Several chiral BINOL‐derived bisoxazoline (BOX)/copper(II) complexes were synthesized and evaluated as catalysts for the Friedel–Crafts reaction of indoles with isatin‐derived β,γ‐unsaturated α‐keto esters. The resulting bis‐indole products bearing a quaternary stereocenter were obtained in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. Additionally, the desired products were practically transformed to α‐amino esters, α‐hydroxy esters and α‐keto amides. It is noteworthy that this catalytic procedure was conducted with a catalyst loading of 0.5 mol% without any discernible decrease in the reactivity or enantioselectivity.
A copper(I)‐catalyzed addition of alkylborane reagents to α‐iminoacetates has been developed to assemble both acyclic and cyclic α‐branched α‐amino carboxylic acid derivatives in good yields. A wide variety of unactivated alkenes are well tolerated in this transformation.
A simple and efficient one‐pot approach has been developed for a copper‐catalyzed phosphorylation of glycine derivatives under air and at room temperature. The present cross‐dehydrogenative coupling allows various methoxyphenyl‐protected glycine derivatives to be phosphorylated using diverse alkyl and aryl phosphites through an oxidative coupling between Csp3−H and P−H bonds catalyzed by copper iodide. This method provides a new synthetic tool to obtain biologically active α‐aminophosphonates.
A new synthetic method for α‐alkynyl‐α,β‐unsaturated esters is presented herein. The method is based on a copper(I)‐catalyzed three‐component reaction of a terminal alkyne, diazoesters and aldehydes. The reaction is featured by mild conditions, high yields and excellent stereoselectivity. Cu(I) carbene migratory insertion is proposed as the key step in the transformation.
A stereocontrolled [4+1] annulation of α‐hydroxycyclobutenones has been disclosed. For the first time, α‐hydroxycyclobutenones have been proven as facile diene precursors for [4+1] annulation. Meanwhile, the reported transformation presents a concise synthetic route to polysubstituted cyclopentenones with high stereoselectivity.
A copper(I)‐catalyzed, (diacetoxyiodo)benzene [PhI(OAc)2]‐mediated ring‐expansion/thiolactonization of α‐oxo ketene dithioacetals was efficiently realized via azidation of the internal olefinic C−H bond with sodium azide under mild conditions. Sequential amination, ring‐expansion rearrangement, and thiolactonization occurred to form aminated thiolactones in the presence of acetic anhydride as the additive, while only C−H amination to afford the unprotected enamines occurred when using ammonium sulfide as a reducing additive. The in situ generated vinyl azides were confirmed as the reactive intermediates, which were captured by phenylacetylene to produce triazoles. This protocol provides a concise route to thiolactone derivatives and unprotected enamines.
An efficient asymmetric synthesis of spirocyclohexenone β‐lactams bearing three contiguous stereocenters has been achieved in moderate to good yields and high stereoselectivities. The protocol involves the combination of a squaramide‐catalyzed sulfa‐Michael addition under desymmetrization via a dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic 2,5‐cyclohexadienones.
A regio‐ and enantioselective copper‐catalyzed 1,4‐conjugate addition of trimethylaluminium to linear δ‐aryl‐substituted α,β,γ,δ‐unsaturated alkyl ketones was developed. A series of γ,δ‐unsaturated alkyl ketones were obtained in good yields with high regio‐ and enantioselectivity (up to 88% ee and 96:4 dr). Expansion of the reaction scope to substrates containing aromatic heterocycles also afforded good yields and enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee) with very high regioselectivities, exclusively providing the single 1,4‐products.
A new strategy for the synthesis of fluorovinyl acetates and β,β‐difluoro carboxylates using a hypervalent iodine and hydrogen fluoride‐based fluorination reagent is established through a silver‐catalyzed one‐pot reaction involving formation of carbon‐oxygen and carbon‐nitrogen bonds. The generated fluoroalkenes substituted with the carbon‐oxygen and carbon‐nitrogen bond on the β‐position have the potential to be transformed into various products which would be difficult to obtain via direct fluorination.
A facile method to synthesize 3‐halobenzo‐heterocyclic‐2‐carbonyl compounds is described. Mechanistic studies suggested that a halo‐cyclization process, which generated the unstable spiro‐acetal transition state and readily convertible to the corresponding carbonyl compound might be involved. Diverse 3‐halobenzo‐heterocyclic‐2‐carbonyl compounds could be synthesized with up to 95 % yield in mild conditions with inexpensive starting materials.
An operationally simple and efficient copper‐catalyzed three‐component tandem reaction of terminal alkynes, diazo compounds and amines to yield β‐enamino esters is described. This straightforward protocol takes place rapidly with a wide range of substrates and gives the desired β‐enamino esters in good to excellent yields. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested that the reaction probably proceeds through Cu‐catalyzed formal C–H insertion to produce an alkynoate intermediate, which was then trapped by amines to give the β‐enamino esters.
4H‐Pyran units are frequently present in molecules with significant biological and pharmaceutical activities. Herein, we present the first enantioselective formal [3+3] cycloaddition between 2‐(1‐alkynyl)‐2‐alken‐1‐ones and β‐keto esters catalyzed by a cyclohexyldiamine‐based thiourea‐tertiary amine bifunctional catalyst. Under the mild and eco‐friendly conditions, a wide range of polysubstituted 4H‐pyrans were obtained in moderate yields with good enantioselectivities.
So far, the direct C−H alkenylation of aromatic nitriles with alkynes has not been achieved. Herein, we discribe the first manganese‐catalyzed C−H alkenylation of aromatic N−H imidates to access mono‐alkenylated aromatic nitriles. The reaction is accelerated by the presence of a catalytic amount of sodium pivalate. This protocol is also highlighted by the simple catalytic system, good compatibility of functional groups, and excellent mono‐/dialkenylation selectivity as well as E/Z stereoselectivity.
With the use of a bifunctional chiral phosphine as the catalyst, the asymmetric [3+2] annulation of Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates with cyclic 1‐azadienes proceeded smoothly under mild conditions to give various enantiomerically enriched cyclopentene derivatives bearing three consecutive tertiary stereocenters and a sulfamate moiety in moderate to excellent yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivities and excellent diastereoselectivities.
A direct access to multisubstituted 1,3‐dienes by α‐exclusive alkylidenation of crotonic derivatives has been developed. This protocol, mediated by titanium tetrachloride chelation, features excellent regio‐ and stereoselectivity, mild reaction conditions, easy operation and wide substrate scope. Conversions of the derived dienes to other useful molecules were also explored.
A highly efficient chiral N,N′‐dioxide‐zinc(II) complex catalytic system has been developed for the enantioselective aza‐Friedel–Crafts reaction of isatin‐derived ketimines with indoles. A series of enantiomerically enriched 3‐indolyl‐3‐aminooxindoles containing a tetrasubstituted stereocenter were obtained in up to 99% yield with up to 96% ee. Furthermore, control experiments provide a fundamental sight into the mechanism of the reaction.
An efficient ruthenium catalyst is reported, for the first time, to catalyse the α‐methylation of ketones and esters using methanol as a green methylating agent. The in situ generated catalyst from the complexes [RuCp*Cl2]2 or [RuCp*Cl2]n with dpePhos provided up to quantitative yields in the presence of only 20 mol% of lithium tert‐butoxide (LiO‐t‐Bu) as a base. Regioselective mono‐ or multi‐methylation could be effectively controlled by temperature. This catalyst system was also effective for the one‐pot sequential α‐alkylation–α‐methylation of methyl ketones and conjugate reduction–α‐methylation of α,β‐unsaturated ketones to synthesise α‐branched ketones. An application of the α‐methylation of esters using the ruthenium catalyst was demonstrated for an alternative catalytic synthesis of Ketoprofen.
The ruthenium(II)‐ or rhodium(III)‐catalyzed pyrimidinyl‐directed Grignard‐type C−H additions of N‐heterocycles with activated aldehydes and ketones are described. A cationic ruthenium catalyst and sodium acetate additive in dichloroethane as solvent were found to be optimal catalytic system for the construction of C‐7 alkylated indolines. In sharp contrast, a cationic rhodium complex allows the generation of C‐2 alkylated indoles and pyrroles as well as C‐1 alkylated carbazoles. The site‐selective C−H functionalization of these heterocyclic scaffolds could be an important asset towards the development of novel bioactive compounds.
A regio‐ and stereoselective method for the synthesis of (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated carbonyls has been developed via a silver‐catalyzed tandem epoxide rearrangement/intermolecular carbonyl‐heteroalkyne metathesis. Various heteroalkynes including ynol ethers, ynamides, and thioalkynes work well for this transformation, leading to the production of (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated esters, amides, and thioesters in moderate to excellent yields with good functional group compatibility. It represents one of the rare examples of regio‐ and stereoselective intermolecular alkyne‐carbonyl metathesis (ACM).
Cobalt‐catalyzed C−H amination of arenes with alkylamines by the assistance of 8‐aminoquinoline as auxiliary through sp2 C−H bond functionalization has been achieved. Attractive features of this protocol include the low loading of the cobalt catalyst and the readily available reagents.
