The 50 most-cited articles in Organic Letters, 2016

A strategy for the synthesis of quinazolinones via acceptorless coupling of o-aminobenzamides with methanol has been accomplished in the presence of the metal-ligand bifunctional catalyst [Cp*Ir(2,2'-bpyO)(H2O)]. Notably, this research exhibited the potential of transition-metal-catalyzed activation of methanol as a C1 source for the construction of heterocycles.

A halogen-bond-promoted double radical isocyanide insertion with perfluoroalkyl iodides is reported. With perfluoroalkyl iodides as halogen-bond donors and organic bases as halogen-bond acceptors, fluoroalkyl radicals can be generated by a visible-light-induced single electron transfer (SET) process. The fluoroalkyl radicals are trapped by o-diisocyanoarenes to give quinoxaline derivatives. This mechanistically novel strategy allows the construction of 2-fluoroalkylated 3-iodoquinoxalines in high yields under visible-light irradiation at room temperature.

A facile, straightforward protocol was established for diarylannulated sulfide and selenide construction through S-I and Se-I exchange without transition metal assistance. Elemental sulfur and selenium served as the chalcogen source. Diarylannulated sulfides were systematically achieved from a five- to eight-membered ring. A trisulfur radical anion was demonstrated as the initiator for this radical process via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study. OFET molecules [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) and [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzoselenophene (BTBS) were efficiently established.

Hypervalent alkylsilicates represent new and readily accessible precursors for the generation of alkyl radicals under photoredox conditions. Alkyl radicals generated from such silicates serve as effective hydrogen atom abstractors from thiols, furnishing thiyl radicals. The reactive sulfur species generated in this manner can be funneled into a nickel-mediated cross-coupling cycle employing aromatic bromides to furnish thioethers. The serendipitous discovery of this reaction and its utilization for the thioetherification of various aryl and heteroaryl bromides with a diverse array of thiols is described. The S-H selective H atom abstraction event enables a wide range of functional groups, including those bearing protic moieties, to be tolerated.

Abstract A copper-mediated nucleophilic radiofluorination of aryl- and vinylstannanes with [18F]KF is described. This method is fast, uses commercially available reagents, and is compatible with both electron-rich and electron-deficient arene substrates. This method has been applied to the manual synthesis of a variety of clinically relevant radiotracers including protected [18F]F-phenylalanine and [18F]F-DOPA. In addition, an automated synthesis of [18F]MPPF is demonstrated that delivers a clinically validated dose of 200 ± 20 mCi with a high specific activity of 2400 ± 900 Ci/mmol.

The first C-H bond functionalization with amides as the coupling partners via selective activation of the amide N-C bond using rhodium(I) catalysts under highly chemoselective conditions is reported. Notably, this report constitutes the first catalytic activation of the amide N-C(O) bond by rhodium. We expect that this concept will have broad implications for using amides as coupling partners for C-H activation beyond the work described herein.

Efficient alkylations of amines by alcohols catalyzed by well-defined Co(II) complexes are described that are stabilized by a PCP ligand (N,N'-bis(diisopropylphosphino)-N,N'-dimethyl-1,3-diaminobenzene) based on the 1,3-diaminobenzene scaffold. This reaction is an environmentally benign process implementing inexpensive, earth-abundant nonprecious metal catalysts and is based on the acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenation concept. A range of primary alcohols and aromatic amines were efficiently converted into mono-N-alkylated amines in good to excellent isolated yields.

The strategy for acceptorless dehydrogenative cyclization of o-aminobenzyl alcohols with ketones to quinolines in water has been accomplished. In the presence of [Cp*Ir(6,6'-(OH)2bpy)(H2O)][OTf]2, a series of desirable products were obtained in high yields. Notably, this research exhibits the potential for the construction of heterocycles via acceptorless dehydrogenative reactions in water catalyzed by water-soluble metal-ligand bifunctional catalysts.

The synthesis of β-hydroxysulfones from sulfonyl chlorides and styrenes in the presence of water by a visible light mediated atom transfer radical addition (ATRA)-like process utilizing fac[Ir(ppy)3] as photoredox catalyst was developed in high yields. This process could be combined with the visible light mediated synthesis of trifluoromethylated sulfonyl chlorides via an ATRA reaction between alkenes and CF3SO2Cl utilizing [Cu(dap)2Cl] as photoredox catalyst, demonstrating the possibility of sequential photoredox processes.

C-H activation of arenes has been established as an important strategy for heterocycle synthesis via annulations between arenes and unsaturated coupling partners. However, nitriles failed to act as such a coupling partner. Dioxazolones have been employed as a synthon of nitriles, and subsequent coupling with arenes such as N-sulfinylimines and benzimidates bearing a functionalizable directing group provided facile access to two classes of quinazolines under Co(III)-catalysis.

The well-defined aluminum monohydride compound [{(2,4,6-Me3-C6H2)NC(Me)}2(Me)(H)]AlH·(NMe2Et) (1) catalyzes hydroboration of a wide range of aldehydes and ketones under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, compound 1 displayed chemoselective hydroboration of aldehydes over ketones at rt.

Donor-acceptor cyclopropanes are reacted under the influence of a Lewis acid with hydrazonyl chlorides to afford tetrahydropyridazines. Formally, this transformation can be regarded as a [3 + 3]-cycloaddition of three-membered rings and nitrile imines generated in situ. This efficient method provides fast access to a variety of structurally diverse pyridazine derivatives. The structure of a typical product was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.

A cobalt(III)-catalyzed C-H/N-H bond functionalization for the synthesis of 1-aminoisoquinolines from aryl amidines and diazo compounds has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction conditions, obviates the need for oxidants, produces only N2 and H2O as the byproducts, and features a broad substrate scope.

Under visible-light photoredox conditions, difluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide was used as the precursor of the CF2H radical for bromodifluoromethylation of alkenes. The presence of catalytic CuBr2 resulted in the selective formation of the bromodifluoromethylated products.

Visible light along with 5 mol % eosin B catalyzed the first direct C-H phosphorylation of thiazole derivatives with diarylphosphine oxides by a photoredox process in the absence of an external oxidant. The scope of thiazoles and phosphine oxides was further investigated, as was functional group tolerance. The general and operational simplicity provides a novel metal and oxidant-free alternative for the formation of heteroaryl-P bonds, and only molecular hydrogen is generated as a byproduct.

A transition-metal-free approach was disclosed for intermolecular aryl C-N bonds formation between phenols and cyclic anilines via cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) amination that was mediated by visible light, wherein K2S2O8 served as an external oxidant. The salient features of this protocol include circumventing the requirement for prefunctionalized starting materials and achieving single regioselectivity of amination adducts at room temperature.

The molecular design based on o-carborane dyads is described for preparing multifunctional luminescent molecules such as dual emissions, aggregation and crystallization-induced emission enhancements, and luminescent color changes. The pyrene-substituted o-carborane dyads were synthesized via the insertion reaction between decaborane and 1-ethynylpyrene in the presence of Lewis base in a good yield. Finally, extremely bright luminescent compounds with solid-state emission properties (ΦPL > 0.99) were obtained.

The synthesis of polyfunctionalized aminothioalkenes has been realized via the direct C-H sulfenylation of enaminones and analogous enamines. These cross-coupling reactions have been achieved by simple KIO3 catalysis under aerobic conditions without employing any transition metal catalyst or additional oxidant. The employment of bio-based green solvent ethyl lactate as the reaction medium constitutes another sustainable feature of the present work.

Reductive cross-coupling has emerged as a direct method for the construction of carbon-carbon bonds. Most cobalt-, nickel-, and palladium-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reactions to date are limited to stoichiometric Mn(0) or Zn(0) as the reductant. One nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling paradigm using Et3N as the terminal reductant is reported. By using this photoredox catalysis and nickel catalysis approach, a direct Csp(2)-Csp(3) reductive cross-coupling of aryl bromides with alkyl bromides is achieved under mild conditions without stoichiometric metal reductants.

An electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complex between Togni's reagent and a tertiary amine has been introduced. The existence of this EDA complex was supported by NMR titration experiments. The hydrotrifluoromethylation of unactivated aliphatic alkenes and alkynes enabled by this EDA complex has also been developed. This hydrotrifluoromethylation protocol is operationally simple and promoted by a tertiary amine.

The very close structural similarities between cysteine and homocysteine present a great challenge to achieve their selective detection using regular fluorescent probes, limiting the biological and pathological studies of these two amino thiols. A coumarin-based fluorescent probe was designed featuring pH-promoted distinct turn-on followed by ratiometric fluorescence responses for Cys and turn-on fluorescence response for Hcy through two different reaction paths. These specific responses demonstrate the activity differences between Cys and Hcy qualitatively for the first time. The probe could also be used for Cys and Hcy imaging in living cells.

Efficient and practical visible-light photoredox borylation of aryl halides and subsequent aerobic oxidative hydroxylation were developed. The protocols use readily available aryl halides and bis(pinacolato)diboron as the starting materials, fac- Ir(ppy) 3 as the photocatalyst, and corresponding arylboronic esters and phenols were obtained in good yields. The methods show some advantages including simple equipment, mild conditions, easy operation, and wide substrate scope. Therefore, they should provide a valuable strategy for chemical transformations.

A novel [3 + 2] annulation between para-quinone methides and vinylcyclopropanes for the synthesis of spiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-8-ones has been described. The palladium and phosphine-thiourea cooperative catalysis system played an important role in high yields and diastereoselectivities. The reaction exhibited good functional group tolerance and scalability.

A comparative study on the catalytic activity of different group 9 [Cp*M(III)] complexes in the formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition of arenes with rarely explored free imines and dioxazolones for the construction of multisubstituted quinazolines is reported herein. This investigation revealed that the cobalt catalyst is uniquely suited to this transformation due to its strong Lewis acidity and high sensitivity to steric hindrance.

A visible light-mediated difluoromethylation of N-benzylacrylamides with HCF2SO2Cl as the HCF2 radical precursor is described. The reaction incorporates a tandem cyclization/dearomatization process to afford various difluoromethylated 2-azaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-3,8-diones bearing adjacent quaternary stereocenters under mild conditions in moderate to excellent yields.

Visible light along with 5 mol % of rose bengal catalyzes the direct S-P(O) coupling between thiols and P(O)H compounds in the presence of air as the green oxidant. The protocol is operationally simple and amenable to gram-scale synthesis. A variety of S-P(O) coupling products can be readily prepared in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction features good functional-group tolerance, operational simplicity, and excellent practicality.

An unexpected Cu-catalyzed deoxygenative C2-sulfonylation reaction of quinoline N-oxides in the presence of radical initiator K2S2O8 was developed that used sodium sulfinate as a sulfonyl coupling partner. The mechanism studies indicate that the reaction proceeds via Minisci-like radical coupling step to give sulfonylated quinoline with good chemical yields.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H activation of heteroarenes and functionalization with bifunctional substrates such as anthranils allows facile construction of quinoline-fused heterocycles under redox-neutral conditions. The couplings feature broad substrate scope and provide step-economical access to two classes of quinoline-fused condensed heterocycles.

An azidation method for C-N bond formation at benzylic C-H positions is described using copper-catalyzed visible light photochemistry and the Zhdankin azidoiodinane reagent. The method is applicable to a wide range of substrates bearing different functional groups and having a primary, secondary, or tertiary benzylic position, and is thought to proceed through a radical chain reaction.

C-H activation assisted by a bifunctional directing group has allowed the construction of heterocycles. This is ideally catalyzed by earth-abundant and eco-friendly transition metals. We report Co(III)-catalyzed redox-neutral coupling between arenes and alkynes using an NH amide as an electrophilic directing group. The redox-neutral C-H activation/coupling afforded quinolines with water as the sole byproduct.

A cobalt(III)-catalyzed α-fluoroalkenylation of different arenes with readily available gem-difluorostyrenes has been realized under mild and redox-neutral conditions. This reaction occurs via a C-H activation pathway and offers a step-economical access to various 1,2-diaryl-substituted monofluoroalkenes in excellent Z selectivity in moderate to excellent yields.

Decarboxylative cross-coupling reactions of cinnamic acids with sulfonylhydrazides were explored using oxygen as the sole terminal oxidant, realizing a conceptually novel technology for vinyl sulfone synthesis under the synergistic interactions of visible light irradiation, organic dye-type photocatalyst eosin Y, KI, and Cs2CO3 at room temperature.

Two new twisted cucurbiturils, cucurbit[13]uril (tQ[13]) and cucurbit[15]uril (tQ[15]), have been synthesized and separated, and their structures have been confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry together with the X-ray structures of two new complexes, {Dy(H2O)4Cd(H2O)4tQ[13]}·2.5[CdCl4]·65H2O and {Cd0.5(H2O)2tQ[15]}·[CdCl4]·47H2O. tQ[15] is the largest cucurbit[n]uril (Q[n]) in the Q[n] family reported to date. The X-ray diffraction studies of both complexes indicated that these large tQ[n]s effectively exhibit two different cavities-a central cavity and two side cavities. Preliminary host-guest behavior by each of the new systems was investigated by NMR studies.

A novel Fe-catalyzed hydroalkylation of olefins with para-quinone methides (p-QMs) for accessing phenols has been developed. In this protocol, various olefins could convert to alkyl radicals and undergo addition to para-quinone methides toward C-C bond formation and aromatization. The reaction conditions are mild and the substrate scopes are broad.

Highly enantioselective cobalt-catalyzed hydrogenation of 1,1-diarylethenes was developed by using bench-stable chiral oxazoline iminopyridine-cobalt complexes as precatalysts. A unique o-chloride effect was observed to achieve high enantioselectivity. Easy removal as well as further transformations of the chloro group make this protocol a potentially useful alternative to synthesize various chiral 1,1-diarylethanes. This process can be successfully performed under 1 atm of hydrogen at room temperature on gram scale.

A Cu-catalyzed highly Z-stereoselective hydroboration of alkynes with 1,8-naphthalenediaminatoborane (HB(dan)) is developed. DPEphos (bis[(2-diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether)-ligated Cu catalysts produced alkenylboron compounds from terminal alkynes with excellent Z-stereoselectivity. In contrast, using a SIPr-CuCl complex as the precatalyst exclusively produced E-hydroboration products at mild conditions. Both catalytic procedures form alkenylboron products stereocomplementary to each other, constituting stereodivergent hydroboration of alkynes through Cu catalysis. Deuterium labeling and isomerization studies support the Z-selective hydroboration via trans-addition of the boron reagent to terminal alkynes as opposed to precedent noble-metal-catalyzed trans-hydroborations.

A chiral thiourea catalyzed asymmetric 1,6-conjugate addition of para-quinone methides with dicyanoolefins has been developed. The reaction provided an efficient approach to the synthesis of chiral diarylmethine skeletons in good yields (up to 99% yield) with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (>20:1 dr and up to 99.5:0.5 er), also on a gram scale. The preliminary mechanistic study showed that the remote stereocontrol was achieved through intermolecular hydrogen-bond interaction between the chiral thiourea catalyst and the para-quinone methides directly for the first time.

A manganese- and borane-mediated synthesis of isobenzofuranones from esters and oxiranes is developed. The reaction proceeded at aromatic, heteroaromatic, and olefinic C-H bonds with high functional group tolerance. This is the first example of a manganese-catalyzed C-H transformation using an oxygen-directing group. Triphenylborane played an important role in this reaction to cooperatively promote the annulation reaction. Kinetic isotope effect experiments revealed that C-H bond activation of the aromatic rings was the rate-determining step.

An unprecedented C(8)-H bond allylation of quinoline with allyl carbonate and allyl alcohol catalyzed by Cp*Co(III) using a traceless directing group via β-oxygen and β-hydroxy elimination is described. This site-selective allylation reaction proceeds smoothly with various functional group tolerance including quinoxaline and phenanthridine. Under the nonoxidative reaction conditions, the difference in selectivity between Rh(III) and Co(III), which proceeds through β-hydride and β-hydroxy elimination using allyl alcohol, is shown for the first time.

A metal-free reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding amines has been achieved by a combination of B2pin2 and KOtBu in isopropanol. A series of nitro compounds containing various reducible functional groups were chemoselectively reduced in good to excellent yields.

An effective photoredox-mediated tandem phosphorylation/cyclization reaction of diphenylphosphine oxide with three types of radical acceptors leads to P(O)Ph 2 -containing phenanthridines, isoquinolines, and indolin-2-ones by formation of both C–P and C–C bonds. [Ir(ppy) 2 (dtbpy)]PF 6 (1 mol %) was used as the catalyst, CsF or Cs 2 CO 3 as the base, and K 2 S 2 O 8 as the oxidant. A series of functional groups can be tolerated at room temperature. Moderate to good yields were generated.

Lignin valorization has long been recognized as a sustainable solution for the renewable production of aromatic compounds. Two-step oxidation/reduction strategies, whereby the first oxidation step is required to "activate" lignin systems for controlled fragmentation reactions, have recently emerged as viable routes toward this goal. Herein we describe a catalytic protocol for oxidation of lignin model systems by combining photoredox and Pd catalysis. The developed dual catalytic protocol allowed the efficient oxidation of lignin model substrates at room temperature to afford the oxidized products in good to excellent yields.

An efficient double C-N bond formation sequence to prepare highly substituted quinazolines utilizing benzimidates and dioxazolones under the catalytic redox-neutral [Cp*RhCl2]2/AgBF4 system, where dioxazolones could work as an internal oxidant to maintain the catalytic cycle, is reported. N-Unsubstituted imine not only acts as a directing group but also functions as a nucleophile in postcoupling cyclization, and dioxazolone acts as a coupling partner for access to heterocycle.

The synthesis of N-unprotected indoles has been realized via Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation/annulation of imidamides with α-diazo β-ketoesters. The reaction occurs with the release of an amide coproduct, which originates from both the imidamide and the diazo as a result of C═N cleavage of the imidamide and C-C(acyl) cleavage of the diazo. A rhodacyclic intermediate has been isolated and a plausible mechanism has been proposed.

A new type of redox mediator for electrosynthesis based on the iodine(I)/iodine(III) redox couple is reported. It is demonstrated that the use of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol as solvent plays a crucial role for both the selective anodic generation of the active iodine(III) species and the subsequent chemical transformation. Furthermore, the supporting electrolyte is merged with the mediator by tethering the redox-active iodophenyl moiety to an alkylammonium group, allowing for straightforward recovery and reuse of both components.

A novel mode of achieving site selectivity between C-2 and C-4 positions in the indole framework by altering the property of the ketone directing group is disclosed. Methyl ketone, as directing group, furnishes exclusively C-2 alkenylated product, whereas trifluoromethyl ketone changes the selectivity to C-4, indicating that the electronic nature of the directing group controls the unusual choice between a 5-membered and a 6-membered metallacycle. The screening of other carbonyl-derived directing groups reveals that strong and weak directing groups exhibit opposite selectivity. Experimental controls and deuteration experiments lend support to the proposed mechanism.

A series of modular and rich electronic tridentate ferrocene aminophosphoxazoline ligands (f-amphox) have been successfully developed and used in iridium-catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of simple ketones to afford corresponding enantiomerically enriched alcohols under mild conditions with superb activities and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 1 000 000 TON, almost all products up to >99% ee, full conversion). The resulting chiral alcohols and their derivatives are important intermediates in pharmaceuticals.

A novel and efficient iron-catalyzed cyclization of ketoxime carboxylates and N,N-dialkylanilines for the modular synthesis of diverse pyridines was developed. The reaction was initiated by Fe-catalyzed N-O bond cleavage of ketoxime carboxylates in the presence of tertiary anilines. The methylene carbon on N,N-dialkylanilines functioned as a source of one-carbon synthon in the reaction. The reaction used readily available starting materials, tolerated various functional groups, and afforded 2,4-disubstituted and 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyridines in good to high yields under mild conditions.

The study of transition-metal difluorocarbene complex has long been a subject of active investigation, but the transition-metal-catalyzed transfer of difluorocarbene remains a significant challenge. The Pd-catalyzed transfer of difluorocarbene is described to realize the coupling reaction of boronic acids with difluorocarbene to give (difluoromethyl)arenes and -olefins. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the Pd═CF2 complex is an important intermediate for this transformation. This complex is prone to trimerization without the presence of starting materials.

Insertion of sulfoxonium ylides into the S-H bond of aryl thiols without the need for a catalyst is demonstrated, furnishing β-keto thioethers in excellent yield in most cases. The method overcomes traditional syntheses that employ metal catalysts in combination with diazo compounds or toxic and hard-prepared haloketones. The experimental setup consists of mixing the reagents in acetonitrile at room temperature. Additional experimental as well as kinetic isotopic effect studies give some insight into the mechanism of this reaction.