Alkyl Substrates Research Articles

Pnictogen and Chalcogen Salts as Alkylating Agents.

Alkylation reactions and their products are considered crucial in various contexts. Synthetically, the alkylation of a nucleophile is usually promoted using hazardous alkyl halides. Here, we aim to highlight the potential of pnictogen (ammonium or phosphonium) and chalcogen salts (sulfonium, selenonium, and telluronium) to function as alkylating agents. These compounds can be considered as non-volatile electrophilic alkyl reservoirs. We will center our discussion on the strategies developed in recent years to expand the synthetic utility of these salts in terms of transferable alkyl groups, substrate scope, and product selectivity.

Reductive alkyl-alkyl coupling from isolable nickel-alkyl complexes.

The selective cross-coupling of two alkyl electrophiles to construct complex molecules remains a challenge in organic synthesis1,2. Known reactions are optimized for specific electrophiles and are not amenable to interchangeably varying electrophilic substrates that are sourced from common alkyl building blocks, such as amines, carboxylic acids and halides3-5. These limitations restrict the types of alkyl substrate that can be modified and, ultimately, the chemical space that can be explored6. Here we report a general solution to these limitations that enables a combinatorial approach to alkyl-alkyl cross-coupling reactions. This methodology relies on the discovery of unusually persistent Ni(alkyl) complexes that can be formed directly by oxidative addition of alkyl halides, redox-active esters or pyridinium salts. The resulting alkyl complexes can be isolated or directly telescoped to couple with a second alkyl electrophile, which represent cross-selective reactions that were previously unknown. The utility of this synthetic capability is showcased in the rapid diversification of amino acids, natural products, pharmaceuticals and drug-like building blocks by various combinations of dehalogenative, decarboxylative or deaminative coupling. In addition to a robust scope, this work provides insights into the organometallic chemistry of synthetically relevant Ni(alkyl) complexes through crystallographic analysis, stereochemical probes and spectroscopic studies.

Mechanochemical synthesis of organoselenium compounds

We disclose herein a strategy for the rapid synthesis of versatile organoselenium compounds under mild conditions. In this work, magnesium-based selenium nucleophiles are formed in situ from easily available organic halides, magnesium metal, and elemental selenium via mechanical stimulation. This process occurs under liquid-assisted grinding (LAG) conditions, requires no complicated pre-activation procedures, and operates broadly across a diverse range of aryl, heteroaryl, and alkyl substrates. In this work, symmetrical diselenides are efficiently obtained after work-up in the air, while one-pot nucleophilic addition reactions with various electrophiles allow the comprehensive synthesis of unsymmetrical monoselenides with high functional group tolerance. Notably, the method is applied to regioselective selenylation reactions of diiodoarenes and polyaromatic aryl halides that are difficult to operate via solution approaches. Besides selenium, elemental sulfur and tellurium are also competent in this process, which showcases the potential of the methodology for the facile synthesis of organochalcogen compounds.

Metal-free photoinduced C(sp3)–H/C(sp3)–H cross-coupling to access α‑tertiary amino acid derivatives

The cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction is the most direct and efficient method for constructing α-tertiary amino acids (ATAAs), which avoids the pre-activation of C(sp3)-H substrates. However, the use of transition metals and harsh reaction conditions are still significant challenges for these reactions that urgently require solutions. This paper presents a mild, metal-free CDC reaction for the construction of ATAAs, which is compatible with various benzyl C-H substrates, functionalized C-H substrates, and alkyl substrates, with good regioselectivity. Notably, our method exhibits excellent functional group tolerance and late-stage applicability. According to mechanistic studies, the one-step synthesized and bench-stable N-alkoxyphtalimide generates a highly electrophilic trifluoro ethoxy radical that serves as a key intermediate in the reaction process and acts as a hydrogen atom transfer reagent. Therefore, our metal-free and additive-free method offers a promising strategy for the synthesis of ATAAs under mild conditions.

Nickel-Catalyzed Amination of Alkyl Electrophiles.

Bimolecular nucleophilic substitution SN2 is the earliest and most important means of amination of alkyl electrophiles; its practical utilization is largely limited to primary or activated substrates. Furthermore, a persistent challenge lies in establishing C(sp3)-N bonds from alkyl substrates in cross-coupling chemistry using palladium and nickel catalysts. Therefore, the methods of constructing C(sp3)-N bonds remain rare from alkyl electrophiles. The existing routes are limited to copper catalysis and photoredox catalysis. Here, we demonstrate an alternative amination strategy for rapid construction of C(sp3)-N bonds from accessible alkyl electrophiles, which were used as radical precursors under nickel catalysis by Ni (III) species reductive eliminations in high efficiency.

Visible‐Light‐Promoted Aliphatic C−H Chlorination and Bromination Using Haloform as the Halogen Donor and Azidobenziodoxole as the Mediator

AbstractAn azidobenziodoxole (BIN3)‐mediated tunable radical reaction system for selective chlorination and bromination of tertiary and secondary C(sp3)−H bonds of alkyl substrates using haloform as the halogen donor was developed. Reactions of various substrates with BIN3 under visible light irradiation without any photo or metal catalysts gave C−H chlorinated or brominated products. These reactions are selective, and compatible with many functional groups. Mechanistic studies suggest that haloform serves as the halogen atom donor and HN3 generated in situ from the reaction of BIN3 and water relays the radical chain reaction as the hydrogen atom donor. HN3 reacts with CHX2⋅ to form CH2X2 and N3⋅, which propagates a radical chain by abstracting a hydrogen atom of the alkane substrate.

Metal‐Free, Oxidative Condensation of Heteroaryl‐ and Aryl Carbaldehydes towards Functionalized Carbonitriles

AbstractFunctionalization of pyridines with the carbonitrile group for advanced cyclization reactions routinely incorporates metals, toxic oxidants, and cyanide reagents, often in linear synthetic sequences. Motivated by the strategic need of a heteroaryl carbonitrile synthon for further elaboration, we disclose an efficient, metal‐free, one‐pot reaction sequence that uses ammonium acetate as the nitrogen source and bis‐acetoxyiodobenzene as the oxidant with low loadings. The developed method tolerates a diverse substrate scope including heteroaryl, aryl, and alkyl substrates with similar efficiency and expands the practitioner's reaction. Method development, optimization, substrate scope, preliminary mechanistic observations, competition experiments, and a scale up reaction are delineated herein.

Kinetic Studies on the 2-Oxoglutarate/Fe(II)-Dependent Nucleic Acid Modifying Enzymes from the AlkB and TET Families.

Nucleic acid methylations are important genetic and epigenetic biomarkers. The formation and removal of these markers is related to either methylation or demethylation. In this review, we focus on the demethylation or oxidative modification that is mediated by the 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG)/Fe(II)-dependent AlkB/TET family enzymes. In the catalytic process, most enzymes oxidize 2-OG to succinate, in the meantime oxidizing methyl to hydroxymethyl, leaving formaldehyde and generating demethylated base. The AlkB enzyme from Escherichia coli has nine human homologs (ALKBH1-8 and FTO) and the TET family includes three members, TET1 to 3. Among them, some enzymes have been carefully studied, but for certain enzymes, few studies have been carried out. This review focuses on the kinetic properties of those 2-OG/Fe(II)-dependent enzymes and their alkyl substrates. We also provide some discussions on the future directions of this field.

Catalytic Carboxylation of Terminal Alkynes with Copper(I) Azothioformamide Complexes

Redox-active azothioformamide (ATF) ligands produce coordination complexes with Cu(I) salts. A series of monosubstituted ligands were used to synthesize Cu(I) complexes and investigated for the catalytic insertion of carbon dioxide into terminal alkynes. The optimal catalytic conditions were found using phenylacetylene with 4 mol % of a halogen-bridged (μ-I)-para-substituted [(p-MeOATF-Cu(I)I)]2 dimer with 3 equiv of Cs2CO3 as the base in dimethyl sulfoxide under 1 atm of CO2 at 40 °C for 24 h, followed by treatment with HCl. A variety of aryl and alkyl substrates were evaluated giving yields from 47 to 99%. The reaction was computationally deconstructed, and a series of likely intermediates and associated energies are provided along with a proposed mechanism. Additionally, it was found that the conditions were suitable for one-pot esterification.

Investigation of Alkyl–Aryl Interactions Using the Azobenzene Switch – The Influence of the Electronic Nature of Aromatic London Dispersion Donors

AbstractHerein we report the synthesis of nonsymmetrically substituted azobenzene derivatives with meta-alkyl substituents on one side and meta-aryl moieties with electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups on the other side. The half-lives for the thermal (Z)- to (E)-isomerization of these molecules were measured in n-octane, which allows investigation of the strength of the aryl–alkyl interactions between their substituents. It was found that the London dispersion donor strength of the alkyl substrate is the decisive factor in the observed stabilization, whereas the electronic structure of the aryl fragment does not influence the isomerization in a significant way.

Density functional theory study on the reductive elimination of ancillary ligand at PPC nickel complexes

AbstractDensity functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the reactions between an alkyl (or aryl) substrate and a pincer ligand at the κ3‐PPC Ni center, where reductive elimination or H elimination reactions occur. Ni complexes with PPC‐type pincer ligand showed different reactivity toward substrate, unlike conventional PCP‐type ligands. For substrates lacking β‐hydrogen, reductive elimination is preferred over completing α‐hydrogen elimination. For ethyl substrate, an intermediate and a TS for β‐H transfer with Gibbs free energy comparable to the reductive elimination were located.

In-Situ Bromination Enables Formal Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Alcohols with Aryl and Alkenyl Halides.

Although alcohols are one of the largest pools of alkyl substrates, approaches to utilize them in cross-coupling and cross-electrophile coupling are limited. We report the use of 1° and 2° alcohols in cross-electrophile coupling with aryl and vinyl halides to form C(sp3)-C(sp2) bonds in a one-pot strategy utilizing a very fast (<1 min) bromination. The reaction's simple benchtop setup and broad scope (42 examples, 56% ± 15% ave yield) facilitates use at all scales. The potential in parallel synthesis applications was demonstrated by successfully coupling all combinations of 8 alcohols with 12 aryl cores in a 96-well plate.

Ni-catalyzed C–S bond cleavage of aryl 2-pyridyl thioethers coupling with alkyl and aryl thiols

A nickel-catalyzed C–SPy bond activation reactions to produce a variety of thioethers has been developed. The reaction is promoted by a user-friendly, inexpensive, air and moisture-stable Ni precatalyst. Various aryl 2-pyridyl thioethers and a wide range of alkyl and aryl thiols substrates were tolerated in this process which afforded products in moderate to excellent yields.

Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation of Racemic Branched Alkyl-Substituted Allylic Acetates with Malonates.

The regio- and enantioselective allylic substitution of branched alkyl-substituted allylic acetates employing malonates has been achieved through a process that calls for Krische's π-allyliridium C,O-benzoate catalyst. The protocol reported herein can be applied to a diverse set of branched alkyl substrates that are generally not well tolerated in the other two types of Ir-catalyzed allylation.

Decarboxylative and Deaminative Alkylation of Difluoroenoxysilanes via Photoredox Catalysis: A General Method for Site-Selective Synthesis of Difluoroalkylated Alkanes.

A general method for site-selective difluoroalkylation of alkyl carboxylic redox esters with difluoroenoxysilanes through photoredox-catalyzed decarboxylative reaction has been developed. The reaction can also be extended to aliphatic amine derived pyridinium salts. This method has the advantages of high efficiency, mild reaction conditions, and broad substrate scope, including primary, secondary, and sterically hindered tertiaryl alkyl substrates, providing a general and practical route for applications in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical studies.

Direct C(sp3)-N Radical Coupling: Photocatalytic C-H Functionalization by Unconventional Intermolecular Hydrogen Atom Transfer to Aryl Radical.

An unconventional approach for intermolecular direct C(sp3)-N radical coupling has been developed by photocatalytic C(sp3)-H activation of simple alkyl substrates using O-benzoyl oximes. The selective photocatalytic energy-transfer-driven homolysis followed by decarboxylation generates the persistent iminyl radical and aryl radical, which would undergo an unprecedented intermolecular hydrogen atom abstraction from the alkyl substrate to provide the key C(sp3) radical. Selective radical-radical C-N cross-coupling furnishes imines which are valuable amine building blocks.

Nickel‐mediated cross‐coupling via C–O activation assisted by organoaluminum

AbstractWe report the alkylation and arylation cross‐coupling of aryl ethers based on C–O bond activation using a nickel catalyst and organoaluminum reagents. Ni(cod)2 in combination with 1,2‐bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethane ligand in toluene solution at 130°C are the best conditions. The naphthyl ether or methoxy pyridine derivatives are suitable substrates for alkylation and arylation reaction with a wider scope of aluminum reagents in good yields. Computational analysis on the pyridine substrate is provided to help delineate the mechanistic pathway and demonstrate the important aspects of the cooperative interaction bimetallic catalysis. First, the coordination of AlMe3 to the O atom of pyridine is essential for C–O activation. Second, the β‐H transfer from methoxy to pyridine could be discouraged through the use of bidentate phosphine as a ligand. Finally, excess AlMe3 reagent is critical for facilitating a reductive elimination process.

Manganese-Catalyzed Stereospecific Hydroxymethylation of Alkyl Tosylates.

The development of a stereospecific hydroxymethylation of alkyl tosylates using an inexpensive, first-row catalyst is described. The transformation proceeds under mild conditions with low pressure to deliver homologated alcohols as products. Chiral, nonracemic β-branched primary alcohols are obtained with high enantiospecificity from easily accessed secondary alkyl substrates. Simple modification of the reaction system also permits access to α-d2 alcohols. These studies use anionic metal carbonyl catalysis to access a synthetic equivalent of the challenging hydroxymethyl anion from carbon monoxide.

Facile Access to 1,4-Disubstituted Pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines from α-Aminoacetonitriles

An efficient and practical synthetic protocol for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives is described that originates from α-substituted pyrroloacetonitriles which, in turn, are readily available from aryl and alkyl aldehydes. The α-pyrroloacetonitriles were subjected to a Friedel–Crafts acylation with methyl chlorooxoacetate followed by reduction of the nitrile group under Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation conditions and finally aromatization with DDQ leading to the desired pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives. This method was generalized and successfully applied to various aryl, heteroaryl, and alkyl substrates. The developed protocol provides direct and convenient access to 1,4-disubstituted ring systems in moderate to good overall yields (51–68%) without the need for purification of the intermediates. Further functionalization via the stepwise halogenation (bromination, iodination) and nitration was also demonstrated. In addition, the potential of the ester functionality for elaboration was demonstrated by manipulating into heterocyclic ring systems, exemplified by conversion into benzoxazole derivatives.

Elucidating the mechanism of cob(I)alamin mediated methylation reactions by alkyl halides: SN2 or radical mechanism?

Methyl transfer reactions mediated by cobalamins (Cbls) have been considered as one of the most important biologically relevant molecular transformations for many enzymatic reactions catalyzed by Cbl-dependent enzymes. The exact mechanism of methyl transfer reactions involving Cbls is still poorly understood. To investigate the mechanistic details of Cbl mediated methylations by alkyl halides, density functional theory (DFT) along with the polarizable continuum model (PCM/water) for solvation has been applied. Two different mechanisms have been examined, namely SN2 and radical-based electron transfer (ET) to elucidate the methyl transfer reaction. The calculations have suggested that the methyl transfer from methyl halides proceeds through SN2 nucleophilic displacement. However, with more bulky alkyl substrate, namely isopropyl and tert-butyl halides the reaction followed the ET-based radical pathway which is associated with an ET from diradical form of cob(I)alamin to alkyl halides. Our proposed mechanism for alkyl transfer reaction corroborates with the experimental findings, which reported a mechanistic switch from a two-electron (SN2-type) to a one-electron mechanism for sterically demanding alkyl halides. The present theoretical contribution provides more in-depth insight into the methyl transfer reaction catalyzed by corrinoid-dependent methyltransferases.