Metal-catalyzed Coupling Reactions Research Articles

Purple Light-Promoted Coupling of Bromopyridines with Grignard Reagents via SET.

Alkyl- and arylpyridines and 2,2'-bipyridines are conventionally prepared by Minisci reactions of pyridines and transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions of halopyridines. Herein, purple light-promoted radical coupling reactions of 2- or 4-bromopyridines with Grignard reagents in Et2O or a mixture of Et2O and tetrahydrofuran in regular glassware without the need for a transition metal catalyst were disclosed for the first time. Methyl, primary and secondary alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, pyridyl, and alkynyl Grignard reagents were compatible with the protocol. As a result, alkyl- and arylpyridines and 2,2'-bipyridines were easily prepared. Single electron transfer from the Grignard reagent to bromopyridine was stimulated by purple light. An electron extruded from the dimerization of the Grignard reagent worked as the catalyst. Light on/off experiments indicated that constant irradiation was required for product formation. Studies of radical clock substrates verified the involvement of a pyridyl radical from bromopyridine and the noninvolvement of an alkyl or aryl radical from the Grignard reagent. The available proof supports a photoinduced SRN mechanism for the new coupling reactions.

2-Pyran-4-Ylidene Malononitrile Based Conjugated Microporous Polymers as Metal-Free Heterogeneous Photocatalysts for Organic Synthesis.

Photoactive conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) as heterogeneous photocatalysts provide a sustainable alternative to classical metal-based semiconductor photosensitizers. However, previously reported CMPs are typically synthesized through metal catalyzed coupling reactions, which bears product separation, but also increases the price of materials. Herein, a new type of sp2 carbon linked DCM-CMPs are successfully designed and synthesized by organic base catalyzed Knoevenagel reaction using 2,6-Dimethyl-4H-pyran-4-ylidene-malononitrile and aromatic polyaldehydes as monomers. The new polymers feature inherent porosity, excellent stability, and fully π-conjugated skeleton with broad visible-light absorption. They effectively induce the synthesis of benzimidazole compounds under light irradiation, and exhibit wide substrate adaptability with outstanding recyclability.

Synergistic use of photocatalysis and convergent paired electrolysis for nickel-catalyzed arylation of cyclic alcohols

The merging of transition metal catalysis with electrochemistry has become a powerful tool for organic synthesis because catalysts can govern the reactivity and selectivity. However, coupling catalysts with alkyl radical species generated by anodic oxidation remains challenging because of electrode passivation, dimerization, and overoxidation. In this study, we developed convergent paired electrolysis for the coupling of nickel catalysts with alkyl radicals derived from photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge-transfer of cyclic alcohols and iron catalysts, providing a practical method for site-specific and remote arylation of ketones. The synergistic use of photocatalysis with convergent paired electrolysis can provide alternative avenues for metal-catalyzed radical coupling reactions.

Enones from aldehydes and alkenes by carbene-catalyzed dehydrogenative couplings

Enones are widely explored in synthetic chemistry as fundamental building blocks for a wide range of reactions and exhibit intriguing biological activities that are pivotal for drug discovery. The development of synthetic strategies for highly efficient preparation of enones thereby receives intense attention, in particular through the transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions. Here, we describe a carbene-catalyzed cross dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction that enables effective assembly of simple aldehydes and alkenes to afford a diverse set of enone derivatives. Mechanistically, the in situ generated aryl radical is pivotal to “activate” the alkene by forming an allyl radical through intermolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) pathway and thus forging the carbon-carbon bond formation with aldehyde as the acyl synthon. Notably, our method represents the first example on the enone synthesis through coupling of “non-functionalized” aldehydes and alkenes as coupling partners, and offers a distinct organocatalytic pathway to the transition metal-catalyzed coupling transformations.

Bimetallic Cu/Pd(ppm)-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura couplings: DFT studies on mechanism, roles of Pd(ppm) and ligands

Transition metal-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling (SMC) reaction is an important method to constructe the C-C bond. In this work, the mechanisms of SMC between ArI and ArB(OH)2 (Ar=C6H4(OCH3)) catalyzed by single [Cu] catalyst and bimetallic [Cu]/[Pd] catalysts have been studied by DFT calculations. Comparing to the N, O-bidentate ligand, the N, P-bidentate ligand coordinated [L12-Cu] catalyst is not efficient for the above reaction, due to the high energy barrier of the C-C coupling procedure. The different coordination mode of the N, O-bidentate ligand increases the positive charge of coupling C atom, lowering the energy barrier when catalyzed by [L13-Cu]. The [Cu]/[Pd] catalyzed process involves two cycles: LCuAr is obtained from the [Cu] catalyzed cycle by the reaction between ArB(OH)2 and [L12Cu]. The [Pd] catalyzed cycle consists of four steps: L12Pd(0) insertion into C-I bond by oxidation addition, coordination transformation, transmetallation between LCuAr and ArPdI, and C-C coupling by reductive elimination. In these two cycles, the coordination transformation of the Pd is the rate-determining step. The participation of [Pd] catalyst changes the C-C coupling process from the Cu center to the Pd center, which lowers the energy barrier and makes the reaction become easier.

Recent Advances in First-Row Transition Metal-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling Reactions for π-Bond Functionalization and C-Glycosylation.

ConspectusEfficient construction of ubiquitous carbon-carbon bonds between two electrophiles has garnered interest in recent decades, particularly if it is mediated by nonprecious, first-row transition metals. Reductive coupling has advantages over traditional cross-coupling by obviating the need for stoichiometric air- and moisture-sensitive organometallic reagents. By harnessing transition metal-catalyzed reductive coupling as a powerful tool, intricate molecular architectures can be readily assembled through the installation of two C-C bonds across π systems (alkenes/alkynes) via reaction with two appropriate electrophiles. Despite advances in reductive alkene difunctionalization, there remains significant potential for the discovery of novel reaction pathways. In this regard, development of reductive protocols that enable the union of challenging alkyl/alkynyl electrophiles in high regio- and chemoselectivity remains a highly sought-after goal.Apart from π-bond functionalization, reductive coupling has found application in carbohydrate chemistry, particularly in the synthesis of valuable C-glycosyl compounds. In this vein, suitable glycosyl donors can be used to generate reactive glycosyl radical intermediates under reductive conditions. Through elaborately designed reactions, these intermediates can be trapped to furnish pharmaceutically relevant glycoconjugates. Consequently, diversification in C-glycosyl compound synthesis using first-row transition metal catalysis holds strong appeal.In this Account, we summarize our efforts in the development of first-row transition metal-catalyzed reductive coupling reactions for applications in alkene/alkyne functionalization and C-glycosylation. We will first discuss the nickel (Ni)-catalyzed reductive difunctionalization of alkenes, aided by an 8-aminoquinoline (AQ) directing auxiliary. Next, we highlight the Ni-catalyzed hydroalkylation of alkenyl amides tethered with a similar AQ-derived directing auxiliary. Lastly, we discuss an efficient synthesis of 1,3-enynes involving site- and stereoselective reductive coupling of terminal alkynes with alkynyl halides and NHPI esters.Beyond alkene dicarbofunctionalization, we extended the paradigm of transition metal-catalyzed reductive coupling toward the construction of C-glycosidic linkages in carbohydrates. By employing an earth-abundant iron (Fe)-based catalyst, we show that useful glycosyl radicals can be generated from glycosyl chlorides under reductive conditions. These intermediates can be captured in C-C bond formation to furnish valuable C-aryl, C-alkenyl, and C-alkynyl glycosyl compounds with high diastereoselectivity. Our Ni-catalyzed multicomponent union of glycosyl chlorides, aryl/alkyl iodides, and isobutyl chloroformate under reductive conditions led to the stereoselective synthesis of C-acyl glycosides. In addition to Fe and Ni, we discovered a Ti-catalyzed/Mn-promoted synthetic route to access C-alkyl and C-alkenyl glycosyl compounds, through the reaction of glycosyl chlorides with electron-deficient alkenes/alkynes. We further developed an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) photoactivation system leveraging decarboxylative and deaminative strategies for C-glycosylation under Ni catalysis. This approach has been demonstrated to selectively activate carboxyl and amino motifs to furnish glycopeptide conjugates. Finally, through two distinct catalytic transformations of bench-stable heteroaryl glycosyl sulfones, we achieved stereodivergent access to both α- and β-anomers of C-aryl glycosides, one of which involves a Ni-catalyzed reductive coupling with aryl iodides.The findings presented in this Account are anticipated to have far-reaching implications beyond our research. We foresee that these results will pave the way for new transformations founded on the concept of reductive coupling, leading to the discovery of novel applications in the future.

Indole-Based Macrocyclization by Metal-Catalyzed Approaches

This review is dedicated to the different varieties of macrocycles synthesis bearing indole units in their architecture by metal-catalyzed strategies. The progress of the new macrocyclization approaches is persisted be a keen area of research. Macrocycles contain a wide variety of molecules, and among those, heteroaryl motifs are valuable constituents that provide an attractive feature to macrocyclic systems. Indole represents one of the privileged pharmacophores against a variety of targets with various biological applications. Among the nitrogen-based heterocycles, indole plays a prominent role in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceuticals, natural products synthesis, agrochemicals, dye and fragrances, and drug design. These scaffolds are widely distributed in several bioactive natural products and synthetic macrocycles constructed against a specific biochemical target and the most common constituents of naturally occurring molecules. Due to its immense importance, the progress of novel approaches for the synthesis of indole-based scaffolds has increased steadily. The majority of the macrocycles synthesis proceeds through the macrolactamization and macrolactonization, as well as the C–C bond macrocyclization process described by metal-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and coupling reactions. Among macrocyclizations, metal-catalyzed approaches are considered one of the most powerful tools for synthetic chemists in the design of a variety of macrocycles. This review aims to give a comprehensive insight into the synthesis of varieties of macrocycles bearing indole scaffold catalyzed by various transition metals that emerged in the literature over the last two decades. We hope that this review will persuade synthetic chemists to search for novel strategies for the C–C bond macrocyclization by metal-catalyzed protocols.

Fluoroalkylations and Fluoroalkenylations with Iodonium Salts.

Synthesis and applications of fluoroalkyl and fluoroalkenyliodonium salts are summarized in this account article, focusing preferably to the reagents designed in our laboratory in the last decade. Among these reagents trifluoroethyl(aryl)iodonium salts have been used most frequently to build carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in simple nucleophilic substitutions and through transition metal catalyzed coupling reactions. Iodonium salts equipped with unsaturated fluorinated function showed diverse reactivity due to their electron deficient character, and these molecular motifs enable cycloadditions and nucleophilic additions to prepare fluorinated carbo- and heterocyclic molecules. Beyond the overview of existing transformations, with the presented collection, we aim to inspire future developments of iodonium reagents and their application in organic synthesis.

Mechanistic Views on the Manganese Catalyzed Homogeneous Coupling Reactions

Abstract: The transition metal-catalyzed C-C and C-X (X=heteroatom) homo and crosscoupling reactions were pioneered as a momentous strategy for the total synthesis of natural products, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc. Among the various transition metal-catalyzed reactions, manganese catalysis held a distinctive identity owing to its earth-abundance and eco-friendliness apart from its unique characteristics. Despite having many synthetic advancements, exploiting manganese as a catalyst for coupling reactions has recently gained pivotal gravity. An in-depth comprehension of the molecular mechanism of the chemical reaction will provide further insight to optimize the reaction conditions. The mechanisms adopted by Mn-catalyzed couplings are found to differ from other first-row transition metal counterparts. Hence in this article, we provide the state-of-the-art on the detailed theoretical aspects of manganese-catalyzed carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-heteroatom (C-X; X=Si) coupling reactions.

From Dinitrogen to N-Containing Organic Compounds: Using Li2CN2 as a Synthon.

By synergizing the heterogeneous synthetic approach with the homogeneous synthetic methodology, N-containing organic compounds can be synthesized via activated N-containing species prepared from N2 gas and suitable carbon sources. From N2, carbon, and LiH, we have previously succeeded in the high-yield preparation of Li2CN2 as the activated N-containing species. In this work, we applied Li2CN2 as a novel synthetic synthon for constructing N-containing organic compounds. A series of reaction models, including substitution reaction, cycloaddition reaction, and transition metal-catalyzed coupling reaction, were successfully performed using Li2CN2 under mild conditions. Various valuable cyanamides, carbodiimides, N-aryl cyanamides and 1,2,4-triazole derivatives were readily synthesized in moderate to excellent yields. With this method, the 15N-labeled products, including oxazolidine derivatives with anti-cancer activity, could also be facilely prepared from 15N2 gas.

Ring-expansion from tellurophenes to telluropyrans: inhibition of C–Te bond cleavages in transition metal-catalyzed reactions

Telluropyran derivatives have been facilely synthesized via a ring-expansion cyclization from the corresponding tellurophene compounds and their conjugation can be extended via various transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions.

Copper-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Between (E)-1,2-Diiodoethene and Carbazates: Entry to β-Functionalized N-Alkenylcarbazates

Aims: This work aims to widen the scope of methodologies to prepare functionalized N-alkenylcarbazates. Background: Alkenylcarbazates are generally prepared via Aza-Baylis-Hillman reactions, nucleophilic attack on ketones or a tandem carbometallation/amidation reaction of alkynes. Objective: The objective of this work is to develop a method to prepare functionalized Nalkenylcarbazates that alleviates the problem encountered in the above methods (use of electron deficient alkenes, use of stoiechiometric amounts of metal, access to symmetrical dicarbazates only). Methods: Use of copper-catalyzed cross-coupling between vinylic diiodide and carbazates to prepare functionalized N-alkenylcarbazates. Results: Various β-iodovinylcarbazates were synthesized with up to good yields. The highest yields were obtained using dicarbazates. Functionalization of β-iodovinylcarbazate demonstrated that the vinyl iodide moiety of these molecules can be substituted by a variety of functional groups via transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions. Conclusion: Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction is efficient to prepare functionalized N-alkenylcarbazates.

Polyaniline-supported nano metal-catalyzed coupling reactions: Opportunities and challenges

Polyanilines (PANIs) can be easily prepared from the available and cheap anilines via the oxidative polymerization reactions. Owing to the coordination of nitrogen in the material with metals, PANIs are widely used as the support of nano metal catalysts. In comparison with inorganic supports, the nano metals on PANIs were firmly anchored via the coordination bond so that they are not easily to lose during the reaction process. Moreover, since PANIs are versatile materials and their chemical features can be adjusted by introducing functional groups onto the monomers, the catalytic activities of the prepared catalysts are tunable. During the past decade, PANIs-supported nano metal catalysts have been widely applied in a variety of coupling reactions. This review aims to summarize the recent advances and give a perspective.

Digitization and validation of a chemical synthesis literature database in the ChemPU

Despite huge potential, automation of synthetic chemistry has only made incremental progress over the past few decades. We present an automatically executable chemical reaction database of 100 molecules representative of the range of reactions found in contemporary organic synthesis. These reactions include transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions, heterocycle formations, functional group interconversions, and multicomponent reactions. The chemical reaction codes or χDLs for the reactions have been stored in a database for version control, validation, collaboration, and data mining. Of these syntheses, more than 50 entries from the database have been downloaded and robotically run in seven modular chemputers with yields and purities comparable to those achieved by an expert chemist. We also demonstrate the automatic purification of a range of compounds using a chromatography module seamlessly coupled to the platform and programmed with the same language.

Non-Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Coupling Reactions Using Hypervalent Iodine Reagents.

Transition metal-catalyzed direct oxidative coupling reactions via C-H bond activation have emerged as a straightforward strategy for the construction of complex molecules in organic synthesis. The direct transformation of C-H bonds into carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds renders the requirement of prefunctionalization of starting materials and, therefore, represents a more efficient alternative to the traditional cross-coupling reactions. The key to the unprecedented progress made in this area has been the identification of an appropriate oxidant that facilitates oxidation and provides heteroatom ligands at the metal center. In this context, hypervalent iodine compounds have evolved as mainstream reagents particularly because of their excellent oxidizing nature, high electrophilicity, and versatile reactivity. They are environmentally benign reagents, stable, non-toxic, and relatively cheaper than inorganic oxidants. For many years, palladium catalysis has dominated these oxidative coupling reactions, but eventually, other transition metal catalysts such as gold, copper, platinum, iron, etc. were found to be promising alternate catalysts for facilitating such reactions. This review article critically summarizes the recent developments in non-palladium-catalyzed oxidative coupling reactions mediated by hypervalent iodine (III) reagents with significant emphasis on understanding the mechanistic aspects in detail.

Photo and copper dual catalysis for allene syntheses from propargylic derivatives via one-electron process.

Different from the traditional two-electron oxidative addition-transmetalation-reductive elimination coupling strategy, visible light has been successfully integrated into transition metal-catalyzed coupling reaction of propargylic alcohol derivatives highly selectively forming allenenitriles: specifically speaking, visible light-mediated Cu-catalyzed cyanation of propargylic oxalates has been realized for the general, efficient, and exclusive syntheses of di-, tri, and tetra-substituted allenenitriles bearing various synthetically versatile functional groups. A set of mechanistic studies, including fluorescence quenching experiments, cyclic voltammetric measurements, radical trapping experiments, control experiments with different photocatalyst, and DFT calculation studies have proven that the current reaction proceeds via visible light-induced redox-neutral reductive quenching radical mechanism, which is a completely different approach as compared to the traditional transition metal-catalyzed two-electron oxidative addition processes.

Construction of aziridine, azetidine, indole and quinoline-like heterocycles via Pd-mediated C-H activation/annulation strategies.

N-Heterocycles can be found in natural products and drug molecules and are indispensable components in the area of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry and materials science. The construction of these N-containing heterocycles by traditional methods usually requires the preparation of reactive intermediates. In the past decades, with the rapid growth of transition metal catalysed coupling reactions, syntheses of heterocycles from precursors with inert chemical bonds have become a challenge. More recently, in the field of transition metal associated C-H direct functionalization, efficient methods have been developed for the syntheses of N-heterocyclic compounds such as aziridines, azetidines, indoles and quinolines under the click type of reaction mode. In this review, representative synthetic methodologies developed in the recent 10 years for the preparation of this small class of N-heterocycles via the Pd-catalysed C-H activation and C-N bond formation pathway are discussed. We hope this article will provide new insights from the strategies highlighted into future molecular design, synthesis and applications in medical and materials sciences.

BN-Embedded Perylenes.

Transition metal catalyzed coupling reaction strategy has been utilized in the synthesis of two novel BN-perylenes starting from halogenated BN-naphthalene derivatives. The molecular structures and packing modes of BN-perylenes were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray single-crystal diffraction experiments. Their photophysical properties were further investigated using UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Interestingly, the isosteric BN-insertion in perylene system resulted in stronger π-π stacking interaction both in solid and solution phases. The synthesized BN-perylenes are proved to be highly stable and thus provide a new valuable platform for novel organic materials applications which is otherwise inaccessible to date.

Research Progress and Application of Bioorthogonal Reactions in Biomolecular Analysis and Disease Diagnosis.

Bioorthogonal reactions are rapid, specific and high yield reactions that can be performed in in vivo microenvironments or simulated microenvironments. At present, the main biorthogonal reactions include Staudinger ligation, copper-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition, strain-promoted [3 + 2] reaction, tetrazine ligation, metal-catalyzed coupling reaction and photo-induced biorthogonal reactions. To date, many reviews have reported that bioorthogonal reactions have been used widely as a powerful tool in the field of life sciences, such as in target recognition, drug discovery, drug activation, omics research, visualization of life processes or exogenous bacterial infection processes, signal transduction pathway research, chemical reaction dynamics analysis, disease diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, to date, few studies have investigated the application of bioorthogonal reactions in the analysis of biomacromolecules in vivo. Therefore, the application of bioorthogonal reactions in the analysis of proteins, nucleic acids, metabolites, enzyme activities and other endogenous molecules, and the determination of disease-related targets is reviewed. In addition, this review discusses the future development opportunities and challenges of biorthogonal reactions. This review presents an overview of recent advances for application in biomolecular analysis and disease diagnosis, with a focus on proteins, metabolites and RNA detection.

A review on Homo- and Hetero- coupling reactions

Coupling reactions are extensively used in both academics and industry. In this review, a brief literature on homo- and hetero- coupling reactions along with their general mechanisms are provided. Metal-catalyzed coupling reactions are efficient and reliable method for the introduction of new carbon–carbon sigma bond in product. Along with this, we also discussed the step-wise general mechanism of various cross-coupling reactions. Applications of these reactions are also discussed by giving various examples from the literature..