A “Thiocarbonyl‐Directed” Regiospecific C−H/S−H Annulation of Quinoline‐4(1 H )‐thiones with Alkynes

Synthesis of 1H-isothiochromenes by regioselective C-C and C-S bond formation of enaminothiones with alkynes under rhodium catalysis

The rhodium-catalyzed sulfur-directed C-H bond activation and tandem cyclization of enaminothiones with alkynes proceed efficiently. Most products of 1H-isothiochromenes with various substituents are achieved in good yields by regioselective C-C and C-S bond formation. This protocol has some advantages over the traditional methods in synthesizing 1H-isothiochromenes in terms of stable and easily available coupling substrates, simple and one-pot operation, step and atom economy, and highly unique sulfur-containing heterocyclic products.

Transition metal-catalyzed cascade C-H activation/cyclization with alkynes: an update on sulfur-containing directing groups

In light of the extensive applications of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds in drug discovery, agrochemicals, and advanced materials, the construction of complex sulfur-containing molecular scaffolds has flourished in recent years. There is a profound interest in synthetic methods for forming carbon-sulfur bonds. Regarding this, transition metal (TM)-catalyzed C-H bond activation has emerged as a valuable means for the rapid formation of C-S bonds, although it is comparatively less explored than C-N or C-C bonds. The research significance of sulfur-directed C-H activation chemistry lies in maintaining a balance between activating and poisoning the catalyst as well as in the diversity and novelty of its properties. This review centers on sulfur-directed TM-catalyzed cascade C-H activation/cyclization with alkyne and encompasses the literature mainly from 2012 to 2024. The widely acknowledged reactivity and versatility of rhodium, ruthenium, and cobalt catalysts have given rise to various captivating cascade processes. For most reactions illustrated in this review, reactivity and selectivity are attained through the flexible synergistic combination of different metal catalysts and additives. Further advancements will be accompanied with the discovery of innovative sulfur-directing groups, chiral catalysis, and ground-breaking experimental techniques. This article will also inspire researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanism, thus undoubtedly leading to innovations and more discoveries in the future.

Thioether-directed Rh(III)-catalyzed peri-selective acyloxylation of arenes

A thioether directed acyloxylation of arenes has been realized via Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation and subsequent coupling with carboxylic acids. This new method showed high functional group compatibility and broad substrate scope. Primary mechanistic studies have been conducted and a tentative reaction mechanism was proposed. It represents the first example of a thioether-directed Cp*Rh(III)-catalyzed C(sp²)-H acyloxylation reaction.

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.

A novel directing group switch strategy is explored in a copper-catalyzed divergent synthesis of benzimidazolone via electrophilic C–H amination/cyclization/1,2-C → N directing group migration cascade and benzimidazole through the extrusion of H₂S.

Cp*Ir(iii)- and Cp*Rh(iii)-catalyzed C(sp2)–H amination of arenes using thioethers as directing groups

A mild and selective Cp*Ir(iii)- and Cp*Rh(iii)-catalyzed direct C(sp²)–H amination of arenes and three types of nitrene precursor reagents is reported, with the assistance of a thioether directing group.

Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation of 2-Hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-diones and Internal Alkynes via C-H Functionalization

An efficient Pd(II)-catalyzed oxidative annulation of 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-diones and internal alkynes has been developed with high step efficiency. A broad range of functional groups are compatible with this reaction, thus providing a new entry to diverse naphtho[2,3-b]furan-4,9-dione derivatives in good to high yields.

Catalyst and solvent switched divergent C-H functionalization: oxidative annulation of N-aryl substituted quinazolin-4-amine with alkynes

The development of site-selective C-H functionalizations/annulations is one of the most challenging practices in synthetic organic chemistry particularly for substrates bearing several similarly reactive C-H bonds. Herein, we describe catalyst and solvent controlled ortho/peri site-selective oxidative annulation of C-H bonds of N-aryl substituted quinazolin-4-amines with internal alkynes. The ortho C-H selective annulation was observed using Pd-catalyst in DMF to give indole-quinazoline derivatives, while, Ru-catalyst in PEG-400 favoured the peri C-H bond annulation exclusively to furnish pyrido-quinazoline derivatives.

Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed ortho-C-H amidation of 2-arylindazoles with a dioxazolone as an amidating reagent

A simple and efficient method for the directed amidation of a wide range of 2-arylindazoles has been established for the first time through a rhodium-catalyzed C-H activation reaction with alkyl, aryl and heteroaryl dioxazolones. A series of N-(2-(2H-indazol-2-yl)phenyl)acetamide derivatives were synthesized in excellent yields. A mechanistic study was conducted to describe C-H bond cleavage which is likely to be involved in the rate determining step.

Sulfhydryl-Directed Iridium-Catalyzed C-H/Diazo Coupling and Tandem Annulation of Naphthalene-1-thiols

The first sulfhydryl-directed iridium-catalyzed C-H/diazo coupling and tandem annulation of naphthalene-1-thiols has been developed. The framework of naphtho[1,8-bc]thiopyrans was constructed in a one-step reaction with good yields. This transformation provides a practical synthetic route for the widely used naphtho[1,8-bc]thiopyran derivatives.