Palladium-catalyzed method for the synthesis of carbazoles via tandem C-H functionalization and C-N bond formation.

The development of a new method for the assembly of unsymmetrical carbazoles is reported. The strategy involves the selective intramolecular functionalization of an arene C-H bond and the formation of a new arene C-N bond. The substitution pattern of the carbazole product can be controlled by the design of the biaryl amide substrate, and the method is compatible with a variety of functional groups. The utility of the new protocol was demonstrated by the concise synthesis of three natural products from commercially available materials.

Combined C-H functionalization/C-N bond formation route to carbazoles.

A new method in which a series of substituted carbazoles is efficiently produced by the combination of an amide and an arene is described. The key feature of this method is the palladium-catalyzed tandem directed C-H functionalization and amide arylation. The method tolerates substitution on either ring of the biaryl amide substrates, and the products can be assembled in a simple two-step protocol from readily available reagents. The Pd(0) species generated are reoxidized to Pd(II) in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 and an atmosphere of oxygen.

Catalytic homologation of vinyltributylstannane to allyltributylstannane by Mo(IV) complexes in the presence of ethylene.

We have found that CH2=CHSnBu3 is converted into CH2=CHCH2SnBu3 catalytically in the presence of Mo(IV) olefin complexes such as Mo(NAr)(CH2CH2)[biphen] (where Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3 and [biphen]2- = 3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5',6,6'-tetramethyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diolate). The proposed mechanism involves formation of a metalacyclopentane (MC4) complex from ethylene and CH2=CHSnBu3, "contraction" of this MC4 complex to a metalacyclobutane (MC3) complex, and finally metathesis of the MC3 complex to give CH2=CHCH2SnBu3 and Mo(NAr)(CH2)[biphen]. These new findings suggest (inter alia) that contraction of an MC4 ring to an MC3 ring may be a much more common mode of decomposition of metalacyclopentane rings in d0 complexes than previously believed.

An enantiomerically pure adamantylimido molybdenum alkylidene complex. An effective new catalyst for enantioselective olefin metathesis.

An enantiomerically pure Mo-based complex that bears an alkylimido ligand is prepared and characterized through NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis. Mo complex 4 is the only reported chiral alkylimido catalyst; all previous chiral complexes are arylimido systems. These studies show that the chiral Mo catalyst exists exclusively as the syn isomer and that it offers unique reactivity and selectivity profiles in asymmetric olefin metathesis.

Alkylidene and metalacyclic complexes of tungsten that contain a chiral biphenoxide ligand. synthesis, asymmetric ring-closing metathesis, and mechanistic investigations.

Two complexes that contain the racemic or enantiomerically pure (S) form of the 3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5',6,6'-tetramethyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diolate (Biphen(2-)) ligand, W(NAr)(CHCMe(2)Ph)(Biphen) (2a) and W(NAr')(CHCMe(2)Ph)(Biphen) (2b) (Ar = 2,6-i-Pr(2)C(6)H(3); Ar' = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)), were prepared and shown to be viable catalysts for several representative ring-closing reactions to give products in good yields in most cases and high % ee in asymmetric reactions. Exploration of the reaction between 2a and a stoichiometric amount of one desymmetrization substrate allowed two intermediate tungstacyclobutane complexes to be observed, in addition to the final and quite stable tungstacyclobutane complex formed in a reaction between the ring-closed product and a tungsten methylene complex. Reactions involving (13)C labeled ethylene allowed for the observation of an unsubstituted tungstacyclobutane complex, an ethylene complex, an unsubstituted tungstacyclopentane complex, and a heterochiral dimeric form of a methylene complex. The tungstacyclopentane complex was found to catalyze the dimerization of ethylene to 1-butene slowly.