Organozinc-Mediated Direct C-C Bond Formation via C-N Bond Cleavage of Ammonium Salts

Transition-metal-free and base promoted C-C bond formation via C-N bond cleavage of organoammonium salts

A transition-metal-free and base promoted C-C bond forming reaction of benzyl C(sp³)-H bond with organoammonium salts via C-N bond cleavage has been reported. Benzyl ammonium salts as well as cinnamyl ammonium salt could couple readily with various benzyl C(sp³)-H species, producing the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance. Late stage chemical manipulation enabled the specific 1,2-diarylethane structure of products transformed into useful olefin compounds via dehydrogenation, which further demonstrated the utility of this reaction.

Organozinc-mediated direct cross-coupling under microwave irradiation

We report a direct cross-coupling reaction between (het)aryl pivalates/tosylates and di(het)arylzinc species in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran/ N-methyl pyrrolidone (1:1), which occurs via C–O bond cleavage under microwave irradiation. The reaction takes place smoothly in short reaction times without the addition of any catalyst or ligand. The reaction is suitable for a broad scope of substrates and exhibits good functional group compatibility, utilizes a simple work-up procedure, and gives the desired products in high purity.

Trialkylammonium salt degradation: implications for methylation and cross-coupling

Trialkylammonium (most notably N,N,N-trimethylanilinium) salts are known to display dual reactivity through both the aryl group and the N-methyl groups. These salts have thus been widely applied in cross-coupling, aryl etherification, fluorine radiolabelling, phase-transfer catalysis, supramolecular recognition, polymer design, and (more recently) methylation. However, their application as electrophilic methylating reagents remains somewhat underexplored, and an understanding of their arylation versus methylation reactivities is lacking. This study presents a mechanistic degradation analysis of N,N,N-trimethylanilinium salts and highlights the implications for synthetic applications of this important class of salts. Kinetic degradation studies, in both solid and solution phases, have delivered insights into the physical and chemical parameters affecting anilinium salt stability. ¹H NMR kinetic analysis of salt degradation has evidenced thermal degradation to methyl iodide and the parent aniline, consistent with a closed-shell S_N2-centred degradative pathway, and methyl iodide being the key reactive species in applied methylation procedures. Furthermore, the effect of halide and non-nucleophilic counterions on salt degradation has been investigated, along with deuterium isotope and solvent effects. New mechanistic insights have enabled the investigation of the use of trimethylanilinium salts in O-methylation and in improved cross-coupling strategies. Finally, detailed computational studies have helped highlight limitations in the current state-of-the-art of solvation modelling of reaction in which the bulk medium undergoes experimentally observable changes over the reaction timecourse.

The dual reactivity of N,N,N-trimethylanilinium salts towards arylation and methylation is decoupled in this mechanistic investigation to enable more strategic application of these salts in either reaction class.

Palladium-catalyzed direct reductive cross-coupling of aryltrimethylammonium salts with aryl bromides

Palladium-catalyzed direct reductive cross-coupling of aryltrimethylammonium salts with aryl bromides proceeded efficiently in a one-pot manner in the presence of Mg turnings, LiCl, and TMEDA in THF to afford the corresponding biaryl compounds.

Chemical transformations of quaternary ammonium salts via C–N bond cleavage

The reaction of quaternary ammonium salts via C–N bond cleavage to construct C–C, C–H and C–heteroatom bonds is summarized.

Photoinduced C(sp3 )-N Bond Cleavage Leading to the Stereoselective Syntheses of Alkenes

Herein we report a versatile Mizoroki-Heck-type photoinduced C(sp³ )-N bond cleavage reaction. Under visible-light irradiation (455 nm, blue LEDs) at room temperature, alkyl Katritzky salts react smoothly with alkenes in a 1:1 molar ratio in the presence of 1.0 mol % of commercially available photoredox catalyst without the need for any base, affording the corresponding alkyl-substituted alkenes in good yields with broad functional-group compatibility. Notably, the E/Z-selectivity of the alkene products can be controlled by an appropriate choice of photoredox catalyst.

Generation of Aryl and Heteroaryl Magnesium Reagents in Toluene by Br/Mg or Cl/Mg Exchange

The alkylmagnesium alkoxide sBuMgOR⋅LiOR (R=2-ethylhexyl), which was prepared as a 1.5 m solution in toluene, undergoes very fast Br/Mg exchange with aryl and heteroaryl bromides, producing aryl and heteroaryl magnesium alkoxides (ArMgOR⋅LiOR) in toluene. These Grignard reagents react with a broad range of electrophiles, including aldehydes, ketones, allyl bromides, acyl chlorides, epoxides, and aziridines, in good yields. Remarkably, the related reagent sBu₂ Mg⋅2 LiOR (R=2-ethylhexyl) undergoes Cl/Mg exchange with various electron-rich aryl chlorides in toluene, producing diorganomagnesium species of type Ar₂ Mg⋅2 LiOR, which react well with aldehydes and allyl bromides.

Cross-coupling polycondensation via C-O or C-N bond cleavage

π-Conjugated polymers are widely used in optoelectronics for fabrication of organic photovoltaic devices, organic light-emitting diodes, organic field effect transistors, and so on. Here we describe the protocol for polycondensation of bifunctional aryl ethers or aryl ammonium salts with aromatic dimetallic compounds through cleavage of inert C-O/C-N bonds. This reaction proceeds smoothly in the presence of commercially available Ni/Pd catalyst under mild conditions, affording the corresponding π-conjugated polymers with high molecular weight. The method is applicable to monomers that are unreactive in other currently employed polymerization procedures, and opens up the possibility of transforming a range of naturally abundant chemicals into useful functional compounds/polymers.