analyses. The Schiff base ligand coordinates to the copper atoms through the phenolate oxygen and imino nitrogen atoms, and one hydroxyl oxygen atom. The copper atoms are in octahedral coordination. The complex is an active catalyst for the oxidation of cyclooctene and styrene with tert‐butylhydroperoxide as the oxidant under mild conditions.     

Vinyl polymerization of norbornene catalyzed by a new bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II) complex–methylaluminoxane system

A new β‐ketoimine ligand was prepared through traditional condensation of 2‐acetylcyclohexanone with 1‐naphthylamine. Consequently, the new moisture‐ and air‐stable bis(β‐ketoamino)nickel(II) complex Ni[2‐CH₃C(O)C₆H₈(NAr)]₂ (Ar = naphthyl) was synthesized and characterized. The solid‐state structures of the ligand and complex have been determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Additionally, the new complex is a highly active catalyst precursor for polymerization of norbornene in combination with methylaluminoxane. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.