(Indol-3-yl)(DMIX)Iodonium Salts: Novel Electrophilic Indole Reagents.

A new umpolung approach to the C3-H functionalization of indoles with diverse nucleophiles based on the intermediate formation of I(III) reagents is described. The 3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl auxiliary allows for selective indole transfer under catalyst-free conditions, which was impossible using previously reported reagents. Combining the mildness of transition-metal-free conditions and the high reactivity of hypervalent iodine reagents, this protocol tolerates various functional groups and provides access to indoles that are difficult to prepare conventionally.

A Thiol-Free Route to Alkyl Aryl Thioethers.

Most existing methods for the synthesis of alkyl aryl thioethers require the use of mercaptans as the starting materials, which comes with practical limitations. Reactions of diaryliodonium salts with xanthate salts, easily prepared from the corresponding alcohols and CS2, under the developed conditions represent an operationally simple, thiol-free method for the synthesis of these valuable compounds. The protocol features high functional group tolerance and can be applied to the late-stage C-H functionalization and for the introduction of a CD3S group.

Synthesis of Quinoline-2-thiones by Selective Deoxygenative C-H/C-S Functionalization of Quinoline N-Oxides with Thiourea.

Quinoline-2-thiones valuable for synthetic and medicinal chemistry applications were obtained with excellent regioselectivity employing a deoxygenative C-H functionalization of readily available quinoline-N-oxides with thiourea upon activation with triflic anhydride. Unlike the current methods, this approach provides general access to diverse quinoline-2-thiones functionalized with groups of different electronic natures. Experimental simplicity and good to high yields are advantages of this protocol. Given the high reactivity of quinoline-2-thiones, this method provides an entry point for the synthesis of diverse organosulfur quinoline scaffolds.

Reaction of Diaryliodonium Salts with Potassium Alkyl Xanthates as an Entry Point to Accessing Organosulfur Compounds.

Preparation of S-aryl xanthates via transition-metal-catalyzed or SNAr reactions is complicated by their further transformations under the utilized conditions. In contrast, S-arylation of potassium O-alkyl xanthates with diaryliodonium salts proceeds under mild conditions, enabling access to substituted S-aryl xanthates. The method exhibits good functional group tolerance and can be applied to the late-stage C-H functionalization of drug molecules. Divergent transformations of the resulting S-aryl xanthates provide rapid access to a range of medicinal chemistry-relevant organosulfur compounds.

Visible-Light-Driven Thioesterification of Aryl Halides with Potassium Thiocarboxylates: Transition-Metal Catalyst-Free Incorporation of Sulfur Functionalities into an Aromatic Ring.

Reactions of acceptor-substituted aryl iodides and bromides with potassium thiocarboxylates under white light irradiation allow for the preparation of S-aryl thioesters including synthetically versatile S-aryl thioacetates. This transition-metal and external photocatalyst-free method features extremely mild reaction conditions compared with those used in transition-metal-catalyzed protocols. Reactions proceed via the initial formation of an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex in the ground state, which was supported by UV-vis spectra. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-trapping experiments using phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) have revealed the radical nature of the reaction.

From Pyridine-N-oxides to 2-Functionalized Pyridines through Pyridyl Phosphonium Salts: An Umpolung Strategy.

The reactions of pyridine-N-oxides with Ph3P under the developed conditions provide an unprecedented route to (pyridine-2-yl)phosphonium salts. Upon activation with DABCO, these salts readily serve as functionalized 2-pyridyl nucleophile equivalents. This umpolung strategy allows for the selective C2 functionalization of the pyridine ring with electrophiles, avoiding the generation and use of unstable organometallic reagents. The protocol operates at ambient temperature and tolerates sensitive functional groups, enabling the synthesis of otherwise challenging compounds.

Catalyst-Free Arylation of Tertiary Phosphines with Diaryliodonium Salts Enabled by Visible Light.

The visible-light-induced arylation of tertiary phosphines with aryl(mesityl)iodonium triflates to produce the quaternary phosphonium salts occurs under mild, metal, and catalyst-free conditions. Photo-excited EDA complexes between diaryliodonium salts and phosphines supposedly enable this transformation, which is difficult to achieve through the traditional ground-state reactions. Demonstrating high functional group tolerance, broad scope, and complete selectivity of the aryl group transfer, the method is particularly compatible with sterically congested phosphines, which are challenging under metal-based catalytic methods.

Synthesis of Indoles via Electron-Catalyzed Intramolecular C-N Bond Formation.

A new protocol for the preparation of N-substituted indole-3-carboxylates has been developed. The key C-N bond formation occurs under transition-metal-free conditions employing a t-BuOK/DMF system without special initiators or additives. Across a number of substrates, indoles were afforded in yields higher or comparable to those obtained under transition-metal-catalyzed conditions. While demonstrating high functional group tolerance, new conditions are particularly attractive for manufacturing halogenated indoles that cannot be made in a pure form using other metal-based catalytic methods.

N-Arylation of DABCO with Diaryliodonium Salts: General Synthesis of N-Aryl-DABCO Salts as Precursors for 1,4-Disubstituted Piperazines.

Employing DABCO as a substrate, aryl(mesityl)iodonium triflates are introduced as arylating agents for a tertiary sp3-nitrogen. Mild conditions and exceptional selectivity of the aryl group transfer allow unprecedented N-aryl-DABCO salts to be obtained, bearing substituents of different electronic natures. This metal-free methodology has no analogy among known transition-metal-based reactions. The utility of isolated N-aryl-DABCO salts is demonstrated for the preparation of flibanserin.

Quaternary N-(2-Pyridyl)-DABCO Salts: One-Pot in Situ Formation from Pyridine-N-oxides and Reactions with Nucleophiles: A Mild and Selective Route to Substituted N-(2-Pyridyl)-N'-ethylpiperazines.

The N-(2-pyridyl)-N'-ethylpiperazines are important structural motifs in several medicinally relevant compounds. Known synthetic methods toward these structures are multistep and generally based on the SNAr-chemistry; their applicability is significantly limited to substrates containing electron-withdrawing groups. Here, we describe a new methodology for a rapid and modular access to this privileged scaffold. Importantly, the developed protocol proved to be very general and efficient for the substrates containing substituents of different electronic nature. An operationally simple, metal-free, one-pot synthetic procedure involves the initial reaction of activated heterocyclic N-oxides with DABCO, followed by in situ treatment of the resultant quaternary N-(2-pyridyl)-DABCO salts with nucleophiles, resulting in ring-opening. The method features mild reaction conditions, high positional selectivity, and excellent functional-group tolerance. The utility of our approach is demonstrated by the late-stage site-selective functionalizations of complex molecules; a rapid modular assembly of MC2050, a potent PARP-1 inhibitor; and gram-scale preparations.

Synthesis of N-substituted indole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives via Cu(I)-catalyzed intramolecular amination of aryl bromides.

A variety of N-alkylated and N-arylated derivatives of methyl 1 H-indole-3-carboxylate were synthesized efficiently via Ullmann-type intramolecular arylamination, using the CuI-K 3PO 4-DMF system. This catalytic amination procedure can be performed with good to high yields under mild conditions under an air atmosphere.