Aerobic Copper-Catalyzed Oxysulfonylation of Vinylarenes with Sodium Sulfinates under Mild Conditions: A Modular Synthesis of ß-Ketosulfones.

An aerobic copper-catalyzed oxysulfonylation of vinylarenes with sodium sulfinates is described. This protocol features mild reaction conditions, convenient operation, and broad substrate scope with respect to vinylarenes and sodium sulfinates. Notably, the protocol demonstrates excellent tolerance of functional groups such as chloro, bromo, ester, cyano, and nitro groups. Mechanistic investigations indicated that the reaction should undergo radical cascades involving a sulfonyl radical generated from sodium sulfinate with air as the terminal oxidant, addition across alkene to deliver a benzylic radical, and subsequent cross-coupling with air.

Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of Styrenes and Unactivated Aliphatic Alkenes with Sulfonyl Chlorides.

A nickel-catalyzed direct sulfonylation of alkenes with sulfonyl chlorides has been developed using 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione as the ligand. Unactivated alkenes and styrenes including 1,1-, 1,2-disubstituted alkenes can be subjected to the protocol, and a wide range of vinyl sulfones was obtained in high to excellent yields with good functional group compatibility. Notably, the process did not allow the desulfonylation of sulfonyl chloride or chlorosulfonylation of alkenes. Radical-trapping experiment supported that a sulfonyl free-radical was likely produced and triggered subsequent transformation in the process.

Metal-Free Selective Ortho-C-H Amidation of Hypervalent(III) Iodobezenes with N-Methoxy Amides under Mild Conditions.

A metal-free selective ortho-C-H amidation of aryl iodines(III) with the use of N-methoxy amides as aminating reagents under mild conditions is described here. In the protocol, excellent chemoselectivity and high regioselectivity were obtained. Notably, the iodine substituent rendered the amidation product suitable to be used for further elaboration.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Acyl Lactonization of Alkenes with Aldehydes: Synthesis of Acyl Lactones.

An acyl lactonization of alkenes with aldehydes under visible-light photoredox catalysis is described. With the protocol, a broad scope of alkenoic acids and aldehydes could be compatible and good functional group tolerance is obtained. A series of acyl lactones are obtained with isolated yields ranging from 50-95%. Mechanistic studies revealed that the transformation should proceed via a radical chain process.

Visible-Light Photoredox-Catalyzed Sulfonyl Lactonization of Alkenoic Acids with Sulfonyl Chlorides for Sulfonyl Lactone Synthesis.

A visible-light photoredox-catalyzed sulfonyl lactonization of unsaturated carboxylic acids with sulfonyl chlorides is described. This reaction features good functional group tolerance and a broad substrate scope, providing a simple and efficient protocol to access a wide range of sulfonyl lactones in high to excellent yields. Preliminary mechanistic investigations suggested that a free-radical pathway should be involved in the process.

Copper-Catalyzed Intermolecular C(sp2)-H Amination with Electrophilic O-Benzoyl Hydroxylamines.

A copper-catalyzed intermolecular electrophilic amination of benzamides with O-benzoyl hydroxylamines was achieved with the assistance of an 8-aminoquinolyl group. With this protocol, good compatibility was observed for a variety of aryl amides and heteroaryl amides, and excellent tolerance with various functional groups was achieved. Significantly, the monoaminated product was overwhelmingly delivered under the simple reaction conditions. Preliminary mechanistic investigations suggested that a radical pathway should be excluded and C-H activation be potentially the rate-determining step.

Application of Bifunctional 2-Amino-1,4-naphthoquinones in Visible-Light-Promoted Photocatalyst-Free Alkene Perfluoroalkyl-Alkenylation.

A simple and practical photochemical strategy for intermolecular perfluoroalkyl-alkenylation of alkenes with 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinones and perfluoroalkyl iodides has been demonstrated under visible-light irradiation. Mechanistic studies reveal that easily available 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone substrates can serve as efficient photosensitizers to activate perfluoroalkyl iodides through a photoredox process. Therefore, the developed radical relay reaction proceeds smoothly without additional transition metals and photocatalysts.

Chemoselective Mono- and Difluorination of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds.

By altering the amount of Selectfluor, the highly selective mono- and difluorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds has been achieved, affording a variety of 2-fluoro- and 2,2-difluoro-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in good to excellent yields. The reaction can be readily performed in aqueous media without any catalyst and base, which features practical and convenient fluorination. Importantly, a gram-scale reaction, transformation of 2-fluoro-1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione to 4-fluoro-1,3,5-triphenyl-1H-pyrazole, and chlorination and bromination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds are realized to further exhibit its synthetic utility.

Copper(II)-Catalyzed Alkene Aminosulfonylation with Sodium Sulfinates For the Synthesis of Sulfonylated Pyrrolidones.

A copper-catalyzed direct aminosulfonylation of unactivated alkenes with sodium sulfinates for the efficient synthesis of sulfonylated pyrrolidones is described. This reaction features good functional group tolerance and wide substrate scope, providing an efficient and straightforward protocol to access this kind of pyrrolidones. Moreover, preliminary mechanistic investigations disclosed that a free-radical pathway might be invovled in the process.

Facile synthesis of unnatural ß-germyl-α-amino amides via Pd(ii)-catalyzed primary and secondary C(sp3)-H bond germylation.

Pd(ii)-Catalyzed direct C(sp3)-H germylation of α-AA derivatives with the assistance of a bidentate auxiliary for the efficient synthesis of ß-germyl-α-amino amides is reported. This protocol features good generality for primary and secondary C-H bonds of aliphatic amides. Mechanistic studies show that a crucial five-membered palladacycle intermediate may play a key role in this process.

K2S2O8-Mediated Selective Trifluoromethylacylation and Trifluoromethylarylation of Alkenes under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions: Synthetic Scope and Mechanistic Studies.

A practical and efficient method for selective intramolecular radical trifluoromethylacylation and -arylation of alkenes with inexpensive CF3SO2Na and K2S2O8 in aqueous media has been developed, respectively, affording the highly chemoselective synthesis of CF3-functionalized chroman-4-ones and chromanes in satisfactory yields. Control experiments and DFT calculations indicate that the CF3SO2Na/K2S2O8 system is capable of trifluoromethylating the substrate of alkenes without a transition metal catalyst and the oxidation of CF3SO2Na to ·CF3 by K2S2O8 is involved in the rate-determining step.

Selective O-Cyclization of N-Methoxy Aryl Amides with CH2Br2 or 1,2-DCE via Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Activation.

A selective O-cyclization of N-methoxy aryl amides with CH2Br2 or 1,2-DCE (1,2-dichloroethane) via palladium-catalyzed C-H activation has been described. New C(sp3)-O and C(sp2)-C(sp3) bonds are forged simultaneously with the assistance of an N-methoxy amide group, and good functional group tolerance in substrates is observed. Preliminary mechanistic investigations show that the process may involve a five-membered palladacycle intermediate.

Site-Selective Alkenylation of δ-C(sp(3))-H Bonds with Alkynes via a Six-Membered Palladacycle.

Most chelation-assisted aliphatic C-H activation proceeds through a kinetically favored five-membered cyclometalated intermediate. Here, we report the first site-selective alkenylation of δ-C(sp(3))-H in the presence of more accessible γ-C(sp(3))-H bonds via a kinetically less favored six-membered palladacycle. A wide range of functional groups are tolerated, and the unique protocol can be applied to the synthesis of chiral piperidines. Moreover, mechanistic insights have been conducted to elucidate the origin of the unusual site-selectivity.

Catalyst-Controlled Amino- versus Oxy-Acetoxylation of Urea-Tethered Alkenes: Efficient Synthesis of Cyclic Ureas and Isoureas.

A catalyst-controlled vicinal amino- versus oxy-acetoxylation of alkenes with PhI(OAc)2 as the oxidant is described. The divergent synthesis of cyclic ureas and isoureas was achieved in good yields under mild conditions employing ambident urea nucleophiles. Both terminal and internal alkenes are compatible with this reaction protocol.

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of Unactivated C(sp(3))-H Bonds with Sodium Sulfinates.

A Pd(II)-catalyzed sulfonylation of unactivated C(sp(3))-H bonds with sodium arylsulfinates using an 8-aminoquinoline auxiliary is described. This reaction demonstrates excellent functional group tolerance with respect to both the caboxamide starting material and the sodium arylsulfinate coupling partner, affording a broad range of aryl alkyl sulfones. Moreover, the late-stage modification of complex molecules was achieved via this sulfonylation protocol.

Copper(II)-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of C(sp(2))-H Bonds with Sodium Sulfinates.

A copper-catalyzed direct sulfonylation of C(sp(2))-H bonds with sodium sulfinates using a removable directing group is described. This reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups, providing an efficient protocol for the synthesis of diverse aryl sulfones. Moreover, a series of 2,6-disubstituted benzamides could be synthesized via sequential C-H functionalization.

Stereoselective synthesis of chiral α-amino-ß-lactams through palladium(II)-catalyzed sequential monoarylation/amidation of C(sp(3) )-H bonds.

Give Me an Ar, give Me an N! Arylation of the methyl group in a simple derivative of readily available alanine under palladium catalysis was followed by intramolecular amidation at the same position to give chiral α-amino-ß-lactams with a wide range of aryl substituents (see scheme; Phth=phthaloyl). The α-amino-ß-lactams were obtained in moderate to high yields with good functional-group tolerance and high diastereoselectivity.

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of purine-fused polycyclics.

A novel protocol for a Cu-catalyzed direct C((sp(2)))-H activation/intramolecular amination reaction of 6-anilinopurine nucleosides has been developed. This approach provides a new access to a variety of multiheterocyclic compounds from purine compounds via Cu-catalyzed intramolecular N-H bond tautomerism which are endowed with fluorescence.

Palladium-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of C6-arylpurines.

A highly regioselective Pd-catalyzed C(Ar)-H bond activation method was developed for the modification of purines (nucleosides) with different functional groups by using purine as a directing group. This approach provides a new access to a variety of functionalized purines (nucleosides) which are potentially of great importance in medicinal chemistry.

Pd(II)-catalyzed ortho arylation of 6-arylpurines with aryl iodides via purine-directed C-H activation: a new strategy for modification of 6-arylpurine derivatives.

Purine is utilized as a new directing group for the Pd-catalyzed monoarylation of 6-arylpurines with simple aryl iodides via C-H bond activation in good yields, providing a complementary tool for the modification of 6-arylpurines (nucleosides). Most importantly, purine can be used as a building block for nucleoside derivatives, and the use of purine as a directing group helps avoid additional synthetic steps.