Synthesis of polyurethanes through the oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids: a new gateway toward self-blown foams.

Polyurethane (PU) thermoplastics and thermosets were prepared through the step-growth polymerization of in situ generated polyisocyanates through the decarboxylation of polyoxamic acids, in the presence of phenyliodine diacetate (PIDA), and polyols. The CO2 produced during the reaction allowed the access to self-blown polyurethane foams through an endogenous chemical blowing. The acetic acid released from ligand exchange at the iodine center was also shown to accelerate the polymerization reaction, avoiding the recourse to an additional catalyst. Changing simple parameters during the production process allowed us to access flexible PU foams with a wide range of properties.

Visible-light mediated carbamoyl radical addition to heteroarenes.

The generation of carbamoyl radicals, followed by their addition to heteroarenes, was performed under mild conditions through a metal-free photocatalyzed decarboxylation of oxamic acids. The process has been applied to the carbamoylation of heteroaromatic bases using α-aminoacid-derived oxamic acids, leading to the corresponding amides without racemization.

Visible-light photocatalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids: a green route to urethanes and ureas.

A sustainable metal-free route to urethanes and ureas based on a photocatalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of oxamic acids is described. The reaction includes in situ generation of an isocyanate from the oxamic acid, using an organic dye as a photocatalyst, a hypervalent iodine reagent as an oxidant and a light source, which trigger the free-radical decarboxylation. This protocol successfully avoids the isolation, purification and storage of carcinogenic isocyanates and allows elaboration of urethanes and ureas in a one-pot process from commercially available sources.

Selected Copper-Based Reactions for C-N, C-O, C-S, and C-C Bond Formation.

Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions belong to the most important transformations in organic synthesis. Copper catalysis has received great attention owing to the low toxicity and low cost of copper. However, traditional Ullmann-type couplings suffer from limited substrate scopes and harsh reaction conditions. The introduction of several bidentate ligands, such as amino acids, diamines, 1,3-diketones, and oxalic diamides, over the past two decades has totally changed this situation as these ligands enable the copper-catalyzed coupling of aryl halides and nucleophiles at both low reaction temperatures and catalyst loadings. The reaction scope has also been greatly expanded, rendering this copper-based cross-coupling attractive for both academia and industry. In this Review, we have summarized the latest progress in the development of useful reaction conditions for the coupling of (hetero)aryl halides with different nucleophiles. Additionally, recent advances in copper-catalyzed coupling reactions with aryl boronates and the copper-based trifluoromethylation of aromatic electrophiles will be discussed.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed, Heteroatom-Directed, Regioselective C-H Nitration of Anilines Using Pyrimidine as a Removable Directing Group.

A new palladium-catalyzed, heteroatom-directed strategy for C-H nitration of anilines is described. This C-H functionalization reaction is highly ortho-selective and results in very good yields. The highlight of the work is the use of pyrimidine as the removable directing group. This approach constitutes one of the rare methods of ortho-nitration of anilines, a reaction that is normally very difficult to achieve via traditional approaches.

Heteroatom-Guided, Palladium-Catalyzed, Site-Selective C-H Arylation of 4H-Chromenes: Diastereoselective Assembly of the Core Structure of Myristinin†B through Dual C-H Functionalization.

A highly site-selective, heteroatom-guided, palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of 4H-chromenes is reported. The C-H functionalization is driven not only by the substituents and structure of the substrate but also by the coupling partner being used. The diastereoselective assembly of the core structure of Myristinin B has been achieved by using a dual C-H functionalization strategy for regioselective direct arylation.

Palladium catalyzed, heteroatom-guided C-H functionalization in the synthesis of substituted isoquinolines and dihydroisoquinolines.

A new approach for the functionalization of C-4 of isoquinolines is reported. The method utilizes palladium catalyzed, hetero-atom guided (or electrophilic metalation) direct arylation via regioselective C-H functionalization of dihydroisoquinolines.

Heteroatom-guided, palladium-catalyzed regioselective C-H functionalization in the synthesis of 3-arylquinolines.

A new approach for the regioselective functionalization of the C-3-position of quinolines is described. The method utilizes heteroatom guided regioselective C-3 palladation followed by arylation via transmetalation with aryl boronic acids to yield 3-aryl-N-acyl-1,2-dihydroquinolines. In a one-pot sequence, N-deacylation followed by aromatization leads to important 3-arylquinolines in good yields.

Regioselectivity switch achieved in the palladium catalyzed α-arylation of enones by employing the modified Kuwajima-Urabe conditions.

A new regioselective approach to the synthesis of α-aryl enones is reported. This represents an important application of the Kuwajima-Urabe protocol toward the synthesis of this simple albeit complex functional array. Several α-aryl enones were synthesized by the palladium catalyzed arylation of triethylsilylenol ethers of enones with high regioselectivity and broad scope, utilizing sterically encumbered electron-rich phosphine ligands to drive the reaction.