Search

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed triple C-H bond activation of aryl enaminones was achieved to access naphtho[1,8

An interrupted Pummerer/palladium-catalyzed fluoro-alkylation strategy was developed for alkenyl C-H fluoroalkylthiolation. Palladium-catalyzed ring-opening fluoroalkylation via aliphatic C-S bond cleavage of the vinylsulfonium salts efficiently afforded fluoroalkylthiolated alkene derivatives from readily available alkene substrates and CsF. The protocol features broad substrate scopes and good functional group tolerance under an air atmosphere. The practicability of the synthetic method was demonstrated by transforming the multisubstituted alkene products to diverse fluoroalkylthiolated N-heterocycles.

The alkylation of nitroarenes with alkanols catalysed by a phosphinesulfonate chelated ruthenium complex [Ru-1] was developed. It exhibits very different reactivity and chemoselectivity depending on acidic–basic conditions. Under either neutral or acidic conditions, nitroarenes were converted to secondary and tertiary anilines, respectively, with secondary and primary alkanols. By contrast, the same catalyst promotes the N-monoalkylation of nitroarenes with primary alkanols under alkaline conditions, while both N-monoalkylation with secondary alkanols and N-dialkylation with primary alkanols are inhibited. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the novel reactivity under alkaline-free conditions is attributed to the sulfonate ligand-assisted O–H activation of alkanols, thus enabling the reduction of nitroarenes and nucleophilic C–N coupling in a concerted approach. Furthermore, it follows the traditional two-step approach, taking the corresponding imines as the intermediates, under alkaline conditions. Based on such features, diverse secondary and tertiary anilines were obtained directly from nitroarenes using the same catalyst [Ru-1].

C-H functionalization has been emerging as a powerful method to establish carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Many efforts have been devoted to transition-metal-catalyzed direct transformations of C-H bonds. Metal carbenes generated

A concise synthetic route to spiroindoline-fused

Photoinduced, copper-catalyzed three-component radical annulation of gem-dialkylthio enynes, cyclobutanone oxime esters, and boronic acids was achieved, forming highly functionalized aryl thienyl s...

Concise construction of furan and thiophene units has played an important role in the synthesis of potentially bioactive compounds and functional materials. Herein, an efficient Lewis acid ZnCl2 catalyzed [4+1] annulation of alkylthio-substituted enaminones is reported, that is, α-oxo ketene N,S-acetals with sulfur ylides to afford 2-acyl-3-aminofuran derivatives. In a similar fashion, [4+1] annulation of the corresponding enaminothiones, that is, α-thioxo ketene N,S-acetals, with sulfur ylides efficiently proceeded to give multisubstituted 3-aminothiophenes. This method features wide substrate scopes as well as broad functional group tolerance, offering a concise route to highly functionalized furans and thiophenes.

CuBr2-mediated intramolecular oxidative cyclopropanation of α-oxo ketene N,S-acetals was efficiently achieved to afford 2-thioalkyl-3-azabicyclo-[3.1.0]hexenes under mild conditions. 2-Oxyalkyl- and 2-aminoallyl-3-azabicyclo-[3.1.0]hexenes were also obtained from the corresponding α-oxo ketene N,O- and N,N-acetals. Further C-S bond transformations led to diverse 2-aryl-substituted 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexene derivatives in good to high yields.

Using a coordinatively unsaturated 16-electron mononuclear ruthenium(II)-pyrazolyl-imidazolyl-pyridine complex [Ru(II)–NNN] as the building block and oligopyridines as the polydentate ligands, pinc...

Direct synthesis of N2-substituted triazole and triazine derivatives has been a challenge in N-heterocyclic chemistry. Under copper(II) catalysis ketene N,S-acetals, that is, alkylthio-substituted enaminones, efficiently reacted with aryldiazonium salts to allow the regioselective generation of functionally diverse N2-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles and 2,3-dihydro-1,2,4-triazines. The oxidant and base-dependent reaction yielded the five- and six-membered N-heterocyclic products, respectively. The synthetic protocol features broad substrate scopes and good functional group tolerance under mild conditions. The mechanistic studies have revealed that the reaction proceeds via alkenyl azo/imino hydrazone intermediates.

An interrupted Pummerer/palladium-catalyzed fluoro-alkylation strategy was developed for alkenyl C-H fluoroalkylthiolation. Palladium-catalyzed ring-opening fluoroalkylation via aliphatic C-S bond cleavage of the vinylsulfonium salts efficiently afforded fluoroalkylthiolated alkene derivatives from readily available alkene substrates and CsF. The protocol features broad substrate scopes and good functional group tolerance under an air atmosphere. The practicability of the synthetic method was demonstrated by transforming the multisubstituted alkene products to diverse fluoroalkylthiolated

Palladium-catalyzed C−H alkylation of gem-disubstituted ethylenes has been efficiently achieved with cyclobutanols as the coupling partners through an aryl to vinyl 1,4-palladium migration/ring-ope...

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are frequently detected in environmental matrices and human tissues. It was hypothesized that SCCPs might interact with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). In the present study, an in vitro, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and in silico molecular docking analysis were employed together to study the interactions between SCCPs congeners and PPARα. Expressions of genes downstream in pathways activated by PPARα in liver of rats exposed to 1, 10, or 100 mg/kg bm/d of C10−13-CPs (56.5% Cl) for 28 days were examined to confirm activation potencies of SCCPs toward PPARα signaling. Effects of exposure to C10−13-CPs (56.5% Cl) on fatty acid metabolism in rat liver were also explored via a pseudo-targeted metabolomics strategy. Our results showed that C10−13-CPs (56.5% Cl) caused a dose-dependent greater expression of luciferase activity of rat PPARα. Molecular docking modeling revealed that SCCPs had a strong capacity to bind with PPARα only through hydrophobic interactions and the binding affinity was dependent on the degree of chlorination in SCCPs congeners. In livers of male rats, exposure to 100 mg/kg bm/d of C10−13-CPs (56.5% Cl) resulted in up-regulated expressions of 11 genes that are downstream in the PPARα-activated pathway and regulate catabolism of fatty acid. Consistently, accelerated fatty acid oxidation was observed mainly characterized by lesser concentrations of ∑fatty acids in livers of rats. Overall, these results demonstrated, for the first time, that SCCPs could activate rat PPARα signaling and thereby disrupt metabolism of fatty acid in livers of male rats.

Carbon-carbon bond formation is among the most important reactions in organic synthesis. Reconstruction of a carbon-carbon bond through ring-opening C-C bond cleavage of a strained carbocycle usually occurs via a thermodynamically preferable pathway. However, carbon-carbon bond formation through thermodynamically less favorable C-C bond cleavage has seldom been documented. Herein, we disclose an unusual C-C bond cleavage of cycloketone oxime esters for [4+1] annulation. Under anaerobic copper(I) catalysis, cycloketone oxime esters underwent regioselective, thermodynamically less favorable radical C-C bond cleavage followed by annulation with enaminothiones; that is, α-thioxo ketene N, S-acetals efficiently affording 2-cyanoalkyl-aminothiophene derivatives. Cyclobutanone, -pentanone, -hexanone, and -heptanone oxime esters could act as the effective C1 building blocks in the annulation reaction. An iminyl radical mechanism is proposed for the rare C-C bond cleavage/[4+1] annulation cascade.

Functionalized 1,3-dienes were efficiently accessed from visible-light-driven, palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction of S,S-functionalized internal vinyl bromides with styrenes under mild conditions. This Heck reaction showcased tolerance of a wide array of functional groups, afforded the target products in moderate to excellent yields through a radical reaction pathway. The resultant diene products could be further transformed to highly functionalized trisubstituted furan derivatives.

The ligand-free Co-catalyzed chemoselective reductive cyclization cascade of enone-tethered aldehydes with i-PrOH as the environmentally benign hydrogen surrogate is developed by this study. Mechan...

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) could disrupt fatty acid metabolism in male rat liver through activating rat PPARα signaling. However, whether this mode of action can translate to humans remained largely unclear. In this study, based on luciferase assays, C10–13-CPs (56.5% Cl) at concentrations greater than 1 μM (i.e., 362 μg/L) showed weak agonistic activity toward human PPARα (hPPARα) signaling. But in HepG2 cells, exposure to C10–13-CPs (56.5% Cl) at the human internal exposure level (100 μg/L) down-regulated expressions of most of the tested hPPARα target genes, which encode for enzymes that oxidize fatty acids. In line with the gene expression data, metabolomics further confirmed that exposure to four SCCP standards with varying chlorine contents at 100 μg/L significantly suppressed oxidation of fatty acids in HepG2 cells, mainly evidenced by elevations in both total fatty acids and long-chain acylcarnitines. In addition, exposure to these SCCPs also caused a shift in carbohydrate metabolism from the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) to aerobic glycolysis. Overall, the results revealed that SCCPs could inhibit hPPARα-mediated fatty acid oxidation, and stimulated aerobic glycolysis in HepG2 cells.

Carbon-sulfur bond cross-coupling has become more and more attractive as an alternative protocol to establish carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Diverse transformations through transition-metal-catalyzed C-S bond activation and cleavage have recently been developed. This review summarizes the advances in transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling via carbon-sulfur bond activation and cleavage since late 2012 as an update of the critical review on the same topic published in early 2013 (Chem. Soc. Rev., 2013, 42, 599-621), which is presented by the categories of organosulfur compounds, that is, thioesters, thioethers including heteroaryl, aryl, vinyl, alkyl, and alkynyl sulfides, ketene dithioacetals, sulfoxides including DMSO, sulfones, sulfonyl chlorides, sulfinates, thiocyanates, sulfonium salts, sulfonyl hydrazides, sulfonates, thiophene-based compounds, and C[double bond, length as m-dash]S functionality-bearing compounds such as thioureas, thioamides, and carbon disulfide, as well as the mechanistic insights. An overview of C-S bond cleavage reactions with stoichiometric transition-metal reagents is briefly given. Theoretical studies on the reactivity of carbon-sulfur bonds by DFT calculations are also discussed.

An efficient protocol toward fully substituted thiophenes and thieno[2,3-b]thiophenes has been developed through CuCl2-catalyzed annulative coupling of S,S-disubstituted enones with diazo compounds under mild conditions. Tetrasubstituted thiophenes and thieno[2,3-b]thiophenes were efficiently accessed by variation of the feed ratio of the reactants in good to excellent yields, respectively. The synthetic methodology has demonstrated the potential for the construction of diverse thiophene derivatives.

Direct synthesis of

Concise construction of furan and thiophene units has played an important role in the synthesis of potentially bioactive compounds and functional materials. Herein, an efficient Lewis acid ZnCl

The hypervalent iodine reagent PhI(OAc)2 (PIDA) mediated the formal oxidative C=C bond cleavage and subsequent cyclization of internal olefins, that is, α-oxo-ketene N,N-acetals, which afforded substituted oxazolines. Isothiazoline derivatives were obtained from the reactions of α-thioxo-ketene N,N-acetals with PIDA under the same conditions. Hydrolysis of the resultant oxazoline derivatives led to highly functionalized oxazolones. A plausible mechanism was proposed based upon the formation of isothiazoline-type intermediates.

Manganese(I) complexes bearing a pyridyl-supported pyrazolyl-imidazolyl ligand efficiently catalyzed the direct β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols under phosphine-free conditions. The β-alkylated secondary alcohols were obtained in moderate to good yields with water formed as the byproduct through a borrowing hydrogen pathway. β-Alkylation of cholesterols was also effectively achieved. The present protocol provides a concise atom-economical method for C–C bond formation from primary and secondary alcohols.

Copper(I)-catalyzed enantioselective borylation of α,β-unsaturated N-acylindoles as well as N-acylpyrroles was efficiently achieved by means of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2), affording the enantioenriched products in excellent yields with up to 99% ee. The present work provides an alternative class of Michael acceptors, that is, α,β-unsaturated N-acylindoles, for potential asymmetric transformations.

Ruthenium(II) hydride complexes bearing a pyrazolyl-(2-indol-1-yl)-pyridine ligand were synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR analysis and X-ray single crystal crystallographic determinations. These complexes efficiently catalyzed acceptorless dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles and secondary alcohols, respectively, exhibiting highly catalytic activity with a broad substrate scope. The present work has established a strategy to construct highly active transition metal complex catalysts and provides an atom-economical and environmentally benign protocol for the synthesis of aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds and ketones.

The palladium-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative-coupling (CDC) reaction of internal alkenes (α-nitro ketene dithioacetals) and terminal alkenes (acrylates) was achieved in AcOH/DMSO using air or AgOAc as the sole oxidant. Styrenes were also applied in the CDC reaction of these internal alkenes with AgOAc as the oxidant. Polyfunctionalized 1,3- and 1,4-dienes were obtained in moderate to excellent yields under mild conditions, without prefunctionalization of the substrates. The diene products were readily transformed into the corresponding amines and derivatives.

A pincer-type Ru(II)-NNP complex bearing a pyrazolyl-(NH-PtBu2)-pyridine ligand was synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR, IR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single-crystal crystallographic determinations, which efficiently catalyzed the synthesis of multisubstituted pyrroles and pyridines by means of the reactions of secondary alcohols and β- or γ-amino alcohols through deoxygenation and selective C–N and C–C bond formation. The coupling reactions took place with 0.3 mol % catalyst loading and tolerated diverse functional groups. The present work provides an alternative method to construct highly active transition-metal complex catalysts from readily available ligands.

Bimetallic ruthenium(II) complexes bearing a bis(pyrazolylimidazolylpyridine) ligand bridged by a rotatable single C–C bond or methylene linker were synthesized, structurally characterized, and exhibited diverse catalytic activities for the transfer hydrogenation (TH) reactions of ketones in refluxing isopropyl alcohol. Both the unprotected NH functionality and bridging methylene moiety demonstrated an acceleration effect on such TH reactions. Combination of the NH and CH2 skeleton functionalities into the bimetallic Ru(II)–NNN complexes remarkably enhanced the catalytic activities of the complex catalysts. Density functional theory calculations have suggested that the difference in the catalytic activities of these Ru(II)–NNN complexes is attributed to the inherent nucleophilic character of the coordinative nitrogen atoms in the bis(NNN) ligand, and the metal–metal interaction resulted from the number of net natural bond orbital charges on these nitrogen atoms.

Iron-promoted difunctionalization of α,α-diaryl and α-aryl-α-alkyl allylic alcohols has been efficiently achieved by means of N-(phenylseleno)phthalimide (N-PSP) under mild conditions. An in situ generated phenylselenium cation (PhSe+) was added to the olefinic C═C bond to initiate the regioselective phenylselenylation with concomitant 1,2-aryl migration, following a migration preference contrary to the well-known radical pathway. Hydrazonation of the resultant alkene difunctionalization products, that is, α-aryl-β-phenylselenyl ketones, and subsequent copper-catalyzed dehydroselenylation efficiently afforded functionalized 2-pyrazoline derivatives.

Dimeric pincer-type ruthenium(II)-NNN complexes bearing an unsymmetrical pyrazolyl-pyridylamino-pyridine ligand were prepared and characterized by NMR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single crystal structural determination. These complexes exhibited very high catalytic activity for both transfer hydrogenation of ketones and acceptorless dehydrogenation of secondary alcohols, achieving TOF values up to 1.9 × 106 h–1 in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones. The high catalytic activity of the Ru(II) complex catalysts is attributed to the presence of the unprotected NH functionality in the ligand and hemilabile unsymmetrical coordination environment around the central metal atoms in the complex.

Pincer-type ruthenium(II)-NNN complex catalysts bearing a chiral bis(NHTs)-substituted imidazolyl-oxazolinyl-pyridine ligand were synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR, IR, elemental analysis, and X-ray single-crystal crystallographic determinations. The two NHTs groups substituted on the imidazolyl moiety of the chiral NNN ligand exhibited a remarkable effect on the enantioselectivity of the Ru(II)-NNN complexes for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones. The Ru(II)-NNN complex bearing a chiral (NHTs)2-substituted imidazolyl-(isopropyl)oxazolinyl-pyridine ligand exhibited excellent catalytic activity, reaching an enantioselectivity up to 99.9% ee for the target alcohol products.

Mediated by a catalytic amount of FeCl3, the C-H alkylation of S, S-functionalized internal ole-fins, i.e., alpha-oxo ketene dithioacetals and their analogues, was efficiently achieved using simple ethers and toluene derivatives as the coupling partners, ditert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) as the oxidant, and DABCO center dot 6H(2)O as the additive. The alkylthio functionality is essential for the internal olefinic C-H bond to undergo such an alkylation with the O-adjacent C(sp(3))-H bonds of the ethers and the benzylic C-H bonds of the toluene derivatives, respectively. Tetrasubstituted olefins were thus synthesized and further transformed to highly substituted pyrazoles and isoxazoles. The strategy to activate an internal olefinic C-H bond by polarizing its parent olefinic C=C bond with both the dialkylthio group and an electron-withdrawing functionality was investigated. The mechanistic studies suggest a radical pathway for the C(sp(2))-H/C(sp(3))-H cross-coupling reactions. The present protocol provides a convenient route to tetrasubstituted olefins.

Dinuclear ruthenium(II)-NNN complexes were efficiently assembled by means of coordinatively unsaturated 16-electron mononuclear ruthenium(II)-pyrazolyl-imidazolyl-pyridine complex and 4,4′-linked bipyridine ligands. The diruthenium(II)-NNN complex assembled through 4,4′-(CH2)3-bipyridine exhibited exceptionally high catalytic activity for the transfer hydrogenation (TH) of ketones in refluxing 2-propanol and reached TOF values up to 1.4 × 107 h–1, demonstrating a remarkable cooperative effect from the ruthenium(II)-NNN functionalities.

Copper-catalyzed borylation of β-trifluoromethyl-α,β-unsaturated ketones was efficiently achieved by means of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2), affording the enantioenriched products in good yields with high enantioselectivities. CuI and (R,S)-Josiphos consist of the most efficient catalyst system under mild conditions. In the absence of the chiral ligand, the reactions could be performed more efficiently to form β-ketone derivatives which were directly borylated and indirectly trifluoromethylated at the β-carbon atom of the α,β-unsaturated ketone substrates. The present protocol provides a promising method to access a stereogenic carbon center bearing both CF3 and organoboron functional groups.

Synthesis of secondary and tertiary amines has been efficiently realized from the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols by means of heterogeneous bimetallic Pt-Sn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst (0.5 wt % Pt, molar ratio Pt:Sn = 1:3) through a borrowing hydrogen strategy. The Pt-Sn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst has exhibited very high catalytic activity towards a wide range of amines and alcohols, and can be conveniently recycled without Pt metal leaching. The present protocol was applied for the synthesis of N-phenylbenzylamine in 96% isolated yield from aniline and benzyl alcohol on a 2.1 kg scale of the substrates, demonstrating its potential applicability for higher-order amine synthesis.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed annulative coupling of sulfoxonium ylides with allenoates was achieved, forming highly functionalized cyclopropanes with a quaternary carbon center by means of the sulfoxonium ylide functionality as a traceless bifunctional directing group and C4 synthon via an arene C-H activation and cyclopropanation cascade. The protocol features simultaneous formation of three new C-C bonds in one pot with excellent diastereoselectivity. The resultant cyclopropanation products could be further transformed to diverse synthetically useful compounds.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed annulation of acetophenone O-acetyl oximes with allenoates was achieved, affording isoquinolines in good to excellent yields with high regioselectivities under redox-neutral conditions. Allenoates acted as the C2 synthons in the annulation reaction. The present synthetic methodology features good functional group tolerance and avoids metal salts as the external oxidants. The proposed mechanism suggests that the reaction proceeds through arene C–H activation, allene insertion, and C–N coupling.

A copper(I)-catalyzed, (diacetoxyiodo)benzene [PhI(OAc)2]-mediated ring-expansion/thiolactonization of α-oxo ketene dithioacetals was efficiently realized via azidation of the internal olefinic C−H bond with sodium azide under mild conditions. Sequential amination, ring-expansion rearrangement, and thiolactonization occurred to form aminated thiolactones in the presence of acetic anhydride as the additive, while only C−H amination to afford the unprotected enamines occurred when using ammonium sulfide as a reducing additive. The in situ generated vinyl azides were confirmed as the reactive intermediates, which were captured by phenylacetylene to produce triazoles. This protocol provides a concise route to thiolactone derivatives and unprotected enamines.