C-H Arylation in the Formation of a Complex Pyrrolopyridine, the Commercial Synthesis of the Potent JAK2 Inhibitor, BMS-911543.

The development of an improved short and efficient commercial synthesis of the JAK2 inhibitor, a complex pyrrolopyridine, BMS-911543, is described. During the discovery and development of this synthesis, a Pd-catalyzed C-H functionalization was invented which enabled the rapid union of the key pyrrole and imidazole fragments. The synthesis of this complex, nitrogen-rich heterocycle was accomplished in only six steps (longest linear sequence) from readily available materials.

Mono-Oxidation of Bidentate Bis-phosphines in Catalyst Activation: Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies of a Pd/Xantphos-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization.

Kinetic, spectroscopic, crystallographic, and computational studies probing a Pd-catalyzed C-H arylation reaction reveal that mono-oxidation of the bis-phosphine ligand is critical for the formation of the active catalyst. The bis-phosphine mono-oxide is shown to be a hemilabile, bidentate ligand for palladium. Isolation of the oxidative addition adduct, with structural elucidation by X-ray analysis, showed that the mono-oxide was catalytically competent, giving the same reaction rate in the productive reaction as the Pd(II)/xantphos precursor. A dual role for the carboxylate base in both catalyst activation and reaction turnover was demonstrated, along with the inhibiting effect of excess phosphine ligand. The generality of the role of phosphine mono-oxide complexes in Pd-catalyzed coupling processes is discussed.

Concise total syntheses of amphidinolides†C and F.

The marine natural products amphidinolide C (1) and F (4) differ in their side chains but share a common macrolide core with a signature 1,4-diketone substructure. This particular motif inspired a synthesis plan predicating a late-stage formation of this non-consonant ("umpoled") pattern by a platinum-catalyzed transannular hydroalkoxylation of a cycloalkyne precursor. This key intermediate was assembled from three building blocks (29, 41 and 47 (or 65)) by Yamaguchi esterification, Stille cross-coupling and a macrocyclization by ring-closing alkyne metathesis (RCAM). This approach illustrates the exquisite alkynophilicity of the catalysts chosen for the RCAM and alkyne hydroalkoxylation steps, which activate triple bonds with remarkable ease but left up to five other π-systems in the respective substrates intact. Interestingly, the inverse chemoselectivity pattern was exploited for the preparation of the tetrahydrofuran building blocks 47 and 65 carrying the different side chains of the two target macrolides. These fragments derive from a common aldehyde precursor 46 formed by an exquisitely alkene-selective cobalt-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of the diunsaturated alcohol 44, which left an adjacent acetylene group untouched. The northern sector 29 was prepared by a two-directional Marshall propargylation strategy, whereas the highly adorned acid subunit 41 derives from D-glutamic acid by an intramolecular oxa-Michael addition and a proline-mediated hydroxyacetone aldol reaction as the key steps; the necessary Me3 Sn-group on the terminus of 41 for use in the Stille coupling was installed via enol triflate 39, which was obtained by selective deprotonation/triflation of the ketone site of the precursor 38 without competing enolization of the ester also present in this particular substrate.

Cross-Coupling Reactions of Alkenylsilanols with Fluoroalkylsulfonates: Development and Optimization of a Mild and Stereospecific Coupling Process.

The development of an effective protocol for the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of (E)- and (Z)-alkenylsilanols with aryl triflates is described. A critical component in the optimization of this method was balancing the stability and reactivity of the triflates in the presence of a nucleophilic promoter. This report highlights that the use of a slightly soluble Brønsted base promoter that allows for a low, steady-state concentration of alkenyl(dimethyl)silanolate in solution, thus facilitating cross-coupling in preference to S-O bond cleavage of the triflate.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Papulacandin D.

A total synthesis of (+)-papulacandin D has been achieved in 31 steps, in a 9.2% overall yield from commercially available materials. The synthetic strategy divided the molecule into two nearly equal sized subunits, the spirocyclic C-arylglycopyranoside and the polyunsaturated fatty acid side chain. The C-arylglycopyranoside was prepared in 11 steps in a 30% overall yield from triacetoxyglucal. The fatty acid side chain was also prepared in 11 steps in a 30% overall yield from geraniol. The key strategic transformations in the synthesis are: (1) a palladium-catalyzed, organosilanolate-based cross-coupling reaction of a dimethylglucal-silanol with an electron rich and sterically hindered aromatic iodide and (2) a Lewis base-catalyzed, enantioselective allylation reaction of a dienal and allyltrichlorosilane. A critical element in the successful execution of the synthesis was the development of a suitable protecting group strategy that satisfied a number of stringent criteria.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of organosilanols and their salts: practical alternatives to boron- and tin-based methods.

In the panoply of modern synthetic methods for forming carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds, the transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of organometallic nucleophiles with organic electrophiles enjoys a preeminent status. The preparative utility of these reactions is, in large measure, a consequence of the wide variety of organometallic donors that have been conscripted into service. The most common of these reagents are organic derivatives of tin, boron, and zinc, which each possess unique advantages and shortcomings. Because of their low cost, low toxicity, and high chemical stability, organosilanes have emerged as viable alternatives to the conventional reagents in recent years. However, unlike the tin- and zinc-based reactions, which require no activation, or the boron-based reactions, which require only heating with mild bases, silicon-based cross-coupling reactions often require heating in the presence of a fluoride source; this has significantly hampered the widespread acceptance of organosilanes. To address the "fluoride problem", we have introduced a new paradigm for palladium-catalyzed, silicon-based cross-coupling reactions that employs organosilanols, a previously underutilized class of silicon reagents. The use of organosilanols either in the presence of Brønsted bases or as their silanolate salts represents a simple and mild alternative to the classic fluoride-based activation method. Organosilanols are easily available by many well-established methods for introducing carbon-silicon bonds onto alkenes, alkynes, and arenes and heteroarenes. Moreover, we have developed four different protocols for the generation of alkali metal salts of vinyl-, alkenyl-, alkynyl-, aryl-, and heteroarylsilanolates: (1) reversible deprotonation with weak Brønsted bases, (2) irreversible deprotonation with strong Brønsted bases, (3) isolation of the salts from irreversible deprotonation, and (4) silanolate exchange with disiloxanes. We have demonstrated the advantages of each of these methods for a number of different coupling classes. The defining feature of this new process is the formation of a covalently linked palladium silanolate species that facilitates the critical transmetalation step. We have verified the intermediacy of a critical species that contains the key Si-O-Pd linkage by its identification as the resting state in reaction mixtures, by X-ray analysis, and by demonstrating its competence in thermal cross-coupling with no additives. Our conclusions contradict the long-standing dogma that silicon-based cross-coupling reactions require the generation of a pentacoordinate siliconate prior to transmetalation. This revelation has opened a new vista for discovery of reactions that involve this critical process.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of five-membered heterocyclic silanolates.

The preparation of pi-rich 2-aryl heterocycles by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of sodium heteroarylsilanolates with aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides is described. The cross-coupling process was developed through extensive optimization of the following key variables: (1) identification of stable, isolable alkali metal silanolates, (2) identification of conditions for preformation and isolation of silanolate salts, (3) judicious choice in the palladium catalyst/ligand combination, and (4) selection of the protecting group on the nitrogen of indole. It was found that the alkali metal silanolates, either isolated or formed in situ, offered a significant rate enhancement and broader substrate scope over the use of silanols activated by Brønsted bases such as NaOt-Bu. In addition, the optimized conditions for the cross-coupling of 2-indolylsilanolates were readily applied to the cross-coupling of 2-pyrrolyl-, 2-furyl-, and 2-thienylsilanolates.