Regioselective Synthesis of α-Quaternary Amino Acid Derivatives Enabled by Photoinduced Energy Transfer.

α-Quaternary amino acids have found application in many biologically relevant compounds and pharmaceuticals. Although there are many methods for the synthesis of α-quaternary amino acids, most of them are mainly realized with the aid of transition metals and complex ligands. We present herein a 2,7-Br-4CzIPN catalyzed regioselective alkylation of azlactones with redox-active esters via radical-radical couplings. Strikingly, this approach is devoid of any metal or additive and shows broad scope and superior sensitive functional group compatibility.

Visible-light-promoted regioselective hydrocarboxylation of allenes with formate salt and CO2.

Visible-light-promoted hydrocarboxylation of allenes with formate salt and CO2 was developed for the first time using commercially available [Ir(ppy)2(dtbbpy)]PF6 as a photocatalyst. This strategy provides an efficient and practical method to access ß,γ-unsaturated linear carboxylic acids in moderate yields with complete regioselectivity.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Phosphonocarboxylation of Allenes with Phosphine Oxides and CO2.

Phosphonocarboxylation of allenes with diarylphosphine oxides and CO2 via visible-light photoredox catalysis was developed for the first time. This work provided practical and sustainable access to highly valuable but otherwise difficult-to-access linear allylic ß-phosphonyl carboxylic acids in moderate yields with exclusive regio- and stereoselectivity. This method was also characterized by step and atom economy and transition-metal free and mild conditions. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested that allyl-methyl carbanion species are the key intermediates.

Lithium Triethylborohydride (LiHBEt3)-Promoted Hydrosilylation of Allenes to Prepare (E)-Allylsilanes.

A transition-metal-free hydrosilylation of allenes is reported herein by using commercially available lithium triethylborohydride (LiHBEt3) as the catalyst. Both mono- and disubstituted allenes could be hydrosilylated with primary or secondary silanes effectively. This reaction represents an environmental and economic method to prepare (E)-allylsilanes in good yields along with decent selectivities.

A Photosensitizer for N-O Bond Activation: 2,7-Br-4CzIPN-Catalyzed Difunctionalization of Alkenes with Oxime Esters.

We developed 2,4,5,6-tetrakis(2,7-dibromo-9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile (2,7-Br-4CzIPN) as a new photosensitizer for the energy-transfer-driven N-O bond dissociation of oxime esters. In the presence of 2,7-Br-4CzIPN, difunctionalization of alkenes with oxime esters, including oxyimination, aminocarboxylation, and amidylimination, could afford a variety of versatile molecules in good yields with excellent regioselectivity, which widely occur in natural products and drugs. Our theoretical investigations and experiments have demonstrated that 2,7-Br-4CzIPN has unique photophysical properties, favorable triplet energy, and excellent photocatalytic activity.

Chemodivergent Synthesis of Allylic Sulfones via Ligand-Controlled Coupling of Allenes with Sulfinic Acids.

Allylic sulfones are important building blocks in organic synthesis and pharmaceutical chemistry. Herein, we disclose a chemodivergent protocol for Pd-catalyzed and ligand-controlled coupling of allenes with sulfinic acids, providing straightforward and atom-economical access to branched allylic sulfones and linear allylic sulfones bearing a conjugated (Z,E)-1,3-diene scaffold in good yields with high selectivities. This strategy features mild conditions, an unprecedented substrate scope, and functional group compatibility.

Preparation of (E)-1,3-Enyne Derivatives through Palladium Catalyzed Hydroalkynylation of Allenes.

A general and efficient palladium catalyzed hydroalkynylation of allenes was developed to produce synthetically versatile (E)-1,3-enyne derivatives with high regio- and stereoselectivity. This catalytic system proceeded under mild conditions and was compatible with a broad range of substrates, especially for allenes without electron-bias groups. This work further broadens the synthetic potential of these scaffolds in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry.

A conjugated microporous polymer as a recyclable heterogeneous ligand for highly efficient regioselective hydrosilylation of allenes.

Pyridines containing adjacent C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C bonds were utilized as ligand units and integrated into the skeleton of conjugated microporous polymers. The resultant Pd-CMP-1 was first applied as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalytic system for Pd-catalyzed allene hydrosilylation towards a wide range of allenes to produce branched allylsilanes with high regioselectivity. The ligand units of the polymer, along with the confinement effect of the porous structure, jointly regulated the regioselectivity. The parts-per-million (ppm) levels of Pd, coordinated with the recyclable heterogeneous ligand, show promise for industrial applications. This work opens a new front of using CMP as an intriguing platform for developing highly efficient catalysts to control the regioselectivities in allene hydrosilylation.

Xantphos Doped POPs-PPh3 as Heterogeneous Ligand for Cobalt-Catalyzed Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Hydrosilylation of Alkynes.

A Co(acac)2 /POL-Xantphos@10PPh3 -catalyzed hydrosilylation of unsymmetrical internal alkynes with Ph2 SiH2 has been developed for the synthesis of highly selective syn-α-vinylsilane products. Furthermore, terminal alkynes were also used and gave the products with excellent regioselectivity and a wide functional group tolerance. Because this porous organic polymer combines the selectivity and activity merits of Xantphos with the stability advantage derived from the high concentration of PPh3 , the Co(acac)2 /POL-Xantphos@10PPh3 can be recycled multiple times without loss of activity and selectivity. This heterogeneous catalyst is expected to find promising applications in industrial synthesis.

Porous Organic Polymer as a Heterogeneous Ligand for Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Nickel-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Alkyne.

A porous organic polymer (POL-Xantphos) was synthesized and employed as a heterogeneous ligand for selective hydrosilylation of alkynes. It exhibits high selectivity and catalytic efficiency toward a broad range of alkynes. Owing to the confinement effect of the micropore structure, POL-Xantphos was far superior to the monomeric Xantphos ligands in controlling the selectivity. By performing hydrosilylation in a flow reactor system, separation and regeneration of the Ni/POL-Xantphos catalyst are easily achieved without any loss in selectivity or activity.

Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Heterogeneous Hydrosilylation of Terminal Alkynes over Cobalt-Metalated Porous Organic Polymer.

A cobalt/POL-PPh3 catalyzed ( E)-selective hydrosilylation of alkynes with PhSiH3 has been developed for the synthesis of ( E)-ß-vinylsilanes with high regio- and stereoselectivity and wide functional group tolerance. It is the first report of using porous organic polymer as a recyclable regio- and stereoselective and efficient ligand in hydrosilylation reactions in which the polymer could be recycled numerous times in a continuous flow system without loss of activity and selectivity. The earth-abundant base-metal catalyst, coordinated by heterogeneous recyclable ligand, shows promise for industrial application.

Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Heterogeneous Catalysis.

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) are a class of crosslinked polymers that combine permanent micropores with π-conjugated skeletons and possess three-dimensional (3D) networks. Compared with conventional materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), CMPs usually have superior chemical and thermal stability. CMPs have made significant progress in heterogeneous catalysis in the past seven years. With a bottom-up strategy, catalytic moieties can be directly introduced into in the framework to produce heterogeneous CMP catalysts. Higher activity, stability, and selectivity can be obtained with heterogeneous CMP catalysts in comparison with their homogeneous analogs. In addition, CMP catalysts can be easily isolated and recycled. In this review, we focus on CMPs as an intriguing platform for developing various highly efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts in organic reactions. The design, synthesis, and structure of these CMP catalysts are also discussed in this focus review.

Pyrazole synthesis via a cascade Sonogashira coupling/cyclization of N-propargyl sulfonylhydrazones.

An efficient approach for the preparation of pyrazoles via a Pd(ii)/Cu(i)-catalyzed Sonogashira coupling/cyclization of N-propargyl sulfonylhydrazones has been established. In this study, we firstly report the strategic use of a Sonogashira reaction to construct pyrazole rings in a one step operation. With a broad range of functional group tolerance, bioactive 3-CF3 pyrazoles can also be synthesized easily through this domino coupling/cyclization sequence.

Thiophene-Alkyne-Based CMPs as Highly Selective Regulators for Oxidative Heck Reaction.

Thiophenes containing an adjacent C≡C group as ligands for PdII-promoted organic reactions are reported for the first time. These ligands were utilized as catalytic sites and integrated into the skeleton of conjugated microporous polymers. By employing these CMP materials as selective regulators, oxidative Heck reactions between arylboronic esters and electronically unbiased alkenes provide highly selective linear products.

Conjugated Microporous Polymer as Heterogeneous Ligand for Highly Selective Oxidative Heck Reaction.

A series of pyridine-type ligands containing C≡C bonds were designed and synthesized for selective oxidative Heck reaction. These ligands were utilized as functional units and integrated into the skeleton of conjugated microporous polymers. 6,6'-diiodo-2,2'-bipyridine and 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene were polycondensed via Sonogashira cross-coupling strategy to afford CMP-1 material. The resultant CMP-1 was used as a heterogeneous catalytic ligand for the PdII-catalyzed oxidative Heck reaction with high linear selectivity. The linear selectivity of CMP-1 is about 30 times higher than that of bipyridine-based monomer ligand. This work opens a new front of using CMP as an intriguing platform for developing highly efficient catalysts in controlling the regioselectivity in organic reactions.

Silver(I)-Catalyzed Tandem Sigamatropic Rearrangement/1,3-H Shift/6π Aza-electrocyclization of N-Propargylic Hydrazones: A Mild Synthetic Route to 1,6-Dihydropyridazines.

A highly efficient AgOTf catalyzed [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement/1,3-H shift/6π aza-electrocyclization cascade reaction of N-propargylic hydrazones has been developed. This method provides a new mild synthetic route to various polysubstituted 1,6-dihydropyridazines including the 3-CF3-substituted ones with high selectivity.

Synthesis of 5,6-Dihydropyrazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines through Indium(III)-Promoted Halocyclizations of N-Propargylic Sulfonylhydrazones.

A novel method for the preparation of 5,6-dihydropyrazolo[5,1-a]isoquinoline via indium(III)-promoted halocyclizations of N-propargylic sulfonylhydrazones has been developed. The pyrazole and 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline moieties were synchronously formed via a cascade cyclization reaction using easily assembled open-chain compounds. The pyrazole and 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline moieties were formed via a cascade cyclization reaction using easily assembled open-chain compounds.

Synthesis of 4-Arylidenepyrazolones by a Gold-Catalyzed Cyclization/Arylidene Group Transfer Cascade of N-Propioloyl Hydrazones.

An efficient gold-catalyzed cyclization/arylidene group transfer cascade reaction of N-propioloyl hydrazones has been developed. This method provides a novel approach for the synthesis of various functionalized 4-arylidenepyrazolones.

Synthesis of 5,6-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines through gold-catalyzed chemoselective bicyclization of N-propargylic sulfonylhydrazones.

An efficient method for the preparation of 5,6-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines via gold(I)-catalyzed chemoselective bicyclization of N-propargylic sulfonylhydrazones has been developed. This process relies on the chemoselective cyclization of the hydrazone nitrogen instead of the usually favored aniline nitrogen onto the alkyne. The synthetic utility of the current strategy is demonstrated through the synthesis of a potential Eg5/Kinesin spindle protein inhibitor.

Synthesis of polysubstituted pyrazoles by a platinum-catalyzed sigmatropic rearrangement/cyclization cascade.

A highly efficient Pt-catalyzed [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement/cyclization cascade of N-propargylhydrazones is reported. The process provides expedient access to a variety of highly functionalized pyrazoles. The substrate has good substituted group compatibility, and the bioactive 3-CF3 pyrazoles could be synthesized easily with this method.