Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation from C-C Activation.

ConspectusC-C single bonds are ubiquitous in organic compounds. The activation and subsequent functionalization of C-C single bonds provide a unique opportunity to synthesize conventionally inaccessible molecules through the rearrangement of carbon skeletons, often with a favorable atom and step economy. However, the C-C bonds are thermodynamically and kinetically inert. Consequently, the activation of C-C bonds is particularly attractive yet challenging in the field of organic chemistry. In the past decade, we sought to develop efficient strategies to carry out transition-metal-catalyzed diverse C-C cleavage/C-C forming reactions and to obtain some insights into the intrinsic reactivities of different C-C bonds. With our efforts, readily available alcohols, carboxylic acids, and ketones served as suitable substrates for the catalytic C-C coupling reactions, which are reviewed in this Account. In 2009, we observed a Ni-catalyzed cross coupling of aryl nitriles with arylboronic esters through C-CN cleavage. Encouraged by these results, we are interested in transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation. Due to their broad availability, we then turned our attention to C-C cleavage of carboxylic acids. Rhodium-catalyzed decarbonylative coupling of carboxylic acids with (hetero)arenes was then achieved through oxidative addition of in situ formed, more reactive mixed anhydrides to Rh(I) without the need for oxidants that are commonly required for the decarboxylative coupling of carboxylic acids. Subsequently, the decarbonylation of more challenging unstrained aryl ketones was realized under Rh catalysis assisted by N-containing directing groups. Following this work, a group exchange of aryl ketones with carboxylic acids was achieved through 2-fold C-C bond cleavage. By employing the chelation strategy, Rh-catalyzed C-C bond activation of secondary benzyl alcohols was also accomplished through ß-carbon elimination of the rhodium alcoholate intermediates. The competing oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones via ß-hydrogen elimination of the same intermediates was suppressed as thermodynamically favorable five-membered rhodacycles are formed after ß-carbon elimination. Different types of transformations of alcohols, including the Heck-type reaction with alkenes, cross coupling with arylsilanes, and Grignard-type addition with aldehydes or imines, have been achieved, showing the great potential of secondary alcohols in the formation of C-C bonds. These C-C bond-forming reactions are complementary to traditional cross couplings of aryl halides with organometallic reagents. However, these transformations produce small molecules as byproducts. To improve the atom economy, we then investigated C-C bond transformations of strained-ring cyclic compounds. Ni-catalyzed intermolecular cyclization of benzocyclobutenones with alkynes was recently achieved via the uncommon cleavage of the C1-C8 bond by employing a removable blocking strategy. Rh-catalyzed intramolecular annulation of benzocyclobutenols with alkynes was also achieved. In summary, our developments demonstrate the great potential of transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation for the formation of new C-C bonds. To further expand the synthetic utility of C-C bond activation, more efforts are required to expand the substrate scope and to achieve earth-abundant metal-catalyzed transformations.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetracyclic Cycloheptanols through (4+3) Annulation via C-C/C-H Activation Cascade.

Transition metal-catalyzed annulations of four-membered rings via C-C activation are powerful tools to construct complex fused and bridged ring systems. Despite significant progress in (4+1), (4+2) and (4+4) annulations, the (4+3) annulation remains unexplored. Herein, we develop an asymmetric Rh-catalyzed intramolecular (4+3) annulation of α-arylalkene-tethered benzocyclobutenols for the synthesis of dihydrofuran-annulated dibenzocycloheptanols with two discontinuous chiral carbon centers via a C-C and C-H activation cascade. The reaction features excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities and 100 % atom economy, and is applicable to late-stage modification of complex molecules.

Site-Selective C-C Cleavage of Benzocyclobutenones Enabled by a Blocking Strategy Using Nickel Catalysis.

Controlling the chemo- and regioselectivity of transition-metal-catalyzed C-C activation remains a great challenge. The transformations of benzocyclobutenones (BCBs) usually involve the cleavage of C1-C2 bond. In this work, an unprecedented highly selective cleavage of C1-C8 bond with the insertion of alkynes is achieved by using blocking strategy via Ni catalysis, providing an efficient method for synthesis of 1,8-disubstituted naphthalenes. Notably, the blocking group could be readily removed after the transformation.

Catalytic activations of unstrained C-C bond involving organometallic intermediates.

The cleavage of C-C bonds has been a great challenge owing to their thermodynamic and kinetic stability. To date, the progress made in this area has mainly relied on the reaction of small rings, which is driven by releasing ring strain. Encouragingly, more and more examples of the cleavage of non-strained C-C bonds have been reported. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation of relatively stable and unstrained molecules that involves the formation of organometallic intermediates. In the first section we focus on the C-C bond activation achieved through ß-carbon elimination, and in the second section the oxidative addition of the C-C bond to low-valent metal is summarized in detail.

Oxidant-Controlled Catalytic Transformations of Phenols with Unexpected Cleavage of Aromatic Rings.

Oxidative transformations of phenols have attracted significant attention of chemists due to their importance in biological process and organic synthesis. In contrast to the relatively well-developed oxygenation and coupling reactions of phenols, the highly efficient and selective oxidative ring cleavage of phenols is under-represented. This work describes a novel CuCl-catalyzed tandem homocoupling/skeletal rearrangement of phenols that realizes the cleavage of the phenol ring by using air or Ag2CO3 as the oxidant. Interestingly, simply changing the oxidant to K2S2O8 results in the oxidative coupling/cyclization of phenols to give dibenzofurans. These results set an important precedent of oxidant-controlled catalytic transformations of phenols.

Gold-catalyzed cascade C-H/C-H cross-coupling/cyclization/alkynylation: an efficient access to 3-alkynylpyrroles.

An efficient approach to 3-alkynylpyrroles has been developed through the gold-catalyzed reaction of ß-enamino derivatives with terminal alkynes, which features complete regiocontrol, relatively wide substrate scope, and high functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies show that the reaction proceeds through the gold-catalyzed cascade oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling, cyclization and alkynylation.

Transition-metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalizations: feasible access to a diversity-oriented ß-carboline library.

Diversification of the ß-carboline skeleton has been demonstrated to assemble a ß-carboline library starting from the tetrahydro-ß-carboline framework. This strategy affords feasible access to heteroaryl-, aryl-, alkenyl-, or alkynyl-substituted ß-carbolines at the C1, C3, or C8 position through three categorically different types of transition-metal-catalyzed CC bond-forming reactions, in the presence of multiple potentially reactive positions. These site-selective functionalizations include; 1) the Cu-catalyzed C1/C3-selective decarboxylative C sp 3C sp 2 and C sp 3Csp coupling of hexahydro-ß-carboline-3-carboxylic acid with a CH bond of a heteroarene or terminal alkyne; 2) the chelation-assisted Pd-catalyzed C1/C8-selective CH arylation of hexahydro-ß-carboline with aryl boron reagents; and 3) the chelation-assisted Pd-catalyzed C1/C3-selective oxidative CH/CH cross-coupling of ß-carboline-N-oxide with arenes, heteroarenes, or alkenes. The saturated structural feature of the hexahydro-ß-carboline framework can increase reactivity and control site selectivity. The robustness of these approaches has been demonstrated through the synthesis of hyrtioerectine analogues and perlolyrine. We believe that these strategies could provide inspiration for late-stage diversifications of bioactive core scaffolds.

Gold-catalyzed C(sp3)-H/C(sp)H coupling/cyclization/oxidative alkynylation sequence: a powerful strategy for the synthesis of 3-alkynyl polysubstituted furans.

In sharp contrast to the gold-catalyzed reactions of alkynes/allenes with nucleophiles, gold-catalyzed oxidative cross-couplings and especially C-H/C-H cross-coupling have been under represented. By taking advantage of the unique redox property and carbophilic π acidity of gold, this work realizes the first gold-catalyzed direct C(sp(3))-H alkynylation of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with terminal alkynes under mild reaction conditions, with subsequent cyclization and in situ oxidative alkynylation. A variety of terminal alkynes including aryl, heteroaryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkyl, and cyclopropyl alkynes all successfully participate in the domino reaction. The protocol offers a simple and region-defined approach to 3-alkynyl polysubstituted furans.

A general method to diverse cinnolines and cinnolinium salts.

Rhodium catalysis: A highly efficient and general method has been established to prepare cinnolines, cinnolinium salts, and polycyclic cinnolinium salts through the rhodium(III)-catalyzed oxidative C-H activation/cyclization of azo compounds with alkynes (see scheme). Key features of this methodology include the unprecedented capacity to create both cinnoline and cinnolinium frameworks.

Iron-catalyzed oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling: an efficient route to α-quaternary α-amino acid derivatives.

Fully loaded: A coordinating activation strategy has been developed to furnish α-quaternary α-amino acids through the iron(III)-catalyzed oxidative functionalization of α-C(sp(3) )H bonds of α-tertiary α-amino acid esters. The reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope for both α-amino acids and nucleophiles (Nu) as well as good functional-group tolerance (see scheme, DTBP=di-tert-butyl peroxide, DCE=1,2-dichloroethane).

N-oxide as a traceless oxidizing directing group: mild rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H olefination for the synthesis of ortho-alkenylated tertiary anilines.

Double role: A traceless directing group also acts as an internal oxidant in a novel Rh(III) -catalyzed protocol developed for the synthesis of ortho-alkenylated tertiary anilines. A five-membered cyclometalated Rh(III) complex is proposed as a plausible intermediate and confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.

Rhodium or ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling: direct access to extended π-conjugated systems.

Doubling up: a chemo- and regioselective oxidative cross-coupling between various N-heteroarene-containing arenes and heteroarenes has been carried out by rhodium- or ruthenium-catalyzed twofold C-H activation, to deliver an array of highly functionalized π-conjugated systems.

Palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of N-heteroarenes with arylsulfonyl hydrazides.

Hydrazides applied: A palladium-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of heteroarenes, with arylsulfonyl hydrazides as the arylating reagents, has been developed. The reaction is chemoselective, in that arylsulfonyl hydrazides containing halogen substituents can be employed without participation of the halogen substituent in the reaction. The method offers a straightforward approach to a variety of aryl-heteroaryl compounds.

Elements of regiocontrol in the direct heteroarylation of indoles/pyrroles: synthesis of bi- and fused polycyclic heteroarenes by twofold or tandem fourfold C-H activation.

Cross-coupling: the "chelation-directed control" and "catalytic-system-based control" strategies effectively switch the C2/C3-site selectivity in the heteroarylation of indoles and pyrroles with N-heteroarenes by a palladium-catalyzed twofold C-H activation to form biheteroarenes and are further extended to the synthesis of complex fused tri- and tetracyclic heteroarenes by a tandem fourfold C-H activation.

Regiocontrolled Annulation of Benzocyclobutenols with Alkynes.

A tandem reaction that involves an unprecedented Rh-catalyzed intramolecular annulation of benzocyclobutenols with alkynes and subsequent ZnCl2-promoted dehydration was developed, offering an efficient approach to 2H-furan-, pyran-, and oxepine-fused naphthalenes. Furthermore, the 2H-furan motif may undergo a ring-opening reaction through Fe-catalyzed reductive C-O bond cleavage. As a consequence, the formal intermolecular annulation of 2-hydroxybenzocyclobutenols with alkynes was realized with complete regioselectivity through a two-step protocol.

Gold(I)-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydroamination of N-Allylic,N'-Aryl Ureas to form Imidazolidin-2-ones.

Treatment of N-allylic,N'-aryl ureas with a catalytic 1:1 mixture of di-tert-butyl-o-biphenylphoshphine gold(I) chloride and silver hexafluorophosphate (1 mol %) in chloroform at room temperature led to 5-exo hydroamination to form the corresponding imidazolidin-2-ones in excellent yield. In the case of N-allylic ureas that possessed an allylic alkyl, benzyloxymethyl, or acetoxymethyl substituent, gold(I)-catalyzed 5-exo hydroamination leads to formation of the corresponding trans-3,4-disubstituted imidazolidin-2-ones in excellent yield with ≥50:1 diastereoselectivity.

Skeleton Reorganization of Substituted Benzocyclobutenols through Rh-Catalyzed C-C Bond Cleavage Manipulated by Hydrogen Transfer.

Although transition-metal-catalyzed C-C bond activation has been investigated extensively, C-C bond cleavage manipulated by hydrogen transfer has been unexplored. In this work, we disclose a skeleton reorganization of alkene-tethered benzocyclobutenols through Rh-catalyzed C-C bond cleavage coupled with intra- and intermolecular hydrogen transfer. The reaction pathway was well-tuned by the catalytic systems. As a result, divergent benzofurans bearing 4-ß-hydroxy or 4-ß-keto moieties were synthesized under pH- and redox-neutral conditions.

Isoreticular chiral metal-organic frameworks for asymmetric alkene epoxidation: tuning catalytic activity by controlling framework catenation and varying open channel sizes.

A family of isoreticular chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) of the primitive cubic network topology was constructed from [Zn(4)(µ(4)-O)(O(2)CR)(6)] secondary building units and systematically elongated dicarboxylate struts that are derived from chiral Mn-Salen catalytic subunits. CMOFs 1-5 were synthesized by directly incorporating three different chiral Mn-Salen struts into the frameworks under solvothermal conditions, and they were characterized by a variety of methods, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction, PXRD, TGA, and (1)H NMR. Although the CMOFs 1 vs 2 and CMOFs 3 vs 4 pairs were constructed from the same building blocks, they exhibit two-fold interpenetrated or non-interpenetrated structures, respectively, depending on the steric sizes of the solvents that were used to grow the MOF crystals. For CMOF-5, only a three-fold interpenetrated structure was obtained due to the extreme length of the Mn-Salen-derived dicarboxylate strut. The open channel and pore sizes of the CMOF series vary systematically, owing to the tunable dicarboxylate struts and controllable interpenetration patterns. CMOFs 1-5 were shown to be highly effective catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation of a variety of unfunctionalized olefins with up to 92% ee. The rates of epoxidation reactions strongly depend on the CMOF open channel sizes, and the catalytic activities of CMOFs 2 and 4 approach that of a homogeneous control catalyst. These results suggest that, although the diffusion of bulky alkene and oxidant reagents can be a rate-limiting factor in MOF-catalyzed asymmetric reactions, the catalytic activity of the CMOFs with large open channels (such as CMOFs 2 and 4 in the present study) is limited by the intrinsic reactivity of the catalytic molecular building blocks. The CMOF catalysts are recyclable and reusable and retain their framework structures after epoxidation reactions. This work highlights the potential of generating highly effective heterogeneous asymmetric catalysts via direct incorporation of well-defined homogeneous catalysts into framework structures of MOFs.

Gold-catalyzed cyclization of (Z)-2-en-4-yn-1-ols: highly efficient synthesis of fully substituted dihydrofurans and furans.

[reaction: see text] The gold-catalyzed cyclization of (Z)-enynols offers an efficient and straightforward route to stereodefined (Z)-5-ylidene-2,5-dihydrofurans and fully substituted furans under extremely mild reaction conditions. Importantly, the results indicated that both the oxyauration and the proto-demetalation steps are highly stereoselective.