Switchable photocatalysis for the chemodivergent benzylation of 4-cyanopyridines.

We report a photocatalytic strategy for the chemodivergent radical benzylation of 4-cyanopyridines. The chemistry uses a single photoredox catalyst to generate benzyl radicals upon N-F bond activation of 2-alkyl N-fluorobenzamides. The judicious choice of different photocatalyst quenchers allowed us to select at will between mechanistically divergent processes. The two reaction manifolds, an ipso-substitution path proceeding via radical coupling and a Minisci-type addition, enabled selective access to regioisomeric C4 or C2 benzylated pyridines, respectively. Mechanistic investigations shed light on the origin of the chemoselectivity switch.

Mechanistic Studies on the Synthesis of Pyrrolidines and Piperidines via Copper-Catalyzed Intramolecular C-H Amination.

We have recently developed a method for the synthesis of pyrrolidines and piperidines via intramolecular C-H amination of N-fluoride amides using [Tp x CuL] complexes as precatalysts [Tp x = tris(pyrazolyl)borate ligand and L = THF or CH3CN]. Herein, we report mechanistic studies on this transformation, which includes the isolation and structural characterization of a fluorinated copper(II) complex, [(TpiPr2OH)CuF] [TpiPr = hydrotris(3,5-diisopropylpyrazolyl)borate], pertinent to the mechanistic pathway. The effects of the nature of the Tp x ligand in the copper catalyst as well as of the halide in the N-X amides employed as reactants have been investigated both from experimental and computational perspectives.

Deciphering the Keys for High Enantioselectivity in Hypervalent Iodine-Catalyzed 1,2-Difunctionalization: Improved Synthesis of Ishihara-Muñiz Precatalysts.

In the course of upscaling the synthesis of enantiopure aryliodine precatalysts, we detected an unreported meso form of the catalysts for the first time. A new scalable route was developed to avoid epimerization of the lactamide arms, providing syntheses of the precatalysts that are both more effective and much less time-consuming. The catalysts obtained with these synthetic procedures have been employed in some published reactions, reaching the maximum ee ever reported.

Iodine Catalysis for C(sp3 )-H Fluorination with a Nucleophilic Fluorine Source.

Iodine catalysis was developed for aliphatic fluorination through light-promoted homolytic C-H bond cleavage. The intermediary formation of amidyl radicals enables selective C-H functionalization via carbon-centered radicals. For the subsequent C-F bond formation, previous methods have typically been limited by a requirement for electrophilic fluorine reagents. We here demonstrate that the intermediary instalment of a carbon-iodine bond sets the stage for an umpolung, thereby establishing an unprecedented nucleophilic fluorination pathway.

Alkyliodines in High Oxidation State: Enhanced Synthetic Possibilities and Accelerated Catalyst Turn-Over.

In contrast to aryliodine(III) compounds, which have matured into a particularly attractive class of oxidants in modern synthesis, the synthetic potential of related alkyliodine(III) derivatives has remained widely underestimated. This is surprising since several unique synthetic possibilities arise directly from the low stability of their central carbon-iodine bond. In this respect, these high-oxidation-state iodine compounds resemble environmentally benign variants of the prominent metal counterparts such as those derived from palladium, nickel and copper. This Concept article summarizes the general reactivity trends in alkyliodine(III) chemistry and discusses selected examples of their strategic use as highly reactive, transient species in organic synthesis and homogeneous catalysis.

Copper-Catalyzed N-F Bond Activation for Uniform Intramolecular C-H Amination Yielding Pyrrolidines and Piperidines.

The dual function of the N-F bond as an effective oxidant and subsequent nitrogen source in intramolecular aliphatic C-H functionalization reactions is explored. Copper catalysis is demonstrated to exercise full regio- and chemoselectivity control, which opens new synthetic avenues to nitrogenated heterocycles with predictable ring sizes. For the first time, a uniform catalysis manifold has been identified for the construction of both pyrrolidine and piperidine cores. The individual steps of this new copper oxidation catalysis were elucidated by control experiments and computational studies, clarifying the singularity of the N-F function and characterizing the catalytic cycle to be based on a copper(I/II) manifold.

Intermolecular Radical C(sp3 )-H Amination under Iodine Catalysis.

The direct amination of aliphatic C-H bonds has remained one of the most tantalizing transformations in organic chemistry. Herein, we report on a unique catalyst system, which enables the elusive intermolecular C(sp3 )-H amination. This practical synthetic strategy provides access to aminated building blocks and fosters innovative multiple C-H amination within a new approach to aminated heterocycles. The synthetic utility is demonstrated by the synthesis of four relevant pharmaceuticals.

A Practical Aryliodine(I/III) Catalysis for the Vicinal Diamination of Styrenes.

2,6-Disubstituted iodoarenes bearing amide-functionalized side arms are reported as new structures in redox-active iodine(I/III) catalysis. In combination with bis-sulfonimides as nitrogen sources and 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) as benign terminal oxidant they catalyze the vicinal diamination of styrenes. The obtained reactivity and selectivity outperform other iodoarene catalyst candidates. This protocol provides a sustainable alternative to previous related protocols for diamination that are based on stoichiometric iodine(III) reagents.

Cooperative iodine and photoredox catalysis for direct oxidative lactonization of carboxylic acids.

A new method for the formation of γ- and δ-lactones from carboxylic acids through direct conversion of benzylic C-H to C-O bonds is described. The reaction is conveniently induced by visible light and relies on a mild cooperative catalysis by the combination of molecular iodine and an organic dye.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Nicotine via an Iodine-Mediated Hofmann-Löffler Reaction.

An iodine-mediated Hofmann-Löffler reaction has been developed that enables the first enantioselective synthesis of nicotine based on this synthetic methodology. The effect of the free pyridine core on the involved electrophilic iodine reagents was explored in detail. The final synthesis proceeds under moderate reaction conditions that tolerate the free pyridine core. The same synthetic sequence is also applicable to a number of derivatives with higher substituted pyridine cores, including bipyridine derivatives.

An Electrophilic Bromine Redox Catalysis for the Synthesis of Indole Alkaloid Building Blocks by Selective Aliphatic C-H Amination.

A new homogeneous bromine(-I/I) redox catalysis is described, which is based on monomeric bromine(I) compounds containing transferable phthalimidato groups. These catalysts enable intermolecular C-H amination reactions at previously unaccessible aliphatic positions and thus enlarge the synthetic potential of direct C-N bond formation, including its application in the synthesis of alkaloid building blocks. This aspect is demonstrated by a new synthetic approach to aspidospermidine. In addition to the development of the catalyst system, the structures of the involved bromine(I) key catalysts were fully elucidated, including by X-ray analyses.

Multiple Halogenation of Aliphatic C-H Bonds within the Hofmann-Löffler Manifold.

An innovative approach to position-selective polyhalogenation of aliphatic hydrocarbon bonds is presented. The reaction proceeded within the Hofmann-Löffler manifold with amidyl radicals as the sole mediators to induce selective 1,5- and 1,6-hydrogen-atom transfer followed by halogenation. Multiple halogenation events of up to four innate C-H bond functionalizations were accomplished. The broad applicability of this new entry into polyhalogenation and the resulting synthetic possibilities were demonstrated for a total of 27 different examples including mixed halogenations.

Promoting Intermolecular C-N Bond Formation under the Auspices of Iodine(III).

The quest for the development of new protocols that provide general conditions for oxidative carbon-nitrogen bond formation has grown over recent years. Within this context, due to feasibility and benignity considerations in biochemical sciences, reactions that rely on main group oxidants as the only promoters have received particular interest. We have recently found that simple protonolysis events enable the incorporation of nitrogenated groups of the bissulfonimide family into the coordination sphere of common iodine(III) complexes such as diacetoxy iodobenzene. The products of the type ArI(OAc)(NTs2) represent rare examples of iodine(III) compounds displaying reactive iodine-nitrogen single bonds. Further protonolysis furnishes the corresponding iodine(III) compounds ArI(NTs2)2 containing two defined iodine-nitrogen single bonds for unprecedented dual transfer of both nitrogenated groups. It is of great synthetic importance that these new compounds contain iodine-nitrogen entities, which upon dissociation in solution lead to electrophilic iodine centers and nucleophilic nitrogen groups. This has enabled the development of a body of conceptually new amination reactions, which do not rely on conventional electrophilic nitrogen reagents but rather employ iodine(III) as an electrophilic activator and bissulfonimides as the source of subsequent nucleophilic amination. Additional diversification arises from the ambident nature of bissulfonimines enabling oxygenation pathways. The exciting chemistry covered in this Account comprises structural features of the reagents (including X-ray analysis), scope and limitation in synthetic amination of different hydrocarbons (including sp-, sp2-, and sp3-hybridized centers as in acetylenes, alkenes, enols, butadienes, allenes, arenes, and alkylketones), and physical-organic and theoretical analysis of the underlying reaction mechanisms. The oxidative transformations with all their rich diversifications originate from the versatile redox chemistry of the iodine(III) and iodine(I) pair, which shares several aspects of transition metal high oxidation state chemistry. For the present aryliodine(III) reagents, steric and electronic fine-tuning is possible through accurate engineering of the arene substituent. In addition to the general reactivity of the I-N bond, chiral aryliodine(III) reagents with defined stereochemical information in the aryl backbone are conceptually compatible with this approach. Thus, the development of enantioselective amination reactions with up to 99% ee was also successful. Several of the active enantioselective reagents have been isolated and structurally characterized. Following this approach for the important class of chiral vicinal diamines, an unprecedented direct diamination of alkenes could be conducted in an enantioselective catalytic manner under full intermolecular reaction control. This latter reaction is based on the precise engineering of a chiral aryliodine(III) catalyst in combination with bismesylimide as nitrogen source. It is the consequence of the precise understanding of the reaction behavior of structurally defined bisimidoiodine(III) reagents.

Designing Homogeneous Bromine Redox Catalysis for Selective Aliphatic C-H Bond Functionalization.

The potential of homogeneous oxidation catalysis employing bromine has remained largely unexplored. We herein show that the combination of a tetraalkylammonium bromide and meta-chloroperbenzoic acid offers a unique catalyst system for the convenient and selective oxidation of saturated C(sp3 )-H bonds upon photochemical initiation with day light. This approach enables remote, intramolecular, position-selective C-H amination as demonstrated for 20 different examples. For the first time, an N-halogenated intermediate was isolated as the active catalyst state in a catalytic Hofmann-Löffler reaction. In addition, an expeditious one-pot synthesis of N-sulfonyl oxaziridines from N-sulfonamides was developed and exemplified for 15 transformations. These pioneering examples provide a change in paradigm for molecular catalysis with bromine.

Cooperative Light-Activated Iodine and Photoredox Catalysis for the Amination of Csp3 -H Bonds.

An unprecedented method that makes use of the cooperative interplay between molecular iodine and photoredox catalysis has been developed for dual light-activated intramolecular benzylic C-H amination. Iodine serves as the catalyst for the formation of a new C-N bond by activating a remote Csp3 -H bond (1,5-HAT process) under visible-light irradiation while the organic photoredox catalyst TPT effects the reoxidation of the molecular iodine catalyst. To explain the compatibility of the two involved photochemical steps, the key N-I bond activation was elucidated by computational methods. The new cooperative catalysis has important implications for the combination of non-metallic main-group catalysis with photocatalysis.

Catalytic Asymmetric Diamination of Styrenes.

An enantioselective catalytic vicinal diamination of styrenes is reported, which proceeds under entirely intermolecular reaction control. It relies on a chirally modified aryliodine(I) catalyst and proceeds within an iodine(I/III) manifold with conventional 3-chloroperbenzoic acid as a terminal oxidant. An environmentally benign solvent combination not only adds to the attractiveness of the process but also slows down the rate of the undesired background reaction. A total of 30 examples are presented, which consistently provide high enantiomeric excesses in the range 91-98%.

Dioxoiodane Compounds as Versatile Sources for Iodine(I) Chemistry.

The general synthesis, isolation and characterization of electrophilic iodine reagents of the general formula R4 N[I(O2 CAr)2 ] is reported. These compounds are air- and moisture-stable iodine(I) reagents, which were characterized including X-ray analysis. They represent conceptually new iodine(I) reagents with anions as stabilizers. These compounds display the expected performance as electrophilic reagents upon interaction with electron-rich substrates. The performance of these compounds in a total of 47 different reactions of vicinal iodooxygenation of alkenes is studied and some key features on the reagents are revealed.

Sterically Congested 2,6-Disubstituted Anilines from Direct C-N Bond Formation at an Iodine(III) Center.

2,6-Disubstituted anilines are readily prepared from the direct reaction between amides and diaryliodonium salts. As demonstrated for 24 different examples, the reaction is of unusually broad scope with respect to the sterically congested arene and the nitrogen source, occurs without the requirement for any additional promoter, and proceeds through a direct reductive elimination at the iodine(III) center. The efficiency of the coupling procedure is further demonstrated within the short synthesis of a chemerin binding inhibitor.

The Quest for Palladium-Catalysed Alkyl-Nitrogen Bond Formation.

Our interest in the development of transition-metal catalysis for the realisation of vicinal diamination reactions of alkenes started about a decade ago. A number of successful transformations in this area have been developed using palladium catalysis. As a challenging aspect of major importance, the palladium-catalysed coupling of alkyl-nitrogen bonds constitutes the second step in diaminations of alkenes. We here discuss the details that led us to consider high-oxidation-state palladium catalysis as a key feature in such C-N bond-forming reactions. This work discusses both our own contributions and the ones from colleagues and combines the discussion of catalytic reactions and stoichiometric control experiments. It demonstrates that reductive alkyl-nitrogen bond formation from palladium(IV) proceeds with a low activation barrier and through a linear transition state of nucleophilic displacement.