Transition Metal-Free Regioselective Phosphonation of Pyridines: Scope and Mechanism.

Regioselective phosphonation of pyridines is an interesting transformation in synthesis and medicinal chemistry. We report herein a metal-free approach enabling access to various 4-phosphonated pyridines. The method consists of simply activating the pyridine ring with a Lewis acid (BF3·OEt2) to facilitate the nucleophilic addition of a phosphine oxide anion. The formed sigma complex is subsequently oxidized with an organic oxidant (chloranil) to yield the desired adducts in good to excellent yields. We furthermore showed that access to C2-phosphoinated pyridines can be achieved in certain cases with strong Lewis basic phosphorus nucleophiles or with strong Lewis acidic pyridines. Both experimental and computational mechanistic investigations were undertaken and allowed us to understand the factors controlling the reactivity and selectivity of this reaction.

Merging Grubbs second-generation catalyst with photocatalysis enables Z-selective metathesis of olefins: scope, limitations, and mechanism.

Olefin cross-metathesis is a cornerstone reaction in organic synthesis where stereoselectivity is typically governed by the structure of the catalyst. In this work, we show that merging Grubbs second generation catalyst, a classical E-selective catalyst, with a readily available photocatalyst, enables the exclusive formation of the contra-thermodynamic Z-isomer. The scope and limitations of this unprecedented approach are discussed based on both computational and experimental mechanistic data.

Organophotocatalysis Enables the Synthesis of gem-Fluorophosphonate Alkenes.

gem-Bromofluoroalkenes have been combined with phosphite under irradiation, in the presence of Fukuzumi's catalyst (9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium perchlorate) as an organic photocatalyst, to provide valuable gem-fluorophosphonate derivatives, known as stable mimics of phosphates. The desired products were obtained in good to excellent yields, and the reaction showed very good chemical tolerance.

Halogen-atom and group transfer reactivity enabled by hydrogen tunneling.

The generation of carbon radicals by halogen-atom and group transfer reactions is generally achieved using tin and silicon reagents that maximize the interplay of enthalpic (thermodynamic) and polar (kinetic) effects. In this work, we demonstrate a distinct reactivity mode enabled by quantum mechanical tunneling that uses the cyclohexadiene derivative γ-terpinene as the abstractor under mild photochemical conditions. This protocol activates alkyl and aryl halides as well as several alcohol and thiol derivatives. Experimental and computational studies unveiled a noncanonical pathway whereby a cyclohexadienyl radical undergoes concerted aromatization and halogen-atom or group abstraction through the reactivity of an effective H atom. This activation mechanism is seemingly thermodynamically and kinetically unfavorable but is rendered feasible through quantum tunneling.

Charge Transfer Complexes (CTCs) with Pyridinium Salts: Toward Efficient Dual Photochemical/Thermal Initiators and 3D Printing Applications.

In both organic and polymer synthesis, photochemistry of charge transfer complexes (CTCs) is considered as a powerful approach to expand visible-light-driven radical chemistry reaction. One reports herein on the development of a class of useful CTCs using pyridinium salts as efficient electron acceptors (combined with N, N, 3,5-tetramethylaniline, TMA) to achieve a multiwavelength (375-560 nm) metal-free LED photopolymerization process under mild conditions (open to air, without monomer purification and inhibitor removal). The UV-vis absorption spectra and molecular modeling simultaneously verify its potential blue-green absorbing wavelength range. Also, their good thermal initiation behavior at relatively low temperatures makes it easier to achieve thick samples and/or polymerization in the shadow region in practice. More importantly, with excellent photoinitiating capability, the formulation is successfully applied to direct laser write (DLW) and high-resolution 3D printing, yielding a series of objects with well-defined structures, such as letters, ring, solid squares, and chess pieces. These new pyridinium salt acceptors further extend the applicability to visible photopolymerizable resins and additive-containing formulations for efficient surface and deep curing.

How electrophilic are 3-nitroindoles? Mechanistic investigations and application to a reagentless (4+2) cycloaddition.

The electrophilicity of 4 different 3-nitroindole derivatives has been evaluated by Mayr's linear free energy relationship (log k(20 °C) = sN(E + N)) and reveals unexpected values for aromatic compounds, in the nitrostyrene range. 3-Nitroindoles are sufficiently electrophilic to interact with a common diene namely the Danishefsky's diene at room temperature, in the absence of any activator, to furnish smoothly the dearomatized (4+2) cycloadducts in good yields.

Metal-Free Deoxygenation of Amine N-Oxides: Synthetic and Mechanistic Studies.

We report herein an unprecedented combination of light and P(III)/P(V) redox cycling for the efficient deoxygenation of aromatic amine N-oxides. Moreover, we discovered that a large variety of aliphatic amine N-oxides can easily be deoxygenated by using only phenylsilane. These practically simple approaches proceed well under metal-free conditions, tolerate many functionalities and are highly chemoselective. Combined experimental and computational studies enabled a deep understanding of factors controlling the reactivity of both aromatic and aliphatic amine N-oxides.

Acridinium Salts and Cyanoarenes as Powerful Photocatalysts: Opportunities in Organic Synthesis.

The use of organic photocatalysts has revolutionized the field of photoredox catalysis, as it allows access to reactivities that were traditionally restricted to transition-metal photocatalysts. This Minireview reports recent developments in the use of acridinium ions and cyanoarene derivatives in organic synthesis. The activation of inert chemical bonds as well as the late-stage functionalization of biorelevant molecules are discussed, with a special focus on their mechanistic aspects.

Visible-Light-Mediated C-H Alkylation of Pyridine Derivatives.

We report herein a visible-light-mediated C-H alkylation of pyridine derivatives that proceeds by simple combination of a large variety of N-alkoxypyridinium ions with alkanes in the presence of 2 mol % of fac-Ir(ppy)3 under blue illumination. The mild reaction conditions together with the high group functional tolerance make of this process a useful synthetic platform for the construction of structurally strained heterocycles. Detailed mechanistic investigations, including density functional theory calculations and quantum yield measurement, allowed us to understand factors controlling the reactivity and the selectivity of the reaction.

Visible-Light-Mediated Access to Phosphate Esters.

We report herein a practically simple visible-light photocatalytic approach for the synthesis of a large variety of phosphate esters through the combination of N-alkoxypyridinium salts and phosphites under mild conditions. The scope of the reaction is broad and the protocol was successfully applied to the synthesis of biologically relevant structures. Quantum yield measurements, as well as EPR experiments, allowed the suggestion of a reasonable reaction mechanism.

Taming the Reactivity of Phosphiranium Salts: Site-Selective C-Centered Ring Opening for Direct Synthesis of Phosphinoethylamines.

Advances in the field of phosphorus chemistry are documented, by revealing the synthetic utility of previously underutilized quaternary phosphiranium salts (QPrS) as three-chain-atom electrophilic building blocks. Notably, control of their challenging C-centered electrophilicity is disclosed with an expedient synthesis of tertiary ß-anilino phosphines as a proof-of-concept.

Aryliodonium Ylides as Novel and Efficient Additives for Radical Chemistry: Example in Camphorquinone (CQ)/Amine Based Photoinitiating Systems.

Diaryliodonium salts are well-established compounds in free radical chemistry and are already used as photoinitiators (free radical or cationic polymerization), but the presence of counter anions is a strong drawback. Indeed, a counter anion is always required (e.g., SbF6-) leading to potential toxicity issues or release of HF. In the present paper, counter anion-free and fluoride-free aryliodonium salts are proposed, that is, aryliodonium ylides (AY) are studied here as new and efficient additives for radical chemistry and an example is provided for the camphorquinone (CQ)/amine based photoinitiating systems (PISs) for the polymerization of thick (1.4 mm) and thin (20-13 µm) methacrylates under air and blue light irradiation. The newly proposed PISs, for example, CQ/amine/AY, presented excellent polymerization performances and good bleaching properties were obtained after polymerization. Real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (RT-FTIR) was used to monitor the photopolymerization profiles. The chemical mechanisms involved were investigated using electron spin resonance (ESR).

Diphenyliodonium Ion/Et3N Promoted Csp2-H Radical Phosphorylation of Enamides.

This work reports a simple and efficient method for the direct phosphorylation of enamide under metal-free conditions. The P-centered radicals, derived from secondary phosphine oxides, are generated under mild reaction conditions in the presence of diphenyliodonium salt and Et3N and are introduced onto a range of enamides in good isolated yields. The method features broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, and efficient scale-up.

The facile dearomatization of nitroaromatic compounds using lithium enolates of unsaturated ketones in conjugate additions and (4+2) formal cycloadditions.

The dearomatization of conventional nitroarenes by lithiated enolates derived from methyl vinyl ketones easily takes place, following a formal (4+2) cycloaddition process. While nitroindoles react readily with in situ generated conjugated enolates, the deaggregation of these latter species using HMPA extends the reaction scope to the more aromatic nitronaphthalenes and pyridines.

Visible-Light-Mediated Metal-Free Synthesis of Aryl Phosphonates: Synthetic and Mechanistic Investigations.

This work describes a straightforward access to a large variety of aryl phosphonates by the simple combination of diaryliodonium salts with phosphites in the presence of a base and under visible-light illumination. The reaction proceeds smoothly, tolerates various functionalities, and was applied for the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant compounds. Mechanistic investigations, including EPR, NMR, and DFT calculations, support the postulated reaction mechanism.

Synthesis and Identification of Aryl and Alkyl Gem-Dilithium Phosphido-Boranes: A Boost to the Chemistry of Phosphandiides.

The synthesis and identification of unprecedented gem-dianionic phosphorus compounds, that is, gem-dilithium phosphido-boranes Li2 [RP⋅BH3 ], with R=Ph or Cy, are reported in THF solution. These were obtained by double deprotonation of the corresponding primary phosphine-borane precursors RPH2 ⋅BH3 . Their in-depth structural study, based on multinuclear (1 H, 6 Li, 7 Li, 11 B, 13 C, 31 P) mono- and bi-dimensional NMR analyses, indicates a strong influence of the phosphorus substituent on the structure of the gem-dianionic phosphorus structure; a monomeric arrangement was obtained when R=phenyl, whereas a cyclic oligomer was observed for R=cyclohexyl. These compounds represent a new type of useful reagent, and their access paves the way for the concept of "RP synthons" (i.e., RP2- phosphandiides), likely to be the most flexible precursors of a variety of phosphorus targets.

Transition metal-free stereospecific access to (E)-(1-fluoro-2-arylvinyl)phosphine borane complexes.

This work describes the first transition metal-free stereospecific synthesis of (E)-(1-fluoro-2-arylvinyl)phosphine boranes through the addition of diarylphosphine-boranes to gem-bromofluoroalkenes in the presence of a base at room temperature. The reaction proceeds well under very mild conditions and tolerates a variety of functionalities. Scope and limitations of the reaction are discussed. Mechanistic investigations have been undertaken and revealed that the reaction takes place through an SRN1 mechanism. The formation of the fluorinated vinyl radical has been evidenced by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiment.

Mechanistic Investigations of Reactions of the Frustrated Lewis Pairs (Triarylphosphines/B(C6F5)3) with Michael Acceptors.

Frustrated Lewis pair (FLP)-catalyzed reduction of Michael acceptors is a challenging reaction that proceeds with specific FLP structures. Kinetics and equilibrium of the reactions of two phosphines (Ar3P), namely tri(1-naphthyl)phosphine and tri(o-tolyl)phosphine, are reported with reference electrophiles. The reason for the failure of the FLPs (Ar3P/B(C6F5)3) to reduce activated alkenes under H2 pressure is shown to be a hydrophosphination process that inhibits the reduction reaction. Kinetic and thermodynamic factors controlling both pathways are discussed in light of Mayr's free linear energy relationships.

How Do Phosphinates React with Unactivated Alkenes Under Organic Photocatalyzed Conditions? Substrate Scope and Mechanistic Insights.

The first visible-light-mediated, metal-free hydrophosphinylation of unactivated alkenes with ethyl and butyl phosphinates is described. The reaction works with a low catalyst loading of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium perchlorate (Fukuzumi photocatalyst, 0.5 mol %) in the presence of diphenyliodonium triflate as oxidant. The reaction proceeds smoothly and covers a broad scope of substrates. Detailed mechanistic investigations, including EPR spectroscopy, fluorescence and steady-state photolysis, allowed the mechanism of this photoreaction to be rationalized.

Metal-Free Synthesis of 6-Phosphorylated Phenanthridines: Synthetic and Mechanistic Insights.

A novel and efficient method for the generation of phosphinoyl radicals from the combination of diphenyliodonium salt (Ph2I+,-OTf) with triethylamine (Et3N) in the presence of secondary phosphine oxides is reported. By employing this practical and simple approach, a large variety of 6-phosphorylated phenanthridines have been synthesized through the addition of phosphinoyl radicals to isonitriles as radical acceptors. The reaction works smoothly in the absence of any transition metal or photocatalyst. On the basis of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the mechanism of this reaction is discussed.