A rhodium-catalysed Sonogashira-type coupling exploiting C-S functionalisation: orthogonality with palladium-catalysed variants.

This report concerns the development of an efficient Sonogashira-type coupling of arylmethylsulfides and terminal alkynes to generate aryl alkyne motifs. Orthogonal reactivity between traditional Pd catalysts, and the Rh catalysts employed, results in the ability to selectively activate either the C-S bond or C-X bond through catalyst choice. The Rh-bisphosphine catalyst has further been shown to be able to effect a hydroacylation-Sonogashira tandem sequence, and in combination with further onward reactions has been used in the synthesis of heterocycles and polycyclic systems.

Catalyst-dependent selectivity in sulfonium ylide cycloisomerization reactions.

Divergent catalysis is an emerging field whereby access to structurally diverse compounds from a common precursor is achieved through controlled reaction pathways. Herein we present an unusual example of π-acid catalyst dependent selectivity in the cycloisomerization of alkene-tethered sulfonium ylides. Computational mechanistic studies revealed how the ability of palladium to cycle through oxidation states largely controls the selectivity.

A Catalytic Cross-Olefination of Diazo Compounds with Sulfoxonium Ylides.

A ruthenium-catalysed cross-olefination of diazo compounds and sulfoxonium ylides is presented. Our reaction design exploits the intrinsic difference in reactivity of diazo compounds and sulfoxonium ylides as both carbene precursors and nucleophiles, which results in a highly selective reaction.

Sulfur-Based Ylides in Transition-Metal-Catalysed Processes.

Traditionally employed in the synthesis of small ring systems and rearrangement chemistry, sulfur-based ylides occupy a unique position in the toolbox of the synthetic organic chemist. In recent years a number of pioneering researchers have looked to expand the application of these unorthodox reagents through the use of transition metal catalysis. The strength and flexibility of such a combination have been shown to be of key importance in developing powerful novel methodologies. This chapter summarises recent developments in transition metal-catalysed sulfonium/sulfoxonium ylide reactions, as well as providing a historical perspective. In overviewing the successes in this area, the authors hope to encourage others into this growing field.

(3+2) Cycloadditions of Thiouronium Ylides: A Room-Temperature, One-Pot Approach to Dihydrothiophenes.

A room-temperature (3+2) cycloaddition sequence for the synthesis of highly substituted dihydrothiophene derivatives has been developed. By utilizing structurally unique thiocarbonyl ylides, the reactivity of these traditionally high-energy intermediates can be modulated, enabling a synthetically useful transformation to proceed under mild conditions.

Homogeneous rhodium(i)-catalysis in de novo heterocycle syntheses.

Recent research has led to the development of mild, efficient and selective catalytic systems based on Rh(i) complexes. This review summarises the applications of these catalysts to the synthesis of heterocycles from simple building blocks. Included herein are approaches based on cycloisomerisation, cycloaddition, hydroacylation and hydroarylation reactions, as well as various tandem and domino procedures and carbonylation processes.

Diversely Substituted Quinolines via Rhodium-Catalyzed Alkyne Hydroacylation.

The Rh-catalyzed hydroacylative union of aldehydes and o-alkynyl anilines leads to 2-aminophenyl enones, and onward to substituted quinolines. The mild reaction conditions employed in this chemistry result in a process that displays broad functional group tolerance, allowing the preparation of diversely substituted quinolines in high yields. Extension to the use of o-alkynyl nitro arenes as substrates leads to 2-nitrochalcones, from which both quinolines and quinoline N-oxides can be accessed.

α-Amino Aldehydes as Readily Available Chiral Aldehydes for Rh-Catalyzed Alkyne Hydroacylation.

Readily available α-amino aldehydes, incorporating a methylthiomethyl (MTM) protecting group on nitrogen, are shown to be efficient substrates in Rh-catalyzed alkyne hydroacylation reactions. The reactions are performed under mild conditions, employing a small-bite-angle bis-phosphine ligand, allowing for good functional group tolerance with high stereospecificity. Amino aldehydes derived from glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, serine, tryptophan, methionine, and cysteine were successfully employed, as was an enantiomerically enriched α-OMTM-aldehyde derived from phenyllactic acid. The synthetic utility of the α-amino enone products is demonstrated in a short enantioselective synthesis of the natural product sphingosine.