Pd-NHC catalyzed cyclopentannulation of diazabicyclic alkenes with ortho-aryl halides

Controllable Synthesis of Cyclopenta[b]indolines via Photocatalytic Fluoroalkylative Radical Cyclization Cascade of Ynamides

A de novo method for direct construction of cyclopenta[b]indolines via a photocatalytic fluoroalkylative radical cyclization cascade of ynamides has been established, which proceeds via a sequence of radical addition, 1,5-HAT, 5-endo-trig cyclization, intramolecular arylation, and oxidative deprotonation. This protocol allows for the controllable assembly of a tricyclic architecture with three contiguous stereocenters, showcasing its high efficiency, compatibility, and regio- and diastereoselectivity for accessing pharmacologically significant fluoroalkylated cyclopenta[b]indolines. It represents one of the very few examples of tetrafunctionalization of alkynes.

Controlled Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization of a New Monomer: On Switching the Solvent-Water-Soluble Homopolymers to Degradable Copolymers

A new heterocyclic monomer is developed via simple Diels-Alder reaction which is reluctant to polymerize in dichloromethane (DCM) whereas undergoes facile polymerization in tetrahydrofuran with excellent control over molecular weight (Mn ) and dispersities (Đ) using Grubbs' third generation catalyst (G3). The deprotection of the tert-butoxycarbonyl group from the polymeric backbone yielded a water-soluble ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) polymer easily. Moreover, in DCM this new monomer copolymerizes with 2,3-dihydrofuran under catalytic living ROMP conditions to give backbone degradable polymers. All the synthesized polymers are characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It is believed that this new route to water soluble ROMP homopolymers as well as the cost-effective and environmentally friendly route to degradable copolymers and block-copolymers could find applications in biomedicine in the near future.

Transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions of strained bicyclic alkenes

This review presents a comprehensive overview of transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions of strained bicyclic alkenes, including both homo- and heterobicyclic alkenes. These compounds are important synthons in organic synthesis, providing an important platform for the construction of biologically/medicinally significant compounds which bear multiple stereocenters. The review has been divided according to the metal used in the reaction. An overview of the substrate scope, reaction conditions, and their potential applications in organic synthesis is discussed. A comprehensive outlook on the reactivity paradigms of homo- and heterobicyclic alkenes is discussed and should shed light on future directions for further development in this field.

Recent advances in palladium-catalyzed (hetero)annulation of C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds with ambiphilic organo(pseudo)halides

Palladium has proven to be effective in catalyzing the (hetero)annulation of C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bonds with ambiphilic organo(pseudo)halides. Through the employment of appropriate ambiphilic coupling partners, efficient annulation of a variety of allenes, 1,3-dienes, strained alkenes, styrenes, and other C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond variants can be achieved to provide direct access to numerous useful hetero- and carbocyclic scaffolds. In this Feature Article, we summarize palladium-catalyzed (hetero)annulation methods reported since 2005 (spanning just over 15 years) and discuss outstanding challenges in this area of study.

Pd/Xiang-Phos-catalyzed enantioselective intermolecular carboheterofunctionalization under mild conditions

A mild and practical Pd/Xiang-Phos-catalyzed enantioselective intermolecular carboheterofunctionalization reaction of 2,3-dihydrofurans is developed, leading to various optically active fused furoindolines and tetrahydrofurobenzofurans. The key to this transformation is employing two newly modified N-Me-Xiang-Phos ligands ((S, R S)- N-Me-X4/X5) as chiral ligands under mild conditions. Moreover, this synthetic methodology can be efficiently applied to a variety of complex polysubstituted heterocycles with high chemo-, regio-, and enantio-selectivities via introducing diverse substituents on furan rings, which were hard to access by other routes.

Accessing highly functionalized cyclopentanoids via a cascade palladation approach: unprecedented benzylic C-H activation towards cyclopentenoindanes

A Pd-catalyzed synthesis of 3,4,5-trisubstituted cyclopentenes from diazabicyclic olefins and o-iodobenzoates has been developed. The hitherto unknown cascade process involves three stages: carbopalladation, oxypalladation and a Tsuji-Trost reaction. We have also developed a facile route involving a novel benzylic C-H activation towards cyclopentenoindane moieties.

Pd-Catalyzed oxidative annulation of enamides with diazabicyclic olefins: rapid access to cyclopentene fused 2-pyrrolines

A catalytic tandem transformation via C–H activation of enamides for the stereoselective synthesis of cyclopentene fused 2-pyrrolines has been realized.

Trapping the Lewis acid generated transient species from pentafulvene derived diazanorbornenes with ortho-functionalized aryl iodides and aliphatic alcohols

Herein we describe our efforts on the Lewis acid catalyzed stereoselective ring-opening of pentafulvene derived diazabicyclic olefins using various ortho-functionalized aryl iodides such as 2-iodoanilines, 2-iodophenols and 2-iodobenzene thiols to access trans-1,2 disubstituted alkylidenecyclopentenes. The scope of the reaction was also explored with a range of easily available aromatic and aliphatic alcohols. Furthermore, the palladium catalyzed intramolecular Heck cyclization of trans-1,2 disubstituted alkylidenecyclopentenes would provide an easy approach for the synthesis of highly functionalized spiropentacyclic frameworks consisting of a cyclopentene fused to an indoline/benzothiophene and pyrazolidine.

Insight into the efficiency of cinnamyl-supported precatalysts for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction: observation of Pd(I) dimers with bridging allyl ligands during catalysis

Despite widespread use of complexes of the type Pd(L)(η(3)-allyl)Cl as precatalysts for cross-coupling, the chemistry of related Pd(I) dimers of the form (μ-allyl)(μ-Cl)Pd2(L)2 has been underexplored. Here, the relationship between the monomeric and the dimeric compounds is investigated using both experiment and theory. We report an efficient synthesis of the Pd(I) dimers (μ-allyl)(μ-Cl)Pd2(IPr)2 (allyl = allyl, crotyl, cinnamyl; IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) through activation of Pd(IPr)(η(3)-allyl)Cl type monomers under mildly basic reaction conditions. The catalytic performance of the Pd(II) monomers and their Pd(I) μ-allyl dimer congeners for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is compared. We propose that the (μ-allyl)(μ-Cl)Pd2(IPr)2-type dimers are activated for catalysis through disproportionation to Pd(IPr)(η(3)-allyl)Cl and monoligated IPr-Pd(0). The microscopic reverse comproportionation reaction of monomers of the type Pd(IPr)(η(3)-allyl)Cl with IPr-Pd(0) to form Pd(I) dimers is also studied. It is demonstrated that this is a facile process, and Pd(I) dimers are directly observed during catalysis in reactions using Pd(II) precatalysts. In these catalytic reactions, Pd(I) μ-allyl dimer formation is a deleterious process which removes the IPr-Pd(0) active species from the reaction mixture. However, increased sterics at the 1-position of the allyl ligand in the Pd(IPr)(η(3)-crotyl)Cl and Pd(IPr)(η(3)-cinnamyl)Cl precatalysts results in a larger kinetic barrier to comproportionation, which allows more of the active IPr-Pd(0) catalyst to enter the catalytic cycle when these substituted precatalysts are used. Furthermore, we have developed reaction conditions for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction using Pd(IPr)(η(3)-cinnamyl)Cl which are compatible with mild bases.

Rhodium catalyzed oxidative coupling of salicylaldehydes with diazabicyclic olefins: a one pot strategy involving aldehyde C-H cleavage and π-allyl chemistry towards the synthesis of fused ring chromanones

An efficient one pot strategy for the synthesis of cyclopentene fused chromanone derivatives through the direct oxidative coupling of salicylaldehydes with bicyclic olefins in the presence of a rhodium-copper catalyst system is described. This is the first report on the ring opening-ring closing of bicyclic hydrazines via metal catalyzed oxidative coupling reaction.