Cu(I)-Catalyzed Aminative Aza-Annulation of Enynyl Azide using N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide: Synthesis of 5-Aminonicotinates

Nitrogen-Based Organofluorine Functional Molecules: Synthesis and Applications

Fluorine and nitrogen form a successful partnership in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and material sciences. Although fluorine-nitrogen chemistry has a long and rich history, this field has received increasing interest and made remarkable progress over the past two decades, driven by recent advancements in transition metal and organocatalysis and photochemistry. This review, emphasizing contributions from 2015 to 2023, aims to update the state of the art of the synthesis and applications of nitrogen-based organofluorine functional molecules in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry. In dedicated sections, we first focus on fluorine-containing reagents organized according to the type of fluorine-containing groups attached to nitrogen, including N-F, N-RF, N-SRF, and N-ORF. This review also covers nitrogen-linked fluorine-containing building blocks, catalysts, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals, underlining these components' broad applicability and growing importance in modern chemistry.

Merging Enantioselective Lewis Base Organocatalysis and Gold(I) Catalysis: A One-Pot Access to Chiral-Fused Polycyclic Compounds

Reported herein is a route to functionalized chiral heteroaromatic polycyclic compounds leveraging two unfriendly catalytic cycles in a one-pot sequential process. α-Heteroaromatic-γ-butyrolactones were engaged in a highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantio-selective Lewis base asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) with alkyne-functionalized Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates. Gratefully, due to the low Lewis base catalyst loading, subsequent gold-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts type cyclization, entailing the formation of fused polycyclic compounds, proceeded efficiently, affording structurally complex, highly enantioenriched products.

Electrophilic aromatic substitution of electron-rich arenes with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) as an electrophile

An efficient amidation of electron-rich arenes using NFSI as a nitrogen source has been successfully disclosed. This amidation process can be easily conducted at elevated temperatures, without the need for catalysts or additives. A wide range of arenes substituted with hydroxy, alkoxy, or carbonyl groups were found to be compatible, yielding the desired amination products. Computational study shows that the amidation proceeds via an electrophilic aromatic substitution pathway, comprising a three-step process that includes substitution, addition, and elimination, which differs slightly from the classical mechanism.

Recent advances in the radical cascade reaction for constructing nitrogen heterocycles using azides as radical acceptors

Due to the high conversion properties, azide compounds are widely utilized in organic synthesis. For instance, azide compounds readily release nitrogen to form a new N-C bond when they function as radical acceptors for the active intermediates in the reaction. Over the past decade, strategies employing azides as radical acceptors to construct nitrogen heterocycles have been extensively developed. This approach has emerged as a crucial method for synthesizing nitrogen heterocycles. Therefore, this paper provides a review of the research advancements in tandem cyclization reactions using azides as radical acceptors, summarizing the process of reaction design, exploration, reasoning of the mechanism, and prospects for further research of these reactions.

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.

Synthesis of N-, O-, and S-heterocycles from aryl/alkyl alkynyl aldehydes

In the field of heterocyclic synthesis, alkynyl aldehydes serve as privileged reagents for cyclization reactions with other organic compounds to construct a broad spectrum of N-, O-, and S-heterocycles. Due to the immense application of heterocyclic molecules in pharmaceuticals, natural products, and material chemistry, the synthesis of such scaffolds has received wide attention. The transformations occurred under metal-catalyzed, metal-free-promoted, and visible-light-mediated systems. The present review article highlights the progress made in this field over the past two decades.

Domino Aza-Annulations of Enynyl-/(Alkynyl)aryl-acetonitriles to Access Nitrogen-Enriched Heterocycles

Unprecedented domino aza-annulations of (E)-2-en-4-ynyl-acetonitriles (generated from the Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates of propiolaldehydes for the first time) with sodium azide under metal- and oxidant-free conditions for the assembly of triazolo-pyridines are accomplished. The developed strategy offers broad substrate scope, extending to (2-alkynyl)aryl and indolyl-acetonitriles to provide the corresponding triazolo-fused isoquinolines and β-carbolines, respectively, in good yields. Additionally, the synthetic utility of the products is demonstrated via denitrogenative coupling of fused triazoles with different nucleophiles.

An N-Fluorinated Imide for Practical Catalytic Imidations

Catalytic imidation using NFSI as the nitrogen source has become an emerging tool for oxidative carbon-nitrogen bond formation. However, the less than ideal benzenesulfonimide moiety is incorporated into products, severely detracting its synthetic value. As a solution to this challenge, we report herein the development of a novel N-fluorinated imide, N-fluoro-N-(fluorosulfonyl)carbamate (NFC), by which the attached imide moiety acts as a modular synthetic handle for one-step derivatization to amines, sulfonamides, and sulfamides. Furthermore, this study revealed the superior reactivity of NFC as showcased in a copper-catalyzed imidation of benzene derivatives and imidocyanation of aliphatic alkenes, overcoming the limitation of NFSI-mediated reactions.

Recent advances in the tandem annulation of 1,3-enynes to functionalized pyridine and pyrrole derivatives

Great progress has been made in the tandem annulation of enynes in the past few years. This review only presents the corresponding reactions of 1,3-enyne structural motifs to provide the functionalized pyridine and pyrrole derivatives. The functionalization reactions cover iodination, bromination, trifluoromethylation, azidation, carbonylation, arylation, alkylation, selenylation, sulfenylation, amidation, esterification, and hydroxylation. We also briefly introduce the applications of the products and the reaction mechanisms for the synthesis of corresponding N-heterocycles.

Iodo- and Chalcogenoannulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman Alcohols of Propiolaldehydes: Entry to Functionalized 2-Pyrones

An efficient intramolecular annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) alcohols of propiolaldehydes is developed in the presence of ICl or PhSeSePh/PhSSPh-CuCl₂. This cyclization offers access to a wide variety of iodinated or chalcogenated 3-(chloromethyl)-2-pyrones in good yields. The chloromethyl group of the obtained 2-pyrones has been easily converted to introduce other handy functionalities, which allowed for further transformations to synthesize diverse 2-pyrone containing molecules.

Ligand-free copper-catalyzed C(sp3)-H imidation of aromatic and aliphatic methyl sulfides with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide

A novel and efficient process has been developed for copper-catalyzed C(sp3)-H direct imidation of methyl sulfides with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide(NFSI). Without using any ligands, various methyl sulfides including aromatic and aliphatic methyl sulfides, can be transformed to the corresponding N-((phenylthio)methyl)-benzenesulfonamide derivatives in good to excellent yields.

β-Selective Cu(II)-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Enamination of Alkylbenzenes

A Cu(II)-catalyzed dehydrogenative enamination that couples alkyl-substituted electron-rich arenes and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide to forge enamine products is reported. This C-N bond-forming procedure occurs selectively at the β-position of the alkyl group. Both aniline and anisole derivatives are tolerated under these conditions, to afford styryl amines. A reaction mechanism involving quinone methide and styrene intermediates is proposed.

Copper-catalysed radical reactions of alkenes, alkynes and cyclopropanes with N-F reagents

The mild generation of nitrogen-centred radicals from N-F reagents has become a convenient synthetic tool. This methodology provides access to the aminative difunctionalisation of alkenes and alkynes and the radical ring-opening of cyclopropanes, among other similar transformations. This review article aims to provide an overview of recent developments of such processes involving radical reactions and N-F reagents using copper-based catalysts.

Exploring the behavior of the NFSI reagent as a nitrogen source

The diverse biological activities of nitrogen-containing compounds make the construction of the C-N bond of great importance. As N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide, one of the most abundant chemical feedstock, has a dual behaviour, i.e. as an electrophilic fluorination and amidation source, it attracts the attention of synthetic chemists for exploitation. This review comprehensively summarizes the significant progress of the efficient and mild amidation reactions, with an emphasis on approaches for the generation of nitrogen-centered intermediates, related mechanisms and new synthetic chemistry methods that offer opportunities to overcome obstacles in pharmaceutical applications. In this perspective, we discuss the developments in the amidation reaction using NFSI in the past decade. We discuss the recent progress, challenges and future outcomes in the area of amidation chemistry using commercially available NFSI.

Oxa-[3+3] annulation of MBH-carbonates of propiolaldehydes with α-nitro/bromo ketones to access 2H-pyrans

A novel alkyne-assisted annulation reaction of MBH-carbonates of propiolaldehydes with α-nitro/bromo ketones is reported, providing a facile synthesis of substituted 2H-pyrans in good yields. This reaction divulges the inimitable reactivity of the MBH-carbonates of propiolaldehydes as C3-synthons wherein the alkyne functionality promoted the reaction without participating in the oxa-[3+3] annulation. The obtained products, having alkyne and ester functionalities, allowed further annulations to generate diverse pyrano[3,4-c]pyran-1-ones.

Ni-Catalyzed electrophile driven regioselective arylative cyclization of ortho-functional diaryl acetylenes for the synthesis of pyridine and indene derivatives

A regioselective arylative cyclization of ortho functional diaryl acetylenes for the synthesis of selectively substituted diaryl pyridine and indene derivatives is accomplished through an electrophile driven alkyne polarization.

Silver-catalyzed acylative annulation of N-propargylated indoles with α-keto acids: access to acylated pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles

A novel carbon-centered radical cyclization of N-propargyl indoles with α-keto acids to form acylated pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles involving difunctionalisation of the alkyne moiety with concomitant annulation is disclosed.

Nickel-promoted C(2)–H amidation of quinoline N-oxides with N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide

The first example of nickel-promoted C–H amidation of quinoline N-oxides with NFSI.

Synthetic Access to Cyclopenta[a]inden-2(1H)-ones from Morita-Baylis-Hillman Products of 2-Alkynyl Benzaldehydes

A new strategy for the synthesis of cyclopenta[a]inden-2(1H)-ones has been developed. An intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of the Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts, derived from 2-alkynyl benzaldehydes, provided the consequent novel cyclopenta[a]inden-2(1H)-ones bearing multifunctionalities including an ester group at the fused ring junction (tert-carbon center). The generality of this approach was illustrated by studying the several MBH derivatives containing diverse substitutions/functionalities.

Divergent Synthesis of Allenylsulfonamide and Enaminonesulfonamide via In(III)-Catalyzed Couplings of Propargylamine and N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide

An In(III)-catalyzed facile and controllable method for the synthesis of allenylsulfonamide and enaminonesulfonamide has been achieved by the reaction between propargylamine and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) under mild conditions. The present protocol is also applicable to the synthesis of tetrasubstituted allenylsulfonamide from triphenyl propargylalcohol. Experimental results suggest that the reaction probably proceeds through the ionic pathway.

(Diacetoxy)iodobenzene-Mediated Regioselective Imidation of Imidazoheterocycles with N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide

Metal-free (diacetoxy)iodobenzene-mediated regioselective imidation of imidazoheterocycles using commercially available N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide as an imidating reagent has been developed. This protocol exhibits broad substrate scope with good to excellent yields of the imidated imidazopyridines under mild conditions in short reaction times. The present protocol also represents an efficient way to access the imidated derivatives of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole, benzo[d]imidazo-[2,1-b]thiazole, indoles, and indolizines. A radical mechanistic pathway has been proposed for the present protocol.