One pot conversion of phenols and anilines to aldehydes and ketones exploiting α gem boryl carbanions.

Functional group interconversion is an important asset in organic synthesis. Phenols/anilines being naturally abundant and the carbonyl being the most common in a wide range of bioactive molecules, an efficient conversion is of prime interest. The reported methods require transition metal catalyzed cross coupling which limits its applicability. Here we have described a method for synthesizing various aldehydes and ketones, starting from phenol and protected anilines via Csp2-O/N bond cleavage in a one-pot/stepwise manner. Our synthetic method is found to be compatible with a diverse range of phenols and anilines carrying sensitive functional groups including halides, esters, ketal, hydroxyl, alkenes, and terminal alkynes as well as the substitution on the aryl cores. A short-step synthesis of bioactive molecules and their functionalization have been executed. Starting from BINOL, a photocatalyst has been designed. Here, we have developed a transition metal-free protocol for the conversion of phenols and anilines to aldehydes and ketones.

Carbonyl group directed synthesis of 3-boryl-3-substituted alkenyl oxindoles and tetrasubstituted ß-borylenones.

Transition metal-free carbonyl directed boron-Wittig reaction of α-bis(boryl)carbanions with the corresponding isatins or with the α-keto esters/amides was achieved to access alkenyl oxindoles in good yield and high stereoselectivity.

1,2-Metallate Rearrangement Using Indole Boronate Species to Access 2,3-Diarylindoles and Indolines.

A transition metal-free multicomponent reaction using lithiated indole, boronic ester, pyridine, and ethyl chloroformate was developed to access C2,C3 bis-arylated indoles, which are present in several marketed drugs and bioactive compounds. One-pot access to unsymmetrical C2,C3-diaryl indole from the parent indole remains a huge synthetic challenge. Our group was able to achieve this goal through a transition metal-free 1,2-metalate rearrangement of the indole boronate complex. The reaction of indole boronate species with activated pyridine allows 1,2-migration to access pyridyl-indoleboronate species, which will convert to the corresponding indole upon oxidation and indoline after deborylation. The reaction tolerates substituted pyridines, quinolone, isoquinoline, and more. Both aryl and alkyl boronic esters were accommodated under optimized reaction conditions. Apart from mechanistic studies using 11B-NMR, this methodology has been applied to the gram-scale synthesis of several bioactive compounds.

Mechanistic dichotomy in the solvent dependent access to E vs. Z-allylic amines via decarboxylative vinylation of amino acids.

The solvent plays an important role in the photophysical properties of donor-acceptor based photocatalysts. The solvent-dependent access to E vs. Z-allylic amines was achieved via decarboxylative vinylation of amino acids with vinyl sulfones. Detailed experimental studies have been conducted to understand the role of the solvent in the reactivity and stereoselectivity of the vinylation reactions.

Development of Methods to the Synthesis of ß-Boryl Acyls, Imines and Nitriles.

Organoboron compounds are highly important and versatile synthetic intermediates for the preparation of a wide range of organic molecules. Organoboron compounds have drawn significant attention among organic chemists due to their Lewis acidic property, non-toxicity, and commercial availability. Over the last several decades, there has been a substantial development of new organoboron compounds, useful in organic synthesis. Among all other organoboron compounds, ß-boryl carbonyl compounds are the important ones. The ß-boryl compounds have appeared as promising intermediates for various synthetic transformations. The 1,4-conjugate addition of diboron reagents to carbon-carbon double bond in the presence of different transition-metal catalysts has been extensively reported by various research groups across the globe. This mini-review outlines the numerous racemic as well as asymmetric ß-borylation methods developed to date.

Synthesis and reactivity of alkynyl boron compounds.

Over the last century, there have been considerable developments in organoboron chemistry due to the stability, non-toxicity, and easy commercial availability of various boronic esters. Several organoboron reagents have emerged and play an increasingly important role in everyday organic synthesis. Among them, alkynyl boron compounds have attracted significant attention due to their easy synthesis and diverse reactivity. In this review, we summarize the advancement of research on alkynyl boron compounds, highlighting their importance in the synthesis of valuable compounds.

Transition metal-free synthesis of alkyl pinacol boronates.

Alkyl pinacol boronic esters have been routinely used for the synthesis of complex target molecules or high-value chemicals due to their non-toxicity, stability and commercial availability. The synthesis of C-B bonds in the absence of transition metals has gained significant attention due to its added advantages. Numerous methods have been developed for the synthesis of alkyl pinacol boronates without transition metals, which include reactions using organometallic reagents, Lewis acids and bases, photoredox catalysis, and 1,2-metallate rearrangement. Herein, we have analyzed the growing resource of literature related to the transition metal-free synthesis of alkyl pinacol boronic esters based on the differences in their reaction mechanisms.

Functionalization of Heterocycles through 1,2-Metallate Rearrangement of Boronate Complexes.

Over the last decade, 1,2-metallate rearrangement of boronate complex has been dominating the literature of organoboron chemistry for the construction of very important C-C and C-boron bonds. Owing to the coordinative unsaturated nature of the boron atom, a nucleophile can attack on boron center for the formation of a boronate complex, which triggers 1,2-migration under electrophilic activation at the α-carbon. Apart from using stochiometric electrophilic activating reagents, several catalytic methods using transition metals in the presence or absence of light have been reported. The 1,2-migration of boronate complexes allows synthesis of many different classes of racemic and chiral compounds including a wide range of substituted heterocycles. Synthesis of chiral and achiral substituted heterocycles by using 1,2-metallate rearrangement of boronate complexes has been extensively reported by several groups owing to its prevalence in medicinal chemistry. This minireview highlights the methods known to date for the synthesis of heteroaryls by using 1,2-migration of boronate complexes, organized in a chronological manner.

Transition-Metal-Free Synthesis of Heterobiaryls through 1,2-Migration of Boronate Complex.

The synthesis of a diverse range of heterobiaryls has been achieved by a transition-metal-free sp2 -sp2 cross-coupling strategy using lithiated heterocycle, aryl or heteroaryl boronic ester and an electrophilic halogen source. The construction of heterobiaryls was carried out through electrophilic activation of the aryl-heteroaryl boronate complex, which triggered 1,2-migration from boron to the carbon atom. Subsequent oxidation of the intermediate boronic ester afforded heterobiaryls in good yield. A comprehensive 11 B NMR study has been conducted to support the mechanism. The cross coupling between two nucleophilic cross coupling partners without transition metals reveals a reliable manifold to procure heterobiaryls in good yields. Various heterocycles like furan, thiophene, benzofuran, benzothiophene, and indole are well tolerated. Finally, we have successfully demonstrated the gram scale synthesis of the intermediates for an anticancer drug and OLED material using our methodology.

Silver oxide mediated novel SET oxidative cyclization: stereoselective synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[n.1.0]alkanes.

For the first time, silver oxide catalyzed SET-oxidative cyclization of an α-amidinoester tethered with an alkene, leading to a novel cyclopropane-fused cyclic amidine, has been developed. This efficient method permits easy access to the pharmaceutically important 3-azabicyclo[n.1.0]alkane framework, having a quaternary centre. The generality of SET oxidative cyclization using persulfate as a co-oxidant has been demonstrated with a wide variety of α-amidinoesters in good yields. Unusual chemoselective dialkylation of amidine with Grignard reagent and regioselective opening of the cyclopropane ring using organocopper reagent have also been developed.

One-Pot Synthesis of Cyclopropane-Fused Cyclic Amidines: An Oxidative Carbanion Cyclization.

A novel and efficient one-pot method has been developed for the synthesis of cyclopropane-fused bicyclic amidines on the basis of a CuBr2 -mediated oxidative cyclization of carbanions. The usefulness of this unique multicomponent strategy has been demonstrated by the use of a wide variety of substrates to furnish novel cyclopropane-containing amidines with a quaternary center in very good yields. This ketenimine-based approach provides straightforward access to biologically active and pharmaceutically important 3-azabicyclo[n.1.0]alkane frameworks under mild conditions. The synthetic power of this methodology is exemplified in the concise synthesis of the pharmaceutically important antidepressant drug candidate GSK1360707 and key intermediates for the synthesis of amitifadine, bicifadine, and narlaprevir.