Facile synthesis of 1,2-aminoalcohols via α-C-H aminoalkylation of alcohols by photoinduced hydrogen-atom transfer catalysis.

1,2-Aminoalcohols are common motifs found in a wide range of natural products and pharmaceutical compounds. Here we report a photocatalytic method for the direct conversion of readily available aliphatic alcohols into synthetically valuable 1,2-aminoalcohols. A dual catalytic system consisting of an acridinium photoredox catalyst and a cationic hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) catalyst based on 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) enables an efficient and site-selective HAT from the α-C-H bonds of unprotected primary and secondary alcohols. The subsequent radical addition to a newly designed chiral N-sulfinyl α-iminoester afforded various 1,2-aminoalcohols, including enantiomerically enriched ones, under mild photochemical conditions with high atom and step economy.

Catalytic direct hydrocarboxylation of styrenes with CO2 and H2.

A three-component hydrocarboxylation of an olefin with CO2 and H2 could be regarded as a dream reaction, since it would provide a straightforward approach for the synthesis of aliphatic carboxylic acids in perfect atom economy. However, this transformation has not been realized in a direct manner under mild conditions, because boosting the carboxylation with thermodynamically stable CO2 while suppressing the rapid hydrogenation of olefin remains a challenging task. Here, we report a rhodium-catalysed reductive hydrocarboxylation of styrene derivatives with CO2 and H2 under mild conditions, in which H2 served as the terminal reductant. In this approach, the carboxylation process was largely accelerated by visible light irradiation, which was proved both experimentally and by computational studies. Hydrocarboxylation of various kinds of styrene derivatives was achieved in good yields without additional base under ambient pressure of CO2/H2 at room temperature. Mechanistic investigations revealed that use of a cationic rhodium complex was critical to achieve high hydrocarboxylation selectivity.

Rhodium-Catalyzed meta-Selective C-H Carboxylation Reaction of 1,1-Diarylethylenes via Hydrorhodation-Rhodium Migration.

A meta-selective C-H carboxylation reaction of 1,1-diarylethylene derivatives with CO2 by using a rhodium catalyst with NaOi Pr as a stoichiometric reductant has been achieved. Together with hydrogenation of the ethylene moiety, a carboxyl group was introduced to the meta-position of the aryl ring with high selectivity over the ortho-positions. Experimental and computational mechanistic studies indicate that this carboxylation reaction proceeds via hydrorhodation on the ethylene moiety, followed by 1,4-rhodium migration and successive 1,2-rhodium migration on the aryl ring. The use of a bulky phosphine ligand seems to be the key to this unusual aryl-to-aryl 1,2-rhodium shift.

Palladium-Catalyzed Visible-Light-Driven Carboxylation of Aryl and Alkenyl Triflates by Using Photoredox Catalysts.

A visible-light-driven carboxylation of aryl and alkenyl triflates with CO2 is developed by using a combination of Pd and photoredox catalysts. This reaction proceeds under mild conditions and can be applied to a wide range of substrates including acyclic alkenyl triflates.

Photocatalytic Transfer Hydrogenolysis of Allylic Alcohols on Pd/TiO2 : A Shortcut to (S)-(+)-Lavandulol.

We report herein a regio- and stereoselective photocatalytic hydrogenolysis of allylic alcohols to form unsaturated hydrocarbons employing a palladium(II)-loaded titanium oxide; the reaction proceeds at room temperature under light irradiation without stoichiometric generation of salt wastes. Olefin and saturated alcohol moieties tolerated the reaction conditions. Hydrogen atoms were selectively incorporated into less sterically congested carbons of the allylic functionalities. This protocol allowed a short-step synthesis of (S)-(+)-lavandulol from (R)-(-)-carvone by avoiding otherwise necessary protection/deprotection steps.

N-methylation of amines with methanol at room temperature.

N-Methylation of amines with methanol proceeds at room temperature in the presence of a silver-loaded titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) photocatalyst under UV-vis light irradiation. This method allows facile synthesis/isolation of N-methylamines bearing various functional groups including N-benzyl, N-allyl, N-Boc, hydroxyl, ether, acetal, carboxamide, formamide, and olefin groups.

Nucleophile-catalyzed additions to activated triple bonds. Protection of lactams, imides, and nucleosides with MocVinyl and related groups.

Additions of lactams, imides, (S)-4-benzyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one, 2-pyridone, pyrimidine-2,4-diones (AZT derivatives), or inosines to the electron-deficient triple bonds of methyl propynoate, tert-butyl propynoate, 3-butyn-2-one, N-propynoylmorpholine, or N-methoxy-N-methylpropynamide in the presence of many potential catalysts were examined. DABCO and, second, DMAP appeared to be the best (highest reaction rates and E/Z ratios), while RuCl3, RuClCp*(PPh3)2, AuCl, AuCl(PPh3), CuI, and Cu2(OTf)2 were incapable of catalyzing such additions. The groups incorporated (for example, the 2-(methoxycarbonyl)ethenyl group that we name MocVinyl) serve as protecting groups for the above-mentioned heterocyclic CONH or CONHCO moieties. Deprotections were accomplished via exchange with good nucleophiles: the 1-dodecanethiolate anion turned out to be the most general and efficient reagent, but in some particular cases other nucleophiles also worked (e.g., MocVinyl-inosines can be cleaved with succinimide anion). Some structural and mechanistic details have been accounted for with the help of DFT and MP2 calculations.

(15)N Double-labeled guanosine from inosine through ring-opening-ring-closing and one-pot Pd-catalyzed C-O and C-N cross-coupling reactions.

[N,1-(15)N(2)]-Guanosine, or [1,NH(2)-(15)N(2)]-guanosine, and derivatives were prepared from tri-O-acetylinosine, via N-nitration and reaction with (15)NH(2)OH, followed by conversion of the (15)N-labeled 1-hydroxyinosine to the corresponding 2,6-dichloropurine riboside. The sequential one-pot C-O and C-N key couplings of this dichloro derivative with PhCH(2)OH and PhCO(15)NH(2) or (i)PrCO(15)NH(2) was achieved in good overall yields, with Pd(0)-Xantphos as the best choice of five different catalytic systems examined.