Bing Zheng

Palladium-catalyzed direct intermolecular α-arylation of amides with aryl chlorides.

An efficient catalytic system for the direct intermolecular α-arylation of acetamide derivatives with aryl chlorides is presented. Chemoselectivities up to 10:1 in the mono- and diarylation of acetamides were achieved by careful selection of bases, solvents, and stoichiometry. Bis-arylated amides were prepared in up to 95% yield.

Diaryl sulfoxides from aryl benzyl sulfoxides: a single palladium-catalyzed triple relay process.

A novel approach to produce diaryl sulfoxides from aryl benzyl sulfoxides is reported. Optimization of the reaction conditions was performed using high-throughput experimentation techniques. The [Pd(dba)2 ]/NiXantPhos catalyst system successfully promotes a triple relay process involving sulfoxide α-arylation, CS bond cleavage, and CS bond formation. The byproduct benzophenone is formed by an additional palladium-catalyzed process. It is noteworthy that palladium-catalyzed benzylative CS bond cleavage of sulfoxides is unprecedented. A wide range of aryl benzyl sulfoxides, as well as alkyl benzyl sulfoxides with various (hetero)aryl bromides were employed in the triple relay process in good to excellent yields (85-99 %). Moreover, aryl methyl sulfoxides, dibenzyl sulfoxides, and dimethylsulfoxide could be utilized to generate diaryl sulfoxides involving multiple catalytic cycles by a single catalyst.

Palladium-Catalyzed Direct α-Arylation of Methyl Sulfones with Aryl Bromides

A direct and efficient approach for palladium-catalyzed arylation of aryl and alkyl methyl sulfones with aryl bromides has been developed. The catalytic system affords arylated sulfones in good to excellent yields (73-90%).

Cobalt–Bisoxazoline-Catalyzed Asymmetric Kumada Cross-Coupling of Racemic α-Bromo Esters with Aryl Grignard Reagents

The first cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric Kumada cross-coupling with high enantioselectivity has been developed. The reaction affords a unique strategy for the enantioselective arylation of α-bromo esters catalyzed by a cobalt-bisoxazoline complex. A variety of chiral α-arylalkanoic esters were prepared in excellent enantioselectivity and yield (up to 97% ee and 96% yield). The arylated products were transformed into α-arylcarboxylic acids and primary alcohols without erosion of ee. The new enantioenriched α-arylpropionic esters synthesized herein are potentially useful in the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This method was conducted on gram-scale and applied to the synthesis of highly enantioenriched (S)-fenoprofen and (S)-ar-turmerone.

Palladium-Catalyzed α-Arylation of Methyl Sulfonamides with Aryl Chlorides

A Palladium-catalyzed α-arylation of sulfonamides with aryl chlorides is presented. A Buchwald type precatalyst formed with Kwongs indole-based ligand enabled this transformation to be compatible with a large variety of methyl sulfonamides and aryl chlorides in good to excellent yields. Importantly, under the optimized reaction conditions, only mono-arylated products were observed. This method has been applied to the efficient synthesis of sumatriptan, which is used to treat migraines.

Arylation of Azaarylmethylamines with Aryl Chlorides and a NiBr2/NIXANTPHOS-based Catalyst

A nickel-catalyzed coupling of azaarylmethylamines with aryl chlorides has been achieved. NIXANTPHOS together with low cost NiBr2 was successfully developed and optimized to exhibit high reactivity at 2.5 mol % loading. Under optimized reaction conditions, aryl(azaaryl)methylamine products were afforded in good to excellent yields (22 examples, up to 98% yield).

Highly Enantioselective Addition of Phenylethynylzinc to Aldehydes Catalyzed by Chiral Cyclopropane-Based Amino Alcohols

The enantioselective addition of phenylethynylzinc to aldehydes catalyzed by a series of cyclopropane-based amino alcohol ligands 7 was investigated. The reactions afforded chiral propargylic alcohols in high yields (up to 96%) and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) under mild conditions. Furthermore, studies on the structural relationship show that the matching of the chiral center configuration is crucial to obtain the high enantioselectivity.