Facile Borylation of Alkenes, Alkynes, Imines, Arenes and Heteroarenes with N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Boranes and a Heterogeneous Semiconductor Photocatalyst.

Although the development of radical chain and photocatalytic borylation reactions using N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-borane as boron source is remarkable, the persistent problems, including the use of hazardous and high-energy radical initiators or the recyclability and photostability issues of soluble homogeneous photocatalysts, still leave great room for further development in a sustainable manner. Herein, we report a conceptually different approach toward highly functionalized organoborane synthesis by using recoverable ultrathin cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanosheets as a heterogeneous photocatalyst, and a general and mild borylation platform that enables regioselective borylation of a wide variety of alkenes (arylethenes, trifluoromethylalkenes, α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and nitriles), alkynes, imines and electron-poor aromatic rings with NHC-borane as boryl radical precursor. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that both photogenerated electrons and holes on the CdS fully perform their own roles, thereby resulting in enhancement of photocatalytic activity and stability of CdS.

Diastereoselective Syntheses of Spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridin]-2-yl Carbamates via AgOTf/Ph3P-Catalyzed Tandem Cyclizations of Tryptamine-Ynesulfonamides.

Spiro[indoline-3,4'-piperidine] is a significant structural scaffold in numerous polycyclic indole alkaloids with a variety of bioactivities. In this study, a synthetic strategy was developed to access spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridin]-2-yl carbamate via an AgOTf/PPh3-catalyzed tandem cyclization of tryptamine-ynesulfonamides. The unique feature of this strategy is the efficient intermolecular capturing of the in situ generated spiroindoleninium intermediates with carbamates, leading to the diastereoselective syntheses of spiro[indoline-3,4'-pyridin]-2-yl carbamate derivatives. A broad scope of this cyclization was demonstrated by a variety of tryptamine-ynesulfonamide substrates and several carbamates. A plausible mechanism of this reaction was proposed.

N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide as a highly effective Ag(i)-catalyst attenuator for tryptamine-derived ynesulfonamide cycloisomerization.

N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) was identified for the first time as a highly effective Ag(i)-catalyst attenuator in the annulation of a tryptamine-derived ynesulfonamide to azepino[4,5-b]indole derivatives. Substrate tolerances were examined thoroughly and a plausible mechanism was proposed. The interaction between the Ag(i) catalyst and NFSI was probed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provided a highly efficient method to synthesize azepino[4,5-b]indole derivatives.

Synthetic Approaches to Tetracyclic Indolines as Versatile Building Blocks of Diverse Indole Alkaloids.

Indole alkaloids bearing the tetracyclic indoline scaffolds of 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]carbazole have shown fascinating chemical diversity and significant biological activities. The development of efficient synthetic methodologies for such a tetracyclic scaffold remains highly desirable in both synthetic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. This review outlines key strategies for the construction of the tetracyclic indoline scaffolds in total syntheses of many indole alkaloids. The key strategies include nucleophilic additions, Diels-Alder reactions, radical cyclizations, and palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. The representative examples and their applications in the total syntheses are described here and discussed in depth.

Lewis Acid Assisted Electrophilic Fluorine-Catalyzed Pinacol Rearrangement of Hydrobenzoin Substrates: One-Pot Synthesis of (±)-Latifine and (±)-Cherylline.

A microwave-irradiated solvent-free pinacol rearrangement of hydrobenzoin substrates catalyzed by a combination of N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide and FeCl3·6H2O was developed. Its selectivity was first investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Then the functional group tolerance was examined by synthesizing a series of substrates designed based on the insight provided by the DFT calculations. The application of the methodology was demonstrated by the efficient one-pot synthesis of (±)-latifine and (±)-cherylline, both are 4-aryltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids isolated from Amaryllidacecae plants.

A gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization/aerobic oxidation cascade strategy for 2-aryl indenones from 1,5-enynes.

A unique gold(i)-catalyzed 5-endo-dig cyclization/aerobic oxidation cascade strategy from 1,5-enyne substrates with molecular oxygen as the oxidant to yield the indenone was described. The reaction mechanism was studied by heavy atom labelling and some related experiments. This method was applied to the formal total synthesis of isoprekinamycin.

Syntheses of 12H-benzo[a]xanthen-12-ones and benzo[a]acridin-12(7H)-ones through Au(i)-catalyzed Michael addition/6-endo-trig cyclization/aromatization cascade annulation.

A multifaceted gold(i)-catalyzed aromaticity-driven double 6-endo cascade cyclization strategy to synthesize both 12H-benzo[a]xanthen-12-ones and benzo[a]acridin-12(7H)-ones, whose core motifs xanthone and acridone both exist as important scaffolds in an immense number of bioactive compounds, was developed. The scopes of this strategy were examined by using a batch of synthetic 1,3-diphenylprop-2-yn-1-one substrates. To probe the mechanism of this cyclization a control experiment for synthesizing intermediates was performed. Thus, a putative mechanism was determined according to this experiment and previous studies.

Exhaustive Hydrodefluorination or Deuterodefluorination of Trifluoromethylarenes via Metal-Free Photoredox Catalysis.

Perfluoroalkyl compounds are persistent environmental pollutants due to their chemical and thermal stability. Hydrodefluorination is one of the most promising strategies for the disposal of fluorine-containing compounds, which has attracted much attention from a broad spectrum of scientific communities. Herein, we disclose a metal-free, visible-light-promoted protocol for the exhaustive hydrodefluorination of a wide variety of trifluoromethylarenes with up to 95% yields. Moreover, methyl-d3 groups can be obtained via deuterium water with a D ratio of up to 94%.

Protocol for the preparation of amorphous manganese oxide and its application as heterogeneous catalyst in the direct synthesis of amides and nitriles.

The cleavage and functionalization of carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds has emerged as a powerful tool for preparing value-added chemicals. In this protocol, we describe the preparation of amorphous manganese oxide and its application as a heterogeneous catalyst in the direct synthesis of amides via successive cleavage and amidation of C-C bonds in alcohols. Furthermore, we describe how a slight modification of reaction conditions allows for the cleavage and cyanation of alcohols to access sterically hindered nitriles. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to He et al. (2022).

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative C-C Bond Cleavage of Alkyl-(Hetero)arenes Enabling Direct Access to Nitriles.

The cleavage and functionalization of C-C bonds has emerged as a powerful tool for discovery of new transformations. Herein, we report a protocol that enables direct synthesis of nitriles via copper-catalyzed oxidative cleavage and cyanation of C-C bonds in a wide variety of multicarbon alkyl-substituted (hetero)arenes. Detailed mechanistic studies reveal that a tandem oxidative process is involved in this transformation.

Gold(i)-catalyzed pathway-switchable tandem cycloisomerizations to indolizino[8,7-b]indole and indolo[2,3-a]quinolizine derivatives.

Experimental and theoretical explorations were performed on the pathways of the cascade cycloisomerizations of tryptamine-N-ethynylpropiolamide substrates. The methodology provided a common strategy to access either indolizino[8,7-b]indoles or indolo[2,3-a]quinolizines in a switchable fashion.