Ni and Cu-catalyzed one pot synthesis of unsymmetrical 1,3-di(hetero)aryl-1H-indazoles from hydrazine, o-chloro (hetero)benzophenones, and (hetero)aryl bromides.

The nickel-catalyzed cyclization of in situ generated ortho-chlorobenzophenone hydrazone derivatives, to afford 3-(hetero)aryl-1H-indazoles, is documented for the first time. The product 1H-indazoles can be transformed subsequently in a one-pot procedure into 1,3-di(hetero)aryl-1H-indazoles via copper-catalyzed N-arylation with (hetero)aryl bromides.

Nickel-catalyzed monoarylation of ammonia.

Structurally diverse (hetero)aryl chloride, bromide, and tosylate electrophiles were employed in the Ni-catalyzed monoarylation of ammonia, including chemoselective transformations. The employed JosiPhos/[Ni(cod)2] catalyst system enables the use of commercially available stock solutions of ammonia, or the use of ammonia gas in these reactions, thereby demonstrating the versatility and potential scalability of the reported protocol. Proof-of-principle experiments established that air-stable [(JosiPhos)NiCl2] precatalysts can be employed successfully in such transformations.

Modular, efficient synthesis of asymmetrically substituted piperazine scaffolds as potent calcium channel blockers.

A novel approach to the synthesis of substituted piperazines and their investigation as N-type calcium channel blockers is presented. A common scaffold exhibiting high activity as N-type blockers is N-substituted piperazine. Using recently developed titanium and zirconium catalysts, we describe the efficient and modular synthesis of 2,5-asymmetrically disubstituted piperazines from simple amines and alkynes. The method requires only three isolation/purification protocols and no protection/deprotection steps for the diastereoselective synthesis of 2,5-dialkylated piperazines in moderate to high yield. Screening of the synthesized piperazines for N-type channel blocking activity and selectivity shows the highest activity for a compound with a benzhydryl group on the nitrogen (position 1) and an unprotected alcohol-functionalized side chain.

Perylene bisbenzimidazole nonlinear dielectric material for energy storage.

A novel perylene bisbenzimidazole comprising both donor and acceptor functional groups was designed, synthesized, and characterized. This structure exhibits potentially useful physical properties, including a nonlinear dielectric response to an increasing electric field. This material can be used in energy storage devices as the dielectric part of a capacitor. Energy storage devices based on film capacitors are targeting applications in a wide range of industrial, residential and transportation systems.

Challenging nickel-catalysed amine arylations enabled by tailored ancillary ligand design.

Palladium-catalysed C(sp(2))-N cross-coupling (that is, Buchwald-Hartwig amination) is employed widely in synthetic chemistry, including in the pharmaceutical industry, for the synthesis of (hetero)aniline derivatives. However, the cost and relative scarcity of palladium provides motivation for the development of alternative, more Earth-abundant catalysts for such transformations. Here we disclose an operationally simple and air-stable ligand/nickel(II) pre-catalyst that accommodates the broadest combination of C(sp(2))-N coupling partners reported to date for any single nickel catalyst, without the need for a precious-metal co-catalyst. Key to the unprecedented performance of this pre-catalyst is the application of the new, sterically demanding yet electron-poor bisphosphine PAd-DalPhos. Featured are the first reports of nickel-catalysed room temperature reactions involving challenging primary alkylamine and ammonia reaction partners employing an unprecedented scope of electrophiles, including transformations involving sought-after (hetero)aryl mesylates for which no capable catalyst system is known.