Green light-mediated dual eosin Y/PdII-catalyzed C(sp2)-H arylation of N-H unprotected 2-arylquinazolinones.

We report herein an eosin Y/Pd(II) dual catalytic approach for regio- and chemoselective C(sp2)-H monoarylation of N-H unprotected 2-phenyl quinazolinone derivatives under green light irradiation with no necessity for any base/additive/external oxidant. The free N-H moiety was post-modified for quinazolinone scaffold diversification and C-H annulation.

Sterically Controlled Ru(II)-Catalyzed Divergent Synthesis of 2-Methylindoles and Indolines through a C-H Allylation/Cyclization Cascade.

A ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of 2-methylindole was accomplished via a C-H allylation/oxidative cyclization cascade. Strategically, ß-hydride elimination from the σ-alkyl-Ru intermediate has been suppressed by steric hindrance from a remote position. Hence, 2-methylindolines from the corresponding ortho-substituted anilines were achieved via protodemetalation in lieu of ß-hydride elimination under a modified reaction condition. This mild intermolecular annulation cascade proceeds smoothly by a redox-neutral ruthenium catalyst without stoichiometric metal oxidants, such as silver(I) or copper(II) salts, providing excellent functional group tolerance.

Atom-economical selenation of electron-rich arenes and phosphonates with molecular oxygen at room temperature.

Organoselenium and selenophosphorus compounds are ubiquitously found in biologically active compounds, agrochemicals, functionalized materials etc. Although selenium is a micronutrient and an essential trace element, its contamination/consumption in higher concentrations is extremely dangerous. However, most of the previous selenation reactions generate toxic selenium waste as a by-product. Thus development of green synthetic protocols of these compounds is in high demand. We report herein a mild base-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) between electron-rich arenes and phenylselenol to afford 3-selenylindole or selenylated phenols under air at room temperature. Interestingly, in the presence of a base and oxygen, the phenylselenol is converted into the diphenyldiselenide and provides almost quantitative yield. Similarly, a mild synthesis of selenophosphates was also achieved from the corresponding diorganyldiselenide or phenylselenols and nucleophilic phosphonates in a "dump and stir" manner under an oxygen balloon without a base or catalyst. From the preliminary mechanistic studies for selenation of indoles and phosphonates with TEMPO and EPR of the reaction mixture, it was evident that the reaction proceeds through the anionic pathway, which is in sharp contrast to the previous literature. The present reactions proceed smoothly under the mild conditions, furnishing high to almost quantitative yields in several cases. The reaction is easily scaled up to gram scale and has been demonstrated for the synthesis of an anti-HIV zidovudine (AZT) analogue.

Dual visible-light photoredox and palladium(ii) catalysis for dehydrogenative C2-acylation of indoles at room temperature.

A highly regioselective direct C2-acylation of N-pyrimidine protected indoles with aldehydes is reported at room temperature through the merger of visible light photoredox and palladium(ii) catalysis. Late-stage acylation of tryptophan, selective mono-acylation of carbazole and the syntheses of tubulin inhibitors D-64131 and D-68144 are also demonstrated.

Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative, decarbonylative and dehydrogenative C(sp2)-H acylation at room temperature.

Over the past few decades, an impressive array of C-H activation methodology has been developed for organic synthesis. However, due to the inherent inertness of the C-H bonds (e.g. ∼110 kcal mol-1 for the cleavage of C(aryl)-H bonds) harsh reaction conditions have been realized to overcome high energetic transition states resulting in a limited substrate scope and functional group tolerance. Therefore, the development of mild C-H functionalization protocols is in high demand to exploit the full potential of the C-H activation strategy in the synthesis of a complex molecular framework. Although, electron-rich substrates undergo electrophilic metalation under relatively mild conditions, electron-deficient substrates proceed through a rate-limiting C-H insertion under forcing conditions at high temperature. In addition, a stoichiometric amount of toxic silver salt is frequently used in palladium catalysis to facilitate the C-H activation process which is not acceptable from the environmental and industrial standpoint. We report herein, a Pd(ii)-catalyzed decarboxylative C-H acylation of 2-arylpyridines with α-ketocarboxylic acids under mild conditions. The present protocol does not require stoichiometric silver(i) salts as additives and proceeds smoothly at ambient temperature. A novel decarbonylative C-H acylation reaction has also been accomplished using aryl glyoxals as acyl surrogates. Finally, a practical C-H acylation via a dehydrogenative pathway has been demonstrated using commercially available benzaldehydes and aqueous hydroperoxides. We also disclose that acetonitrile solvent is optimal for the acylation reaction at room temperature and has a prominent role in the reaction outcome. Control experiments suggest that the acylation reaction via decarboxylative, decarbonylative and dehydrogenative proceeds through a radical pathway. Thus we disclose a practical protocol for the sp2 C-H acylation reaction.

Ligand-Enabled, Copper-Promoted Regio- and Chemoselective Hydroxylation of Arenes, Aryl Halides, and Aryl Methyl Ethers.

We report here a practical method for the ortho C-H hydroxylation of benzamides with inexpensive copper(II) acetate monohydrate and a pyridine ligand. An intra- and intermolecular ligand combination was explored to achieve regio- and chemoselective hydroxylation. Interestingly, typical regiochemical scrambling associated with the C-H activation was further resolved by introducing a ligand-directed ortho hydroxylation of haloarenes and aryl methyl ethers.

Copper(II)-Mediated Intermolecular C(sp(2))-H Amination of Benzamides with Electron-Rich Anilines.

Despite significant progress, copper-catalyzed/mediated C-H amination reactions with electron-rich anilines remain an unsolved problem due to catalyst deactivation and deleterious side reactions. Herein, we report a copper(II)-mediated C(sp(2))-H amination of benzamides with electronically neutral or electron-rich anilines. A dramatic influence of silver(I) and tetrabutylammonium bromide was observed on the reaction outcome. The present protocol also demonstrates the synthesis of a number of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Substrate-Dependent Mechanistic Divergence in Decarboxylative Heck Reaction at Room Temperature.

We report herein a Pd(II)-catalyzed Heck-type coupling between arene carboxylic acids and alkenes at room temperature. Mechanistically, the reaction proceeds in two distinct pathways where electron-rich substrates undergo a palladium(II)-catalyzed decarboxylation and electron-deficient substrates proceed through silver(I)-assisted decarboxylation. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or sulfide ligands have positive and negative roles in the reaction outcome, respectively. The present protocol is combined for the peptide modification under mild reaction conditions.

Carboxyl radical-assisted 1,5-aryl migration through Smiles rearrangement.

We report herein, a silver(i)-catalyzed Smiles rearrangement of 2-aryloxy- or 2-(arylthio)benzoic acids to provide aryl-2-hydroxybenzoate or aryl-2-mercaptobenzoate dimer, respectively, through 1,5-aryl migration from oxygen or sulfur to carboxylate oxygen. Mechanistically, the aryl ether moiety undergoes an intramolecular ipso attack by the carboxyl radical followed by a C-O or C-S bond cleavage. Aryl-2-mercaptobenzoates undergo oxidative dimerization through a thiol moiety in situ.

Through-Space 1,4-Palladium Migration and 1,2-Aryl Shift: Direct Access to Dibenzo[a,c]carbazoles through a Triple C-H Functionalization Cascade.

A palladium-catalyzed expeditious synthesis of dibenzofused carbazoles from readily available 2-arylindoles and diaryliodonium salts is reported. Interestingly, after the electrophilic C3 palladation of indole, an unexpected "through-space" 1,4-palladium migration to the 2-aryl moiety, by remote C-H bond activation followed by C-H arylation with diaryliodonium salt, and an unprecedented 1,2-aryl shift take place. Finally, an intramolecular cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) at the C2 position affords dibenzo[a,c]carbazoles in high yields. Remarkably, the present migratory annulation occurs through three C-H bond activation one C-C bond cleavage, and the simultaneous construction of three new C-C bonds in a single operation.

Chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective Heck-Matsuda arylation of allylic alcohols under mild conditions.

Heck arylation with allylic alcohol is extremely challenging due to chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective scrambling. Here we report a mild protocol for the alcohol selective ß- and α-arylation of allylic and cinnamyl alcohols respectively with aryldiazonium salts. The steric and electronic parameters of the alkene play a prominent role in the regioselectivity.

The small molecule C-6 is selectively cytotoxic against breast cancer cells and its biological action is characterized by mitochondrial defects and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

INTRODUCTION: The establishment of drug resistance following treatment with chemotherapeutics is strongly associated with poor clinical outcome in patients, and drugs that target chemoresistant tumors have the potential to increase patient survival. In an effort to identify biological pathways of chemoresistant breast cancers that can be targeted therapeutically, a small molecule screen utilizing metastatic patient-derived breast cancer cells was conducted; from this previous report, the cytotoxic small molecule, C-6, was identified for its ability to selectively kill aggressive breast cancer cells in a caspase-independent manner. Here, we describe the cellular and molecular pathways induced following C-6 treatment in both normal and breast cancer cell lines. METHODS: Transcriptome analyses and protein expression experiments were used to measure endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress following C-6 treatment. Studies utilizing transmission electron microscopy and metabolomic profiling were conducted to characterize mitochondrial morphology and function in C-6-treated cells. Oxygen consumption rates and oxidative stress were also measured in breast cancer and normal mammary epithelial cells following treatment with the small molecule. Finally, structural modifications were made to the molecule and potency and cancer selectivity were evaluated. RESULTS: Treatment with C-6 resulted in ER stress in both breast cancer cells and normal mammary epithelial cells. Gross morphological defects were observed in the mitochondria and these aberrations were associated with metabolic imbalances and a diminished capacity for respiration. Following treatment with C-6, oxidative stress was observed in three breast cancer cell lines but not in normal mammary epithelial cells. Finally, synthetic modifications made to the small molecule resulted in the identification of the structural components that contribute to C-6's cancer-selective phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: The data reported here implicate mitochondrial and ER stress as a component of C-6's biological activity and provide insight into non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms; targeting biological pathways that induce mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress may offer new strategies for the development of therapeutics that are effective against chemoresistant breast cancers.

Shining light on the nitro group: distinct reactivity and selectivity.

The nitro moiety is an indispensable functional group in organic synthesis due to its facile introduction and reduction to the corresponding amines for a plethora of organic transformations. Owing to its distinct electronegative and conventional properties, it has been used for activated aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) reactions, Smiles reactions, Henry reactions, acyl anion equivalents, etc. Recently, the excellent photochemical properties of nitroarenes have been rediscovered by several groups, and their untapped potential in organic synthesis under UV or visible light irradiation has been exploited. Photoexcited nitroarenes can undergo facile reduction to amines, azo-coupling, metal-free reductive C-N coupling with boronic acids via a 1,2-boronate shift, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), oxygen atom transfer for anaerobic oxidation of organic molecules, molecular editing via nitrene intermediates, denitrative coupling of ß-nitrostyrene, radical α-alkylation of nitroalkanes, etc. They have also been used as a photolabile protecting group in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology applications. Here, we summarise the recent findings on visible-light-mediated transformations involving nitro-containing organic molecules.

Organophotoredox-Catalyzed Synthesis of Unnatural α/ß Amino Acids and Peptides via Deaminative Three-Component Coupling.

Herein, we disclose an expedient visible-light-mediated, organophotoredox-catalyzed multicomponent synthesis of unnatural amino acids using a Katritzky salt, glyoxal derivatives, and substituted anilines. Mechanistically, an alkyl radical is generated from the Katritzky salt via a deaminative process that undergoes addition to the in situ-generated imine to furnish α-amino acids in a moderate diastereoisomeric ratio. For the first time, we have demonstrated this deaminative protocol to access substituted ß-amino acids from α-amino acid-derived Katritzky salts. Furthermore, α-amino amides are also generated from the corresponding 2-oxoacetamide derivatives.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Electrophile Coupling between Aryl Diazonium Salt and Aryl Iodide/Diaryliodonium Salt in H2O-EtOH.

We report herein a mild highly chemoselective palladium-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling between readily accessible aromatic diazonium salt and aryl iodide or diaryliodonium salt in water-ethanol (2:1) medium. Mechanistic studies revealed that ethanol is crucial to generate an active Pd(0) catalyst, and the counterion of the diazonium salt renders a cationic Pd(II) species that facilitates subsequent oxidative addition to aryl iodide/diaryliodonium salt. Silver(I) salt was crucial to retain the catalytic activity of palladium, removing the iodide ion as a precipitate.

An HFIP-assisted, cobalt-catalyzed three-component electrophilic C-H amination/cyclization/directing group removal cascade to naphtho[1,2-d]imidazoles.

A concise and efficient method has been developed herein for the synthesis of valuable naphtho[1,2-d]imidazole derivatives. It involves an earth-abundant cobalt-catalyzed electrophilic ortho C-H amination/cyclization/directing group removal cascade with O-benzoloxyamines using paraformaldehyde as a one carbon synthon. Picolinamide has been utilized as a traceless directing group. A boosting effect of HFIP is found in the whole process. The reaction conditions are very simple and allow easy handling, making this methodology valuable and appealing.

Chemo- and regioselective benzylic C(sp3)-H oxidation bridging the gap between hetero- and homogeneous copper catalysis.

Selective C‒H functionalization in a pool of proximal C‒H bonds, predictably altering their innate reactivity is a daunting challenge. We disclose here, an expedient synthesis of privileged seven-membered lactones, dibenzo[c,e]oxepin-5(7H)-one through a highly chemoselective benzylic C(sp3)‒H activation. Remarkably, the formation of widely explored six-membered lactone via C(sp2)‒H activation is suppressed under the present conditions. The reaction proceeds smoothly on use of inexpensive metallic copper catalyst and di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP). Owing to the hazards of stoichiometric DTBP, further, we have developed a sustainable metallic copper/rose bengal dual catalytic system coupled with molecular oxygen replacing DTBP. A 1,5-aryl migration through Smiles rearrangement was realized from the corresponding diaryl ether substrates instead of expected eight-membered lactones. The present methodology is scalable, applied to the total synthesis of cytotoxic and neuroprotective natural product alterlactone. The catalyst is recyclable and the reaction can be performed in a copper bottle without any added catalyst.

A directing group switch in copper-catalyzed electrophilic C-H amination/migratory annulation cascade: divergent access to benzimidazolone/benzimidazole.

We present here a copper-catalyzed electrophilic ortho C-H amination of protected naphthylamines with N-(benzoyloxy)amines, cyclization with the pendant amide, and carbon to nitrogen 1,2-directing group migration cascade to access N,N-disubstituted 2-benzimidazolinones. Remarkably, this highly atom-economic tandem reaction proceeds through a C-H and C-C bond cleavage and three new C-N bond formations in a single operation. Intriguingly, the reaction cascade was altered by the subtle tuning of the directing group from picolinamide to thiopicolinamide furnishing 2-heteroaryl-imidazoles via the extrusion of hydrogen sulfide. This strategy provided a series of benzimidazolones and benzimidazoles in moderate to high yields with low catalyst loading (66 substrates with yields up to 99%). From the control experiments, it was observed that after the C-H amination an incipient tetrahedral oxyanion or thiolate intermediate is formed via an intramolecular attack of the primary amine to the amide/thioamide carbonyl. It undergoes either a 1,2-pyridyl shift with the retention of the carbonyl moiety or H2S elimination for scaffold diversification. Remarkably, inspite of a positive influence of copper in the reaction outcome, from our preliminary investigations, the benzimidazolone product was obtained in good to moderate yields in two steps under metal-free conditions. The N-pyridyl moiety of the benzimidazolone was removed for further manipulation of the free NH group.

Aryldiazonium Salts and DABSO: A Versatile Combination for Three-Component Sulfonylative Cross-Coupling Reactions.

A combination of aryldiazonium salts and DABSO provides a unique opportunity for sulfonylative multicomponent cross-coupling reactions. Here, a copper-catalyzed three-component cross-coupling of aryldiazonium salts, DABSO with arylboronic acids to obtain medicinally relevant unsymmetrical diarylsulfones is disclosed. Interestingly, a catalyst-free approach for the synthesis of arylvinylsulfones from the corresponding vinyl boronic acids or vinyl halides is explored under basic condition. Tethered aryldiazonium salts provided the corresponding annulated alkylvinylsulfones via alkene difunctionalization under the same transition metal-free condition. Mechanistically, these multicomponent reactions proceed through a single electron pathway by the formation of arylsulfonyl radical as a key intermediate.

Protocol for chemo- and regioselective C(sp3)-H activation using a heterogeneous copper powder-catalyzed reaction.

Here, we present a protocol for the synthesis of dibenzo[c,e]oxepin-5(7H)-ones starting from 2'-alkyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-carboxylic acids. This technique uses two copper(0)-catalyzed benzylic C(sp3)-H activation strategies taking either di-tertbutyl peroxide or gaseous oxygen as an oxidant. We detail a photocatalytic thermal approach for copper powder-catalyzed reaction with oxygen. We also describe a procedure for catalyst recycling in both the strategies. The product has been successfully synthesized both in mmol and gram scale. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Nandi et al. (2022).