Fabio Bellina

Transition Metal-Catalyzed Direct Arylation of Substrates with Activated sp3-Hybridized C−H Bonds and Some of Their Synthetic Equivalents with Aryl Halides and Pseudohalides

Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl metals and aryl halides or pseudohalides have emerged as a powerful methodology for the formation of Csp3-Csp2 bonds over the past decades.1 However, significant attention has also been focused on Pdand Ni-catalyzed Csp3-Csp2 bond-forming reactions that involve aryl metals and haloalkyl compounds lacking -hydrogen atoms as cross-coupling partners.2 In contrast, until a few years ago, few examples were reported in the literature concerning transition metalcatalyzed reactions of aryl metals with functionalized alkyl halides including R-halocarbonyl compounds and R-bromosulfones bearing -hydrogen atoms,3 and a single example of Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of aryl metals and unfunctionalized alkyl halides bearing -hydrogen atoms had been described.4 Only in recent years, successful procedures for the Pd-,5 Ni-,6 Rh-,7 Fe-,8 V-,9 Co-,10 and Cu-catalyzed11 cross-coupling reactions of aryl metals and unfunctionalized alkyl halides bearing -hydrogen atoms have been developed.12 Nevertheless, new, effective, and more environmentallybenignmethodologiesfortheformationof(cyclo)alkyl-aryl bonds, which require a reduced number of synthetic operations, have emerged as valuable alternatives to the conventional cross-coupling reactions. These methodologies (Scheme 1) are based on transition metal-catalyzed simple or 2-fold C-H bond functionalization according to the following approaches: (a) highly regioselective Pd-catalyzed direct arylation reactions of unactivated sp3-hybridized C-H bonds with aryl halides (eq a, Scheme 1);13 (b) Pd-catalyzed direct alkylation reactions of aryl C-H bonds with alkyl metals (eq b, Scheme 1);14 Au-15 or Pdcatalyzed16 direct alkylation reactions of aryl C-H bonds with alkyl halides or pseudohalides (eq c, Scheme 1); (d) Pd-catalyzed arylations of unactivated sp3-hybridized C-H bonds with aryl metals (eq d, Scheme 1);14c (e) Pd-, Ru-, or Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of sp3-hybridized C-H bonds with arylboronic acids using air as oxidant (eq d, Scheme 1);17 and (f) cross-dehydrogenative coupling of alkyl and aryl C-H bonds (eq e, Scheme 1).18 Finally, great attention, particularly in the past decade, has also been focused on the design, development, and application of transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl halides and pseudohalides with a wide variety of substrates containing activated sp3-hybridized C-H bonds (eq f, Scheme 1). A mini-review on this topic was published by Scolastico and Poli in 1999,19 and three excellent reviews that concern the results obtained in this rapidly growing area of extensive research by the groups of Miura, Natsume, Hartwig, and Buchwald up to the end of 2002 were published by Miura,20 Hartwig,21 and Lloyd-Jones22 a few years later. However, the reviews by Miura20 and Hartwig21 were limited in that they fundamentally emphasized the author’s own work and * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rossi@dcci.unipi.it. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 1082–1146 1082

Synthesis of 3-arylisocoumarins, including thunberginols A and B, unsymmetrical 3,4-disubstituted isocoumarins, and 3-ylidenephthalides via iodolactonization of methyl 2-ynylbenzoates or the corresponding carboxylic acids

3-Aryl-4-iodoisocoumarins, which were readily and efficiently prepared by regioselective iodolactonization of methyl 2-ynylbenzoates or the corresponding carboxylic acids, were used as precursors either to 3-arylisocoumarins, including naturally-occurring thunberginols A and B, or to unsymmetrical 3,4-disubstituted isocoumarins. On the other hand, (Z)- and (E)-3-iodomethylidenephthalides, which were regioselectively prepared by iodolactonization of methyl 2-ethynylbenzoate, were employed as starting materials for the stereospecific synthesis of (Z)- and (E)-3-ylidenephthalides, respectively. Some 3-arylisocoumarins and unsymmetrical 3,4-disubstituted isocoumarins showed certain cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines in vitro.

Direct Palladium-Catalyzed C-3 Arylation of Free (NH)-Indoles with Aryl Bromides under Ligandless Conditions

A new method for the efficient, practical, and highly regioselective direct palladium-catalyzed C-3 arylation of free (NH)-indole and its electron-rich 1-unsubstituted derivatives under ligandless conditions is described. The reactions, which are run outside a glovebox without purification of solvent and reagents, involve treatment of free (NH)-indoles with activated, unactivated, and deactivated aryl bromides in refluxing toluene in the presence of K2CO3 as the base and a catalyst system consisting of a combination of Pd(OAc)2 and benzyl(tributyl)ammonium chloride. The experimental results are consistent with a catalytic cycle based on an electrophilic palladation pathway at the 3-position of 1-indolyl potassium salts.

Regioselective Synthesis of Natural and Unnatural (Z)-3-(1-Alkylidene)phthalides and 3-Substituted Isocoumarins Starting from Methyl 2-Hydroxybenzoates

Abstract ( Z )-3-(1-Alkylidene)phthalides and 3-substituted isocoumarins, which include compounds bearing a substituent on their benzene ring, have been selectively and efficiently synthesized by a new protocol which involves: (i) the conversion of methyl 2-hydroxybenzoates into the corresponding nonaflates; (ii) Pd-catalyzed alkynylation reactions of these derivatives; (iii) the conversion of the so obtained methyl 2-(1-alkynyl)benzoates into the corresponding carboxylic acids followed by a transition metal-catalyzed heteroannulation reaction. This procedure has been used to prepare either natural products such as senkyunolide B, senkyunolide C, 3-propylisocoumarin and artemidin, or the MEM-ether of senkyunolide E. The regioselectivity of the transition metal-catalyzed cyclization reactions of 2-(1-alkynyl)benzoic acids has proven to be affected either by the catalyst used or the type of 1-alkynyl group present in these carboxylic acids.

New procedures for the selective synthesis of 2(2H)-pyranone derivatives and 3-aryl-4-iodoisocoumarins

Abstract 5-Iodo-2(2 H )-pyranone derivatives have been selectively synthesized by reaction of stereodefined methyl 2-en-4-ynoates with iodine in MeCN, CH 2 Cl 2 or C 6 H 6 at 20°C (Method C) or by treatment of these esters with ICl in CH 2 Cl 2 at 20°C (Method B). Methods B and C proved also to be suitable for the preparation of 3-aryl-4-iodoisocoumarins from the corresponding methyl 2-(arylethynyl)benzoates. Interestingly, the high selectivity of iodolactonization of stereodefined methyl 2-en-4-ynoates by Method B allowed preparation in moderate yields of 2(2 H )-pyranone derivatives by a one-pot sequence of iodolactonization and Stille-type reactions.

Studies on the transition metal catalyzed synthesis of variously substituted (E)-3-[1-(aryl)methylidene]- and (E)-3-(1-alkylidene)-3H-furan-2-ones

5-Aryl and 5-alkyl substituted (E)-3-[1-(aryl)methylidene]- and (E)-3-(1-alkylidene)-3H-furan-2-ones, (E)-9, have been selectively synthesized by cyclization of the corresponding (E)-2-(1-alkynyl)-3-aryl/alkylpropenoic acids, (E)-11, in the presence of AgNO3 or Pd-catalysts such as trans-di(μ-acetato)bis[(di-o-tolylphosphino)benzyl]dipalladium(II) or that constituted of a mixture of Et3N and PdCl2(PhCN)2 or PdCl2(CH3CN)2. in a 3 : 1 molar ratio, respectively. A representative (E)-5-aryl-3-[1-(aryl)methylidene]-3H-furan-2-one, i.e. (E)-9i, has been also prepared by a tandem process involving a Pd(O)- and Cu(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between an 1-alkyne and a (Z)-3-aryl-2-bromopropenoic acid followed by a catalytic intramolecular oxypalladation of the resulting cross-coupled product. However, when this same approach was used to prepare an (E)-5-alkyl-3-[1-(aryl)methylidene]-3H-furan-2-one, i.e. (E)-9j, a mixture of (E)-9j and the corresponding (E)(Z)-5-(1-alkylidene)-3-(aryl)methyl-5H-furan-2-one, i.e. (E)(Z)-20, was obtained. Finally, in an attempt to prepare an (E)-4-alkyl-5-aryl-3-[1-(aryl)methylidene]-3H-furan-2-one, i.e. (E)-14a, by a tandem process involving the intramolecular oxypalladation of an (E)-enynoic acid, (E)-11, followed by a cross-coupling reaction of the resulting compound with an aryl iodide, a (Z)-5-(1-alkynyl)-4-aryl-3-arylmethyl-5H-furan-2-one, i.e. (Z)-22, has been stereoselectively obtained.

The Heck reaction in ionic liquids: progress and challenges.

As the interest for environmental increases and environmental laws become more stringent, the need to replace existing processes with new more sustainable technologies becomes a primary objective. The use of ionic liquids to replace organic solvents in metal catalyzed reactions has recently gained much attention and great progress has been accomplished in this area in the last years. This paper reviews the recent developments in the application of ionic liquids and related systems (supported ionic liquids, ionic polymers, and so on) in the Heck reaction. Merits and achievements of ionic liquids were analyzed and discussed considering the possibility of increasing the effectiveness of industrial processes.

Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of stereodefined 3-[(1,1-unsymmetrically disubstituted)methylidene]isobenzofuran-1(3H)-ones and stereodefined 5-[(1,1-unsymmetrically disubstituted)methylidene]furan-2(5H)-ones

Abstract Treatment of (hetero)aryl halides with 2-(1-alkynyl)benzoic acids or ( Z )-2-en-4-ynoic acids in the presence of K 2 CO 3 and a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 provides reaction mixtures in which stereodefined 3-[(1,1-unsymetrically disubstituted)methylidene]isobenzofuran-1(3 H )-ones and stereodefined 5-[(1,1-unsymmetrically disubstituted)methylidene]furan-2(5 H )-ones, respectively, are the major products.

Selective synthesis of natural and unnatural 5,6-disubstituted 2(2H)-pyranones via iodolactonization of 5-substituted (Z)-2-en-4-ynoic acids

Abstract Reaction of 5-substituted ( Z )-2-en-4-ynoic acids with iodine and NaHCO 3 in CH 3 CN or with ICl in CH 2 Cl 2 affords mixtures of ( E )-5-(1-iodoylidene)-2(5 H )-furanones and 6-substituted 5-iodo-2(2 H )-pyranones in which these last compounds are the major products. The 5-iodo-2(2 H )-pyranones, which are easily separated chromatographically from the corresponding regioisomers, are able to undergo Stille-type reactions with a variety of organotin compounds to give 5,6-disubstituted 2(2 H )-pyranones in moderate to good yields. One of these compounds, i.e. 5-(1-butynyl)-2(2 H )-pyranone, has been used as direct precursor to two substances produced by fungal culture LL-11G219, which function as androgen ligands, i.e. ( Z )-5-(1-butenyl)-6-methyl-2(2 H )-pyranone and 5-butyl-6-methyl-2(2 H )-pyranone.

Vascular disrupting activity of tubulin-binding 1,5-diaryl-1H-imidazoles.

Highly cytotoxic 1,5-diaryl-1H-imidazoles were studied to clarify the relationship between cytotoxicity and activity as vascular disrupting agents (VDA). All the compounds disorganized the tubulin cytoskeleton, affected endothelial cell morphology and capillary formation in vitro, and caused vessel shutdown and tumor necrosis in vivo, thus confirming their vascular disrupting properties. Nonetheless, the substitution patterns on the imidazole ring, responsible for greater interaction energy with tubulin and higher cytotoxicity, were not associated to greater vascular disrupting activity.