Bidentate Directing Groups: An Efficient Tool in C-H Bond Functionalization Chemistry for the Expedient Construction of C-C Bonds.

During the past decades, synthetic organic chemistry discovered that directing group assisted C-H activation is a key tool for the expedient and siteselective construction of C-C bonds. Among the various directing group strategies, bidentate directing groups are now recognized as one of the most efficient devices for the selective functionalization of certain positions due to fact that its metal center permits fine, tunable, and reversible coordination. The family of bidentate directing groups permit various types of assistance to be achieved, such as N,N-dentate, N,O-dentate, and N,S-dentate auxiliaries, which are categorized based on the coordination site. In this review, we broadly discuss various C-H bond functionalization reactions for the formation of C-C bonds with the aid of bidentate directing groups.

Regioselective Transition-Metal-Free C(sp2 )-H Borylation: A Subject of Practical and Ongoing Interest in Synthetic Organic Chemistry.

Considerable advances have been made in the area of C-H functionalization in the last few decades. A number of approaches including both directed and nondirected strategies have been developed thus far. Among the various C-H functionalizations, C-H borylation is of special interest due to the wide applications of organoboron compounds. In this regard, various transition-metal-catalyzed regioselective strategies have been developed. However, the major concern regarding metal-catalyzed C-H borylation procedures is the requirement of a precious metal as well as the contamination by metal precursors in the desired products, which limit the application of this process in large-scale synthesis. Therefore, recent trends have involved the use of transition-metal-free systems. We summarize recent developments in transition-metal-free regioselective C-H borylation. We believe that this Review will help to increase interest in this field and stimulate further progress.

Transient Imine as a Directing Group for the Metal-Free o-C-H Borylation of Benzaldehydes.

Organoboron reagents are important synthetic intermediates and have wide applications in synthetic organic chemistry. The selective borylation strategies that are currently in use largely rely on the use of transition-metal catalysts. Hence, identifying much milder conditions for transition-metal-free borylation would be highly desirable. We herein present a unified strategy for the selective C-H borylation of electron-deficient benzaldehyde derivatives using a simple metal-free approach, utilizing an imine transient directing group. The strategy covers a wide spectrum of reactions and (i) even highly sterically hindered C-H bonds can be borylated smoothly, (ii) despite the presence of other potential directing groups, the reaction selectively occurs at the o-C-H bond of the benzaldehyde moiety, and (iii) natural products appended to benzaldehyde derivatives can also give the appropriate borylated products. Moreover, the efficacy of the protocol was confirmed by the fact that the reaction proceeds even in the presence of a series of external impurities.

Effect of Sulfonamide and Carboxamide Ligands on the Structural Diversity of Bimetallic RhII-RhII Cores: Exploring the Catalytic Activity of These Newly Synthesized Rh2 Complexes.

A new class of dirhodium(II) complexes with tethered sulfonamide and carboxamide ligands was synthesized and characterized. A new type of coordination mode was found for the quinoline moiety containing a sulfonamide ligand, which afforded the axially coordination-free bimetallic dirhodium complexes. Studies were conducted on the catalytic properties of these complexes for cyclopropanation reactions, and the findings indicate that a free axial coordination site is crucial for achieving a high degree of reactivity.

RhIII -Catalyzed Double Dehydrogenative Coupling of Free 1-Naphthylamines with α,ß-Unsaturated Esters.

The RhIII -catalyzed, consecutive double C-H oxidative coupling of free 1-naphthylamine and α,ß-unsaturated esters through C-H/C-H and C-H/N-H bonds is reported. The one step reaction leads to the formation of biologically important alkylidene-1,2-dihydrobenzo[cd]indoles scaffolds. This efficient process is much more synthetically convenient and useful than others because the starting materials, such as 1-naphthylamine derivatives are readily available and the free amine serves as a directing group.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Alkylation of C-H Bonds in Aromatic Amides with Non-activated 1-Alkenes: The Possible Generation of Carbene Intermediates from Alkenes.

The alkylation of C-H bonds (hydroarylation) in aromatic amides with non-activated 1-alkenes using a rhodium catalyst and assisted by an 8-aminoquinoline directing group is reported. The addition of a carboxylic acid is crucial for the success of this reaction. The results of deuterium-labeling experiments indicate that one of deuterium atoms in the alkene is missing, suggesting that the reaction does not proceed through the commonly accepted mechanism for C-H alkylation reactions. Instead the reaction is proposed to proceed through a carbene mechanism. The carbene mechanism is also supported by preliminary DFT calculations.

Rhodium-Catalyzed C(sp2 )- or C(sp3 )-H Bond Functionalization Assisted by Removable Directing Groups.

In recent years, transition-metal-catalyzed C-H activation has become a key strategy in the field of organic synthesis. Rhodium complexes are widely used as catalysts in a variety of C-H functionalization reactions because of their high reactivity and selectivity. The availability of a number of rhodium complexes in various oxidation states enables diverse reaction patterns to be obtained. Regioselectivity, an important issue in C-H activation chemistry, can be accomplished by using a directing group to assist the reaction. However, to obtain the target functionalized compounds, it is also necessary to use a directing group that can be easily removed. A wide range of directed C-H functionalization reactions catalyzed by rhodium complexes have been reported to date. In this Review, we discuss Rh-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions that are aided by the use of a removable directing group such as phenol, amine, aldehyde, ketones, ester, acid, sulfonic acid, and N-heteroaromatic derivatives.

Organosilicon Reducing Reagents for Stereoselective Formations of Silyl Enol Ethers from α-Halo Carbonyl Compounds.

Salt-free stereoselective synthesis of silyl enol ethers was achieved by treating α-halo carbonyl compounds with 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-dihydropyrazine. In this reaction, easily removable trimethylsilyl halides and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine were generated as the reaction byproducts. Due to the inertness of the reaction byproducts, we found a one-pot transformation of the in situ generated silyl enol ethers into various α-functionalized carbonyls by reaction with Togni-II reagent or aldehydes.

Mixed Ligated Tris(amidinate)dimolybdenum Complexes as Catalysts for Radical Addition of CCl4 to 1-Hexene: Leaving Ligand Lability Controls Catalyst Activity.

We synthesized a series of mixed ligated tris(amidinate)dimolybdenum complexes, namely, [Mo2(DAniF)3(L)] [DAniF = N,N'-di(p-anisyl)formamidinate; L = acetate (OAc; 1a), m-diphenylphosphino benzoate (m-PPh2Bz; 1b), nicotinate (Nico; 1c), benzoate (Bz; 1d), 3-furoate (3-Furo; 1e), isonicotinate (IsoNico; 1f), and trifluoromethanesulfonate (OTf; 1g)], which served as catalysts for radical addition of CCl4 to 1-hexene to give 1,1,1,3-tetrachloroheptane. These mixed ligated complexes 1a-g afforded the higher yield of the radical addition product than a homoleptic DAniF complex, [Mo2(DAniF)4] (2). Among them, complexes 1a and 1g gave the radical addition product quantitatively after 9 h with a short induction period. When complexes 1a and 1g were treated with CCl4, we detected the mixed-valence Mo2(II/III) complex, [Mo2(DAniF)3Cl2] (4), in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry measurements, indicating that the leaving nature of the L ligands was a crucial factor for initiating the catalytic reaction: the catalytic activity of the carboxylate-bridged complex 1a and the triflate-bridged complex 1g in the initial 30 min highly depended on the ligand-exchange rate of L, as estimated by monitoring the reaction with CCl4 in pyridine, giving the pyridine adduct complex, [Mo2(DAniF)3Cl(py)] (3).

The [3]Dendralene Motif as an Entry into Nazarov Cyclizations by Silylium-Ion Initiation.

Geminal alkenes bearing an aryl and an allenyl group contain the motif of [3]dendralenes. The central alkene double bond in these cross-conjugated polyenes can be reacted with a silylium ion, thereby initiating a Nazarov cyclization. The cationic intermediate emerging from the electrocyclic ring closure is captured by hydride in the presence of excess hydrosilane. The resulting benzannulated methylenecyclopentene derivatives bearing a silylalkyl group then engage in silylium-ion regeneration followed by an unusual endo-selective intramolecular hydrosilylation. This cascade eventually leads to the formation of a silicon-containing bicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleton.

Silylium-Ion-Promoted Hydrosilylation of Aryl-Substituted Allenes: Interception by Cyclization of the Allyl-Cation Intermediate.

A trityl-cation-initiated, silylium-ion-promoted hydrosilylation of aryl-substituted allenes is reported. Depending on the hydrosilane-to-initiator ratio, the hydrosilylation can be intercepted by an intramolecular electrophilic aromatic substitution or a Nazarov electrocyclization of an allyl-cation intermediate in the form of its endo isomer. By this, the selective formation of either the conventional 1,2-hydrosilylation product (vinylsilane) or a cyclized product (silylated indane) can be controlled.

Aluminium complexes: next-generation catalysts for selective hydroboration.

Organoboranes obtained from hydroboration reactions are one of the important classes of compounds that could be used to provide valuable synthons for follow-up transformations such as various functional group incorporation or C-C bond forming reactions. For decades, various transition metals were utilised as catalysts in such transformations. Recently Earth-abundant and less toxic main group metals have revived their importance in hydroboration chemistry, among which the suitable candidates are aluminium complexes as catalysts. In this regard, the development of aluminium complexes to achieve more robust catalytic systems with greater efficiency is appreciable.

Origin of the Enhanced Reactivity in the ortho C-H Borylation of Benzaldehydes with BBr3.

The metal-free ortho C-H borylation of benzaldehyde derivatives using a transient imine directing group was recently developed by our group, providing an efficient strategy for the synthesis of organoboron reagents. Herein, we report on an extensive investigation of the reaction mechanism using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Computations for the reaction pathway with various imine substrates, as well as the effect of an added base were examined, and the experimentally observed reactivity enhancement is proposed to originate from the tunability of the destabilizing strain energies that results in a reversible complexation process with BBr3.

Pyrimidine-directed metal-free C-H borylation of 2-pyrimidylanilines: a useful process for tetra-coordinated triarylborane synthesis.

Convenient, easily handled, laboratory friendly, robust approaches to afford synthetically important organoboron compounds are currently of great interest to researchers. Among the various available strategies, a metal-free approach would be overwhelmingly accepted, since the target boron compounds can be prepared in a metal-free state. We herein present a detailed study of the metal-free directed ortho-C-H borylation of 2-pyrimidylaniline derivatives. The approach allowed us to synthesize various boronates, which are synthetically important compounds and various four-coordinated triarylborane derivatives, which could be useful in materials science as well as Lewis-acid catalysts. This metal-free directed C-H borylation reaction proceeds smoothly without any interference by external impurities, such as inorganic salts, reactive functionalities, heterocycles and even transition metal precursors, which further enhance its importance.

Rh(ii)-catalyzed branch-selective C-H alkylation of aryl sulfonamides with vinylsilanes.

Rhodium(ii)-catalyzed unusual branch-selective ortho-C-H alkylation of aryl sulfonamides with vinylsilanes was achieved using an 8-aminoquinoline directing group. Notably, the para-substituted aryl sulfonamides gave mono-(branched)alkylated products exclusively without the formation of any double C-H alkylated byproducts. The results of deuterium labeling experiments suggest that both hydrometalation and carbometalation pathways are involved in this conversion.

Rhodium(i)-catalyzed mono-selective C-H alkylation of benzenesulfonamides with terminal alkenes.

The Rh(i)-catalyzed ortho-alkylation of benzenesulfonamides with alkenes with the aid of an 8-aminoquinoline directing group is reported. The reaction is applicable to a variety of benzenesulfonamide derivatives and various alkenes. Curiously, unactivated 1-alkenes were more reactive than activated alkenes. Deuterium labeling experiments indicate that an unusual 1,2-H shift mechanism to generate a carbene rhodium intermediate is involved.

Dehalogenation of vicinal dihalo compounds by 1,1'-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1H,1'H-4,4'-bipyridinylidene for giving alkenes and alkynes in a salt-free manner.

We report a transition metal-free dehalogenation of vicinal dihalo compounds by 1,1'-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1H,1'H-4,4'-bipyridinylidene (1) under mild conditions, in which trimethylsilyl halide and 4,4'-bipyridine were generated as byproducts. The synthetic protocol for this dehalogenation reaction was effective for a wide scope of dibromo compounds as substrates while keeping the various functional groups intact. Furthermore, the reduction of vicinal dichloro alkanes and vicinal dibromo alkenes also proceeded in a salt-free manner to afford the corresponding alkenes and alkynes.

Group 1 and group 2 metal complexes supported by a bidentate bulky iminopyrrolyl ligand: synthesis, structural diversity, and ε-caprolactone polymerization study.

We report here a series of alkali and alkaline earth metal complexes, each with a bulky iminopyrrolyl ligand [2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3NH] (1-H) moiety in their coordination sphere, synthesized using either alkane elimination or silylamine elimination methods or the salt metathesis route. The lithium salt of molecular composition [Li(2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N)(THF)2] (2) was prepared using the alkane elimination method, and the silylamine elimination method was used to synthesize the dimeric sodium and tetra-nuclear potassium salts of composition [(2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N)Na(THF)]2 (3) and [(2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N)K(THF)0.5]4 (4) respectively. The magnesium complex of composition [(THF)2Mg(CH2Ph){2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N}] (5) was synthesized through the alkane elimination method, in which [Mg(CH2Ph)2(OEt2)2] was treated with the bulky iminopyrrole ligand 1-H in 1 : 1 molar ratio, whereas the bis(iminopyrrolyl)magnesium complex [(THF)2Mg{2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N}2] (6) was isolated using the salt metathesis route. The heavier alkaline earth metal complexes of the general formula {(THF)nM(2-(Ph3CN=CH)C4H3N)2} [M = Ca (7), Sr (8), and n = 2; M = Ba (9), n = 3] were prepared in pure form using two synthetic methods: in the first method, the bulky iminopyrrole ligand 1-H was directly treated with the alkaline earth metal precursor [M{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF)n] (where M = Ca, Sr and Ba) in 2 : 1 molar ratio in THF solvent at ambient temperature. The complexes 7-9 were also obtained using the salt metathesis reaction, which involves the treatment of the potassium salt (4) with the corresponding metal diiodides MI2 (M = Ca, Sr and Ba) in 2 : 1 molar ratio in THF solvent. The molecular structures of all the metal complexes (1-H, 2-9) in the solid state were established through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The complexes 5-9 were tested as catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone. High activity was observed in the heavier alkaline earth metal complexes 7-9, with a very narrow polydispersity index in comparison to that of magnesium complexes 5 and 6.