Atroposelective Ir-Catalyzed C-H Borylation of Phthalazine Heterobiaryls.

The atroposelective iridium-catalyzed borylation of menthyloxy-substituted phthalazine heterobiaryls with diborons is reported. Utilizing [Ir(OMe)(COD)]2/2-aminopyridine as a rarely used efficient catalyst system, the heterobiaryls were selectively borylated in the 2-position of the carbocycle, exclusively yielding only one of the atropisomers, depending on the substitution of the phthalazine with (+)-menthyl or (-)-menthyl moieties. Exemplary further functionalization of a borylated atropisomer demonstrated that nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling with an aryl halide was able to provide stereoretention to a certain degree (up to 75% de).

Cyclotrimerization Approach to Symmetric [9]Helical Indenofluorenes: Diverting Cyclization Pathways.

Catalytic cyclotrimerization routes to symmetrical [9]helical indenofluorene were explored by using different transition-metal complexes and thermal conditions. Depending on the reaction conditions, the cyclotrimerizations were accompanied by dehydro-Diels-Alder reaction giving rise to another type of aromatic compounds. Structures of both symmetrical [9]helical cyclotrimerization product as well as the dehydro-Diels-Alder product were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Limits of enantioselective cyclotrimerization were assessed as well. DFT calculations shed light on the reaction course and the origin of diminished enantioselectivity.

Cobalt Catalysts for [2+2+2] Cycloaddition Reactions: Isolated Precatalysts and in†situ Generated Catalysts.

[2+2+2] Cycloaddition reactions belong to the not even large class of reactions, which can be catalyzed or mediated by a significant number of different transition metals. Cobalt complexes belong to the catalysts that paved the way for the extensive use and profound mechanistic knowledge on this particular transformation. Beside the established role, cyclopentadienyl (Cp) cobalt complexes inherit in synthetic applications of the cyclotrimerization reaction, modification of the precatalysts opened up novel reactivities and versatility for such catalytic initiators. At the same time the development of in situ generated cobalt catalysts allowed the conversion of novel substrates as well as novel reaction modes to be realized. In this personal account recent developments will be presented and the possibilities of catalysts containing cobalt atoms in different oxidation states be discussed.

Air-Stable CpCoI-Phosphite-Fumarate Precatalyst in Cyclization Reactions: Comparing Different Methods of Energy Supply.

The robust CoI precatalyst [CpCo(P{OEt}3)(trans-MeO2CHC=CHCO2Me)] was investigated in cyclotrimerizations, furnishing benzenes and pyridines from triynes, diynes and nitriles, comparing the influence of different ways of energy supply; namely, irradiation and conventional (thermal) or microwave heating. The precatalyst was found to work under all conditions, including the possibility to catalyze cyclotrimerizations at room temperature under photochemical conditions at longer reaction times. Performance of the reactions in a microwave reactor proved to be the most time-efficient way to rapidly assemble the expected reaction products; however, careful selection of reaction conditions can be required. The synthesis of pyridines and isoquinolines successfully involved the utilization of versatile functionalized nitriles, affording structurally interesting reaction products. Comparison with the known and often applied precatalyst CpCo(CO)2 demonstrated the significantly higher reactivity of the CpCoI-phosphite-olefin precatalyst.

Novel naphthylpyridines from cobalt-catalyzed cyclotrimerization of a chiral diyne.

ABSTRACT: The concise synthesis of a novel chiral diyne substrate for the assembly of chiral naphthylpyridines was described and different conditions for the cobalt-catalyzed co-cyclotrimerization with nitriles investigated. The products are novel naphthylpyridines possessing configurationally stable biaryl axes.

Insight into the Activation of In Situ Generated Chiral RhI Catalysts and Their Application in Cyclotrimerizations.

We report a detailed study concerning the efficient generation of highly active chiral rhodium complexes of the general structure [Rh(diphosphine)(solvent)2 ]+ as well as their exemplary successful utilization as catalysts for cyclotrimerizations. Such solvent complexes could likewise be prepared from novel ammonia complexes of the type [Rh(diphosphine)(NH3 )2 ]+ . A valuable, feasible approach to generate novel chiral RhI complexes was found by in situ generation from Wilkinson's catalyst [RhCl(PPh3 )3 ] with chiral P,N ligands. The generated catalysts led to moderate to good enantioselectivities and excellent yields in the cyclotrimerizations of triynes, showcasing their usefulness in the synthesis of axially chiral benzene derivatives.

Iron-Catalyzed Cyclotrimerization of Terminal Alkynes by Dual Catalyst Activation in the Absence of Reductants.

Catalyzing C-C bond-forming reactions with earth-abundant metals under mild conditions is at the heart of sustainable synthesis. The cyclotrimerization of alkynes is a valuable atom-efficient reaction in organic synthesis that is enabled by several metal catalysts, including iron. This study reports an effective iron-catalyzed cyclotrimerization for the regioselective synthesis of 1,2,4-substituted arenes (1 mol % catalyst, toluene, 20 °C, 5 min). A dual activation mechanism (substrate deprotonation, reductive elimination) renders the simple FeII precatalyst highly active in the absence of any reductant.

Synthesis of Naphthylpyridines from Unsymmetrical Naphthylheptadiynes and the Configurational Stability of the Biaryl Axis.

A series of different unsymmetrically substituted naphthyl-based diynes were synthesized. These substrates formed the foundation for the assembly of novel biaryls containing pyridine moieties with differently substituted five-membered rings in the backbone of the newly formed heterobiaryl system. The key step for their efficient construction was the photo- and cobalt-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between the corresponding naphthyldiyne and aceto- or benzonitrile. The heterobiaryl products have been isolated and investigated with respect to the configurational stability of their biaryl axis using dynamic chiral HPLC; subtle effects of the substitution pattern on the stability of the axis were observed. For several compounds the activation barriers (ΔG(‡)) of racemization were determined. Suitable substitution of the five-membered ring backbone exemplarily allowed the Co-catalyzed enantioselective cyclization to yield the enantiomerically enriched heterobiaryl.

CoCl(PPh3)3 as Cyclotrimerization Catalyst for Functionalized Triynes under Mild Conditions.

The ubiquitary Co(I) complex CoCl(PPh3)3 was found to be a convenient catalyst for the [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of functionalized triynes under mild reaction conditions and devoid of any additional additive, yielding the substituted arene compounds. Successful development of synthetic routes to various triynes and the subsequent cyclotrimerization key step gave systematic access to a variety of different bi- and triaryls with good to excellent yields for the cyclization.

Computational studies and experimental results--an example of excellent teamwork in studying carbocyclization.

In silico veritas? Maybe not the whole truth, but very helpful suggestions and guidelines for the experimental work can be deduced from computational studies on Rh-catalyzed [3+2+1] cycloaddition reactions for the construction of cis-fused bicyclohexenones from alkylidenecyclopropanes and carbon monoxide.

Fine-tuning the reactivity and stability by systematic ligand variations in CpCo(I) complexes as catalysts for [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions.

CpCo(I)-olefin-phosphite and CpCo(I)-bisphosphite complexes were systematically prepared and their reactivity in [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions compared with highly active [CpCo(H(2)C=CHSiMe(3))(2)] (1). Whereas 1 is an excellent precursor for the synthesis of [CpCo(olefin)(phosphite)] complexes (2 a-f), [CpCo(phosphite)(2)] complexes (3 a-e) were prepared photochemically from [CpCo(cod)]. The complexes were evaluated in the cyclotrimerization reaction of diynes with nitriles yielding pyridines. For [CpCo(olefin)(phosphite)], as well as some of the [CpCo(phosphite)(2)] complexes, reaction temperatures as low as 50 °C were sufficient to perform the cycloaddition reaction. A direct comparison showed that the order of reactivity for the complex ligands was olefin(2)>olefin/phosphite>phosphites(2). The complexes with mixed ligands favorably combine reactivity and stability. Calculations on the ligand dissociation from [CpCo(olefin)(phosphite)] proved that the phosphite is dissociating before the olefin. [CpCo(H(2)C=CHSiMe(3)){P(OPh)(3)}] (2 a) was investigated for the co-cyclization of diynes and nitriles and found to be an efficient catalyst at rather mild temperatures.

Preparation and synthetic applications of alkene complexes of group 9 transition metals in [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions.

The [2+2+2] cycloaddition reaction has become an invaluable tool for the synthetic chemistry in recent years, due to the increase of complexity of the accessed target molecules by this methodology. Over several decades, the members of group 9 of the periodic table have contributed significantly to the development and understanding of this particular cycloaddition reaction. On the other hand, catalyst complexes containing alkenes as ligands are widely used today as either catalysts or as precursor molecules for the facile generation of catalytically active metal species. In this tutorial review we want to describe the catalytically relevant chemistry of group 9 metal-alkene complexes and compile some recent applications in [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions.

Asymmetric synthesis of axially chiral 1-aryl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines by cobalt-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of 1-aryl-1,7-octadiynes and nitriles.

The asymmetric synthesis of a range of axially chiral 2-arylpyridines by a cobalt-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction is described. The use of a planar chiral (1-neomenthylindenyl)cobalt(COD) complex under photochemical conditions is the key for reacting the 1-naphthyldiynes with a range of differently functionalized nitriles, giving the enantiomeric atropoisomers with high chemical yields and enantiomeric excesses of up to 94% ee.

Time-resolved IR studies on the mechanism for the functionalization of primary C-H bonds by photoactivated Cp*W(CO)3(Bpin).

Recently, transition-metal-boryl compounds have been reported that selectively functionalize primary C-H bonds in alkanes in high yield. We have investigated this process with one of the well-defined systems that reacts under photochemical conditions using both density functional theory calculations and pico- through microsecond time-resolved IR spectroscopy. UV irradiation of Cp*W(CO)(3)(Bpin) (Cp* = C(5)(CH(3))(5); pin = 1,2-O(2)C(2)-(CH(3))(4)) in neat pentane solution primarily results in dissociation of a single CO ligand and solvation of the metal by a pentane molecule from the bath within 2 ps. The spectroscopic data imply that the resulting complex, cis-Cp*W(CO)(2)(Bpin)(pentane), undergoes C-H bond activation by a sigma-bond metathesis mechanism--in 16 micros, a terminal hydrogen on pentane appears to migrate to the Bpin ligand to form a sigma-borane complex, Cp*W(CO)(2)(H-Bpin)(C(5)H(11)). Our data imply that the borane ligand rotates until the boron is directly adjacent to the C(5)H(11) ligand. In this configuration, the B-H sigma-bond is broken in favor of a B-C sigma-bond, forming Cp*W(CO)(2)(H)(C(5)H(11)-Bpin), a tungsten-hydride complex containing a weakly bound alkylboronate ester. The ester is then eliminated to form Cp*W(CO)(2)(H) in approximately 170 micros. We also identify two side reactions that limit the total yield of bond activation products and explain the 72% yield previously reported for this complex.

Bis(dimethyl sulfoxide)-hydridobis(triphenyl-phosphane)cobalt(I).

The title compound, [CoH(C(18)H(15)P)(2)(C(2)H(6)OS)(2)], was synthesized by the reaction of chloridotris(triphenyl-phosphane)cobalt(I), [ClCo(PPh(3))(3)], in the presence of one equivalent potassium hydridotris(pyrazol-yl)borate in dimethyl sulfoxide. The structure displays a distorted trigonal-pyramidally coordinated cobalt(I) atom, with two phosphane ligands and one DMSO ligand in the equatorial plane. The coordination is completed by one further DMSO ligand and the anionic hydride in the axial positions.

[N,N-Bis(diphenyl-phosphino)isopropyl-amine]dibromidonickel(II).

The title compound, [NiBr(2)(C(27)H(27)NP(2))], was synthesized by the reaction of NiBr(2)(dme) (dme is 1,2-dimethoxy-ethane) with N,N-bis-(diphenyl-phosphino)isopropyl-amine in methanol/tetra-hydro-furan. The nickel(II) center is coordinated by two P atoms of the chelating PNP ligand, Ph(2)PN(iPr)PPh(2), and two bromide ions in a distorted square-planar geometry.

trans-Di-µ-acetato-[µ-N,N-bis-(diphenyl-phosphino)aniline]bis-[chlorido-molybdenum(II)](Mo-Mo)-dichloro-methane-tetra-hydro-furan (1/0.3/1.7).

The mol-ecular structure of the title compound, [Mo(2)(CH(3)COO)(2)Cl(2)(C(30)H(25)NP(2))]·0.3CH(2)Cl(2)·1.7C(4)H(8)O, features an Mo-Mo dumbbell bridged by two acetate groups which are trans to each other. Perpendicular to the plane spanned by the acetate groups, the Ph(2)PN(Ph)PPh(2) ligand bridges both Mo atoms, having a P-N-P angle of 114.09 (19)°. In a trans position to the PNP ligand are two Cl atoms, one on each molybdenum centre. The Mo-Mo bond distance is 2.1161 (9) Å, within the range known for Mo-Mo quadruple bonds. The Mo complex is located on a crystallographic twofold rotation axis which runs through the N-C bond of the ligand. The site occupation factors of the disordered solvent molecules were fixed to 0.15 for dichloromethane and 0.85 for tetrahydrofuran.

Versatile tools in the construction of substituted 2,2'-bipyridines-cross-coupling reactions with tin, zinc and boron compounds.

2,2'-Bipyridines are among the most widely used classes of chelating ligands that have found applications in the fields of coordination chemistry, supra-, nano- and macromolecular chemistry, analytical and photochemistry, but also in asymmetric synthesis and natural product chemistry. Hence, there is a huge demand for efficient synthetic approaches to functionalized derivatives. Modern cross-coupling procedures have been proven to be particularly effective in this context. This critical review will give an overview about the advances made so far focussing mainly on cross-coupling reactions with tin, zinc and boron compounds for the achievement of interesting, versatile and unusual substitution patterns (156 references).