Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductions of Aryl/Heteroaryl Ketones under Mild Aqueous Micellar Conditions.

Enantioselective syntheses of nonracemic secondary alcohols have been achieved in an aqueous micellar medium via copper-catalyzed (Cu(OAc)2·H2O/(R)-3,4,5-MeO-MeO-BIPHEP) reduction of aryl/heteroaryl ketones. This methodology serves as a green protocol to access enantio-enriched alcohols under mild conditions (0-22 °C) using a base metal catalyst, together with an inexpensive, innocuous, and convenient stoichiometric hydride source (PMHS). The secondary alcohol products are formed in good to excellent yields with ee values greater than 90%.

Recent advances in Cu-catalyzed C(sp3)-Si and C(sp3)-B bond formation.

Numerous reactions generating C-Si and C-B bonds are in focus owing to the importance of incorporating silicon or boron into new or existing drugs, in addition to their use as building blocks in cross-coupling reactions en route to various targets of both natural and unnatural origins. In this review, recent protocols relying on copper-catalyzed sp3 carbon-silicon and carbon-boron bond-forming reactions are discussed.

Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of brominated 2,1-borazaronaphthalenes with potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates.

Conditions have been developed for the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of 3-bromo-2,1-borazaronaphthalenes with potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates. Twenty-seven alkenyl-substituted azaborines have been synthesized through this method, providing access to a family of 2,1-borazaronaphthalenes with alkenyl substitution at the C3 position.