Sustainable strategies of C–N bond formation via Ullmann coupling employing earth abundant copper catalyst

Recent advancements in the Ullmann homocoupling reaction for the synthesis of biaryl compounds

In the realm of biaryl synthesis, the Ullmann homocoupling reaction is a fundamental process for constructing biaryl compounds and has historically been driven by copper catalysis. However, significant studies have been made in Ullmann-type coupling reactions, particularly in the formation of biaryl structures, leading to more sustainable and efficient synthetic pathways. Recent research has concentrated on devising innovative catalytic systems, including palladium, gold, and nickel nanoparticles, and bimetallic species, to surmount the limitations of conventional copper catalysts. These advancements have broadened the range of substrates and enhanced reaction efficiency under gentler conditions, in line with the principles of green chemistry. Mechanistic studies have been instrumental in these developments, particularly focusing on the nonchain single-electron transfer (SET) mechanism. Additionally, the use of recyclable heterogeneous catalysts has mitigated the stringent reaction conditions associated with the original Ullmann reaction. As research continues to evolve, asymmetric Ullmann coupling is anticipated to become a key tool in the synthesis of complex natural products and heterocyclic systems pertinent to medicinal chemistry. This review aims to cover the recent developments in the Ullmann homocoupling reaction in sustainable and asymmetric catalytic systems for the synthesis of biaryl compounds.

A well-defined phosphine-free metal-ligand cooperative route for N-alkylation of aromatic amines via activation of renewable alcohols catalyzed by NNN pincer cobalt(II) complexes

This study presents the direct N-alkylation of aromatic amines using greener primary alcohols as alkyl donors, catalyzed by base metal-derived Co(II) catalysts via the borrowing hydrogen (BH) method. Two well-defined phosphine-free NNN-type pincer ligands (L1 and L2) were synthesized and utilized to prepare cobalt(II) catalysts C1 and C2. The catalysts were well characterized by UV-vis, IR, HRMS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The catalysts C1 and C2 were utilized for the N-alkylation of various aromatic, heteroaromatic as well as aromatic diamines, and a wide substrate scope total of 30 derivatives was explored with isolated yields up to 95%. Two antihistamine drug precursors for tripelennamine and mepyramine were synthesized on a gram scale for the large-scale applicability of the current protocol. Various control experiments were also performed to explore the possible reaction intermediates and reaction pathway. Cobalt(II) intermediates involved in the catalytic cycle were also characterized by the HRMS study.

Dehydrogenative Coupling of Alcohols with Hydrazines under Nickel Catalysis

The development of efficient and robust catalytic systems based on earth-abundant transition metals for fundamentally new transformations is crucial for sustainable chemical synthesis. Herein, an effective and selective Ni-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with hydrazines with the liberation of ammonia gas is reported. Although several methods were documented for the N-alkylation reaction, the present strategy is conceptually novel, and the reaction proceeds through a pathway involving N-N bond cleavage of phenylhydrazine followed by hydrogen autotransfer. This unprecedented method demonstrates a wide substrate scope, allowing for the synthesis of C-N coupled products from arylhydrazines using various types of alcohols, including aryl, fused aryl, heteroaromatic, cyclic, and aliphatic alcohols, both primary and secondary alcohols. The present catalytic approach was expanded to facilitate selective deuterium incorporation reactions by employing deuterated alcohols at the α-methyl position of the resulting N-alkylated products. It is noteworthy that we have broadened the applicability of the current catalytic systems to facilitate the ketazine synthesis of hydrazine monohydrate by employing secondary alcohols. The reaction utilizes an inexpensive, abundant, and renewable alcohol that serves as both an alkylating and (transfer) hydrogenating agent. Kinetic studies reveal that the reaction rate depends on the concentration of arylhydrazine and the nickel catalyst, following fractional order.

Electrochemical C-O and C-N Arylation using Alternating Polarity in flow for Compound Libraries

Etherification and amination of aryl halide scaffolds are commonly used reactions in parallel medicinal chemistry to rapidly scan structure-activity relationships with abundant building blocks. Electrochemical methods for aryl etherification and amination demonstrate broad functional group tolerance and extended nucleophile scope compared to traditional methods. Nevertheless, there is a need for robust and scale-transferable workflows for electrochemical compound library synthesis. Herein we describe a platform for automated electrochemical synthesis of C-X arylation (X=NH, OH) in flow to access compound libraries. A comprehensive Design of Experiment (DoE) study identifies an optimal protocol which generates high yields across>30 aryl halide scaffolds, diverse amines (including electron-deficient sulfonamides, sulfoximines, amides, and anilines) and alcohols (including serine residues within peptides). Reaction sequences are automated on commercially available equipment to generate libraries of anilines and aryl ethers. The unprecedented application of potentiostatic alternating polarity in flow is essential to avoid accumulating electrode passivation. Moreover, it enables reactions to be performed in air, without supporting electrolyte and with high reproducibility over consecutive runs. Our method represents a powerful means to rapidly generate nucleophile independent C-X arylation compound libraries using flow electrochemistry.

NaNH2 as a Nitrogen Source and Base to Synthesize Triarylamines from Aryl Halides Using Pd-Catalyzed C-N Coupling

Triarylamines (TAAs) are excellent core structures for multifunctional materials. Reversible single-electron oxidation is the key to versatile applications. Synthesizing these from feedstock materials is inevitable. Here, we report the one-pot synthesis of TAAs from aryl halides and inexpensive NaNH2 as a nitrogen source and base (dual role). The Pd/Xantphos catalytic system shows excellent selectivity toward TAAs from aryl bromides without adding organic amines and an additional base. Various para substituents on the aryl ring show good functional group tolerance in the presence of NaNH2, resulting in moderate to excellent yield (20-91%). Even though the meta-substituted aryl bromides give TAA products in moderate to excellent yields (20-81%), the ortho substitution leads to only diarylamine products. TAAs from aryl chlorides can be achieved only by changing the ligand to Xphos. The mechanistic investigation suggests that three sequential C-N cross-coupling reactions give the TAA products in the presence of NaNH2. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of TAAs and corresponding radicals were tunable based on substitution patterns.

Ultrasound-assisted Cu(II) Strecker-functionalized organocatalyst for green azide-alkyne cycloaddition and Ullmann reactions

A new aminonitrile-functionalized Fe3O4 has been synthesized via the Strecker reaction, the designed aminonitrile ligand on the surface of the magnetic core coordinated to copper(II) to obtain the final new catalyst. The fabricated nanocatalyst was characterized by Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Vibrating-Sample Magnetometer (VSM), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The high tendency of nitrogens in the aminonitrile functional group to make a complex with Cu(II) has caused the practical activity of this nucleus in this catalyst. This nanocatalyst performance was investigated in azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition (3 + 2) reaction for achieving to 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in water as a green media at room temperature. In another try, Classic Ullmann Reaction was investigated for the synthesis of biaryls at 85 °C promoted by ultrasonic condition (37 kHz). The reaction scope was explored using different reactants and the results of using this developed catalytic system demonstrated its capacity to reduce the reaction time and enhance the reaction efficiency to provide good to excellent product yield. Conversely, the simple recycling and reusability of this catalyst for at least six times without any noticeable leaching of copper makes it a potential future catalyst for synthesizing such compounds.

Catalytic Amination of Alcohols Using Diazo Compounds under Manganese Catalysis Through Hydrogenative N-Alkylation Reaction

Sustainable chemical production requires fundamentally new types of catalysts and catalytic technologies. The development of coherent and robust catalytic systems based on earth-abundant transition metals is essential, but highly challenging. Herein, we systematically explored a general hydrogenative cleavage/N-alkylation tandem of cyclic and acyclic diazo (N=N) compounds to value-added amines under manganese catalysis. The reaction is catalyzed by a single-site molecular manganese complex and proceeds via tandem dehydrogenation, transfer hydrogenation, and borrowing hydrogenation strategies. Interestingly, the reaction involves abundantly available renewable feedstocks, such as alcohols, that can act as (transfer)hydrogenating and alkylating agents. The synthetic application of our approach in large-scale pharmaceutical synthesis and easy access to highly demanding N-CH3 /CD3 derivatives are also demonstrated. Kinetic studies show that the reaction rate depends on the concentration of alcohol and Mn-catalyst and follows fractional orders. Several selective bond activation/formation reactions occur sequentially via amine-amide metal-ligand cooperation.

Ullmann homocoupling of arenediazonium salts in a deep eutectic solvent. Synthetic and mechanistic aspects

A deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on glycerol and KF is successfully exploited as a solvent medium in Ullmann homocoupling of arenediazonium salts. The reactions were carried out in mild conditions and target products were obtained in fairly good yields. A computational study is presented aiming to understand the reaction mechanism and Raman spectroscopy is employed as an experimental tool to support it.

Copper-Catalyzed Reactions of Aryl Halides with N-nucleophiles and Their Possible Application for Degradation of Halogenated Aromatic Contaminants

This review summarizes recent applications of copper or copper-based compounds as a nonprecious metal catalyst in N-nucleophiles-based dehalogenation (DH) reactions of halogenated aromatic compounds (Ar-Xs). Cu-catalyzed DH enables the production of corresponding nonhalogenated aromatic products (Ar-Nu), which are much more biodegradable and can be mineralized during aerobic wastewater treatment or which are principally further applicable. Based on available knowledge, the developed Cu-based DH methods enable the utilization of amines for effective cleavage of aryl-halogen bonds in organic solvents or even in an aqueous solution.

C-N, C-O and C-S Ullmann-Type Coupling Reactions of Arenediazonium o-Benzenedisulfonimides

Arenediazonium o-benzenedisulfonimides have been used as efficient electrophilic partners in Cu(I) catalysed Ullmann-type coupling. The synthetic protocols are mild and easy, and produced either N-alkylanilines, aryl ethers, or thioethers in fairly good yields (18 positive examples, average yield 66%). o-Benzenedisulfonimide was recovered at the end of the reactions and was reused to prepare the starting salts for further reactions. It is noteworthy that diazonium salts have been used as electrophilic partners in the Ullmann-type protocol for the first time.

Cu/Mn catalyzed C-N cross coupling reaction of aryl chlorides and amines promoted by PAMAM dendrimer

A bimetallic catalytic combinations of Mn(OAc)2 and Cu(OAc)2 was found to be significantly effective for the Buchwald type C-N cross coupling of arylchlorides and amines. Reaction is highly influenced in the presence of a promoter Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer which also possesses the advantages of being stabile, non-toxic, biocompatible, non-immunogenic and acts as soluble support for transition metal complex. Although, Mn is low cost and environmentally benign, but it is not fully exploited due to its low intrinsic catalytic activity. Here, the catalytic potential of Mn was drastically increased in the presence of another metal salt (Cu(OAc)2). In bimetallic composition, Mn significantly influences the activity, selectivity and plays a vital role in catalysis. Herein, we have developed a novel, green and economical procedure for the Buchwald type C-N cross coupling of arylchlorides and amines. Presented coupling method works under aerobic and solvent-free conditions and produces an excellent yield of value-added N-arylated or alkylated products.