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Herein, we describe an iron-catalyzed benzylic C-H borylation reaction. The reaction targets primary and secondary C(sp 3 )-H bonds to deliver high-value boronic esters under mild conditions with short (7-8 min) reaction times. Functional groups are well tolerated, and complete site selectivity is observed in the presence of multiple benzylic C-H bonds.

Herein, we describe the nickel-catalyzed reductive arylation of remote C(sp 3 )-H bonds with aryl electrophiles. The reaction targets secondary and tertiary C(sp 3 )-H bonds to deliver all-carbon quaternary centers. The success of this method relies on a novel amidyl radical precursor that tolerates reducing conditions, namely O -oxalate hydroxamic acid esters.

A straightforward method for the undirected trifluoromethylation of unactivated methylene units was developed. The reaction proceeds in aqueous acetonitrile with Grushin's reagent, bpyCu(CF 3 ) 3 , under broad-spectrum white-light irradiation. The trifluoromethylation tolerates a wide range of functional groups including ketones, esters, nitriles, amides, alcohols, and carboxylic acids. The C-H cleavage step is performed via intermolecular H atom abstraction, and the selectivities across a range of methylene units are reported. Mechanistic studies offer a general reaction coordinate for the overall transformation.

The site-selective trifluoromethylation of aliphatic systems remains an important challenge. This work describes a light-driven, copper-mediated trifluoromethylation of O -alkyl thiocarbonates. The reaction provides broad functional group tolerance (e.g., alkyne, alkene, phenol, free alcohol, electron-rich and -deficient arenes), thereby offering orthogonality and practicality for trifluoromethylation. A radical organometallic mechanism is proposed.

Rapid assembly of saturated nitrogen heterocycles-the synthetically more challenging variants of their aromatic relatives-can expedite the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. Starting from a benzylic alcohol tethered to an unactivated alkene, an iron-catalyzed tandem alcohol substitution and hydroamination provides access to tetrahydroisoquinolines in a single synthetic step. Using a mild iron-based catalyst, the combination of these operations forms two carbon-nitrogen bonds and provides a unique annulation strategy to access this valuable core.

The hydrofunctionalization of alkenes, explored for over 100 years, offers the potential for a direct, atom-economical approach to value-added products. While thermodynamically favored, the kinetic barrier to such processes necessitates the use of catalysts to control selectivity and reactivity. Modern variants typically rely on noble metals that require different ligands for each class of hydrofunctionalization, thereby limiting generality. This Letter describes a general iron-based system that catalyzes the hydroamination and hydroetherification of simple unactivated olefins.

The iron-catalyzed coupling of aryl sulfamates and tosylates with aryl Grignard reagents is reported for the first time. The methodology employs air-stable, low-cost FeF3·3H2O and the N-heterocyclic carbene ligand IPr·HCl as the preligand to form a long-lived catalyst upon treatment with aryl Grignards. The reaction provides a range of cross-coupled products in good-to-excellent yields. In contrast to previous reports with aryl chlorides, these reactions proceed with low levels of Grignard homocoupling regardless of the iron source.

A simple, iron-based catalytic system allows for the inter- and intramolecular arylation of unactivated secondary alcohols. This transformation expands the substrate scope beyond the previously required activated alcohols and proceeds under mild reaction conditions, tolerating air and moisture. Furthermore, the use of an enantioenriched secondary alcohol provides an enantioenriched product for the intramolecular reaction, thereby offering a convenient approach to nonracemic products.

A new route to trisubstituted olefins through a palladium-catalyzed alkyne insertion/reduction reaction with unactivated alkyl iodides is reported. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions and tolerates a range of functional groups and substitution patterns. Preliminary mechanistic inquiry suggests that the transformation may proceed through a hybrid radical/organometallic pathway.

The iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl sulfamates and tosylates has been achieved with primary and secondary alkyl Grignards. This study of iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions also examines the isomerization and β-hydride elimination problems that are associated with the use of isopropyl nucleophiles. While a variety of iron sources were competent in the reaction, the use of FeF(3)•3H(2)O was critical to minimize nucleophile isomerization.

The reduction of a palladium enolate prior to β-hydride elimination provides a unique reaction for the synthesis of the hydroazulene ring system. When combined with a transannular epoxide rearrangement cascade, the reductive-Heck reaction allows rapid entry to the oxo-bridged guaiane core of the englerins.

Diiron nonacarbonyl in combination with triphenylphosphine has been identified as a low-cost and environmentally benign catalyst system for the allylation of zinc enolates generated in situ from copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition reactions. The catalyst system provides the allylated product in modest to good yields at room temperature with unprecedented diastereoselectivity in cyclic enone systems. While triphenylphosphine was uniquely effective among the investigated ligands, the exact nature of the active catalytic species remains unknown., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

The hypervalent iodine-mediated oxidative dearomatization/Diels-Alder cascade was examined in the context of the natural product 11-O-debenzoyltashironin. Interestingly, the regioselectivity of the Diels-Alder reaction can be completely switched by changing the dienophile. Trapping of allyl alcohols during the oxidative dearomatization gives rise to the five-membered acetal, while trapping of allenyl alcohols results in the six-membered acetal. [reaction: see text]