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A trimetallic palladium/copper/silver system has been developed that allows the decarboxylative Hiyama coupling of ortho-substituted aryl carboxylates with trialkoxyarylsilanes to give the corresponding biaryls. The cross-coupling is catalyzed by a Pd/N-heterocyclic carbene complex with silver carbonate aiding its reoxidation. Copper(II) fluoride acts as decarboxylation catalyst, stoichiometric oxidant, and fluoride source. The scope of the protocol is demonstrated by 22 examples, among them aryl halides suitable for further coupling, and the synthetic utility of the products is illustrated by their conversion into carbazoles and 1H-indazoles.

Very high asymmetric inductions result in the Pd-catalyzed intramolecular arylation of amides to give 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles when new in situ-generated chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC*) ligands are employed. Structural studies show that conformational locking to minimize allylic strain is the key to understanding the function of these ligands. New applications of these ligands in the frontier area of asymmetric coupling reactions involving C(sp3)–H bonds are detailed. Highly enantioenriched fused indolines are accessible using either preformed- or in situ-generated Pd-NHC* catalysts. Remarkably, this occurs at high temperature (140–160 °C) via excellent asymmetric recognition of an enantiotopic C–H bond in an unactivated methylene unit.

Novel palladium(II) complexes with α,α'-bis(phenylimino)- and α,α'-bis(picolyl)-substituted meso- H -dipyrromethanes have been prepared. The complexes are able to react with dioxygen upon activation with potassium tert-butoxide. Reactions with dioxygen afford C - N or C - C self-bond cleavage producing α-pyrrole-carboxylate or α-hydroxypyrrole residues, respectively. According to DFT calculations the deprotonation of meso-hydrogen leads to the redistribution of electron density between ligand and metal, thus formally forming dipyrromethene-palladium(0) anionic complex. Possible reactive oxygen-containing intermediates have been suggested on the basis of calculations.

The Pd-catalyzed asymmetric cyclization reaction of substrates (I) and (IV) provides two regioisomeric products with low to excellent enantioselectivities.

Two bulky, chiral, monodentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands were applied to palladium-catalyzed asymmetric C-H arylation to incorporate C(sp(3))-H bond activation. Racemic mixtures of the carbamate starting materials underwent regiodivergent reactions to afford different trans-2,3-substituted indolines. Although this CAr-Calkyl coupling requires high temperatures (140-160 °C), chiral induction is high. This regiodivergent reaction, when carried out with enantiopure starting materials, can lead to single structurally different enantiopure products, depending on the catalyst chirality. The C-H activation at a tertiary center was realized only in the case of a cyclopropyl group. No C-H activation takes place alpha to a tertiary center. A detailed DFT study is included and analyses of methyl versus methylene versus methine C-H activation is used to rationalize experimentally observed regio- and enantioselectivities.

Novel types of naphthyl-containing chiral NHC-precursors are designed and utilized as ligands for the Pd-catalyzed intramolecular α-arylation of amides.

The reaction of diamidopyridine-dipyrromethane or dipyrromethene hybrid macrocycles with palladium(II) affords mono-metalated complexes, wherein the metal centre is coordinated to the macrocycle exclusively through pyrrolic nitrogen donor atoms.

Palladium complexes incorporating chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands catalyze the asymmetric intramolecular α-arylation of amides producing 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles. Comprehensive DFT studies have been performed to gain insight into the mechanism of this transformation. Oxidative addition is shown to be rate-determining and reductive elimination to be enantioselectivity-determining. The synthesis of seven new NHC ligands is detailed and their performance is compared. One of them, L8, containing a tBu and a 1-naphthyl group at the stereogenic centre, proved superior and was very efficient in the asymmetric synthesis of fifteen new spiro-oxindoles and three azaspiro-oxindoles often in high yields (up to 99 %) and enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee; ee=enantiomeric excess). Three palladacycle intermediates resulting from the oxidative addition of [Pd(NHC)] into the aryl halide bond were isolated and structurally characterized (X-ray). Using these intermediates as catalysts showed alkene additives to play an important role in increasing turnover number and frequency.

New sterically hindered chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands were used in palladium catalysis to bring about a highly enantioselective C(sp3)-H activation on the methylene site of a cycloalkane moiety. The intramolecular coupling reaction of a prochiral N-aryl-N-cycloalkyl methyl carbamate required high temperatures (140–160 °C) and afforded highly enantioenriched trans-2,3-fused indolines.

New chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been developed and applied in the asymmetric Pd-catalyzed intramolecular a-arylation of amides producing 3,3-disubstituted-, spiro-, and aza-spirooxindoles in high yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). For the first time a palladacycle intermediates were isolated and fully characterized including X-ray crystal structure determinations. Analysis of these solid state structures demonstrates the importance of both the bulky tert-butyl groups and ortho-substituted aryl rings at the stereogenic centers of the ligand. Additionally, an extraordinarily efficient palladium-NHC catalyzed synthesis of highly enantioenriched 2,3-trans-fused indolines via asymmetric C(sp3)-H activation of an unactivated methylene unit was developed. It is noteworthy that this C-C coupling delivers the products with enantioselectivities of up to 95% ee despite the high temperature required. The initial results were extended to the synthesis of 2- and 2,3-disubstituted indolines. Racemic substrates reacted via highly asymmetric regiodivergent reactions.

A chiral palladium complex generated from N-heterocyclic carbene is successfully applied to the synthesis of highly enantioenriched trans-fused indolines.

Selectivity at high temperatures: Bulky, thermally stable, chiral palladium complexes generated from N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs; see picture) were successfully applied to the synthesis of highly enantioenriched trans-fused indolines. Remarkably, this reaction occurs at elevated temperatures with excellent asymmetric recognition of an enantiotopic C-H bond in an unactivated methylene unit.

New Enders/Herrmann-type chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have been developed and applied in asymmetric palladium-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylations of amides. The best ligands feature the bulky tert-butyl group and ortho-substituted aryl groups at the stereogenic centers. Aryl bromides readily react at room temperature and aryl chlorides at 50 degrees C. The highly enantiomerically enriched (up to 96% ee) 3-alkyl-3-aryloxindole products were obtained in generally high yields (>95%) except in cases of steric congestion. The critical roles both of the bulky alkyl group and of the ortho-aryl substituent at the stereogenic center of the ligand were revealed in the crystal structure of a [Pd(eta(3)-allyl)(NHC-L*)(I)] complex. The ligand aryl location and orientation is fixed by conformational locking that minimizes A(1,3)-strain and enables optimal transfer of chiral information.