Metal-Free Reductive Coupling of para-Quinone Methides with 4-Cyanopyridines Enabled by Pyridine-Boryl Radicals: Access to Pyridylated Diarylmethanes with Anti-Cancer Activity.

Reported herein is a streamlined protocol to produce pyridylated diarylmethanes through pyridine-boryl radical induced reductive coupling between para-quinone methides (p-QMs) and 4-cyanopyridines using bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2 pin2 ) as a templated reagent. The metal-free process is characterized by an operationally simple approach, excellent chemoselectivity (1,2- vs. 1,6-selectivity), and a broad substrate scope with good functional group compatibility. The mechanistic studies provided important insights into the reductive cross-coupling process between diarylmethyl radical and pyridine-boryl radical. Moreover, part of the obtained pyridylated diarylmethane products were screened against a panel of cancer cell lines, and 3 v was confirmed to significantly inhibit the proliferation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. This method offers a platform for the preparation of new lead compounds with antitumor activity.

Microwave-Assisted Copper Catalysis of α-Difluorinated gem-Diol toward Difluoroalkyl Radical for Hydrodifluoroalkylation of para-Quinone Methides.

Reported herein is a unified strategy to generate difluoroalkyl radicals from readily prepared α-difluorinated gem-diols by single electron oxidation. Under microwave irradiation, a catalytic amount of oxidant Cu(OAc)2 succeeds in the formation of transient difluoroalkyl radicals in situ, for the first time. The reaction features a simple protocol, short reaction time, scalability, and high yield. The synthetic utility of this new methodology was also explored for the synthesis of difluoroalkylated spiro-cyclohexadienones, which is an important core structure in natural products and pharmaceuticals.

Synthesis of monofluorooxazoles with quaternary C-F centers through photoredox-catalyzed radical addition of methylene-2-oxazolines.

A novel photoredox-catalyzed radical addition of methylene-2-oxazolines has been developed under visible light irradiation to synthesize monofluorooxazoles with a quaternary carbon center using 2-bromo-2-fluoro-3-oxo-3-phenylpropionates as radical source. This method with a simple protocol, scalability and high yield offers a facile path to get diverse monofluorinated oxazoles with quaternary C-F centers, which are a class of highly valuable motifs and synthons.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed vinylic sp2 C-H bond functionalization: efficient synthesis of pyrido[1,2-α]benzimidazoles and imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines.

A simple approach for synthesis of novel aza-fused scaffolds such as pyrido[1,2-α]benzimidazoles and imidazo[1,2-α]pyridines was developed by Rh(III)-catalyzed direct oxidative coupling between alkenes and unactivated alkynes without an extra directing group. The method would allow a broad substrate scope, providing fused heterocycles with potential biological properties.

Merging Visible Light with Cross-Coupling: The Photochemical Direct C-H Difluoroalkylation of Imidazopyridines.

A transition-metal-free protocol for the difluoroalkylation of imidazopyridines with bromodifluoroaryl ketones promoted by visible light irradiation is presented. This protocol is distinguished by simple, mild, and catalyst-free reaction conditions with a wide reaction scope, which is complementary to existing difluoroalkylation strategies by photoredox scenarios. Additionally, this protocol potentially offers a new way for streamlining the synthesis of compounds containing the difluoro moiety.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct selective C(5)-H oxidative annulations of 2-substituted imidazoles and alkynes by double C-H activation.

Double C-H activations of C(5)-H and Csp(2)-H of 2-substituted N-vinyl- or arylimidazoles were realized without heteroatom-directing assistance by rhodium(III) catalyst. A subsequent oxidative annulation reaction with alkynes efficiently produced aza-fused heterocycles with high molecular complexity in low to excellent yields.