Mechanochemical Synthesis of Ketones via Chemoselective Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Acyl Chlorides

Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Couplings of Zinc Polyfluorobenzoates with Aryl 2-Pyridyl Esters for Accessing Polyfluorinated Aryl Ketones

An efficient decarboxylative cross-coupling of zinc polyfluorobenzoate with aryl 2-pyridyl ester under palladium catalysis, which enabled the convenient access to valuable polyfluorinated aryl ketones, was developed. The cross-coupling reactions proceeded effectively to give an array of polyfluorinated aryl ketones in moderate to excellent yields with a reasonable substrate scope and broad functional group tolerance. In addition, a one-pot reaction with the use of in situ formed zinc polyfluorobenzoate commencing from polyfluorobenzoic acid and Zn(OH)2 could be accomplished as well in a step-economical fashion. Moreover, the coupling protocol could also be successfully subjected to scale-up synthesis and readily applied in the late-stage functionalization of biologically active complex molecules.

Mechanochemically Enabled Formal Reductive Cross-Coupling Reaction Between Aryl Ethers and Aryl Fluorides

Reductive cross-coupling reactions involving two electrophilic reagents have become increasingly important in modern synthetic chemistry. Previous studies have investigated electrophilic reagents featuring zero or one inactive bond; however, reactions involving electrophilic reagents with two inactive bonds remain unexplored. This study presents the first nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction under mechanical conditions, involving aryl ethers and aryl fluorides, both of which contain inactive bonds. The reaction successfully synthesized a series of multifunctional biphenyl compounds, specifically including several sparingly soluble substrates that are challenging to prepare in a solvent system. Mechanistic studies have demonstrated that nickel and magnesium play a crucial role in the activation of C─F bonds. This novel coupling reaction offers a beneficial approach for polymer degradation and the development of luminescent materials.

Photocatalyzed Aryl C-H Fluorocarbonylation with CF2Br2

The use of abundant and inexpensive fluorine feedstocks to synthesize fluorinated compounds is a promising strategy that has not been extensively investigated. Dibromodifluoromethane (CF2Br2) is an inexpensive fluorine source that has rarely been used for C-H fluoroalkylation. This study reveals an iridium-catalyzed, tunable strategy for synthesizing acyl fluorides and difluorobromomethylated products using CF2Br2. To achieve the desired products, this process only requires the change of solvent (from DMSO to 1,4-dioxane) under blue LED illumination. A variety of arenes and heteroarenes with electron-donating substituents were successfully used, yielding the corresponding products in moderate to good yields. Mechanistic experiments revealed that DMSO served a dual role, functioning as both solvent and nucleophilic reagent in C-H fluorocarbonylation.

Magnesium-Mediated Cross-Electrophile Couplings of Aryl 2-Pyridyl Esters with Aryl Bromides for Ketone Synthesis through In Situ-Formed Arylmagnesium Intermediates

Aryl 2-pyridyl esters could efficiently undergo cross-electrophile couplings with aryl bromides with the aid of magnesium as a reducing metal in the absence of a transition-metal catalyst, leading to the unsymmetrical diaryl ketones in modest to good yields with wide functionality compatibility. In addition, the reaction could be easily scaled up and applied in the late-stage modification of biologically active molecules. Preliminary mechanistic study showed that the coupling reaction presumably proceeds through the in situ formation of arylmagnesium reagents as key intermediates.

Ru-catalyzed activation of free phenols in a one-step Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling under mechanochemical conditions

Activation of phenols by a Ru-catalyst allows for the resulting η5-phenoxo complex to selectively react with a variety of nucleophiles under mechanochemical conditions. Conversion of phenolic hydroxy groups without derivatization is important for late-stage modifications of pharmaceuticals and in the context of lignin-material processing. We present a one-step, Ru-catalyzed cross-coupling of phenols with boronic acids, aryl trialkoxysilanes and potassium benzoyltrifluoroborates under mechano-chemical conditions. The protocol accepts a wide scope of starting materials and allows for gram-scale synthesis in excellent yields. The developed approach constitutes a very interesting and waste-limiting alternative to the known methods.

Photoredox radical cyclization reaction of o-vinylaryl isocyanides with acyl chlorides to access 2,4-disubstituted quinolines

We herein report an efficient photoredox radical cyclization reaction of o-vinylaryl isocyanides with acyl chlorides to access a wide range of 2,4-disubstituted quinolines. Preliminary mechanism experiment results suggested that this reaction was initiated by an acyl radical generated from acyl chlorides through a single-electron-transfer (SET) process. This transformation showed good substrate suitability and functional group compatibility at room temperature.

Induction-heated ball-milling: a promising asset for mechanochemical reactions

While ball-milling is becoming one of the common tools used by synthetic chemists, an increasing number of studies highlight that it is possible to further expand the nature and number of products which can be synthesized, by heating the reaction media during mechanochemical reactions. Hence, developing set-ups enabling heating and milling to be combined is an important target, which has been looked into in both academic and industrial laboratories. Here, we report a new approach for heating up reaction media during ball-milling reactions, using induction heating (referred to as i-BM). Our set-up is attractive not only because it enables a very fast heating of the milling medium (reaching ≈80 °C in just 15 s), and that it is directly adaptable to commercially-available milling equipment, but also because it enables heating either the walls of the milling jars or the beads themselves, depending on the choice of the materials which compose them. Importantly, the possibility to heat a milling medium "from the inside" (when using for example a PMMA jar and stainless steel beads) is a unique feature compared to previously proposed systems. Through numerical simulations, we then show that it is possible to finely tune the properties of this heating system (e.g. heating rate and maximum temperature reached), by playing with the characteristics of the milling system and/or the induction heating conditions used. Lastly, examples of applications of i-BM are given, showing how it can be used to help elucidate reaction mechanisms in ball-milling, to synthesize new molecules, and to control the physical nature of milling media.

Mechanochemical asymmetric three-component Mannich reaction involving unreactive arylamines

We report here a mechanochemical protocol for an asymmetric three-component Mannich reaction involving unreactive arylamines with simple cyclic ketones and arylaldehydes catalyzed by (S)-proline with a chiral diol. In this mechanochemical protocol, ball milling enables reaction acceleration and enantioselectivity control. The reported asymmetric three-component Mannich reactions usually involve reactive arylamines such as p-anisidine and phenylamine, while the catalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions involving unreactive arylamines in solution did not proceed smoothly or gave low yields and enantioselectivities. However, the use of ball-milling techniques overcomes the deficiency of the batch systems in solution and avoids the use of toxic organic solvents. The desired products were obtained in moderate-to-good yields (49%-80%) with good-to-high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). This is the first example of a mechanochemically activated catalytic asymmetric three-component Mannich reaction involving unreactive arylamines.

Temperature‐Controlled Mechanochemistry for the Nickel‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura‐Type Coupling of Aryl Sulfamates via Ball Milling and Twin‐Screw Extrusion.**

The nickel catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura-type coupling of aryl sulfamates and boronic acid derivatives enabled by temperature-controlled mechanochemistry via the development of a programmable PID-controlled jar heater is reported. This base-metal-catalyzed, solvent-free, all-under-air protocol was also scaled 200-fold using twin-screw extrusion technology affording decagram quantities of material.