Photoinduced Pd-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of Allylic C-H Bonds.

Allylic sulfones are valuable motifs due to their medicinal and biological significance and their versatile chemical reactivities. While direct allylic C-H sulfonylation represents a straightforward and desirable approach, these methods are primarily restricted to terminal alkenes, leaving the engagement of the internal counterparts a formidable challenge. Herein we report a photocatalytic approach that accommodates both cyclic and acyclic internal alkenes with diverse substitution patterns and electronic properties. Importantly, the obtained allylic sulfones can be readily diversified into a wide range of products, thus enabling formal alkene transposition and all-carbon quaternary center formation through the sequential C-H functionalization.

General Regio- and Diastereoselective Allylic C-H Oxygenation of Internal Alkenes.

Branched allylic esters and carboxylates are fundamental motifs prevalent in natural products and drug molecules. The direct allylic C-H oxygenation of internal alkenes represents one of the most straightforward approaches, bypassing the requirement for an allylic leaving group as in the classical Tsuji-Trost reaction. However, current methods suffer from limited scope─often accompanied by selectivity issues─thus hampering further development. Herein we report a photocatalytic platform as a general solution to these problems, enabling the coupling of diverse internal alkenes with carboxylic acids, alcohols, and other O-nucleophiles, typically in a highly regio- and diastereoselective manner.

Visible Light-Induced Reactions of Diazo Compounds and Their Precursors.

In recent years, visible light-induced reactions of diazo compounds have attracted increasing attention in organic synthesis, leading to improvement of existing reactions, as well as to the discovery of unprecedented transformations. Thus, photochemical or photocatalytic generation of both carbenes and radicals provide milder tools toward these key intermediates for many valuable transformations. However, the vast majority of the transformations represent new reactivity modes of diazo compounds, which are achieved by the photochemical decomposition of diazo compounds and photoredox catalysis. In particular, the use of a redox-active photocatalysts opens the avenue to a plethora of radical reactions. The application of these methods to diazo compounds led to discovery of transformations inaccessible by the classical reactivity associated with carbenes and metal carbenes. In most cases, diazo compounds act as radical sources but can also serve as radical acceptors. Importantly, the described processes operate under mild, practical conditions. This Review describes this subfield of diazo compound chemistry, particularly focusing on recent advancements.

Recent Advances in Visible Light Induced Palladium Catalysis.

Visible light-induced Pd catalysis has emerged as a promising subfield of photocatalysis. The hybrid nature of Pd radical species has enabled a wide array of radical-based transformations otherwise challenging or unknown via conventional Pd chemistry. In parallel to the ongoing pursuit of alternative, readily available radical precursors, notable discoveries have demonstrated that photoexcitation can alter not only oxidative addition but also other elementary steps. This Minireview highlights the recent progress in this area.

Escape from Hydrofunctionalization: Palladium Hydride-Enabled Difunctionalization of Conjugated Dienes and Enynes.

Palladium hydrides are traditionally employed in hydrofunctionalization (i.e. monofunctionalization) of conjugated dienes and enynes, owning to its facile protic hydropalladation of electron-rich (or neutral) unsaturated bonds. Herein, we report a mild PdH-catalyzed difunctionalization of conjugated dienes and enynes. This protocol is enabled by the chemoselectivity switch of the initial hydropalladation step achieved by visible light enhancement of hydricity of PdH species. This method allows for cascade annulation of dienes and enynes with various easily available and abundant substrates, such as acrylic acids, acrylic amides, and Baylis-Hillman adducts, toward a wide range of alkenyl or alkynyl lactones, lactams, and tetrahydrofurans. This protocol also provides an easy access to complex spiro-fused tricyclic frameworks.

Advances in Selected Heterocyclization Methods.

This Account summarizes efforts in our group toward synthesis of heterocycles in the past decade. Selected examples of transannulative heterocyclizations, intermediate construction of reactive compounds en route to these important motifs, and newer developments of a radical approach are outlined.

One-Pot Formal Carboradiofluorination of Alkenes: A Toolkit for Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Probe Development.

We report the first one-pot formal alkene carboradiofluorination reaction employing easily accessible alkenes as both prosthetic group precursors and coupling partners. The methodology features rapid sequential Markovnikov-selective iodofluorination and photoinduced Pd(0/I/II)-catalyzed alkyl Heck reaction as a mild and robust fluorine-18 (18F) radiochemical approach for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging probe development. A new class of prosthetic groups for PET imaging probe synthesis was isolated as iodofluorinated intermediates in moderate to excellent yields. The one-pot formal alkenylfluorination reaction was carried out to produce over 30 analogues of a wide range of bioactive molecules. Further application of the Pd(0/I/II) manifold in PET probe development was illustrated by the direct carbo(radio)fluorination of electron-rich alkenes. The methods were successfully translated to radiolabel a broad scope of medicinally relevant small molecules in generally good radiochemical conversion. The protocol was further optimized to accommodate no-carrier-added conditions with similar efficiency for future (pre)clinical translation. Moreover, the radiosynthesis of prosthetic groups was automated in a radiochemistry module to facilitate its practical use in multistep radiochemical reactions.

Merging of Light/Dark Palladium Catalytic Cycles Enables Multicomponent Tandem Alkyl Heck/Tsuji-Trost Homologative Amination Reaction toward Allylic Amines.

A visible light-induced palladium-catalyzed homologative three-component synthesis of allylic amines has been developed. This protocol proceeds via a unique mechanism involving two distinct cycles enabled by the same Pd(0) catalyst: a visible light-induced hybrid radical alkyl Heck reaction between 1,1-dielectrophile and styrene, followed by the "in dark" classical Tsuji-Trost-type allylic substitution reaction. This method works well with a broad range of primary and secondary amines, aryl alkenes, dielectrophiles, and in complex settings. The regiochemistry of the obtained products is primarily governed by the structure of 1,1-dielectrophile. Involvement of π-allyl palladium intermediates allowed for the control of stereoselectivity, which has been demonstrated with up to 95:5 er.

Enhanced Excited-State Hydricity of Pd-H Allows for Unusual Head-to-Tail Hydroalkenylation of Alkenes.

Photoinduced enhancement of hydricity of palladium hydride species enables unprecedented hydride addition-like ("hydridic") hydropalladation of electron-deficient alkenes, which allows for chemoselective head-to-tail cross-hydroalkenylation of electron-deficient and electron-rich alkenes. This mild and general protocol works with a wide range of densely functionalized and complex alkenes. Notably, this approach also allows for highly challenging cross-dimerization of electronically diverse vinyl arenes and heteroarenes.

Targeting lipid-protein interaction to treat Syk-mediated acute myeloid leukemia.

Membrane lipids control the cellular activity of kinases containing the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain through direct lipid-SH2 domain interactions. Here we report development of new nonlipidic small molecule inhibitors of the lipid-SH2 domain interaction that block the cellular activity of their host proteins. As a pilot study, we evaluated the efficacy of lipid-SH2 domain interaction inhibitors for spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), which is implicated in hematopoietic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). An optimized inhibitor (WC36) specifically and potently suppressed oncogenic activities of Syk in AML cell lines and patient-derived AML cells. Unlike ATP-competitive Syk inhibitors, WC36 was refractory to de novo and acquired drug resistance due to its ability to block not only the Syk kinase activity, but also its noncatalytic scaffolding function that is linked to drug resistance. Collectively, our study shows that targeting lipid-protein interaction is a powerful approach to developing new small molecule drugs.

General and Selective Metal-Free Radical α-C-H Borylation of Aliphatic Amines.

Despite recent developments, selective C(sp3)-H borylation of feedstock amines remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we have developed a general, mild, and photoinduced transition metal- and strong base-free method for α-C(sp3)-H borylation of amines. This protocol features a regioselective 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer process to access key α-aminoalkyl radical intermediate using commercially available easy-to-install/remove iodobenzoyl radical translocating group. Remarkably, this general, efficient, and operationally simple method allows activation of primary and secondary α-C-H sites of a broad range of acyclic and cyclic amines toward highly regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of valuable α-aminoboronates. Utility of this protocol has been demonstrated by its employment in late-stage borylation of structurally complex amines and formal C-H arylation reaction of amines. Thus, it is expected that this operationally simple, general, and practical method will find broad application in organic synthesis and drug discovery.

Asymmetric intermolecular allylic C-H amination of alkenes with aliphatic amines.

Aliphatic allylic amines are found in a great variety of complex and biorelevant molecules. The direct allylic C-H amination of alkenes serves as the most straightforward method toward these motifs. However, use of widely available internal alkenes with aliphatic amines in this transformation remains a synthetic challenge. In particular, palladium catalysis faces the twin challenges of inefficient coordination of Pd(II) to internal alkenes but excessively tight and therefore inhibitory coordination of Pd(II) by basic aliphatic amines. We report a general solution to these problems. The developed protocol, in contrast to a classical Pd(II/0) scenario, operates through a blue light-induced Pd(0/I/II) manifold with mild aryl bromide oxidant. This open-shell approach also enables enantio- and diastereoselective allylic C-H amination.

Palladium Hydride-Enabled Hydroalkenylation of Strained Molecules.

We report the first palladium hydride enabled hydroalkenylation of strained molecules. This new mild protocol proceeds via a regio- and chemoselective hydropalladation step, followed by a photoinduced radical alkyl Heck reaction. This methodology represents a new reactivity mode for strained molecules and opens new avenues for photoinduced palladium catalysis. The reaction is compatible with a wide range of functional groups and can be applied to complex structures, delivering a diverse array of highly valuable and modifiable alkenylated cyclobutanes and cyclopropanes. A hydroalkenylation/diastereoselective rearrangement cascade toward a cyclopentene scaffold has also been demonstrated.

Accessing Illusive E Isomers of α-Ester Hydrazones via Visible-Light-Induced Pd-Catalyzed Heck-Type Alkylation.

A visible-light-induced Pd-catalyzed stereoselective synthesis of alkylated ester hydrazones has been developed. This method operates via generation of a nucleophilic carbon-centered radical from alkyl bromide, iodide, or redox-active ester, followed by its addition to hydrazone, and a subsequent desaturation by palladium. The majority of products have E configuration, which are inaccessible by conventional condensation methods. In addition, a sequential C,N-alkylation protocol has been developed: a reaction between 1,3-dihalides and glyoxylate-derived hydrazone, delivering tetrahydropyridazines.

Visible Light-Induced Transition Metal Catalysis.

In recent years, visible light-induced transition metal catalysis has emerged as a new paradigm in organic photocatalysis, which has led to the discovery of unprecedented transformations as well as the improvement of known reactions. In this subfield of photocatalysis, a transition metal complex serves a double duty by harvesting photon energy and then enabling bond forming/breaking events mostly via a single catalytic cycle, thus contrasting the established dual photocatalysis in which an exogenous photosensitizer is employed. In addition, this approach often synergistically combines catalyst-substrate interaction with photoinduced process, a feature that is uncommon in conventional photoredox chemistry. This Review describes the early development and recent advances of this emerging field.

Recent advances in visible light-induced C(sp 3)-N bond formation.

Synthetic chemists have long focused on selective C(sp 3)-N bond-forming approaches in response to the high value of this motif in natural products, pharmaceutical agents and functional materials. In recent years, visible light-induced protocols have become an important synthetic platform to promote this transformation under mild reaction conditions. These photo-driven methods rely on converting visible light into chemical energy to generate reactive but controllable radical species. This Review highlights recent advances in this area, mostly after 2014, with an emphasis placed on C(sp 3)-H bond activations, including amination of olefins and carbonyl compounds, and cross-coupling reactions.

Visible Light Induced Brønsted Acid Assisted Pd-Catalyzed Alkyl Heck Reaction of Diazo Compounds and N-Tosylhydrazones.

A mild visible light-induced palladium-catalyzed alkyl Heck reaction of diazo compounds and N-tosylhydrazones is reported. A broad range of vinyl arenes and heteroarenes with high functional group tolerance, as well as a range of different diazo compounds, can efficiently undergo this transformation. This method features Brønsted acid-assisted generation of hybrid palladium C(sp3 )-centered radical intermediate, which allowed for new selective C-H functionalization protocol.

Visible Light-Induced Pd-Catalyzed Alkyl-Heck Reaction of Oximes.

A visible light-induced palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H alkylation of oximes has been developed. This mild protocol allows for an efficient atom economical C-C bond construction of alkyl-substituted oximes. A broad range of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl bromides and iodides, as well as a range of different formaldoximes, can efficiently undergo this transformation. The method features visible light-induced generation of nucleophilic hybrid alkyl Pd radical intermediates, which upon radical addition at the imine moiety and a subsequent ß-hydrogen elimination deliver substituted imines.

Three-Component Visible-Light-Induced Palladium-Catalyzed 1,2-Alkyl Carbamoylation/Cyanation of Alkenes.

A mild visible-light-induced Pd-catalyzed one-pot three-component alkyl-carbamoylation and cyanation of alkenes was developed. This general transformation, which proceeds via the in situ formation of a reactive ketenimine intermediate, allows for a rapid construction of a broad range of valuable amides and nitriles from readily available alkenes, alkyl iodides, and isocyanides. An efficient synthesis of tetrazole and amidine via this approach was also demonstrated.