Graphene-Supported RuO2 Nanoparticles for Efficient Aerobic Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction in Water

The Photocatalyst-Free Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction Enabled by Visible-Light Direct Excitation of Substrate

A new photocatalyst-free strategy for the cross-dehydrogenative C-C and C-P coupling reaction has been described. This protocol provides a concise method to synthesize various 1-substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) derivatives enabled by visible-light direct excitation of substrates without using any photocatalyst. Moreover, a wide substrate scope demonstrated good synthetic versatility and practicality.

Synergistic promoting effect of ball milling and Fe(ii) catalysis for cross-dehydrogenative-coupling of 1,4-benzoxazinones with indoles

In this work, a novel C(sp3)–C(sp2) cross-dehydrogenative-coupling method is developed to react benzoxazin-2-one derivatives with various indoles. As a result, combined use of ball milling and Fe(ii) catalysis leads to rapid coupling of 1,4-benzoxazinones with derivatives of indole. Under the conditions, derivatives of 1 couple with various indoles at room temperature to produce good yields of the desired compounds within 0.5–2 h time period. Thus, derivatives of both starting materials couple smoothly under relatively mild conditions to give good yields of 3.

Synthetic Strategy for Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine and Pyrido[1,2-b]indazole Derivatives through AcOH and O2-Promoted Cross-dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions between 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds and N-Amino-2-iminopyridines

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of uniquely substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine and pyrido[1,2-b]indazole derivatives, which involves acetic acid and molecular oxygen promoted cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions of respective β-ketoesters and β-diketones (like ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl benzoylacetate, methyl propionylacetate, acetylacetone, dimedone, 1,3-cyclohexanedione, and 1,3-cyclopentanedione) with N-amino-2-iminopyridines. The proposed tentative mechanism involves formal acetic acid-promoted oxidative C(sp3)-C(sp2) dehydrogenative coupling followed by dehydrative cyclization under a catalyst-free condition within high atom economy processes.

Sustainable Synthetic Approach for (Pyrazol-4-ylidene)pyridines By Metal Catalyst-Free Aerobic C(sp2)-C(sp3) Coupling Reactions between 1-Amino-2-imino-pyridines and 1-Aryl-5-pyrazolones

A novel, metal catalyst-free, and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of (pyrazol-4-ylidene)pyridine derivatives. The process involves dehydrogenative coupling of 1-amino-2-imino-pyridines with 1-aryl-5-pyrazolone derivatives utilizing O2 as the sole oxidant. The new method benefits from a high atom economy, efficiency, and substrate scope, as well as the simplicity of reaction and product purification procedures.

Catalytic Performance of Nanoporous Metal Skeleton Catalysts for Molecular Transformations

Nanoporous metal (MNPore) skeleton catalysts have attracted increasing attention in the field of green and sustainable heterogeneous catalysis owing to their unique three-dimensional nanopore structural features. In general, MNPores are fabricated through chemical or electrochemical corrosive dealloying of monolithic alloys. The dealloying process produces various MNPores with an open nanoporous network structure by formation of concave and convex hyperboloid-like ligaments. The large surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk metals and high density of steps and kinks on ligaments of the unsupported MNPores make them promising heterogeneous catalyst candidates for highly active and selective molecular transformations. In this context, a variety of heterogeneous catalytic reactions using MNPores as nanocatalysts under gas- and liquid-phase conditions were developed over the last decade. In addition, the bulk metallic shape and mechanistic rigidity of the MNPore catalysts make the processes of catalyst recovery and reuse more facile and greener. This Minireview mainly focuses on the catalytic performance of nanoporous Au, Pd, Cu, and AuPd with respect to the achievements on catalytic applications in various molecular transformations.

A walk around the application of nanocatalysts for cross-dehydrogenative coupling of C–H bonds

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions between two unmodified C–H bonds are one of the most attractive and fundamental strategies for the construction of C–C bonds. As these reactions avoid pre-functionalization and de-functionalization of the substrates, they are cleaner, safer, and faster than traditional cross-coupling reactions. After the introduction of the modern area of cross-dehydrogenative coupling in 2003, many efforts have been devoted to the development of more efficient and selective catalytic systems for these appealing reactions. Among the different types of catalytic systems that have been investigated, nanostructured metal catalysts are highly attractive in view of their high catalytic performance, easy separability and good reusability. The purpose of this review is to focus on the application of nanocatalysts for cross-dehydrogenative coupling of C–H bonds with particular emphasis on the mechanistic aspects of the reactions. Specifically, we have structured this review based on the type of C–C bonds. Thus, the review is divided into six major sections: (i) C(sp³)–C(sp³) coupling; (ii) C(sp³)–C(sp²) coupling; (iii) C(sp³)–C(sp) coupling; (iv) C(sp²)–C(sp²) coupling; (v) C(sp²)–C(sp) coupling; and (vi) C(sp)–C(sp) coupling.

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions between two unmodified C–H bonds are one of the most attractive and fundamental strategies for the construction of C–C bonds.

Catalyst-Free Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Strategy Using Air as an Oxidant: Synthesis of α-Aminophosphonates

α-Aminophosphonates are synthesized by employing unfunctionalized starting materials using cross-dehydrogenative coupling strategy. This method does not require any catalyst and proceeds in the presence of open air as the only oxidant. Mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction is nucleophile dependent and specific to dialkyl phosphite and N-aryl tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives.

Direct vinylogous oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 4-nitroisoxazoles with N-aryl tetrahydroisoquinolines in water under air conditions

Using water as the solvent and air as the oxidant, a direct catalytic vinylogous cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction was developed.

Highly efficient heterogeneous aerobic oxidative C–C coupling from Csp3–H bonds by a magnetic nanoparticle-immobilized bipy–gold(iii) catalyst

The cross-dehydrogenative coupling of tertiary amines with nitroalkanes and ketones has been achieved using a recyclable magnetic nanoparticle-immobilized bipy–gold(iii) catalyst.

Robust Metal-Organic Framework Containing Benzoselenadiazole for Highly Efficient Aerobic Cross-dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions under Visible Light

A zirconium(IV)-based UiO-topological metal-organic framework (UiO-68Se) containing benzoselenadiazole was synthesized by an approach of the mixed dicarboxylate struts, which show highly efficient and recycalable photocatalytic activity for aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions between tertiary amines and various carbon nucleophiles under visible-light irradiation.

Graphene-supported metal/metal oxide nanohybrids: synthesis and applications in heterogeneous catalysis

This minireview outlines recent advances in the design and catalytic applications of graphene-supported metal/metal oxide nanohybrids.

Highly efficient heterogeneous aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling via C–H functionalization of tertiary amines using a nanoporous gold skeleton catalyst

We disclosed that zero-valent nanoporous gold (AuNPore) possesses remarkable catalytic activity and reusability for heterogeneous aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of various tertiary amines with nucleophiles.

Synthesis of copper graphene materials functionalized by amino acids and their catalytic applications

Graphene oxide and its derivative have attracted extensive interests in many fields, including catalytic chemistry, organic synthesis, and electrochemistry, recently. We explored whether the use of graphene after chemical modification with amino acids to immobilize copper nanoparticles could achieve a more excellent catalytic activity for N-arylation reactions. A facile and novel method to prepare copper supported on amino-acid-grafted graphene hybrid materials (A-G-Cu) was first reported. The as-prepared hybrid materials were characterized by a variety of techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The results showed that the morphology, distribution, and loading of copper nanoparticles could be well-adjusted by controlling the type of amino acids grafted on graphene. Moreover, most A-G-Cu hybrid materials could catalyze N-arylation of imidazole with iodobenzene with yields more than 90%, while the copper supported on graphene (G-Cu) displayed a yield of just 65.8%. The high activity of A-G-Cu can be ascribed to the good synergistic effects of copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) and amino-acid-grafted graphene.

Facile preparation of Pd nanoparticles supported on single-layer graphene oxide and application for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction

Pd nanoparticles supported on single layer graphene oxide (Pd-slGO) were prepared by gentle heating of palladium(ii) acetate (Pd(OAc)2) and GO in ethanol that served as a mild reductant of the Pd precursor. Pd-slGO showed a high catalytic performance (TON and TOF = 237 000) in the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction.

The cross-dehydrogenative coupling of C(sp3)-H bonds: a versatile strategy for C-C bond formations

Over the last decade, substantial research has led to the introduction of an impressive number of efficient procedures which allow the selective construction of CC bonds by directly connecting two different CH bonds under oxidative conditions. Common to these methodologies is the generation of the reactive intermediates in situ by activation of both CH bonds. This strategy was introduced by the group of Li as cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) and discloses waste-minimized synthetic alternatives to classic coupling procedures which rely on the use of prefunctionalized starting materials. This Review highlights the recent progress in the field of cross-dehydrogenative C sp 3C formations and provides a comprehensive overview on existing procedures and employed methodologies.

Copper-catalyzed activation of α-amino peroxy and hydroxy intermediates to iminium ion precursor: an access to C4-substituted 3,4-dihydroquinazolines via oxidative cross coupling strategy

A simple and straightforward approach to access C4-substituted-3,4-dihydroquinazolines has been achieved, where copper-catalyzed activation of α-amino peroxide and hydroxide intermediates to iminium ion precursors has been realized as an important step. Reactions of these intermediates with alkynes, indoles, pyrrole, and silylenol ether afforded the structurally diverse C4-substituted-3,4-dihydroquinazoline derivatives in good yields.

A(3)-Coupling catalyzed by robust Au nanoparticles covalently bonded to HS-functionalized cellulose nanocrystalline films

We decorated HS-functionalized cellulose nanocrystallite (CNC) films with monodisperse Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) to form a novel nanocomposite catalyst AuNPs@HS-CNC. The uniform, fine AuNPs were made by the reduction of HAuCl4 solution with thiol (HS-) group-functionalized CNC films. The AuNPs@HS-CNC nanocomposites were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), TEM, ATR-IR and solid-state NMR. Characterizations suggested that the size of the AuNPs was about 2-3 nm and they were evenly distributed onto the surface of CNC films. Furthermore, the unique nanocomposite Au@HS-CNC catalyst displayed high catalytic efficiency in promoting three-component coupling of an aldehyde, an alkyne, and an amine (A(3)-coupling) either in water or without solvent. Most importantly, the catalyst could be used repetitively more than 11 times without significant deactivation. Our strategy also promotes the use of naturally renewable cellulose to prepare reusable nanocomposite catalysts for organic synthesis.

A highly efficient and selective aerobic cross-dehydrogenative-coupling reaction photocatalyzed by a platinum(II) terpyridyl complex

Thanks to the superior redox potential of platinum(II) complex compared with that of Ru(bpy)3(2+) in the excited state, an efficient and selective visible-light-induced CDC reaction has been developed by using a catalytic amount (0.25 %) of 1. With the aid of FeSO4 (2 equiv), the corresponding amide could not be detected under visible-light irradiation (λ=450 nm), but the desired cross-coupling product was exclusively obtained under ambient air conditions. A spectroscopic study and product analysis revealed that the CDC reaction is initiated by photoinduced electron-transfer from N-phenyltetrahydroisoquinoline to the complex. An EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) experiment provides direct evidence on the generation of superoxide radical anion (O2(-·)) rather than singlet oxygen ((1)O2) under irradiation of the reaction system, in contrast to that reported in the literature. Combined, the photoinduced electron-transfer and subsequent formation of superoxide radical anion (O2(-·)) results in a clean and facile transformation.

Silver(I)-catalyzed addition-cyclization of alkyne-functionalized azomethines

AgOTf can catalyze an addition-cyclization tandem between alkyne-azomethine and a nucleophile such as ketone, nitroalkane, water, and terminal alkyne to give a polycyclic amide via six-exo-trig selectivity.