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A facile and versatile method for generating radicals from Csp3-H bonds under metal-free and organic-peroxide-free conditions was developed. By combining safe persulfate and low-toxic quaternary ammonium salt, a wide variety of Csp3-H compounds including ethers, (hetero)aromatic/aliphatic ketones, alkylbenzenes, alkylheterocycles, cycloalkanes, and haloalkanes were selectively activated to generate the corresponding C-centered radicals, which could be further captured by N-arylacrylamides to deliver the valuable functionalized oxindoles. Good functional group tolerance was demonstrated. The useful polycarbonyl compound and esters were also modified with the strategy. Moreover, the combination can also be applied to the practical coupling between simple haloalkanes and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI).

A palladium-catalyzed difunctionalization of bicyclic alkenes with organoammonium salts and organoboronic compounds was reported. A wide range of functionalized cyclic products, including those bearing functional groups, were produced stereoselectively in good to excellent yields. The gram-scale experiment, one-pot operation, and synthetic application of β-borylated products further demonstrated the synthetic value of this new reaction in organic synthesis.

A direct decarbonylative Sonogashira coupling of terminal alkynes with carboxylic acids was achieved through palladium catalysis. This reaction did not use overstoichiometric oxidants, thus overcoming the homocoupling issue of terminal alkynes. Under the reaction conditions, a wide range of carboxylic acids including those bioactive ones could couple readily with various terminal alkynes, thus providing a relative general method for preparing internal alkynes.

A facile and general method for constructing carbon-heteroatom (C-P, C-O, C-S, and C-N) bonds via C-N cleavage of benzyl ammonium salts under transition-metal-free conditions was reported. The combination of t-BuOK and 18-crown-6 enabled a wide range of substituted benzyl ammonium salts to couple readily with different kinds of heteroatom nucleophiles, i.e. hydrogen phosphoryl compounds, alcohols, thiols, and amines. Good functional group tolerance was demonstrated. The scale-up reaction and one-pot synthesis were also successfully performed.

A palladium-catalyzed cyclobutanation of aryl sulfonates with strained alkenes has been developed. The methodology is featured to achieve the cleavage of both C–O and C–H bonds of phenol derivative...

A direct phosphorylation of the sp3C-CN bond catalyzed by a nickel catalyst is disclosed. A wide range of primary nitriles readily coupled with secondary phosphine oxides to produce the corresponding phosphorylated products in high yields. As a key step, this new method was applied to the synthesis of anticancer drug Combretastatin-A4, significantly shortening its synthetic path.

We carried out a comprehensive study on the generality, scope, limitations, and mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed hydrophosphorylation of alkynes with P(O)-H compounds (i.e., H-phosphonates, H-phosphinates, secondary phosphine oxides, and hypophosphinic acid). For H-phosphonates, Pd/dppp was the best catalyst. Both aromatic and aliphatic alkynes, with a variety of functional groups, were applicable to produce the Markovnikov adducts in high yields with high regioselectivity. Aromatic alkynes showed higher reactivity than aliphatic alkynes. Terminal alkynes reacted faster than internal alkynes. Sterically crowded H-phosphonates disfavored the addition. For H-phosphinates and secondary phosphine oxides, Pd/dppe/Ph2P(O)OH was the catalyst of choice, which led to highly regioselective formation of the Markovnikov adducts. By using Pd(PPh3)4 as the catalyst, hypophosphinic acid added to terminal alkynes to give the corresponding Markovnikov adducts. Phosphinic acids, phosphonic acid, and its monoester were not applicable to this palladium-catalyzed hydrophosphorylation. Mechanistic studies showed that, with a terminal alkyne, (RO)2P(O)H reacted, like a Bronsted acid, to selectively generate the α-alkenylpalladium intermediate via hydropalladation. On the other hand, Ph(RO)P(O)H and Ph2P(O)H gave a mixture of α- and β-alkenylpalladium complexes. In the presence of Ph2P(O)OH, hydropalladation with this acid took place first to selectively generate the α-alkenylpalladium intermediate. A subsequent ligand exchange with a P(O)H compound gave the phosphorylpalladium intermediate which produced the Markovnikov adduct via reductive elimination. Related intermediates in the catalytic cycle were isolated and characterized.

An efficient oxidative aminooxyarylation of alkenes under a transition-metal-free condition was described. Under the reaction conditions, N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) reacted readily with N-arylacrylamides to produce cyclic products via a radical C–H functionalization process, achieving both C–O and C–C bonds formation in one pot. This reaction provided a facile access to the valuable aminooxylated oxindoles. The benzylic and α-methylene C(sp3)-H bonds were also aminooxylated under the reaction conditions.

The mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed cross dehydrogenative coupling of P(O)–H compounds with terminal alkynes was studied. Successive ligand-exchange reactions of Pd(OAc)2 with a hydrogen phosphoryl compound and a terminal alkyne take place readily to replace the two acetates on palladium, producing the corresponding (phosphoryl) (alkynyl)palladium complexes, which upon heating decomposed to the corresponding alkynylphosphorus compound. It is also confirmed that in the stoichiometric reactions of the complexes, the configuration at phosphorus is retained. On the basis of these stoichiometric reactions, an efficient synthesis of P-chiral alkynylphosphoryl compounds via palladium-catalyzed stereoselective cross dehydrogenative coupling of P-chiral P(O)–H compounds with terminal alkynes was developed. The key palladium complexes and the stereochemistry of the chiral phosphorus compounds are all unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis.

The Ni-catalyzed direct C-H/C-O cross couplings of benzylic alcohol derivatives with fluorobenzenes and heteroarenes are disclosed. This transformation provides a straightforward and efficient method for the synthesis of these valuable heteroatom-containing compounds.

Copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative esterification of P(O)–OH compounds is achieved using alcohols as efficient esterification reagents, giving the expected products with good to moderate yields. Furthermore, it is shown that the arylation of P(O)–OH compounds proceeds efficiently to produce the corresponding products via the treatment of diaryliodonium triflates under mild reaction conditions. It is a simple way to produce a broad spectrum of functionalized phosphinates, phosphonates, and phosphates from basic starting materials with good to excellent yields. The protocol is convenient for practical application. A plausible mechanism has been proposed for the reaction.

A facile, highly stereo- and regioselective hydrometalation of alkynes generating alkenylmetal complex is disclosed for the first time from a reaction of alkyne, carboxylic acid, and a zerovalent group 10 transition metal complex M(PEt(3))(4) (M = Ni, Pd, Pt). A mechanistic study showed that the hydrometalation does not proceed via the reaction of alkyne with a hydridometal generated by the protonation of a carboxylic acid with Pt(PEt(3))(4), but proceeds via a reaction of an alkyne coordinate metal complex with the acid. This finding clarifies the long proposed reaction mechanism that operates via the generation of an alkenylpalladium intermediate and subsequent transformation of this complex in a variety of reactions catalyzed by a combination of Brϕnsted acid and Pd(0) complex. This finding also leads to the disclosure of an unprecedented reduction of alkynes with formic acid that can selectively produce cis-, trans-alkenes and alkanes by slightly tuning the conditions.