Generation, structure and reactivity of arynes: A theoretical study

The semiempirical AM1 SCF-MO method is used to study the benzyne mechanism for aromatic nucleophilic substitution of various m-substituted chlorobenzenes and 3-chloropyridine. The calculations predict that most of the fixed substituents studied here would induce the formation of 2,3-arynes through their electron-withdrawing resonance or inductive effects. The geometry and electronic structure of the 2,3- and 3,4-arynes investigated here, confirm the generally acceptedo-benzyne structure postulated for arynes. The sites of nucleophilic addition to arynes as predicted here are in fair agreement with expectation and experimental findings.     

Studies towards the total synthesis of mumbaistatin: synthesis of highly substituted benzophenone and anthraquinone building blocks

Model compounds and building blocks for a planned total synthesis of the highly potent glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) translocase inhibitor mumbaistatin (1) and structural analogs were elaborated: compound 1 represents a lead structure in the development of potential new antidiabetic drugs. With the model substrate 20 it was demonstrated that highly functionalized, tetra-ortho-substituted benzophenones can be prepared by nucleophilic addition of an aryllithium-building block to a benzaldehyde followed by oxidation. For compound 37, a potential precursor of the anthraquinone part of mumbaistatin, various approaches via aryne/phthalide annulations were developed and evaluated. The required functionalized arenes were prepared exploiting, among others, regioselective bromination and ortho-lithiation reactions. Coupling reactions of the anthracene-carbaldehyde 44 derived from 37 with various metalated arenes proved to be unexpectedly difficult and failed so far.     

Diphenyliodonium‐Catalyzed Fluorination of Arynes: Synthesis of ortho‐Fluoroiodoarenes

Described is a one‐pot vicinal fluorination‐iodination of arynes at room temperature. The diphenyliodonium salt proved to be a privileged catalyst for this nucleophilic fluorination process using CsF as a fluorine source, and a subsequent facile electrophilic iodination with C₄F₉I was also found to be crucial to ensure the efficient fluorination. This new synthetic protocol has a broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions.     

Ligand Controlled Regiodivergent C1 Insertion on Arynes for Construction of Phenanthridinone and Acridone Alkaloids

A palladium‐catalyzed regiodivergent C₁ insertion multicomponent reaction involving aryne, CO, and 2‐iodoaniline is established to construct the scaffolds of phenanthridinone and acridone alkaloids. Regioselective control is achieved under the guidance of selective ligands. The phenanthridinones are solely obtained under ligand‐free condition. In comparison, application of the electron‐abundant bidentate ligand dppm afforded the acridones with high efficiency. The release rate of the aryne from the precursor assists the regioselectivity of insertion as well, which was revealed through interval NMR tracking. A plausible mechanism was suggested based on the control experiments. Representative natural products and two types of natural product analogues were synthesized divergently through this tunable method.     

Temporary Intramolecular Generation of Pyridine Carbenes in Metal‐Free Three‐Component C?H Bond Functionalisation/Aryl‐Transfer Reactions

Nucleophilic addition of pyridines to benzyne generates zwitterionic adducts that evolve by a rapid intramolecular proton shift to produce the corresponding pyridine carbenes, N‐phenyl pyrid‐2‐ylidenes. In the presence of electrophilic ketones (isatin derivatives), the pyridylidenes can further react by an original bis‐arylation reaction of the carbonyl compounds involving a formal pyridine C? H bond functionalisation. The overall transformation is an unprecedented three‐component reaction featuring a carbene intermediate. The mechanism of this transformation was examined in detail by using both experimental and theoretical approaches. It was found that the generation of N‐phenyl pyrid‐2‐ylidene from pyridine and benzyne is energetically favoured, and that the corresponding carbene dimer can also form easily. Under the three‐component reaction conditions, the pyridylidene preferentially adds to the ketone group of the isatin derivative to produce a zwitterionic adduct amenable to an intramolecular aryl transfer reaction by a concerted nucleophilic aromatic substitution. This peculiar reactivity for a carbene was compared to possibly competitive known reactions of stable carbenes with carbonyl compounds, and the reaction was found to be under thermodynamic control. The reported method of generation of N‐phenyl pyrid‐2‐ylidenes and their reactivity with carbonyl compounds unlock new perspectives in organic synthesis.