Catalytic Amide–Base System of TMAF and N(TMS)3 for Deprotonative Coupling of Benzylic C(sp3)–H Bonds with Carbonyls

C-H functionalization through benzylic deprotonation with π-coordination or cation-π-interactions

Benzylic C-H functionalization is a valuable tool to make complex aromatic molecules from simple, readily available alkylbenzenes. While methods that involve benzylic radicals or cations generated by hydrogen atom transfer or oxidation have been well demonstrated, they often require oxidative conditions. In contrast, deprotonation methods offer a complementary approach to transform benzylic C-H bonds through a benzylic carbanion generated by deprotonation. Electrophilic transition metal complexes acidify benzylic protons upon π-coordination to the phenyl ring of substrates, facilitating deprotonation by stabilizing the corresponding benzylic carbanion. Cation-complexes with group(I) metals also acidify benzylic C-H bonds. These approaches enable a significant expansion of the scope and diversity of alkylarenes with various electrophilic reagents. In this review, we discuss the development of benzylic functionalization through deprotonation of η6-arene complexes of transition-metals and cation-π interactions with group(I) metals, as well as progress made in catalysis through reversible arene-metal interactions.

Carboxylations of (Hetero)Aromatic C-H Bonds Using an Alkyl Silyl Carbonate Reagent

In this paper, we report that the use of an alkyl silyl carbonate reagent combined with CsF and 18-crown-6 facilitates efficient direct carboxylations of (hetero)aromatic C-H bonds. This system also enables benzylic carboxylation of a toluene derivative and double carboxylation of methyl heteroarene. The carbonate reagent is characterized by its ease of handling and storage. Moreover, we demonstrate the application of this system in 13C-labeling experiments.

Heteroaryl Group Containing Trisubstituted Alkenes: Synthesis and Anti-Tumor Activity

Pancreatobililary cancers are fatal solid tumors that pose a significant threat to human life. It is imperative to investigate novel small molecule active compounds for controlling these cancers. Heterocyclic compounds (e. g. gemcitabine) and multi-substituted alkenes (e. g. resveratrol) are commonly applied in tumor treatment. Researchers have proposed that the synthesis of new trisubstituted alkenes containing heteroaromatic rings by combining these two scaffolds may be a fresh strategy to develop new active molecules. In this study, we utilized alkenyl bromide and heteroaryl boronic acid as substrates, employing Suzuki coupling to generate a series of triarylethylenes featuring nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms. Through in vitro experiments, the results indicated that some compounds exhibited remarkable anti-tumor efficacy (e. g. IC50[3be, GBC-SD]=0.13 μM and IC50[3be, PANC-1]=0.27 μM). The results further demonstrated that the antitumor efficacy of these compounds was dependent on the heteroatom, π-system, skeleton-bonding site, and substituent type.

Wittig Reaction in Deep Eutectic Solvents: Expanding the DES Toolbox in Synthesis

Wittig reaction between substituted phosphonium salts and (hetero)aromatic and alkyl carbonyl compounds in Deep Eutectic Solvents has been developed under a scalable and friendly protocol. Highly efficient reactions were successfully run with a wide range of bases including organic (DBU, LiTMP, t-BuOK) and inorganic (NaOH, K2CO3) ones in ChCl/Gly 1 : 2 (mol/mol) as solvent under mild conditions, at room temperature and under air. The proposed protocol was applied to a wide range of substrates, including (hetero)aromatic aldehydes with substituents as halogens (I, Br, Cl), EDG (alkoxy, methyl), EWG (NO2, CF3) or reactive groups as CN, esters, and ketones. Vinylic, alkynyl and cycloalkyl, alicyclic and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes can also be used. Highly electrophilic ketones gave good yields. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction is in complete agreement with the E/Z ratio predictable under traditional conditions. We demonstrated that the protocol is scalable to 2 g (5 mmol) of phosphonium salt, furthermore the proposed workup protocol allows to remove TPPO without need of additional chromatographic purification.

Masters of Mediation: MN(SiMe3)2 in Functionalization of C(sp3)-H Latent Nucleophiles

Organoalkali compounds have undergone a far-reaching transformation being a coupling partner to a mediator in unusual organic conversions which finds its spot in the field of sustainable synthesis. Transition-metal catalysis has always been the priority in C(sp3)-H bond functionalization, however alternatively, in recent times this has been seriously challenged by earth-abundant alkali metals and their complexes arriving at new sustainable organometallic reagents. In this line, the importance of MN(SiMe3)2 (M=Li, Na, K & Cs) reagent revived in C(sp3)-H bond functionalization over recent years in organic synthesis is showcased in this minireview. MN(SiMe3)2 reagent with higher reactivity, enhanced stability, and bespoke cation-π interaction have shown eye-opening mediated processes such as C(sp3)-C(sp3) cross-coupling, radical-radical cross-coupling, aminobenzylation, annulation, aroylation, and other transformations to utilize readily available petrochemical feedstocks. This article also emphasizes the unusual reactivity of MN(SiMe3)2 reagent in unreactive and robust C-X (X=O, N, F, C) bond cleavage reactions that occurred alongside the C(sp3)-H bond functionalization. Overall, this review encourages the community to exploit the untapped potential of MN(SiMe3)2 reagent and also inspires them to take up this subject to even greater heights.

A Tandem Madelung Indole Synthesis Mediated by a LiN(SiMe3)2/CsF System

A tandem Madelung indole synthesis by the reaction of methyl benzoate and N-methyl-o-toluidine has been discovered. The combination of LiN(SiMe3)2 with CsF is the key factor, which secures the high efficiency of such tandem transformations. Simply combining methyl benzoate, N-methyl-o-toluidine LiN(SiMe3)2, and CsF generated a diverse array of N-methyl-2-phenylindoles (31 examples, 50-90% yields). Furthermore, the scalability and the poststructural modifications of this indole synthesis were demonstrated.

Carboxylate Catalysis: A Catalytic O-Silylative Aldol Reaction of Aldehydes and Ethyl Diazoacetate

A mild catalytic variant of the aldol reaction between ethyl diazoacetate and aldehydes is described using a combination of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide and catalytic tetramethylammonium pivalate as catalyst. The reaction proceeds rapidly at ambient temperature to afford the O-silylated aldol products in good to excellent yield, and the acetamide byproducts can be removed by simple filtration.

Rapid C-H Transformation: Addition of Diarylmethanes to Imines in Seconds by Catalytic Use of Base

The addition of diarylmethanes or methylarenes via activation of benzylic C(sp³)-H bonds to N-aryl imines proceeds under catalysis by alkali hexamethyldisilazide (HMDS) base to give N-(1,2,2-triarylethyl)anilines or N-(1,2-diarylethyl)anilines, respectively. In the presence of 10 mol % of LiHMDS at room temperature, the diarylmethane addition equilibrates within 20-30 s and is driven to near completion by cooling the reaction mixture to -25 °C, providing N-(1,2,2-triarylethyl)aniline in a >90% yield.

LiHMDS-Mediated Deprotonative Coupling of Toluenes with Ketones

We demonstrate that lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS) acts as an effective base for deprotonative coupling reactions of toluenes with ketones to afford stilbenes. Various functionalities (halogen, OCF₃ , amide, Me, aryl, alkenyl, alkynyl, SMe, and SPh) are allowed on the toluenes. Notably, this system proved successful with low-reactive toluenes bearing a large pKa value compared to that of the conjugate acid of LiHMDS (hexamethyldisilazane, 25.8, THF), as demonstrated by 4-phenyltoluene (38.57, THF) and toluene itself (∼43, DMSO).

Combined Brønsted Base-Promoted CO2 Fixation into Benzylic C-H Bonds of Alkylarenes

Interest in developing methods for direct CO₂ fixation into readily available unfunctionalized C-H bonds in organic substances has recently surged. In contrast to the well-studied carboxylations of alkynyl C(sp)-H and aromatic C(sp²)-H bonds, carboxylation of benzylic C(sp³)-H bonds to produce 2-arylacetic acids is limited to photoirradiation reactions and continues to be a challenging issue because of the low chemical reactivity. We herein describe that a combined Brønsted base (i.e., LiO-t-Bu/CsF and LiOCEt₃/CsF) achieves benzylic carboxylation of electron-deficient, -neutral, and -rich alkylarenes and enables various functionalities, including fragile ones such as bromide, alkene, alkyne, and carbonyl moieties. Dicarboxylation at the benzylic position is also established. Cs-alkoxide generated in situ acts as a reactive base, as demonstrated in experiments with independently prepared CsO-t-Bu and by ¹³³Cs nuclear magnetic resonance studies.

Selective benzylic Csp3-H bond activations mediated by a phosphorus-nitrogen PN3P-nickel complex

In contrast to the typical C_sp2-H activation, a PN³P-Nickel complex chemoselectively cleaved the benzylic C_sp3-H bond of toluene in the presence of KHMDS, presumably via an in situ generated potassium benzyl intermediate. Under similar conditions, CO underwent deoxygenation to afford the corresponding nickel cyano complex, and ethylbenzene was dehydrogenated to give styrene and a nickel hydride compound. 2,6-Xylyl isocyanide was transformed into an unprecedented indolyl complex, likely by trapping the activated benzyl species with an isocyanide moiety.

Organic superbase t-Bu-P4-catalyzed demethylations of methoxyarenes

The organic superbase t-Bu-P4 catalyzes the demethylation reactions of methoxyarenes in the presence of alkanethiol and hexamethyldisilazane.

The Synthesis and Evaluation of Amidoximes as Cytotoxic Agents on Model Bacterial E. coli Strains

The biological research on newly synthesized amidoximes, Boc-protected amidoximes and Boc-derived amidines, obtained by a reduction of the parent amidoximes is reported, herein. Due to the presence of a free amino group in both amidines and amidoximes, these compounds can undergo various chemical reactions such as N-alkylation and N-acylation. One such reaction is Boc-protection, often used in organic synthesis to protect the amino and imino groups. Until now, Boc-protected amidoximes have not been tested for biological activity. Amidoxime derivatives were tested on bacterial E. coli strains. Initial cellular studies tests and digestion with Fpg after the modification of bacterial DNA, suggest that these compounds may have greater potential as antibacterial agents compared to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (ci), bleomycin (b) and cloxacillin (cl). The described compounds are highly specific for pathogenic E. coli strains on the basis of the model strains used and may be used in the future as new substitutes for commonly used antibiotics in clinical and hospital infections in the pandemic era.

Asymmetric C(sp3)-H functionalization of unactivated alkylarenes such as toluene enabled by chiral Brønsted base catalysts

Benzylic functionalisation of unactivated alkylarenes remains as a significant challenge in asymmetric catalysis due to their less reactive nature. Here, we show development of catalytic asymmetric C(sp³)-H functionalization of unactivated alkylarenes such as toluene with imines. The reactions proceeded smoothly under proton-transfer conditions using a chiral, strong Brønsted base catalyst system. A chiral Brønsted base prepared from an alkylpotassium and a chiral amine ligand was found to effectively form a promising asymmetric environment around a benzyl anion. Optimization of the reaction conditions revealed that the use of the alkaline metal amide, potassium hexamethyldisilazide (KHMDS), as an additive was most effective, and enantioselective and atom economical carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions at the benzylic positions of unactivated alkylarenes was achieved without using any transition-metal catalyst.

Catalytic amide base system generated in situ for 1,3-diene formation from allylbenzenes and carbonyls

The amide base generated in situ from tetramethylammonium fluoride and N(TMS)₃ catalyzes the synthesis of 1,3-diene from an allylbenzene and carbonyl compound. The system is applicable to the transformations of a variety of allylbenzenes with functional groups (halogen, methyl, phenyl, methoxy, dimethylamino, ester, and amide moieties). Acyclic and cyclic diaryl ketones, pivalophenone, pivalaldehyde, and isobutyrophenone are used as coupling partners. The role of transβ-methyl stilbenes in product formation is also elucidated.

Recent trends in catalytic sp3 C-H functionalization of heterocycles

Heterocycles are a ubiquitous substructure in organic small molecules designed for use in materials and medicines. Recent work in catalysis has focused on enabling access to new heterocycle structures by sp³ C-H functionalization on alkyl side-chain substituents-especially at the heterobenzylic position-with more than two hundred manuscripts published just within the last ten years. Rather than describing in detail each of these reports, in this mini-review we attempt to highlight gaps in existing techniques. A semi-quantitative overview of ongoing work strongly suggests that several specific heterocycle types and bond formations outside of C-C, C-N, and C-O have been almost completely overlooked.

Microwave-assisted periselective annulation of triarylphosphenes with aldehydes and ketones

The reaction of diazo(aryl)methyl(diaryl)phosphine oxides with aldehydes and ketones generates benzo-δ-phosphinolactones in low to good yields with 1,1-diarylalk-1-enes as byproducts under microwave irradiation. Diazo(aryl)methyl(diaryl)phosphine oxides first undergo a Wolff rearrangement to form diaryl(aryl)phosphenes, which further react with aldehydes and ketones to afford benzo-δ-phosphinolactones and β-phosphinolactones. The latter are unstable under heating and fragment into the corresponding 1,1-diarylalk-1-enes and arylphosphine dioxides under reaction conditions. The arylphosphine dioxides become arylphosphonic acids during workup. The periselectivity in the annulation shows that the reaction of diaryl(aryl)phosphenes with most aldehydes and ketones favors phosphene phenyl participation in (4 + 2) annulation over (2 + 2) annulation.

Deprotonative Coupling of Pyridines with Aldehydes Catalyzed by an HMDS-Amide Base Generated in Situ

Herein, the deprotonative functionalization of pyridine derivatives with aldehydes under ambient conditions has been demonstrated using an amide base generated in situ from a catalytic amount of CsF and a stoichiometric amount of tris(trimethylsilyl)amine (N(TMS)₃). Pyridine substrates bearing two electron-withdrawing substituents (i.e., fluoro, chloro, bromo, and trifluoromethyl moieties) at the 3- and 5-positions efficiently react at the 4-position with various aldehydes including arylaldehydes, pivalaldehyde, and cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde.

Tetramethylammonium Fluoride Tetrahydrate-Mediated Transition Metal-Free Coupling of Aryl Iodides with Unactivated Arenes in Air

Biaryls are important compounds with widespread applications in many fields. Tetramethylammonium fluoride tetrahydrate was found to promote the biaryl coupling of aryl iodides bearing electron-withdrawing substituents with unactivated arenes. The reaction takes place at temperatures between 100 and 150°C and can be applied to a wide range of aromatic and heteroaromatic rings, affording the products in moderate to high yields. The reaction does not require strong bases or expensive additives that are employed in the existing methods and can be conducted in air and moisture without any precautions.

Alkaline-Metal-Catalyzed One-Pot Aminobenzylation of Aldehydes with Toluenes

A novel and easily accessible MN(SiMe₃)₂ (M = Li or Na)/Cs₂CO₃ co-catalyzed benzylation of in situ generated N-(trimethylsilyl) aldimines with toluene derivatives has been successfully developed. The catalyst exhibits high chemoselectivity for deprotonation of toluenes at the benzylic position. The utility of this system is exemplified by the one-pot synthesis of a diverse array of bioactive 1,2-diarylethylamines with excellent efficiency and broad functional group tolerance.