Durga Prasad Hari

The photocatalyzed Meerwein arylation: classic reaction of aryl diazonium salts in a new light.

The use of diazonium salts for aryl radical generation and C-H arylation processes has been known since 1896 when Pschorr first used the reaction for intramolecular cyclizations. Meerwein developed it further in the early 1900s into a general arylation method. However, this reaction could not compete with the transition-metal-mediated formation of C(sp(2))-C(sp(2)) bonds. The replacement of the copper catalyst with iron and titanium compounds improved the situation, but the use of photocatalysis to induce the one-electron reduction and activation of the diazonium salts is even more advantageous. The first photocatalyzed Pschorr cyclization was published in 1984, and just last year a series of papers described applications of photocatalytic Meerwein arylations leading to aryl-alkene coupling products. In this Minireview we summarize the origins of this reaction and its scope and applications.

Metal-Free, Visible-Light-Mediated Direct C–H Arylation of Heteroarenes with Aryl Diazonium Salts

Visible light along with 1 mol % eosin Y catalyzes the direct C-H bond arylation of heteroarenes with aryl diazonium salts by a photoredox process. We have investigated the scope of the reaction for several aryl diazonium salts and heteroarenes. The general and easy procedure provides a transition-metal-free alternative for the formation of aryl-heteroaryl bonds.

Eosin Y catalyzed visible light oxidative C-C and C-P bond formation.

Eosin Y catalyzes efficiently the visible light mediated coupling of sp(3) C-H bonds adjacent to the nitrogen atom in tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives in the absence of an external oxidant. Nitroalkanes, dialkyl malonates, malononitrile, and dialkyl phophonates were used as pronucleophiles in this metal-free, visible light oxidative coupling reaction.

Visible light photocatalytic synthesis of benzothiophenes.

The photocatalytic reaction of o-methylthio-arenediazonium salts with alkynes yields substituted benzothiophenes regioselectively through a radical annulation process. Green light irradiation of eosin Y initiates the photoredox catalysis. The scope of the reaction was investigated by using various substituted diazonium salts and different alkynes.

Visible-Light-Mediated α-Arylation of Enol Acetates Using Aryl Diazonium Salts

Visible light mediates efficiently the α-arylation of enol acetates by aryl diazonium salts under mild conditions using [Ru(bpy)(3)]Cl(2) as a photoredox catalyst. The broad scope of the reaction toward various diazonium salts and enol acetates was explored. The application of this reaction in the concise synthesis of 2-substituted indoles was demonstrated.

Cyclic Hypervalent Iodine Reagents for Atom‐Transfer Reactions: Beyond Trifluoromethylation

Hypervalent iodine compounds are privileged reagents in organic synthesis because of their exceptional reactivity. Among these compounds, cyclic derivatives stand apart because of their enhanced stability. They have been widely used as oxidants, but their potential for functional-group transfer has only begun to be investigated recently. The use of benziodoxol(on)es for trifluoromethylation (Tognis reagents) is already widely recognized, but other transformations have also attracted strong interest recently. In this Review, the development in the area since 2011 will be presented. After a short summary of synthetic methods to prepare benziodoxol(on)e reagents, their use to construct carbon-heteroatom and carbon-carbon bonds will be presented. In particular, the introduction of alkynes by using ethynylbenziodoxol(on)e (EBX) reagents has been highly successful. Breakthroughs in the introduction of alkoxy, azido, difluoromethyl, and cyano groups will also be described.

Photocatalytic Arylation of Alkenes, Alkynes and Enones with Diazonium Salts

Teaching old dogs new tricks: Visible light photoredox catalysis improves the classic Meerwein arylation protocol significantly and allows the light-controlled arylation of alkenes, alkynes and enones by diazonium salts.

The Photoredox‐Catalyzed Meerwein Addition Reaction: Intermolecular Amino‐Arylation of Alkenes

A variety of amides are efficiently accessible under mild conditions by intermolecular amino-arylation using a photo Meerwein addition with visible light. The reaction has a broad substrate scope, tolerates a large range of functional groups, and was applied to the synthesis of a 3-aryl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline.

Fast and Highly Chemoselective Alkynylation of Thiols with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents Enabled through a Low Energy Barrier Concerted Mechanism

Among all functional groups, alkynes occupy a privileged position in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and materials science. Thioalkynes, in particular, are highly useful, as they combine the enhanced reactivity of the triple bond with a sulfur atom frequently encountered in bioactive compounds and materials. Nevertheless, general methods to access these compounds are lacking. In this article, we describe the mechanism and full scope of the alkynylation of thiols using ethynyl benziodoxolone (EBX) hypervalent iodine reagents. Computations led to the discovery of a new, three-atom concerted transition state with a very low energy barrier, which rationalizes the high reaction rate. On the basis of this result, the scope of the reaction was extended to the synthesis of aryl- and alkyl-substituted alkynes containing a broad range of functional groups. New sulfur nucleophiles such as thioglycosides, thioacids, and sodium hydrogen sulfide were also alkynylated successfully to lead to the most general and practical method yet reported for the synthesis of thioalkynes.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxy-Alkynylation of Diazo Compounds with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents

Alkynes have found widespread applications in synthetic chemistry, biology, and materials sciences. In recent years, methods based on electrophilic alkynylation with hypervalent iodine reagents have made acetylene synthesis more flexible and efficient, but they lead to the formation of one equivalent of an iodoarene as side-product. Herein, a more efficient strategy involving a copper-catalyzed oxy-alkynylation of diazo compounds with ethynylbenziodoxol(on)e (EBX) reagents is described, which proceeds with generation of nitrogen gas as the only waste. This reaction is remarkable for its broad scope in both EBX reagents and diazo compounds. In addition, vinyl diazo compounds gave enynes selectively as single geometric isomers. The functional groups introduced during the transformation served as easy handles to access useful building blocks for synthetic and medicinal chemistry.