Mono or double Pd-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization for the annulative π-extension of 1,8-dibromonaphthalene: a one pot access to fluoranthene derivatives.

The Pd-catalyzed annulative π-extension of 1,8-dibromonaphthalene for the preparation of fluoranthenes in a single operation has been investigated. With specific arenes such as fluorobenzenes, the Pd-catalyzed double functionalization of C-H bonds yields the desired fluoranthenes. The reaction proceeds via a palladium-catalyzed direct intermolecular arylation, followed by a direct intramolecular arylation step. As the C-H bond activation of several benzene derivatives remains very challenging, the preparation of fluoranthenes from 1,8-dibromonaphthalene via Suzuki coupling followed by intramolecular C-H activation has also been investigated to provide a complementary method. Using the most appropriate synthetic route and substrates, it is possible to introduce the desired functional groups at positions 7-10 on fluoranthenes.

Merging C-H Bond Activation, Alkyne Insertion, and Rearrangements by Rh(III)-Catalysis: Oxindole Synthesis from Nitroarenes and Alkynes.

We report a Rh(III)-catalyzed ortho-C-H bond functionalization of nitroarenes with 1,2-diarylalkynes and carboxylic anhydrides. The reaction unpredictably affords 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles with the formal reduction of the nitro group under redox-neutral conditions. Besides good functional group tolerance, this transformation allows the preparation of oxindoles with a quaternary carbon stereocenter using nonsymmetrical 1,2-diarylalkynes. This protocol is facilitated by the use of a functionalized cyclopentadienyl (CpTMP*)Rh(III) [CpTMP* = 1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetramethylcyclopentadienyl] catalyst we developed, which combines an electron-rich character with an elliptical shape. Mechanistic investigations, including the isolation of three rhodacyle intermediates and extensive density functional theory calculations, indicate that the reaction proceeds through nitrosoarene intermediates via a cascade of C-H bond activation─O-atom transfer─[1,2]-aryl shift─deoxygenation─N-acylation.

Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Bond Arylation of Cyclometalated Difluorinated 2-Arylisoquinolinyl Iridium(III) Complexes.

The utility of C-H bond functionalization of metalated ligands for the elaboration of aryl-functionalized difluorinated-1-arylisoquinolinyl Ir(III) complexes has been explored. Bis[(3,5-difluorophenyl)isoquinolinyl](2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato) iridium(III) undergoes Pd-catalyzed C-H bond arylation with aryl bromides. The reaction regioselectively occurred at the C-H bond flanked by the two fluorine atoms of the difluoroaryl unit, and on both cyclometalated ligands. This post-functionalization gives a straightforward access to modified complexes in only one manipulation and allows to introduce thermally sensitive functional groups, such as trifluoromethyl, nitrile, benzoyl, or ester. The X-ray crystallography, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of the diarylated complexes were investigated. Whatever the nature of the incorporated substituted aryl groups is, all obtained complexes emit red phosphorescence (622-632 nm) with similar lifetimes (1.9-2 µs).

C-H Bond Arylation of Pyrazoles at the ß-Position: General Conditions and Computational Elucidation for a High Regioselectivity.

Direct arylation of most five-membered ring heterocycles are generally easily accessible and strongly favored at the α-position using classical palladium-catalysis. Conversely, regioselective functionalization of such heterocycles at the concurrent ß-position remains currently very challenging. Herein, we report general conditions for regioselective direct arylation at the ß-position of pyrazoles, while C-H α-position is free. By using aryl bromides as the aryl source and a judicious choice of solvent, the arylation reaction of variously N-substituted pyrazoles simply proceeds via ß-C-H bond functionalization. The ß-regioselectivity is promoted by a ligand-free palladium catalyst and a simple base without oxidant or further additive, and tolerates a variety of substituents on the bromoarene. DFT calculations revealed that a protic solvent such as 2-ethoxyethan-1-ol significantly enhances the acidity of the proton at ß-position of the pyrazoles and thus favors this direct ß-C-H bond arylation. This selective pyrazoles ß-C-H bond arylation was successfully applied for the straightforward building of π-extended poly(hetero)aromatic structures via further Pd-catalyzed combined α-C-H intermolecular and intramolecular C-H bond arylation in an overall highly atom-economical process.

Effective Tools for the Metal-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Direct Arylations of (Hetero)arenes.

The direct functionalization of two different C-H bonds of the same organic molecule using different procedures - also called regiodivergent C-H bond functionalization - currently represents an important research topic in organic chemistry, as it demonstrates the versatility of C-H bond functionalization methodology. Over the last decade, the number of tools to control such regiodivergent C-H bond functionalizations has increased significantly. In this account, we will present the various tools that allowed us to arylate different positions of various (hetero)arenes, via a C-H bond functionalization, using palladium or ruthenium catalysis.

Exploiting the Reactivity of Fluorinated 2-Arylpyridines in Pd-Catalyzed C-H Bond Arylation for the Preparation of Bright Emitting Iridium(III) Complexes.

Pd-catalyzed C-H bond arylation applied to 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine (1) and 2-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine (5) allows the access to two families of Ir(III) complexes, charge-neutral and cationic species. The reaction is regioselective since only the C3- or C4-position of the fluorinated phenyl ring of 1 or 5 is readily functionalized - namely the C-H bond flanked by the two fluorine atoms which is the most acidic - which allows the electronic control of the reactive site. A range of electron-withdrawing (CN, CO2Et, C(O)Me) substituents on the aryl group has been incorporated leading to the pro-ligands (1, Ar-2,4-dFppy; 2, Ar = p-C6H4-CN; 3, Ar = p-C6H4-CO2Et; 4, Ar = p-C6H4-C(O)Me; 5, and Ar-3,5-dFppy; 6, Ar = p-C6H4-CO2Et). The unsubstituted complexes F1/G1 and F1/G5 featuring 1 and 5, respectively, as C^N ligands are used as reference complexes. The families of five charge-neutral [Ir(C^N)2(N^O)] complexes (C^N is 2-(5-aryl-(4,6-difluorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridinato (F2-F4), and 2-(4-aryl-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridinato (F5-F6), N^O = 2-picolinate) and five cationic [Ir(C^N)2(N^N)]PF6 complexes (N^N = dmbpy is 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine) (G2-G6) were synthesized, and their structural and photophysical properties were studied with comparison to the unsubstituted analogues used as reference complexes. The appended aryl group provides large steric bulk as the biaryl fragment is twisted as shown by the X-ray crystal structures of F2, F5, F6, G3, and G5. These latter complexes display a wide variety of different Ir···Ir intermetallic distances in crystals, from 8.150 Å up to 15.034 Å. Moreover, the impact on the emission energy is negligible, as a result of the breaking of the conjugation between the two aryl groups. Charge-neutral complexes [Ir(C^N)2(N^O)] (N^O = 2-picolinate) show bright luminescence: F2-F4 (λem = 495-499 nm) are blue-green emitters, whereas F5 and F6 (λem = 537, 544 nm), where the fluorine substituents are located at the C3- and C5-positions, emit in the green region of the visible spectrum. In all cases, a unitary photoluminescence quantum yield is found. The improvement of Φ might be explained by an increase of the radiative rate constant due to a higher degree of rigidity of these congested molecules, compared to the unsubstituted complex F1. The same trends are observed for the family of complexes G. Complexes G1-G4 exhibit blue photoluminescence, and G5 and G6 lead to a red-shifted emission band, as also found for the related complexes F5 and F6 due to the similar fluorine substitution pattern. Their emission quantum yields are remarkably high for charged complexes in the CH2Cl2 solution. These results showed that Pd-catalyzed C-H bond arylation is a valuable synthetic approach for designing efficient emitters with tunable photophysical properties.

Pd/C as Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Direct Arylation of (Poly)fluorobenzenes.

The potential of the heterogeneous catalyst 10 % Pd/C in the direct arylation of (poly)fluorobenzene derivatives with aryl bromides has been investigated. In general, high yields of biaryl derivatives were obtained by using tri-, tetra-, and pentafluorobenzenes, whereas mono- and difluorobenzenes exhibited poor reactivity. The regioselectivities of the arylation reactions were similar to those observed with homogeneous palladium catalysts. Both electron-withdrawing and -donating substituents, such as nitrile, nitro, acetyl, ester, trifluoromethyl, tert-butyl, methoxy, or methyl, on the aryl bromide were tolerated. Unexpectedly, tetrafluoro-substituted [1,1'-biphenyl]-4-ols were obtained from pentafluorobenzene at 150 °C due to a formal regioselective hydroxylation, whereas at lower temperatures the expected pentafluorobiphenyls were obtained. However, no C-F bond cleavage was observed with the other polyfluorobenzene derivatives. These arylation reactions were carried out with only 1 mol % Pd/C as the catalyst and KOAc as an inexpensive base. Therefore, this protocol represents a very attractive access to (poly)fluoro-substituted biphenyls in terms of cost, simplicity, and sustainable chemistry because the Pd/C catalyst can be easily removed at the end of the reaction, there is no contamination with phosphine ligand residues, and the major side-product of the reaction is KOAc⋅HBr.

Late-Stage Diversification of Imidazole-Based Pharmaceuticals through Pd-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Bond Arylations.

Palladium-catalyzed C-H bond arylation of imidazoles has been applied to pharmaceuticals such as Bifonazole, Climbazole, and Prochloraz. In the presence of phosphine-free Pd(OAc)2 catalyst, aryl bromides are efficiently coupled at the C5-position of the imidazole units, which are widely decorated. Under these conditions, only C-H bond arylation reaction occurred without affecting the integrity of chemical structure of the imidazole-based pharmaceuticals. Moreover, with Bifonazole Pd-catalyzed C-H bond diarylation at the C2- and C5-positions of imidazole unit has also been performed.

Regioselective Pd-catalyzed direct C1- and C2-arylations of lilolidine for the access to 5,6-dihydropyrrolo[3,2,1-ij]quinoline derivatives.

The Pd-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of lilolidine was investigated. The use of a palladium-diphosphine catalyst associated to acetate bases in DMA was found to promote the regioselective arylation at α-position of the nitrogen atom of lilolidine with a wide variety of aryl bromides. From these α-arylated lilolidines, a second arylation at the ß-position gives the access to α,ß-diarylated lilolidines containing two different aryl groups. The one pot access to α,ß-diarylated lilolidines with two identical aryl groups is also possible by using a larger amount of aryl bromide. The synthesis of 5,6-dihydrodibenzo[a,c]pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles from lilolidine via three successive direct arylations is also described. Therefore, this methodology provides a straightforward access to several lilolidine derivatives from commercially available compounds via one, two or three C-H bond functionalization steps allowing to tune their biological properties.

Reactivity of 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-Trifluorobenzenes in Palladium-Catalyzed Direct Arylation.

The higher reactivity of the C4-H bond as compared to the C5-H bond of 1,2,3-trifluorobenzene in palladium-catalyzed direct arylation allows the selective synthesis of 4-aryl-1,2,3-trifluorobenzenes in moderate to high yields. In most cases, phosphine-free Pd(OAc)2 catalyst and inexpensive KOAc base were employed. Then, from these 4-aryl-1,2,3-trifluorobenzenes, the palladium-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization of the C6-position allows the synthesis of the corresponding 4,6-diarylated 1,2,3-trifluorobenzenes. We also applied these reaction conditions to the regioselective direct C3-arylation of 1,2,4-trifluorobenzene.

Halo-substituted benzenesulfonyls and benzenesulfinates: convenient sources of arenes in metal-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions for the straightforward access to halo-substituted arenes.

Palladium-catalyzed reactions using aryl halides as one of the coupling partners represent a very popular method for generating carbon-carbon bonds. However, such couplings suffer from important limitations. As most palladium catalysts are very effective for the cleavage of C-halo bonds (Halo = Cl, Br or I), in many cases, the presence of several halide functional groups on arenes is not tolerated. Since two decades, and especially during the last few years, a new class of coupling partners, benzenesulfonyl and benzenesulfinate derivatives, has emerged as a powerful alternative to aryl halides for the Pd-catalyzed C-C bond formation, as the reactions performed with these substrates generally tolerate C-halo bonds. With these substrates, after a metal-catalyzed desulfitative coupling, a variety of halo-substituted arenes such as biaryls, styrenes, phenylacetylenes, acetophenones, benzonitriles… has been synthesized with high chemoselectivities. The use of these aryl sources allowed the synthesis of molecules containing several halo-substituents including iodo-substituents in only a few steps and provides very simple access to a very wide variety of halo-substituted arenes useful to materials chemists and also to biochemists. In this review, we will summarize the scope of the use of halo-substituted benzenesulfonyls and benzenesulfinates as coupling partners in metal-catalyzed C-C bond formation.

Unprecedented Access to ß-Arylated Selenophenes through Palladium-Catalysed Direct Arylation.

Several reported methods allow access to α-arylated selenophenes, whereas the synthesis of ß-arylated selenophenes remains very challenging. Here, the Pd-catalysed coupling of benzenesulfonyl chlorides with selenophenes affording regiospecific ß-arylated selenophenes is reported. The reaction proceeds with easily accessible catalyst, base and substrates, and tolerates a variety of substituents both on the benzene and selenophene moieties. This transformation allows the programmed synthesis of polyarylated selenophenes with potential applications in pharmaceutical and materials chemistry, as the installation of aryl groups at the desired positions can be achieved.

Synthesis of Phenanthrothiazoles and 1,2-Di(heteroaryl)benzenes through Successive Pd-Catalyzed Direct Arylations.

Palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of 4-(2-bromophenyl)-2-methylthiazole proceeds with high efficiency at the thiazolyl C5 position using aryl bromides as the aryl source. This transformation provides simple access to 4-(2-bromophenyl)-2-methyl-5-arylthiazoles, which can be further converted into phenanthrothiazoles via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular direct arylation. When the direct arylation of 4-(2-bromophenyl)-2-methyl-5-arylthiazoles is conducted in the presence of an external heteroarene such as thiazoles, thiophenes, or imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, the intermolecular arylation of such external heteroarenes proceeds faster than the intramolecular reaction, allowing the formation of 1,2-di(heteroaryl)benzene derivatives.

Palladium-catalyzed regioselective C-H bond arylations at the C3 position of ortho-substituted fluorobenzenes.

The influence of an ortho-substituent on fluorobenzene derivatives for palladium-catalyzed C-H bond arylation has been explored. In the presence of 2-bromo, 2-chloro and 2-methoxy substituents, the reaction proceeds nicely using a diphosphine-palladium catalyst and potassium acetate/dimethylacetamide (PivOK/DMA) as the catalytic system. In all cases, a regioselective arylation at the other ortho-position to the fluorine atom (C3) was observed. A variety of electron-withdrawing substituents on the aryl bromide coupling partner, such as formyl, nitro, nitrile, and also heteroaryl bromides, was tolerated. Moreover, tri(hetero)aryl derivatives containing a fluorobenzene as the central unit have been prepared from 2-bromofluorobenzene through palladium-catalyzed-successive C-H bond (hetero)arylations.

Reactivity of bromoselenophenes in palladium-catalyzed direct arylations.

The reactivity of 2-bromo- and 2,5-dibromoselenophenes in Pd-catalyzed direct heteroarylation was investigated. From 2-bromoselenophene, only the most reactive heteroarenes could be employed to prepare 2-heteroarylated selenophenes; whereas, 2,5-dibromoselenophene generally gave 2,5-di(heteroarylated) selenophenes in high yields using both thiazole and thiophene derivatives. Moreover, sequential catalytic C2 heteroarylation, bromination, catalytic C5 arylation reactions allowed the synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,5-di(hetero)arylated selenophene derivatives in three steps from selenophene.

Palladium-catalyzed direct desulfitative C2 arylations of 3-halo-N-protected indoles using (hetero)arenesulfonyl chlorides.

The direct arylation of N-protected 3-haloindole derivatives with benzenesulfonyl chlorides as coupling partners using 5 mol% of bis(acetonitrile)dichloropalladium(ii) catalyst and lithium carbonate as a base in 1,4-dioxane was investigated. We demonstrated that both iodo and chloro substituents at the indolyl C3 position act as temporary blocking groups allowing the formation of 2-arylindoles through a direct desulfitative arylation, followed by in situ dehalogenation. While, from 3-bromoindole derivatives, 2-aryl-3-bromoindoles were obtained without debromination, and could be converted into 2,3-diarylindoles through a second palladium coupling. This method allows one to prepare in a few steps a very wide variety of indole derivatives, which are of interest in the synthesis of bioactive molecules.

Regiocontroled Pd-catalysed C5-arylation of 3-substituted thiophene derivatives using a bromo-substituent as blocking group.

The use of a bromo-substituent as blocking group at the C2-position of 3-substituted thiophenes allows the regioselective introduction of aryl substituents at C5-position via Pd-catalysed direct arylation. With 1 mol % of a phosphine-free Pd catalyst, KOAc as the base and DMA as the solvent and various electron-deficient aryl bromides as aryl sources, C5-(hetero)arylated thiophenes were synthesized in moderate to high yields, without cleavage of the thienyl C-Br bond. Moreover, sequential direct thienyl C5-arylation followed by Pd-catalysed direct arylation or Suzuki coupling at the C2-position allows to prepare 2,5-di(hetero)arylated thiophenes bearing two different (hetero)aryl units in only two steps. This method provides a "green" access to arylated thiophene derivatives as it reduces the number of steps to prepare these compounds and also the formation of wastes.

Regioselective Pd-catalyzed methoxycarbonylation of alkenes using both paraformaldehyde and methanol as CO surrogates.

In recent years, considerable effort has focused on the development of novel carbonylative transformations using CO surrogates. Consequently, toxic CO gas can be replaced by more convenient inorganic or organic carbonyl compounds. Herein, the first regioselective methoxycarbonylation of alkenes with paraformaldehyde and methanol as CO substitutes is reported. This new procedure is applicable to a series of alkenes in the presence of a palladium catalyst under relatively mild conditions and is highly atom efficient.

Efficient synthesis of π-conjugated molecules incorporating fluorinated phenylene units through palladium-catalyzed iterative C(sp(2))-H bond arylations.

We report herein a two or three step synthesis of fluorinated π-conjugated oligomers through iterative C-H bond arylations. Palladium-catalyzed desulfitative arylation of heteroarenes allowed in a first step the synthesis of fluoroaryl-heteroarene units in high yields. Then, the next steps involve direct arylation with aryl bromides catalyzed by PdCl(C3H5)(dppb) to afford triad or tetrad heteroaromatic compounds via regioselective activation of C(sp(2))-H bonds.

Benzothiophene or benzofuran bridges in diaryl ethenes: two-step access by pd-catalyzed C-H activation and theoretical/experimental studies on their photoreactivity.

A series of terarylenes incorporating benzothiophene (BT)/benzofuran (BF) as the central ethene unit was synthesised by using sequential Pd-catalysed C-H activation reactions. This new methodology allows the easy modification of the nature of the pendant heteroarene groups. Diaryl ethene (DAE) derivatives with thiophene, thiazole, pyrrole, isoxazole and pyrazole rings were prepared. A large number of asymmetrical DAEs are easily accessible by this new method in both the BT and BF series. The study of their photochromic properties in solution revealed that the nature of the heteroarene and of the central unit drastically modify their photochromic behaviour. TD-DFT calculations were performed to assess the nature of the relevant excited states.