Aaron L. Odom

A Multicomponent Coupling Sequence for Direct Access to Substituted Quinolines

A titanium-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction can be used to generate tautomers of N-aryl-1,3-diimines. Simple treatment of these products with acetic acid leads to cyclization forming quinoline derivatives in a one-pot procedure. The primary amines employed can be substituted anilines, aminonaphthalenes, or even heterocyclic amines, which leads to a variety of fused-ring heterocyclic frameworks. The one-pot yields varied from 25-71% for the 18 examples presented in this study.

Titanium-Catalyzed Multicomponent Couplings: Efficient One-Pot Syntheses of Nitrogen Heterocycles

Nitrogen-based heterocycles are important frameworks for pharmaceuticals, natural products, organic dyes for solar cells, and many other applications. Catalysis for the formation of heterocyclic scaffolds, like many C-C and C-N bond-forming reactions, has focused on the use of rare, late transition metals like palladium and gold. Our group is interested in the use of Earth-abundant catalysts based on titanium to generate heterocycles using multicomponent coupling strategies, often in one-pot reactions. To be of maximal utility, the catalysts need to be easily prepared from inexpensive reagents, and that has been one guiding principle in the research. For this purpose, a series of easily prepared pyrrole-based ligands has been developed. Titanium imido complexes are known to catalyze the hydroamination of alkynes, and this reaction has been used to advantage in the production of α,β-unsaturated imines from 1,3-enynes and pyrroles from 1,4-diynes. Likewise, catalyst design can be used to find complexes applicable to hydrohydrazination, coupling of a hydrazine and alkyne, which is a method for the production of hydrazones. Many of the hydrazones synthesized are converted to indoles through Fischer cyclization by addition of a Lewis acid. However, more complex products are available in a single catalytic cycle through coupling of isonitriles, primary amines, and alkynes to give tautomers of 1,3-diimines, iminoamination (IA). The products of IA are useful intermediates for the one-pot synthesis of pyrazoles, pyrimidines, isoxazoles, quinolines, and 2-amino-3-cyanopyridines. The regioselectivity of the reactions is elucidated in some detail for some of these heterocycles. The 2-amino-3-cyanopyridines are synthesized through isolable intermediates, 1,2-dihydro-2-iminopyridines, which undergo Dimroth rearrangement driven by aromatization of the pyridine ring; the proposed mechanism of the reaction is discussed. The IA-based heterocyclic syntheses can be accomplished start to finish (catalyst generation to heterocyclic synthesis) in a single vessel. The catalyst can be formed in situ from commercially available Ti(NMe2)4 and the protonated form of the ligand. Then, the primary amine, alkyne, and isonitrile are added to the flask, and the IA product is synthesized. The volatiles are removed (if necessary), and the next reagent is added. A brief video showing the process for the simple heterocycle 4-phenylpyrazole from phenylacetylene, cyclohexylamine, tert-butylisonitrile, and hydrazine hydrate is included. Further development in this field will unlock new, efficient reactions for the production of carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds. As an example of such a process recently discovered, a catalyst for the regioselective production of pyrazoles in a single step from terminal alkynes, hydrazines, and cyclohexylisonitrile is discussed. Using titanium catalysis, many heterocyclic cores can be accessed easily and efficiently. Further, the early metal chemistry described is often orthogonal to late metal-based reactions, which use substrates like aryl halides, silyl groups, boryl groups, and so forth. As a result, earth-abundant and nontoxic titanium can fulfill important roles in the synthesis of useful classes of compounds like heterocycles.

Evaluation of donor and steric properties of anionic ligands on high valent transition metals

Synthetic protocols and characterization data for a variety of chromium(VI) nitrido compounds of the general formula NCr(NPr(i)(2))(2)X are reported, where X = NPr(i)(2) (1), I (2), Cl (3), Br (4), OTf (5), 1-adamantoxide (6), OSiPh(3) (7), O(2)CPh (8), OBu(t)(F6) (9), OPh (10), O-p-(OMe)C(6)H(4) (11), O-p-(SMe)C(6)H(4) (12), O-p-(Bu(t))C(6)H(4) (13), O-p-(F)C(6)H(4) (14), O-p-(Cl)C(6)H(4) (15), O-p-(CF(3))C(6)H(4) (16), OC(6)F(5) (17), κ(O)-N-oxy-phthalimide (18), SPh (19), OCH(2)Ph (20), NO(3) (21), pyrrolyl (22), 3-C(6)F(5)-pyrrolyl (23), 3-[3,5-(CF(3))(2)C(6)H(3)]pyrrolyl (24), indolyl (25), carbazolyl (26), N(Me)Ph (27), κ(N)-NCO (28), κ(N)-NCS (29), CN (30), NMe(2) (31), F (33). Several different techniques were employed in the syntheses, including nitrogen-atom transfer for the formation of 1. A cationic chromium complex [NCr(NPr(i)(2))(2)(DMAP)]BF(4) (32) was used as an intermediate for the production of 33, which was produced by tin-catalyzed degredation of the salt. Using spin saturation transfer or line shape analysis, the free energy barriers for diisopropylamido rotation were studied. It is proposed that the estimated enthalpic barriers, Ligand Donor Parameters (LDPs), for amido rotation can be used to parametrize the donor abilities of this diverse set of anionic ligands toward transition metal centers in low d-electron counts. The new LDPs do not correlate well to the pK(a) value of X. Conversely, the LDP values of phenoxide ligands do correlate with Hammett parameters for the para-substituents. Literature data for (13)C NMR chemical shifts for a tungsten-based system with various X ligands plotted versus LDP provided a linear fit. In addition, the angular overlap model derived e(σ) + e(π) values for chromium(III) ammine complexes correlate with LDP values. Also discussed is the correlation with XTiCp*(2) spectroscopic data. X-ray diffraction has been used used to characterize 31 of the compounds. From the X-ray diffraction data, steric parameters for the ligands using the Percent Buried Volume and Solid Angle techniques were found.

Exploring the coordination modes of pyrrolyl ligands in bis(imido) uranium(VI) complexes

The preparation of a family of bis(imido) uranium(VI) complexes stabilized by mono- and bidentate pyrrolyl ancillary ligands is described. X-ray crystallographic studies of dipyrrolylmethane (dpm) derivatives show that the pyrrolyl coordination mode in these uranium(VI) ions is unexpected in comparison to analogous transition metal and lanthanide chemistry. The ability of the coordinated pyrrolyl moieties to undergo pyrrolyl isomerization has also been explored and demonstrates reactivity that is unique from structurally similar uranium(VI)-bis(cyclopentadienyl) derivatives.

Titanium dipyrrolylmethane derivatives: rapid intermolecular alkyne hydroamination.

Alkynes are rapidly hydroaminated by primary amines using titanium dipyrrolylmethane derivatives as catalyst.

A terminal molybdenum carbide prepared by methylidyne deprotonation

The carbide anion [CMo{N(R)Ar}3]– [R = C(CD3)2CH3, Ar = C6H3Me2-3,5], is obtained by deprotonation of the corresponding methylidyne compound, [HCMo{N(R)Ar}3], and is characterized by X-ray diffraction as its {K(benzo-15-crown-5)2}+ salt, thereby providing precedent for the carbon atom as a terminal substituent in transition-metal chemistry.

Effects of 5,5-substitution on dipyrrolylmethane ligand isomerization

The difference in steric profiles for eta(5) and eta(1)-pyrrolyls can be used to modify barriers for pyrrolyl exchange. The method investigated incorporated 1,3-diaxial interactions in a cyclohexyl backbone of the dipyrrolylmethane. Some of the enthalpic barrier created with the 1,3-steric interactions appears to be mediated by increased entropy in the ground state, but noticeable changes are produced in the pyrrolyl exchange rates by (1)H NMR without steric crowding at the metal center.

Zirconium complexes bearing a tetradentate dipyrrolyl ligand

Using a tetradentate, dianionic ligand several new zirconium complexes have been prepared. These pyrrolyl compounds, unlike their titanium analogues, are inactive in hydrohydrazination catalysis. However, they are quite stable, and their reactivity with H2NR, where R = Ph, C6H11, and NHPh, is reported here. Two of the complexes were characterized by X-ray diffraction.

Vanadium(V) hydrazido(2−) thiolate imine alkoxide complexes

The reaction of (Me(3)Si)(2)TIP with V(NNMe(2))(OAr)(3) results in the production of V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(OAr), where TIP is 2-((2-thiolatophenylimino)methylene)phenolate. The aryloxide is readily displaced by ISiMe(3) to form an insoluble iodide complex formulated as V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(I). The iodide was used to prepare three different complexes: [V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(dmpe)]I, [V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(Bu(t)bpy)][OTf], and [V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(Bu(t)bpy)][SbF(6)]. The phosphine derivative, [V(NNMe(2))(TIP)(dmpe)]I, was characterized by X-ray diffraction and shows a quite short N-N distance of 1.293(3) A indicative of a dominant isodiazene resonance form.

A 4-coordinate Ru(II) imido: unusual geometry, synthesis, and reactivity

A 4-coordinate Ru(II) imido complex, Ru(NAr)(PMe3)3 (1), can be prepared from cis-RuCl2(PMe3)4 and LiNHAr. The structure of the imido is perhaps best described as a flat-based trigonal pyramid with the imido in the equatorial plane. A possible explanation for the unusual geometry is discussed, along with some reactivity of 1.