Non-Directed C-H Arylation of Anisole Derivatives via Pd/S,O-Ligand Catalysis.

Non-directed C-H arylation is one of the most efficient methods to synthesize biaryl compounds without the need of the prefuctionalization of starting materials, or the installment and removal of directing groups on the substrate. A direct C-H arylation of simple arenes as limiting reactants remains a challenge. Here we disclose a non-directed C-H arylation of anisole derivatives as limiting reagents with aryl iodides under mild reaction conditions. The arylated products are obtained in synthetically useful yields and the arylation of bioactive molecules is also demonstrated. Key to the success of this methodology is the use of a one-step synthesized S,O-ligand.

meta-C-H Arylation of Aniline Derivatives via Palladium/ S,O-Ligand/Norbornene Cooperative Catalysis.

Aromatic amines are ubiquitous moieties in organic molecules and their direct functionalization is of great interest in many research areas due to their prevalence in pharmaceuticals and organic electronics. While several synthetic tools exist for the ortho- and para-functionalization of anilines, the functionalization of the less reactive meta-position is not easy to achieve with current methods. To date, the meta-C-H arylation of aniline derivatives has been restricted to either the use of directing groups & templates, or their transformation into anilides & quaternary anilinium salts. Herein, we report the first general and efficient meta-C-H-arylation of non-directed aniline derivatives via cooperative catalysis with a palladium-S,O-ligand-norbornene system. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions with a wide range of aniline derivatives and aryl iodides, while being operationally simple and scalable. Our preliminary mechanistic investigation-including the isolation of several palladium complexes and deuterium experiments-reveal useful insights into the substituent-effects of both the aniline-substrate and the norbornene-mediator during the meta-C-H activation step.

S,O-Ligand Promoted meta-C-H Arylation of Anisole Derivatives via Palladium/Norbornene Catalysis.

Reversing the conventional site-selectivity of C-H activation processes provides new retrosynthetic disconnections to otherwise unreactive bonds. Here, we report a new catalytic system based on palladium/norbornene and an S,O-ligand for the meta-C-H arylation of aryl ethers that significantly outperforms previously reported systems. We demonstrate the unique ability of this system to employ alkoxyarene substrates bearing electron donating and withdrawing substituents. Additionally, ortho-substituted aryl ethers are well tolerated, overcoming the "ortho constraint", which is the necessity to have a meta-substituent on the alkoxyarene to achieve high reaction efficiency, by enlisting novel norbornene mediators. Remarkably, for the first time the monoarylation of alkoxyarenes is achieved efficiently enabling the subsequent introduction of a second, different aryl coupling partner to rapidly furnish unsymmetrical terphenyls. Further insight into the reaction mechanism was achieved by isolation and characterization of some Pd-complexes-before and after meta C-H activation-prior to evaluation of their respective catalytic activities.

Divergent Total Syntheses of Yaequinolone-Related Natural Products by Late-Stage C-H Olefination.

Divergent total syntheses of 10 yaequinolone-related natural products have been achieved for the first time by late-stage C-H olefination of 3,4-dioxygenated 4-aryl-5-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-ones, core structures of this family of natural products. A robust synthetic methodology to construct the core structures has been established, and the C-H olefination reaction has been carried out with synthetically useful yields and high levels of site-selectivity under mild reaction conditions in the presence of a Pd/S,O-ligand catalyst.

para-Selective C-H Olefination of Aniline Derivatives via Pd/S,O-Ligand Catalysis.

Herein we report a highly para-selective C-H olefination of aniline derivatives by a Pd/S,O-ligand-based catalyst. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions with high efficiency and broad substrate scope, including mono-, di-, and trisubstituted tertiary, secondary, and primary anilines. The S,O-ligand is responsible for the dramatic improvements in substrate scope and the high para-selectivity observed. This methodology is operationally simple, scalable, and can be performed under aerobic conditions.

Catalytic Enantioselective Addition of Organozirconium Reagents to Aldehydes.

A catalytic enantioselective addition reaction of alkylzirconium species to aromatic aldehydes is reported. The reaction, facilitated by a chiral nonracemic diol ligand complex with Ti(OiPr)4, proceeds under mild and convenient conditions, and no premade organometallic reagents are required since the alkylzirconium nucleophiles are generated in situ by hydrozirconation of alkenes with the Schwartz reagent. The methodology is compatible with functionalized nucleophiles and a broad range of aromatic aldehydes.

Chiral amides via copper-catalysed enantioselective conjugate addition.

A highly enantioselective one pot procedure for the synthesis of ß-substituted amides was developed starting from the corresponding α,ß-unsaturated esters. This new methodology is based on the copper-catalysed enantioselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to α,ß-unsaturated esters and subsequent direct formation of amides by quenching the corresponding enolates with different amines. Various primary and secondary amines bearing alkyl or aryl substituents can be used giving rise to a large variety of ß-substituted amides with excellent enantioselectivities.

Palladium and organocatalysis: an excellent recipe for asymmetric synthesis.

The dual activation of simple substrates by the combination of organocatalysis and palladium catalysis has been successfully applied in a variety of different asymmetric transformations. Thus, the asymmetric a-allylation of carbonyl compounds, a-fluorination of acyl derivatives, decarboxylative protonation of ß-dicarbonyl compounds, cyclization reactions of alkynyl carbonyl compounds and ß-functionalization of aldehydes have been efficiently achieved employing this double-catalytic methodology.

Mechanistic studies of the palladium-catalyzed S,O-ligand promoted C-H olefination of aromatic compounds.

Pd-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions of non-directed substrates have recently emerged as an attractive alternative to the use of directing groups. Key to the success of these transformations has been the discovery of new ligands capable of increasing both the reactivity of the inert C-H bond and the selectivity of the process. Among them, a new type of S,O-ligand has been shown to be highly efficient in promoting a variety of Pd-catalyzed C-H olefination reactions of non-directed arenes. Despite the success of this type of S,O-ligand, its role in the C-H functionalization processes is unknown. Herein, we describe a detailed mechanistic study focused on elucidating the role of the S,O-ligand in the Pd-catalyzed C-H olefination of non-directed arenes. For this purpose, several mechanistic tools, including isolation and characterization of reactive intermediates, NMR and kinetic studies, isotope effects and DFT calculations have been employed. The data from these experiments suggest that the C-H activation is the rate-determining step in both cases with and without the S,O-ligand. Furthermore, the results indicate that the S,O-ligand triggers the formation of more reactive Pd cationic species, which explains the observed acceleration of the reaction. Together, these studies shed light on the role of the S,O-ligand in promoting Pd-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions.

Palladium-catalyzed coupling of arene C-H bonds with methyl- and arylboron reagents assisted by the removable 2-pyridylsulfinyl group.

The Pd(II)-catalyzed direct coupling of arene C-H bonds with organoboron reagents assisted by the 2-pyridylsulfinyl group is reported. Methylboronic acid and arylboronic acid neopentyl esters proved to be efficient coupling partners, furnishing methylated arenes and biaryl products in moderate to good yields. The 2-pyridylsulfinyl group can be easily removed to provide the free biaryls. The essential role of the 2-pyridyl unit in stabilizing the cyclopalladation complex was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis of the palladacycle intermediate.

Catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated sulfones.

An efficient method is reported for the highly enantioselective copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated sulfones using a monodentate phosphoramidite ligand.

Remote stereocontrol mediated by a sulfinyl group: synthesis of allylic alcohols via chemoselective and diastereoselective reduction of gamma-methylene delta-ketosulfoxides.

The efficiency of the sulfinyl group as a remote controller of the chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity of the reduction of alpha, beta-unsaturated alpha-[2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)phenyl] substituted ketones 1 has been demonstrated in reactions carried out under NaBH4 in the presence of Yb(OTf)3 as the chelating agent. The starting unsaturated ketones have been prepared from the corresponding 2-(p-tolylsulfinyl) benzyl alkyl (and aryl) ketones 2 by insertion of the methylidene group under modified Mannich conditions, exploiting ultrasound irradiation to obtain the aminomethylation adducts and silica gel treatment to produce its complete elimination. Desulfinylation of the reduction products yielded the corresponding vinyl carbinols with high enantiomeric purity.

Selective C-H Olefination of Indolines (C5) and Tetrahydroquinolines (C6) by Pd/S,O-Ligand Catalysis.

Herein, we report a highly selective C-H olefination of directing-group-free indolines (C5) and tetrahydroquinolines (C6) by Pd/S,O-ligand catalysis. In the presence of the S,O-ligand, a wide range of challenging indolines, tetrahydroquinolines, and olefins was efficiently olefinated under mild reaction conditions. The synthetic potential of this methodology was demonstrated by the efficient olefination of several indoline-based natural products.

Catalytic enantioselective Reformatsky reaction with ketones.

Chiral tertiary alcohols were obtained with good yields and enantioselectivities via a catalytic Reformatsky reaction with ketones, including the challenging diaryl ketones, using chiral BINOL derivatives.

Highly versatile enantioselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters.

Herein, we report efficient catalysts for the asymmetric copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters. MeMgBr adds to aromatic alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters with excellent enantioselectivities and moderate to good yields using Josiphos/CuBr and Tol-BINAP/CuI complexes. The use of bulky Grignard reagents leads to unprecedented enantioselectivities in the 1,4-addition to a broad range of aromatic and aliphatic alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters using Tol-BINAP/CuI. The highest enantioselectivities reported so far for the addition of Grignard reagents to crowded beta-substituted aliphatic substrates are achieved with Tol-BINAP/CuI.

S,O-Ligand-Promoted Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization Reactions of Nondirected Arenes.

Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H functionalization of nondirected arenes has been realized using an inexpensive and easily accessible type of bidentate S,O-ligand. The catalytic system shows high efficiency in the C-H olefination reaction of electron-rich and electron-poor arenes. This methodology is operationally simple, scalable, and can be used in late-stage functionalization of complex molecules. The broad applicability of this catalyst has been showcased in other transformations such as Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H acetoxylation and allylation reactions.

Highly functionalized 2-oxopiperazine-based peptidomimetics: an approach to PAR1 antagonists.

A series of pseudodipeptide-based chiral 1,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted-2-oxopiperazines has been designed and synthesized as potential PAR1 antagonists. These highly functionalized piperazines were synthesized from aromatic and basic amino acid derived Ψ[CH(CN)NH]pseudodipeptides through a four step pathway that involves reduction of the cyano group to build the 2-oxopiperazine ring, followed by selective functionalization at the N4-, N1-positions, and at the exocyclic moiety at position C5. This regioselective functionalization required the fine tuning of reaction conditions. All new compounds were screened as inhibitors of human platelet aggregation induced by the PAR1 agonist SFLLRN and as cytotoxic agents in human cancer cell lines. Some of the compounds displayed moderate PAR1 antagonist activity, while, others were cytotoxic at µM concentration. No correlation was observed between both types of activities.