Advances in Decarboxylative Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions of Propargyl Electrophiles.

The propargyl electrophile has proven to be a versatile reactant when coupled with palladium catalysis. Its versatility is owed to the several reaction pathways that the palladium-propargyl intermediate can proceed by, and the outcome can be predictably controlled by varying several factors. The tunable nature of the propargyl electrophile along with its versatility are detailed herein. The initial reports for each of the pathways are highlighted along with a discussion of more recent developments in the field.

Synthesis of 2-Amino-1,3-dienes from Propargyl Carbonates via Palladium-Catalyzed Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Formation.

A catalytic method to synthesize 1,3,-dienes from propargylic precursors is reported. This palladium-catalyzed carbon-nitrogen bond-forming reaction furnishes 2-amino-1,3-dienes in excellent yields (up to 98%) and shows a broad tolerance to functional group diversity. The reaction has been demonstrated for over 30 amine substrates, including anilines and indoles, and proceeds under mild neutral conditions. The resulting 1,3-dienes are of great synthetic interest because of their further reaction potential.

Construction of All-Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters by Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Propargylation.

A method for the construction of chiral quaternary stereocenters has been accomplished via decarboxylative palladium-catalyzed propargylic alkylation. Both pressurized sealed tubes and microwave irradiation have proven successful for this transformation, yet despite these forcing conditions a range of α-aryl,α-propargyl, and α-alkyl,α-propargyl containing all-carbon quaternary products have been synthesized in good yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 92:8 er). While palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation has been well studied, this work represents the furthest advancement for the propargylic variant to date.

Multiple Halogenation of Aliphatic C-H Bonds within the Hofmann-Löffler Manifold.

An innovative approach to position-selective polyhalogenation of aliphatic hydrocarbon bonds is presented. The reaction proceeded within the Hofmann-Löffler manifold with amidyl radicals as the sole mediators to induce selective 1,5- and 1,6-hydrogen-atom transfer followed by halogenation. Multiple halogenation events of up to four innate C-H bond functionalizations were accomplished. The broad applicability of this new entry into polyhalogenation and the resulting synthetic possibilities were demonstrated for a total of 27 different examples including mixed halogenations.

N-Iodosuccinimide-Promoted Hofmann-Löffler Reactions of Sulfonimides under Visible Light.

Conditions for an attractive and productive protocol for the position-selective intramolecular C-H amination of aliphatic groups (Hofmann-Löffler reaction) are reported employing sulfonimides as nitrogen sources. N-Iodosuccinimide is the only required promoter for this transformation, which is conveniently initiated by visible light. The overall transformation provides pyrrolidines under mild and selective conditions as demonstrated for 17 different substrates.