Visible-Light Photocatalytic C-H Amination of Arenes Utilizing Acridine-Lewis Acid Complexes.

This report describes the development of a visible-light photocatalytic system for C(sp2)-H amination that leverages in situ-generated photocatalysts. We demonstrate that the combination of acridine derivatives and Lewis acids forms potent photooxidants that promote the C-H amination of electronically diverse arenes upon irradiation with visible-light (440 nm). A first-generation photocatalyst composed of Sc(OTf)3 and acridine effects the C-H amination of substrates with oxidation potentials ≤ +2.5 V vs SCE with pyrazole, triazole, and pyridine nucleophiles. Furthermore, the simplicity and modularity of this system enable variation of both Lewis acid and acridine to tune reactivity. This enabled the rapid identification of two second-generation photocatalysts (derived from (i) Al(OTf)3 and acridine or (ii) Sc(OTf)3 and a pyridinium-substituted acridine) that catalyze a particularly challenging transformation: C(sp2)-H amination with benzene as the limiting reagent.

Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition by Dynamic Kinetic Resolution.

The triazole heterocycle has been widely adopted as an isostere for the amide bond. Many native amides are α-chiral, being derived from amino acids. This makes α-N-chiral triazoles attractive building blocks. This report describes the first enantioselective triazole synthesis that proceeds via nickel-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (NiAAC). This dynamic kinetic resolution is enabled by a spontaneous [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the allylic azide. The 1,4,5-trisubstituted triazole products, derived from internal alkynes, are complementary to those commonly obtained by the related CuAAC reaction. Initial mechanistic experiments indicate that the NiAAC reaction proceeds through a monometallic Ni complex, which is distinct from the CuAAC manifold.

Gram-Scale Synthesis of 2,5-Difluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F2-TCNQ).

The molecule 2,5-difluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F2-TCNQ) is an organic semiconductor with many promising properties, including high charge mobility (µ). However, an efficient gram-scale synthesis of F2-TCNQ has not been fully documented. Herein, we report a synthesis of F2-TCNQ via a three-step sequence that affords F2-TCNQ in 58% cumulative yield. This synthesis was used to prepare more than 1 g of F2-TCNQ.

A Cascade Reaction of Cinnamyl Azides with Acrylates Directly Generates Tetrahydro-Pyrrolo-Pyrazole Heterocycles.

Developing reactions to generate complex and modular building blocks in a concise and direct fashion remains a contemporary synthetic challenge. This work describes a stereoselective cascade reaction between allylic azides and acrylates that directly generates tetrahydro-pyrrolo-pyrazole ring systems. These products contain up to four contiguous stereocenters, two of which may be tetrasubstituted carbon atoms attached to a nitrogen atom. Over 30 examples are provided with an average isolated yield of 71% (ranging from 40% to 94%). The reaction was easily scaled to use more than one gram of starting material, and the products can be readily diversified.

Enantioselective Copper Catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition by Dynamic Kinetic Resolution.

The copper(I) catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC), a click reaction, is one of the most powerful catalytic reactions developed during the last two decades. Conducting CuAAC enantioselectively would add a third dimension to this reaction and would enable the direct synthesis of α-chiral triazoles. Doing so is demanding because the two precursors have linear geometries, and the triazole product is a flat heterocycle. Designing a chiral catalyst is further complicated by the complex mechanism of CuAAC. We report an enantioselective CuAAC (E-CuAAC), enabled by dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR). The E-CuAAC is high yielding and affords up to 99:1 er. The E-CuAAC can directly generate α-chiral triazoles in a complex molecular environment.

Palladium-catalyzed annulation of 9-halophenanthrenes with alkynes: synthesis, structural analysis, and properties of acephenanthrylene-based derivatives.

The palladium-catalyzed annulation of 9-bromo- and 9-chlorophenanthrenes with alkynes gave 4,5-disubstituted acephenanthrylenes in yields of 58-95% (9 examples). Asymmetric alkynes, such as 1-phenyl-1-propyne, 1-phenyl-1-hexyne, and 1-cyclopropyl-2-phenylethyne, regioselectively form (cyclo)alkyl-substituted products, following the regular rule that governs the carbopalladation of alkynes. This synthetic protocol can also be utilized in annulations with several π-extended bromoarenes, such as 7-bromo[5]helicene, 5-bromo[4]helicene, 9-bromoanthracene, 3-bromoperylene, and 3-bromofluoranthene, to give the corresponding annulated products in moderate to good yields (51-86%; 6 examples). Similarly, bromocorannulene produced highly curved 1,2-disubstituted cyclopentacorannulenes. Reactions of 6,12-dibromochrysene and 4,7-dibromo[4]helicene with di(4-tolyl)ethyne provided the twofold annulated products in moderate yields. 4,5-Diphenylacephenanthrylene and 6,7-diphenylbenzo[a]acephenanthrylene thus generated were converted into phenanthro[9,10-e]acephenanthrylene and benzo[a]phenanthro[9,10-e]acephenanthrylene, respectively, by oxidative cyclodehydrogenation. The structures of 4,5-diphenylacephenanthrylene, 4,5-diphenyldibenzo[a,l]acephenanthrylene, 1,2-diarylcyclopentacorannulenes, and benzo[a]phenanthro[9,10-e]acephenanthrylene were verified by X-ray crystallography. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the selected annulated products were investigated.

Palladium-Catalyzed Reaction of Haloarenes with Diarylethynes: Synthesis, Structural Analysis, and Properties of Methylene-Bridged Arenes.

Fluorenes and methylene-bridged polyarenes were easily and efficiently synthesized from haloarenes (or aryl triflates) and diarylethynes by a one-pot, two-step procedure. This protocol involves the palladium-catalyzed cycloisomerization and a subsequent base-mediated retro-aldol condensation. A major advantage is that the starting materials need not have ortho functional groups to complete the annulation. The backbone of the designed products was enlarged using dihaloarenes, highly π-conjugated haloarenes, or diarylalkynes. The mechanism of the formation of benzo[a]fluorene was investigated. The bowl-shaped structure of methylene-bridged indenocorannulene was verified by X-ray crystallography. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the products thus prepared were investigated.

Transannular Functionalization of Multiple C(sp3)-H Bonds of Tropane via an Alkene-Bridged Palladium(I) Dimer.

This communication describes the Pd-catalyzed C(sp3)-H functionalization of a tropane derivative to generate products with functionalization at two (ß/γ) or three (ß/γ/ß) different sites on the alicyclic amine core. These reactions proceed via an initial dehydrogenation to generate an alkene product that can react further to form a Pd(I) alkene-bridged dimer. Functionalization of this dimer affords ß/γ/ß-functionalized allylic arylation and allylic acetoxylation products.

Additive-Free Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Aryl Chlorides.

The cross-coupling of sodium (hetero)aryl carboxylates with (hetero)aryl chlorides proceeds with 1 mol % palladium catalyst and does not require inorganic base, silver salts, or copper salts. This coupling uses two low energy partners, and the only stoichiometric byproducts are carbon dioxide and sodium chloride. The substrate scope includes less activated aryl chlorides and carboxylates (>25 examples). The palladium loading could be reduced to 0.1 mol %, and Buchwald-style precatalysts could be used.

Kinetic Resolution of Cyclic Secondary Azides, Using an Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition.

An enantioselective copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (E-CuAAC) is reported by kinetic resolution. Chiral triazoles were isolated in high yield with limiting alkyne (up to 97:3 enantiomeric ratio (er)). A range of substrates were tolerated (>30 examples), and the reaction was scaled to >1 g. The er of a triazole product could be enhanced by recrystallization and the recovered scalemic azide could be racemized and recycled. Recycling the azide allows efficient use of the undesired azide enantiomer.