Synthesis of 4-Acylpyrazoles from Saturated Ketones and Hydrazones Featured with Multiple C(sp3)–H Bond Functionalization and C–C Bond Cleavage and Reorganization

Iron-Catalyzed One-Pot Cascade Reactions of Oximes with Inactivated Saturated Ketones: Entry to Highly Substituted Pyridines

An iron-catalyzed oxidative [3 + 3] annulation of oxime esters with inactivated saturated ketones is described. This cascade strategy allows one-step rapid synthesis of various structurally important pyridines through an oxidative dehydrogenation/annulation/oxidative aromatization sequence via direct α,β-dehydrogenation of simple saturated ketones followed by annulation with oximes. This method shows good functional group tolerance, readily accessible starting materials, a wide substrate scope, high chemoselectivity, and no need for extra stoichiometric oxidant and is also applicable to the late-stage functionalization of natural products.

Ring-Opening α,β-Difunctionalization of Cyclopropanols with Azides Enables 4-Keto-Functionalized 1,2,3-Triazole Synthesis

Selective C-C bond cleavage and transformation of organic small molecules to create products of increased value are one of the central goals in organic chemistry. In this study, we have developed a novel TEMPO-mediated ring-opening α,β-difunctionalization of cyclopropyl alcohols with organic azides to prepare structurally important 4-keto-1,2,3-triazoles under metal- and additive-free conditions. This protocol not only provides a straightforward and efficient method for the synthesis of 4-keto-functionalized 1,2,3-triazoles in one pot but also accomplishes the goal of constructing α,β-double C-N bonds via the ring opening of cyclopropyl alcohols for the first time. Additionally, the application of the skeletons of drugs and natural products and the synthesis of Kv1.5 channel blocker 4u further demonstrate the synthetic potential and practicability of this strategy.

Aromatization-driven deconstructive functionalization of spiro dihydroquinazolinones via dual photoredox/nickel catalysis

Aromatization-driven deconstruction and functionalization of spiro dihydroquinazolinones via dual photoredox/nickel catalysis is developed. The aromatization effect was introduced to synergistically drive unstrained cyclic C-C bond cleavage, with the aim of overcoming the ring-size limitation of nitrogen-centered radical induced deconstruction of carbocycles. Herein, we demonstrate the synergistic photoredox/nickel catalyzed deconstructive cross-coupling of spiro dihydroquinazolinones with organic halides. Remarkably, structurally diverse organic halides including aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, and alkyl bromides were compatible for the coupling. In addition, this protocol is also characterized by its mild and redox-neutral conditions, excellent functional group compatibility, high atom economy, and easy scalability. A telescoped procedure involving condensation and ring-opening/coupling was found to be accessible. This work provides a complementary strategy to the existing radical-mediated C-C bond cleavage of unstrained carbocycles.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Activation of Nonpolar C-C Bonds via π-Coordination-Enabled Aromatization

Activation of C-C bonds allows editing of molecular skeletons, but methods for selective activation of nonpolar C-C bonds in the absence of a chelation effect or a driving force derived from opening of a strained ring are scarce. Herein, we report a method for ruthenium-catalyzed activation of nonpolar C-C bonds of pro-aromatic compounds by means of π-coordination-enabled aromatization. This method was effective for cleavage of C-C(alkyl) and C-C(aryl) bonds and for ring-opening of spirocyclic compounds, providing an array of benzene-ring-containing products. The isolation of a methyl ruthenium complex intermediate supports a mechanism involving ruthenium-mediated C-C bond cleavage.

Copper-Promoted Aerobic Oxidative [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of N,N-Disubstituted Hydrazines with Alkynoates: Access to Substituted Pyrazoles

A copper-promoted aerobic oxidative [3+2] cycloaddition reaction for the synthesis of various substituted pyrazoles from N,N-disubstituted hydrazines with alkynoates in the presence of bases is developed. This work involves a direct C(sp³)-H functionalization and the formation of new C-C/C-N bonds. In this strategy, inexpensive and easily available Cu₂O serves as the promoter and air acts as the green oxidant. The reaction exhibits the advantages of high atom and step economy, high regioselectivity, and easy operation.

Swapping Copper-Catalytic Process: Selective Access to Pyrazoles and Conjugated Ketimines from Oxime Acetates and Cyclic Sulfamidate Imines

A powerful CuCl-catalyzed sequential one-pot reaction of aryl methyl ketoxime acetates with cyclic N-sulfonyl imines followed by elimination in the presence of base is reported. This hydrazine-free method conveniently makes C-C and N-N bonds via a radical cleavage of the N-O bond, delivering a special class of C3-hydroxyarylated pyrazoles in good yields. Surprisingly, while employing CuI as a catalyst instead of CuCl, the reaction proceeds through a non-radical pathway which embodies a new tactic for the high-yielding access to value-added conjugated N-unsubstituted ketimines. Moreover, additive-free approach to sulfamidate-fused-pyrazoles was achieved by successfully catalyzing addition and oxidative N-N bond-making reactions by CuI and CuCl, respectively. Significantly, our novel technique could convert the prepared ketimines into the pharmacologically recognized 6H-benzo[c]chromene frameworks.

DMSO as a C1 Source for [2 + 2 + 1] Pyrazole Ring Construction via Metal-Free Annulation with Enaminones and Hydrazines

A cascade reaction between enaminones, hydrazines, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted pyrazoles catalyzed by molecular iodine in the presence of Selectfluor has been realized. DMSO plays a dual role as the C₁ source and the reaction medium. In addition, the synthesis of 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrazoles using aldehydes as alternative C₁ building blocks has also been achieved.

Ru(II)-Catalyzed, Cu(II)-mediated carbene migratory insertion in the synthesis of trisubstituted pyrroles from isoxazoles

A convenient, "one-pot" synthesis of trisubstituted pyrroles via a Ru(ii)-catalyzed, Cu(ii)-mediated reaction of substituted isoxazoles with sulfonylhydrazones has been developed. A series of highly functionalized pyrroles are obtained via a synergistic formation of new C-C and C-N bonds. Mechanistic investigations were carried out to propose the plausible pathway. This protocol provides a facile and expeditious approach for the synthesis of various heterocyclic compounds bearing the pyrrole skeleton.

Temporary or removable directing groups enable activation of unstrained C-C bonds

Carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds constitute basic skeletons in most organic molecules. One can imagine that selective manipulation of C-C bonds would provide a direct approach to edit or alter molecular scaffolds but has been an ongoing challenge. Due to the kinetic inertness of C-C bonds, the common strategies of activating these bonds by transition metals rely on either the use of highly strained substrates or the assistance of a permanent directing group (DG), in which strain relief or formation of stable metallocycles becomes the driving force. To allow more common and less strained compounds utilized as substrates for C-C activation, the use of temporary and removable DGs has emerged as an attractive strategy in the past two decades. A variety of C-C bonds in unstrained or less strained organic molecules now can be converted to more reactive metal-carbon bonds, and further downstream transformations have led to diverse synthetic methods. This review highlights the development of catalytic approaches that can activate unstrained C-C bonds enabled by temporary or removable DGs. The content is mainly divided based on the nature of the DGs: temporary and removable. Applications of these methods in syntheses of natural products or bioactive molecules are also discussed.

Hemin-Catalyzed Oxidative Phenol-Hydrazone [3+3] Cycloaddition Enables Rapid Construction of 1,3,4-Oxadiazines

Herein, we present a hemin-catalyzed oxidative phenol-hydrazone [3+3] cycloaddition that accommodates a broad spectrum of N-arylhydrazones, a class of less exploited 1,3-dipoles due to their significant Lewis basicity and weak tendency to undergo 1,2-prototropy to form azomethine imines. It renders expedient assembly of diversely functionalized 1,3,4-oxadiazines with excellent atom and step economy. Preliminary mechanistic studies point to the involvement of a one-electron oxidation pathway, which likely differs from the base-promoted aerobic oxidative scenario.

Deconstructive Oxygenation of Unstrained Cycloalkanamines

A deconstructive oxygenation of unstrained primary cycloalkanamines has been developed for the first time using an auto-oxidative aromatization promoted C(sp³ )-C(sp³ ) bond cleavage strategy. This metal-free method involves the substitution reaction of cycloalkanamines with hydrazonyl chlorides and subsequent auto-oxidative annulation to in situ generate pre-aromatics, followed by N-radical-promoted ring-opening and further oxygenation by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) and m-cholorperoxybenzoic acid (mCPBA). Consequently, a series of 1,2,4-triazole-containing acyclic carbonyl compounds were efficiently produced. This protocol features a one-pot operation, mild reaction conditions, high regioselectivity and ring-opening efficiency, broad substrate scope, and is compatible with alkaloids, osamines, and peptides, as well as steroids.

Aromatization-driven deconstruction/refunctionalization of unstrained rings

Aromatization-driven ring-opening/functionalization of common unstrained rings has been developed with the in situ generation of pre-aromatic fused spiro heterocycles as the key step.

Metal-Free Cascade [4 + 1] Cyclization Access to 4-Aryl-NH-1,2,3-triazoles from N-Tosylhydrazones and Sodium Azide

A molecular iodine-mediated coupling cyclization reaction for the synthesis of 4-aryl-NH-1,2,3-triazoles has been developed from N-tosylhydrazones and sodium azide. This metal-free cascade [4 + 1] cyclization reaction could rapidly synthesize valuable compounds via a sequential C-N and N-N bond formation. Mechanistic studies demostrate that the nitrogen atoms of the 1,2,3-triazoles are not entirely from sodium azide.

Synthesis of N-Arylpyrazoles by Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling of Aryl Triflates with Pyrazole Derivatives

A method for the synthesis of N-arylpyrazoles by palladium-catalyzed coupling of aryl triflates with pyrazole derivatives is described. Using tBuBrettPhos as a ligand, the palladium-catalyzed C-N coupling of a variety of aryl triflates including ortho-substituted ones with pyrazole derivatives proceeded efficiently to give N-arylpyrazole products in high yields. 3-Trimethylsilylpyrazole was found to be an excellent pyrazole substrate for the coupling, and the corresponding product, 1-aryl-3-trimethylsilylpyrazole, also served as a great template for the syntheses of N-arylpyrazole derivatives, as demonstrated by regioselective halogenation at the 3-, 4-, and 5-positions of the pyrazole ring.

Regioselective Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Pyrazoles from N-Tosylhydrazones

A regioselective synthesis of highly functionalized pyrazoles from N-tosylhydrazones was developed. The reaction was general for a wide range of substrates and demonstrated excellent tolerance to a variety of substituents, and the method has been successfully applied to the formal synthesis of ibrutinib.

Deacylative transformations of ketones via aromatization-promoted C-C bond activation

Carbon−hydrogen (C−H) and carbon−carbon (C−C) bonds are the main constituents of organic matter. The recent advancement of C−H functionalization technology has vastly expanded our toolbox for organic synthesis¹. In contrast, C−C activation methods that allow for editing the molecular skeleton remain limited^2–7. To date, a number of methods have appeared for catalytic C−C activation, particularly with ketone substrates, which are typically promoted either by ring-strain release as a thermodynamic driving force^4,6 or using directing groups^5,7 (DGs) to control the reaction outcome. While effective, these strategies require highly strained ketone substrates or those containing a preinstalled DG, or are limited to more specialist substrate classes⁵. Here, we report a general C−C activation mode driven by aromatization of an in situ-formed pre-aromatic intermediate. This reaction suitable for various ketone substrates, is catalyzed by an iridium/phosphine combination, and is promoted by a hydrazine reagent and 1,3-dienes. Specifically, the acyl group is removed from the ketone, transformed to a pyrazole, and the resulting alkyl fragment undergoes various transformations. These include the deacetylation of methyl ketones, carbenoid-free formal homologation of aliphatic linear ketones, and deconstructive pyrazole synthesis from cyclic ketones. Given that ketones are prevalent in feedstock chemicals, natural products and pharmaceuticals, these transformations could offer new strategic bond disconnections in the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules.

Cleavage of carbon–carbon bonds by radical reactions

This review provides insights into the in situ generated radicals triggered carbon–carbon bond cleavage reactions.

The use of enaminones and enamines as effective synthons for MSA-catalyzed regioselective synthesis of 1,3,4-tri- and 1,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted pyrazoles

In the present work, an efficient regioselective synthesis of 1,3,4-tri- and 1,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted pyrazoles via a methanesulfonic acid (MSA)-catalyzed reaction of hydrazones with enaminones or enamines is reported.

Fe-Catalyzed enaminone synthesis from ketones and amines

A novel Fe-catalyzed β-functionalization of ketones with amines for constructing enaminones has been demonstrated.

Facile one-pot synthesis of a 3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane scaffold by a tandem Mannich reaction

Various 3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives are readily synthesized directly from aromatic ketones, paraformaldehyde and dimethylamine via a novel one-pot tandem Mannich annulation.