Decarboxylative Annulation Research Articles

Comprehensive construction of biologically active α‐carbolines from synthetic and natural origin

α‐Carboline is an important scaffold present in various synthetic and naturally obtained bioactive compounds possessing a wide range of pharmacological properties. Hence, in the current comprehensive review, we intend to present the main routes to the synthesis of α‐carboline analogs based on various pathways such as pyrrole, benzene, and pyridine ring annulation. The pathways include either or combinations of transition metal‐catalyzed amination/arylation, Graebe‐Ullmann reaction (thermal pyrolysis, photochemical cyclization), Diels‐Alder cycloaddition and condensation reactions, N‐Heterocyclic carbene catalysed reactions, decarboxylative annulation, etc. of substituted benzene, pyridine, quinoline, and indole derivatives in order to compare the potential of synthetic routes of this series and consolidate the development, current status and perspectives for the design of α‐carboline analogs. Various pharmacological and spectroscopy functions of the compounds belonging to this class are summarized herewith. It also discusses the synthesis of functionalized bioactive naturally obtained hetero‐annulated α‐ carbolines.

Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Annulation Reaction of Aryl Iodides and Methyl 2-Haloarenecarboxylates.

A ligand-free palladium-catalyzed and norbornadiene-mediated annulation reaction of iodoarenes with methyl 2-haloarenecarboxylates is reported. The sequentially accomplished reaction comprises intermolecular C-H arylation, followed by intramolecular decarboxylative annulation, affording various valuable phenanthrenes. This reaction protocol could be expanded to triphenylene syntheses whereby norbornene was the cocatalyst. Interestingly, the decarboxylation of methyl esters was accomplished via solvent-mediated CMe-O bond cleavages.

Visible-light-induced decarboxylative annulation of silanecarboxylic acids with 2‑isocyanobiaryls to 6‑silyl-substituted phenanthridines

A visible-light-induced decarboxylative annulation of 2‑isocyanobiaryls to 6‑silyl-substituted phenanthridines has been developed in this study. A series of 6‑silyl-substituted phenanthridines were obtained with a broad substrate scope under mild conditions. Compared with the reported methods, the strategy developed in this work does not require the use of peroxides and the reaction system is green and safe.

Norbornene Derivatives-Controlled Palladium-Catalyzed Divergent Synthesis of Dibenzo[a,c]cycloheptenones and Fluorenones from Aryl Iodides and α-Oxocarboxylic Acids.

A palladium-catalyzed divergent cascade decarboxylative annulation of aryl iodides and α-oxocarboxylic acids using norbornene (NBE) derivatives as a controlled switch is reported. When NBE is used as a mediator, fluorenones are synthesized with moderate to excellent yields via a Catellani reaction that involves sequential ortho-C-H arylation and ipso-decarboxylative acylation of aryl iodides. Employing oxanorbornadiene (ONBD) instead of NBE enables the assembly of dibenzo[a,c]cycloheptenones by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction rather than the release of an ONBD. Additionally, the synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated by the diversification of the products.

Au-allenylidene promoted decarboxylative annulation to access unsaturated γ-lactams/lactones.

A novel Au-allenylidene promoted decarboxylative annulation by intramolecular α-nucleophilic addition has been disclosed. The unsaturated cyclic ethynylethylene carbamates/carbonates can be converted to unique nucleophiles attached with alkylidene ketenes by sequential decarboxylation and oxidation processes. Such alkylidene ketenes can be rapidly trapped by intramolecular α-attacking annulation to generate potential biological active unsaturated γ-lactams/lactones with broad scope, facile post-modification, high regioselectivity and efficiency.

Rh(III)-Catalyzed C-H Activation of Benzamides and Chemodivergent Annulation with Benzoxazinanones: Substrate Controlled Selectivity.

Decarboxylative annulation of propargyl carbamates with benzamides has been realized via rhodium-catalyzed C-H bond activation under mild conditions, delivering two distinct classes of heterocycles in high efficiency and selectivity under substrate control. This protocol provides a direct synthetic method for the preparation of functionalized 1,8-naphthyridines and isoindolinones.

Cu(II)-Catalyzed Decarboxylative (4 + 2) Annulation of Coumarin-3-Carboxylic Acids with In Situ Generated α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds from tert-Propargylic Alcohols

Cu(II)-catalyzed decarboxylative oxidative (4 + 2) annulation of coumarin-3-carboxylic acids with tert-propargylic alcohols, via the in situ generated α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by the Meyer-Schuster rearrangement, has been developed. This protocol involving indirect C-H functionalization offers access to diverse naphthochromenone architectures with good to excellent yields.

Base-Promoted Decarboxylative Annulation of Methyl 2-(2-Bromophenyl)acetates and Ynones to Access Benzoxepines

A simple and efficient base-mediated decarboxylative annulation of ynones with methyl 2-(2-bromophenyl)acetates has been developed. A broad range of benzoxepines were prepared with a broad substrate scope and high regioselectivity in moderate to excellent yields under transition-metal-free conditions. This method proceeds through a tandem [2 + 4] annulation, ring-opening decarboxylative reaction, and the intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction. Additionally, the key intermediates were successfully obtained and characterized unambiguously by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, which could favorably support a decarboxylative annulation mechanism. Furthermore, gram-scale reaction and synthetic applications for the further functionalization are also studied.

Cu-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Annulation of N-Phenylglycines with Maleimides: Synthesis of 1H-Pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline-1,3(2H)-diones

A novel protocol for the construction of functionalized 1H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinoline-1,3(2H)-diones (PQLs, 3) from N-phenylglycines and maleimides was developed. The cascade reaction was enabled by heating a mixture of the two substrates in the presence of di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) as an oxidant and anhydrous CuBr as a catalyst in chlorobenzene. Consequently, a diverse series of PQLs 3 were synthesized in moderate-to-good yields (43-73%). The synthesis of the PQLs was enabled via a one-pot cascade reaction that proceeded through subsequent oxidative decarboxylation, 1,2-addition, intramolecular cyclization, tautomerization, and aromatization reactions. This protocol can be used for the synthesis of functionalized PQLs via a one-pot oxidative decarboxylation annulation reaction rather than through a series of multistep reactions, making it suitable for both combinatorial and parallel syntheses of PQLs.

Cu-catalyzed decarboxylative annulation of proline derivatives: multi-component synthesis of functionalized chromeno[2,3-c]-pyrrol-9(1H)-one derivatives

This strategy involved an unprecedented cascade reaction for the synthesis of CMPOs 3 and 3′via the cleavage of two bonds and the formation of three bonds in a single step.

Ag(I)‐Promoted Decarboxylative Annulation of Alkynoic Acids towards 2‐Arylimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines

AbstractA silver‐promoted decarboxylative annulation of alkynoic acids with 2‐aminopyridines has been developed to assemble 2‐arylimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines. Various functionalities in the aromatic rings in the two substrates are well tolerated in this reaction and gave the desired products in good yields for a broad scope of substrates. Additional advantages of this protocol include mild reaction conditions and high regioselectivity. This report represents the first example of synthesis of 2‐arylimidazo[1,2‐a]pyridines from alkynoic acids.

Oxygen-doped carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic activity in visible-light-induced decarboxylative annulation reactions

An oxygen atom-doped modification strategy was developed to improve the photocatalytic activity of graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4), which was successfully employed as a reusable photocatalyst in the cascade annulation reaction of N-sulfonyl ketimines with N-aryl glycines. The oxygen-doped g-C3N4 (denoted as OCN) displays better catalytic performance than bulk g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. Moreover, this heterogeneous photocatalyst can be easily recovered and recycled at least 5 times without loss of activity. Such a strategy would offer an expansion for the development of novel heterogeneous photocatalysts and their applications in organic synthesis.

Chemoselective Transformations of Cyclic β-Bromoacrylic Acids with Palladacycles Formed by Aryl Iodides to Access Fused or Spiro Polycycles.

A palladium-catalyzed chemoselective decarboxylative annulation of different aryl iodides with cyclic β-bromoacrylic acids for the construction of interesting fused and spiro polycycles is disclosed. Notably, cyclic β-bromoacrylic acids can chemoselectively act as C1 or C2 insertion units by the use of different aryl iodides. 2-Iodo-N-methacryloylbenzamides can undergo a Heck/[4+2] annulation to afford hexahydrodibenzoisoquinoline-4,6(5H)-diones. Employing 2-iodobiphenyls or N-(2-iodophenyl)-2-phenylacrylamides as substrates enables the assembly of spirofluorenes and dispirooxindoles.

The silver-mediated annulation of arylcarbamic acids and nitrosoarenes toward phenazines

A silver-mediated annulation between arylcarbamic acids and nitrosoarenes was developed, leading to phenazines in moderate to good yields with complexity and diversity. This procedure proceeded with the sequential ortho CH functionalization of arylcarbamic acids, insertion to nitroso group and decarboxylative annulation.

Hydrogen radical-shuttle (HRS)-enabled photoredox synthesis of indanones via decarboxylative annulation

Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process is a powerful and effective strategy for activating C-H bonds followed by further functionalization. Intramolecular 1,n (n = 5 or 6)-HATs are common and frequently encountered in organic synthesis. However, intramolecular 1,n (n = 2 or 3)-HAT is very challenging due to slow kinetics. Compared to proton-shuttle process, which is well established for organic synthesis, hydrogen radical-shuttle (HRS) is unexplored. In this work, a HRS-enabled decarboxylative annulation of carbonyl compounds via photoredox catalysis for the synthesis of indanones is developed. This protocol features broad substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, internal hydrogen radical transfer, atom- and step-economy. Critical to the success of this process is the introduction of water, acting as both HRS and hydrogen source, which was demonstrated by mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Importantly, this mechanistically distinctive HAT provides a complement to that of typical proton-shuttle-promoted, representing a breakthrough in hydrogen radical transfer, especially in the inherently challenging 1,2- or 1,3-HAT.

Palladium-Catalyzed [4 + 3] or [2 + 2 + 3] Annulation via C-H Activation and Subsequent Decarboxylation: Access to Heptagon-Embedded Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

The construction of a seven-membered ring in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon skeleton remains a notoriously difficult but attractive challenge. Herein a novel palladium-catalyzed [4 + 3] decarboxylative annulation of 2-iodobiphenyls with 2-(2-halophenyl)acrylic acids is reported, which provides an efficient approach for assembling various tribenzo[7]annulenes via a C-H activation and decarboxylation process. Moreover, tribenzo[7]annulenes can be also synthesized via a [2 + 2 + 3] decarboxylative annulation strategy by employing readily available 1,2-halobenzenes, phenylboronic acids, and 2-(2-halophenyl)acrylic acids.

A three-component, general and practical route for diastereoselective synthesis of aza-spirocyclic pyrazolones via a decarboxylative annulation process

An efficient, general, and practical route for highly diastereoselective synthesis of aza-spirocyclic pyrazolones from easily available α-amino acids, aldehydes, and alkylidene pyrazolones by means of a decarboxylative annulation process is reported.

A copper-promoted synthesis of epoxy-bridged [60]fullerene-fused lactones and further derivatization.

A facile copper-promoted decarboxylative annulation of [60]fullerene (C60) with two identical α-oxocarboxylic acids via an unprecedented cascade addition pathway has been exploited to synthesize the unique epoxy-bridged C60-fused lactones for the first time. Further transformations into the rare epoxy-bridged C60-fused hemiacetals and bicyclic-fused 1,2,3,4-adducts as well as application in a perovskite solar cell device of the obtained products have also been demonstrated. The structures of the epoxy-bridged C60-fused lactones and derived reductive products have been unequivocally established by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Plausible reaction mechanisms leading to the observed products are proposed.

Metal‐free Decarboxylative Annulation of 2‐Aryl‐2‐isocyano‐acetates with Aryldiazonium Salts: General Access to 1,3‐Diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazoles

AbstractIsocyanoacetates are versatile substrates for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds, but the concomitant decarboxylation remains rare. Herein we report a decarboxylative annulation reaction of 2‐aryl‐2‐isocyanoacetates with aryldiazonium salts. This metal‐free, base‐promoted protocol allows for the access to a broad collection of 1,3‐diaryl‐1,2,4‐triazoles, including chiral triazole‐based binaphthalene ligands, drug mimics, and synthetic intermediates of druglike molecules.magnified image

Traceless Redox-Annulations of Alicyclic Amines.

Amines such as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline undergo redox-neutral annulations with ortho-(nitromethyl)benzaldehyde. Benzoic acid acts as a promoter in these reactions, which involve concurrent amine α-C–H bond and N–H bond functionalization. Subsequent removal of the nitro group provides access to tetrahydroprotoberberines not accessible via typical redox-annulations. Also reported are decarboxylative annulations of ortho-(nitromethyl)benzaldehyde with proline and pipecolic acid.