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We report how the rearrangement of highly reactive nitrile imines derived from N-2-nitrophenyl hydrazonyl bromides can be harnessed for the facile construction of amide bonds. This amidation reaction was found to be widely applicable to the synthesis of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides and was used as the key step in the synthesis of the lipid-lowering agent bezafibrate. The orthogonality and functional group tolerance of this approach was exemplified by the N-acylation of unprotected amino acids.

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Simple α-(bromomethyl)styrenes can be processed to a variety of 1,1-difluorinated electrophilic building blocks via I(I)/I(III) catalysis. This inexpensive main group catalysis strategy employs p-TolI as an effective organocatalyst when combined with Selectfluor® and simple amine·HF complexes. Modulating Brønsted acidity enables simultaneous geminal and vicinal difluorination to occur, thereby providing a platform to generate multiply fluorinated scaffolds for further downstream derivatization. The method facilitates access to a tetrafluorinated API candidate for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Preliminary validation of an enantioselective process is disclosed to access α-phenyl-β-difluoro-γ-bromo/chloro esters., Simple α-(bromomethyl)styrenes can be processed to a variety of 1,1-difluorinated electrophilic building blocks via I(I)/I(III) catalysis.

We report how the rearrangement of highly reactive nitrile imines derived from N-2-nitrophenyl hydrazonyl bromides can be harnessed for the facile construction of amide bonds. This amidation reaction was found to be widely applicable to the synthesis of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides and was used as the key step in the synthesis of the lipid-lowering agent bezafibrate. The orthogonality and functional group tolerance of this approach was exemplified by the N-acylation of unprotected amino acids.

Nitrilium betaine 1,3-dipoles are ubiquitous reagents in organic chemistry, with applications ranging from natural product synthesis to materials science. Given the high reactivity of these zwitterionic motifs, they are invariably generated in situ from a suitable precursor, prior to use. This short review summarises the recent progress in the development of modern approaches towards the formation of these 1,3-dipoles, and their applications within a diverse range of fields.1 Introduction2 Nitrile Ylides2.1 2H-Azirine Rearrangement2.2 Addition of Nitriles to Carbenes3 Nitrile Imines3.1 2,5-Tetrazole Thermolysis3.2 2,5-Tetrazole Photolysis3.3 Diaryl Sydnone Photolysis4 Nitrile Oxides4.1 Hypervalent Iodine4.2 The Nitroso Radical4.3 Green Chemistry Approaches4.4 Other Approaches5 Conclusions

An operationally simple E → Z isomerization of activated dienes, based on the β-ionyl motif intrinsic to retinal, is reported using inexpensive (−)-riboflavin (vitamin B2) under irradiation at 402 nm. Selective energy transfer from photoexcited (−)-riboflavin to the starting E-isomer enables geometrical isomerization. Since the analogous process with the Z-isomer is inefficient, microscopic reversibility is circumvented, thereby enabling a directional isomerization to generate the contra-thermodynamic product (up to 99% yield, up to 99:1 Z/E). Prudent choice of photocatalyst enables chemoselective isomerization to be achieved in both inter- and intramolecular systems. The principles established from this study, together with a molecular editing approach, have facilitated the development of a regioselective isomerization of a truncated triene based on the retinal scaffold.

The challenges of developing sustainable methods of carbon-carbon bond formation remains a topic of considerable importance in synthetic chemistry. Capitalizing on the highly reactive nature of the nitrile imine 1,3-dipole, we have developed a novel metal-free coupling of this species with aryl boronic acids. Photochemical generation of a nitrile imine intermediate and trapping with a palette of boronic acids enabled rapid and facile access to a broad library of more than 25 hydrazone derivatives in up to 92 % yield, forming a carbon-carbon bond in a metal free fashion. This represents the first reported example of direct reaction between boronic acids and a 1,3-dipole.

A range of 1,3,4‐oxadiazoles have been synthesized using a UV‐B activated flow approach starting from carboxylic acids and 5‐substituted tetrazoles. The application of UV light represents an attractive alternative to the traditional thermolytic approach and has demonstrated comparable efficiency and versatility, with a diverse substrate scope, including the incorporation of highly substituted amino acids., A photochemical, flow‐based Huisgen synthesis of 1,3,4‐oxadiazoles from 5‐substituted tetrazoles and carboxylic acids has been developed. This has enabled the expedient and facile synthesis of a broad palette of heterocyclic derivatives which are of direct relevance to a range of applications including pharmaceuticals and materials science (see scheme).

The need for alternative, complementary approaches to enable C−C bond formation within organic chemistry is an on‐going challenge in the area. Of particular relevance are transformations that proceed in the absence of transition‐metal reagents. In the current study, we report a comprehensive investigation of the coupling of nitrile imines and aryl boronic acids as an approach towards sustainable C−C bond formation. In situ generation of the highly reactive 1,3‐dipole facilitates a Petasis–Mannich‐type coupling via a nucleophilic boronate complex. The introduction of hydrazonyl chlorides as a complementary nitrile imine source to the 2,5‐tetrazoles previously reported by our laboratory further broadens the scope of the approach. Additionally, we exemplify for the first time the extension of this protocol into another 1,3‐dipole, through the synthesis of aryl ketone oximes from aryl boronic acids and nitrile N‐oxides., A scalable and metal‐free approach to carbon–carbon bond formation using 1,3‐dipole systems generated from hydrazonyl chloride or hydroxamoyl chloride precursors and aryl boronic acid derivatives is reported. Generation of the 1,3‐dipole results in activation of the boronic acid, with migration of the pendant aryl group to forge a new C−C bond in yields up to 80 % (see scheme).

A procedure for the formation of aryl amides through the palladium-catalyzed coupling of nitriles and aryl bromides, via the formation of intermediary silanoate derived imidate species is reported. Optimization was undertaken and examples of the process are described that furnish the products in up to 86% isolated yield.