Tetramethylammonium Fluoride Tetrahydrate-Mediated Transition Metal-Free Coupling of Aryl Iodides with Unactivated Arenes in Air.

Biaryls are important compounds with widespread applications in many fields. Tetramethylammonium fluoride tetrahydrate was found to promote the biaryl coupling of aryl iodides bearing electron-withdrawing substituents with unactivated arenes. The reaction takes place at temperatures between 100 and 150°C and can be applied to a wide range of aromatic and heteroaromatic rings, affording the products in moderate to high yields. The reaction does not require strong bases or expensive additives that are employed in the existing methods and can be conducted in air and moisture without any precautions.

Mechanistic interrogation of the asymmetric lithiation-trapping of N-thiopivaloyl azetidine and pyrrolidine.

A fundamental mechanistic study of the s-BuLi/chiral diamine-mediated lithiation-trapping of N-thiopivaloyl azetidine and pyrrolidine is reported. We show that lithiated thiopivalamides are configurationally unstable at -78 °C. Reaction then proceeds via a dynamic resolution of diastereomeric lithiated intermediates and this accounts for the variable sense and degree of asymmetric induction observed compared to N-Boc heterocycles.