Electron-Poor, Fluoro-Containing Arylboronic Acids as Efficient Coupling Partners for Bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0)/Tricyclohexylphosphine-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Aryl Arenesulfonates.

The use of electron-poor, fluoro-containing arylboronic acids as general coupling partners for nickel(0) /tricyclohexylphosphine-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl arenesulfonates is described. Electron-poor fluoro-containing arylboronic acids were found to react, faster than electron-rich/neutral arylboronic acids, with (4-methoxyphenyl)(4-methylbenzenesulfonato-κO)bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)nickel. Bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0)/tricyclohexylphosphine, (4-methoxyphenyl)(4-methylbenzenesulfonato-κO)bis(tricyclohexylpho sphine)nickel and bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)nickel (II) bromide were all found to be efficient catalysts/catalyst precursors.

Controlled Pd(0)/t-Bu3P-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization of AB-type monomers with PhPd(t-Bu3P)I or Pd2(dba)3/t-Bu3P/ArI as the initiator.

Controlled Pd(0)/t-Bu(3)P-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling polymerizations of AB-type monomers via the chain-growth mechanism with an ArPd(t-Bu(3)P)I complex as the initiator are described. ArPd(t-Bu(3)P)I complexes, either prepurified or generated in situ from Pd(2)(dba)(3)/t-Bu(3)P/ArI (dba = dibenzylideneacetone) without separation/purification, were found to be efficient initiators in general for the controlled Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization, with narrow polydispersity indexes (PDIs) of 1.13-1.35 being observed. The Pd(2)(dba)(3)/t-Bu(3)P/p-BrC(6)H(4)I combination was identified as a highly robust initiator system, with PDIs of ≤1.20 in general and as low as 1.13 being obtained. Higher number-average molecular weights (M(n)) were achieved without a significant increase in the PDI (from 1.14 for a polymer with a M(n) = 9500 to 1.20 for a polymer with M(n) = 31,400) by using a smaller amount of the Pd(2)(dba)(3)/t-Bu(3)P/p-BrC(6)H(4)I initiator in the polymerization.

Optically active 1,1'-spirobiindane-7,7'-diol (SPINOL)-based phosphoric acids as highly enantioselective catalysts for asymmetric organocatalysis.

The synthesis and application of a series of optically active 1,1'-spirobiindane-7,7'-diol (SPINOL)-based phosphoric acids are described. These SPINOL-based phosphoric acids were prepared from (R)-SPINOL in three steps and exhibited excellent enantioselectivities for the reactions of indoles with aldimines and ß,γ-unsaturated-α-ketoesters. Our study provides a family of promising chiral phosphoric acids to the asymmetric organocatalysis toolbox.

Synthesis of fluorene and indenofluorene compounds: tandem palladium-catalyzed suzuki cross-coupling and cyclization.

"Fluor" it: palladium-catalyzed tandem reactions, in which C(sp(3))-H bond activation is the key step (see scheme; DMA=dimethylacetamide), lead to substituted fluorenes and indenofluorenes through annulation in high yield and in one step. This method has potential for the preparation of other cyclic compounds, as well as substituted oligofluorenes and polyfluorenes.

Orthoplatinated triarylphosphite as a highly efficient catalyst for addition reactions of arylboronic acids with aldehydes: low catalyst loading catalysis and a new tandem reaction sequence.

Readily available, air/moisture-stable orthoplatinated triarylphosphite catalyzes the addition reactions of arylboronic acids with aldehydes with the catalyst loading as low as 0.01%. It also cataylzes a new tandem reaction of arylboronic acids with alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes to form 1,3-diaryl-1-propanols. Our study provides a new paradigm for the application of orthoplatinated triarylphosphites, and may pave the road to develop other Pt(II) catalysts for such addition reactions and other tandem reactions with such addition reactions as part of the reaction sequence.

t-Bu3P-Coordinated 2-Phenylaniline-Based Palladacycle Complex as a Precatalyst for the Suzuki Cross-coupling Polymerization of Aryl Dibromides with Aryldiboronic Acids.

t -Bu3P-Coordinated 2-phenylaniline-based palladacycle complex, [2'-(amino-kN)[1,1'-biphenyl]-2-yl-kC]chloro(tri-t-butylphosphine)palladium, as a general, highly efficient precatalyst for the Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization of aryl dibromides with aryldiboronic acids is described. Such t-Bu3P-coordinated 2-aminobiphenyl-based palladacycle complex-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization afforded polymers within an hour, with the yields and the molecular weights comparable to or higher than that of polymers obtained by using other palladium catalysts with much longer polymerization time. Our study provided a highly efficient catalyst system for the Suzuki cross-coupling polymerization of aryl dihalides with aryldiboronic acids. Our study also paved the road for us to investigate other monodentate ligand-coordinated palladacycle complexes including N-heterocyclic carbine-coordinated ones for cross-coupling polymerizations.

Rhodium(I)/diene-catalyzed addition reactions of arylborons with ketones.

Rh(I)/diene-catalyzed addition reactions of arylboroxines/arylboronic acids with unactivated ketones to form tertiary alcohols in good to excellent yields are described. By using C(2)-symmetric (3aR,6aR)-3,6-diaryl-1,3a,4,6a-tetrahydropentalenes as ligands, the asymmetric version of such an addition reaction, with up to 68% ee, was also realized.

Fluorenone synthesis by palladacycle-catalyzed sequential reactions of 2-bromobenzaldehydes with arylboronic acids.

A new, anionic four-electron donor-based (type I) palladacycle-catalyzed sequential reaction of 2-bromobenzaldehydes with arylboronic acids based on the addition reaction, cyclization via C-H activation-oxidation sequence is described. Our study provided an efficient access to a variety of substituted fluorenones/indenofluorenediones from readily available arylboronic acids and 2-bromobenzaldehydes.

Sequential aldol condensation-transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions of aldehydes, methyl ketones, and arylboronic acids.

Sequential aldol condensation of aldehydes with methyl ketones followed by transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions of arylboronic acids to form ß-substituted ketones is described. By using the 1,1'-spirobiindane-7,7'-diol (SPINOL)-based phosphite, an asymmetric version of this type of sequential reaction, with up to 92% ee, was also realized. Our study provided an efficient method to access ß-substituted ketones and might lead to the development of other sequential/tandem reactions with transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions as the key step.

Transition metal-catalyzed addition reactions of arylboronic acids with alkyl 2-formylbenzoates: efficient access to chiral 3-substituted phthalides.

Transition metal-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to 2-formylbenzoates afforded 3-substituted phthalides. By using SPINOL-based phosphites as ligands, a Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric version of such an addition reaction was achieved.