Oxone®-mediated direct arylselenylation of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and 1H-pyrazoles

Micelle-Assisted C(sp2)-H Functionalization for C-Se and C-X Bond Formation in the Aqueous Medium

An environmentally sustainable, versatile, and cost-effective approach for C-Se and C-X (X = I, Br, and Cl) bond formation through C-H functionalization assisted by micellar catalysis in water is developed. The reaction utilizes a minimum amount of diorganyl diselenides and potassium halides for the respective functionalizations. The present protocol was suitable for scale-up synthesis, which directly provided the desired selenylated products without the need for chromatographic purification, in sufficient purity. The aqueous micellar catalysis system was reusable for up to 5 reaction cycles without compromising the reaction yield.

C(sp2)-H selenylation of substituted benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazoles using phenyliodine(iii)bis(trifluoroacetate) as a mediator

Herein, an expeditious metal-free regioselective C-H selenylation of substituted benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole derivatives was devised to synthesize structurally orchestrated selenoethers with good to excellent yields. This PIFA [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodobenzene]-mediated protocol operates under mild conditions and offers broad functional group tolerance. In-depth mechanistic investigation supports the involvement of radical pathways. Furthermore, the synthetic utility of this methodology is portrayed through gram-scale synthesis.

Organoselenium Compounds: Chemistry and Applications in Organic Synthesis

Selenium, originally described as a toxin, turns out to be a crucial trace element for life that appears as selenocysteine and its dimer, selenocystine. From the point of view of drug developments, selenium-containing drugs are isosteres of sulfur and oxygen with the advantage that the presence of the selenium atom confers antioxidant properties and high lipophilicity, which would increase cell membrane permeation leading to better oral bioavailability. In this article, we have focused on the relevant features of the selenium atom, above all, the corresponding synthetic approaches to access a variety of organoselenium molecules along with the proposed reaction mechanisms. The preparation and biological properties of selenosugars, including selenoglycosides, selenonucleosides, selenopeptides, and other selenium-containing compounds will be treated. We have attempted to condense the most important aspects and interesting examples of the chemistry of selenium into a single article.

Visible-Light-Mediated Regioselective C3-H Selenylation of Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines Using Erythrosine B as Photocatalyst

A visible-light-induced efficient methodology has been developed for the C-H selenylation of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives employing erythrosine B as the photocatalyst. This is the first report on the regioselective selenylation of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines. The efficiency of this methodology for the selenylation of different electron-rich heterocycles like pyrazole, indole, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine, imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, and 4-(phenylamino)-2H-chromen-2-one has been also demonstrated. The exploration of erythrosine B as a photocatalyst with a simple and mild procedure, wide substrate scope, and practical applicability and the employment of eco-friendly energy, oxidant, and solvent are the attractive characteristics of this methodology.

Visible Light-Mediated C(sp2)-H Selenylation of Amino Pyrazole and Amino Uracils in the Presence of Rose Bengal as an Organophotocatalyst

Herein, we report an efficient methodology for the synthesis of alkyl, benzyl, and phenyl selenoethers of aminopyrazoles and aminouracils by C(sp²)-H functionalization in the presence of visible light and Rose Bengal as an organophotocatalyst. The reaction of amino pyrazole/iosothiazole/isoxazole or amino uracils with 0.5 equivalent of diphenyl/dibenzyl/diethyl diselenides in the presence of visible light in acetonitrile medium and a catalytic amount of Rose Bengal provided the corresponding phenyl, benzyl, or ethyl selenoethers in good to very good yields. We have also utilized some of the selenylated aminopyrazoles for the preparation of pyrazole-fused dihydropyrimidines tethered with arylselenoethers by a catalyst-free one-pot three-component reaction. The notable features of this methodology are metal-free reaction conditions, good to very good yields, use of an organic photocatalyst, and wide substrate scope; it is also applicable to gram-scale synthesis and provides selenoethers of medicinally important heterocycles such amio-pyrazole, isoxazole, isothiazole, and uracils.

Diorganyl diselenides: a powerful tool for the construction of selenium containing scaffolds

Organoselenium compounds find versatile applications in organic synthesis, materials synthesis, and ligand chemistry. Organoselenium heterocycles are widely studied agents with diverse applications in various biological processes. This review highlights the recent progress in the synthesis of selenium heterocycles using diorganyl diselenides with keen attention on green synthetic approaches, scopes, C-H selanylation, the mechanisms of different reactions and insights into the formation of metal complexes. The C-H selanylation using diorganyl diselenides with different catalysts, bases, transition metals, iodine salts, NIS, hypervalent iodine, and other reagents is summarised. Finally, the diverse binding modes of bis(2/4-pyridyl)diselenide with different metal complexes are also summarised.

Cu-Mediated arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides

An unprecedented arylselenylation of aryl halides with trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides in the presence of copper is described. The reaction proceeded at 100-140 °C under ligand- and additive-free conditions for 3-20 h to form a variety of unsymmetrical diaryl selenides in good to high yields. Arylselenylation is easy to operate, has good functional group tolerance, and demonstrates the different reaction profiles of trifluoromethyl aryl selenonium ylides from the homologous trifluoromethyl aryl sulfonium ylides.

Copper-catalyzed direct C–H arylselenation of 4-nitro-pyrazoles and other heterocycles with selenium powder and aryl iodides. Access to unsymmetrical heteroaryl selenides

A one-pot, Cu-catalyzed direct C–H arylselenation protocol using elemental Se and aryl iodides was developed for nitro-substituted, N-alkylated pyrazoles, imidazoles and other heterocycles including 4H-chromen-4-one. This general and concise method allows one to obtain a large number of unsymmetrical heteroaryl selenides bearing a variety of substituents. The presence of the nitro group was confirmed to be essential for the C–H activation and can also be used for further functionalisation and manipulation. Several examples of heteroannulated benzoselenazines were also synthesized using the developed synthetic protocol.

In this work, we elaborated a general and straightforward method which permits the rapid assembly of unsymmetrical heteroaryl-aryl selenides containing 4-nitropyrazole, 4-nitroimidazole and a few other heterocyclic scaffolds.