Ian A. Cade

Mechanistic studies into amine-mediated electrophilic arene borylation and its application in MIDA boronate synthesis.

Direct electrophilic borylation using Y(2)BCl (Y(2) = Cl(2) or o-catecholato) with equimolar AlCl(3) and a tertiary amine has been applied to a wide range of arenes and heteroarenes. In situ functionalization of the ArBCl(2) products is possible with TMS(2)MIDA, to afford bench-stable and easily isolable MIDA-boronates in moderate to good yields. According to a combined experimental and computational study, the borylation of activated arenes at 20 °C proceeds through an S(E)Ar mechanism with borenium cations, [Y(2)B(amine)](+), the key electrophiles. For catecholato-borocations, two amine dependent reaction pathways were identified: (i) With [CatB(NEt(3))](+), an additional base is necessary to accomplish rapid borylation by deprotonation of the borylated arenium cation (σ complex), which otherwise would rather decompose to the starting materials than liberate the free amine to effect deprotonation. Apart from amines, the additional base may also be the arene itself when it is sufficiently basic (e.g., N-Me-indole). (ii) When the amine component of the borocation is less nucleophilic (e.g., 2,6-lutidine), no additional base is required due to more facile amine dissociation from the boron center in the borylated arenium cation intermediate. Borenium cations do not borylate poorly activated arenes (e.g., toluene) even at high temperatures; instead, the key electrophile in this case involves the product from interaction of AlCl(3) with Y(2)BCl. When an extremely bulky amine is used, borylation again does not proceed via a borenium cation; instead, a number of mechanisms are feasible including via a boron electrophile generated by coordination of AlCl(3) to Y(2)BCl, or by initial (heteroarene)AlCl(3) adduct formation followed by deprotonation and transmetalation.

Haloboration of Internal Alkynes with Boronium and Borenium Cations as a Route to Tetrasubstituted Alkenes

Hail boration! 2-Dimethylaminopyridine-ligated dihaloborocations [X2B(2-DMAP)](+) with a strained four-membered boracycle were used for the haloboration of terminal and dialkyl internal alkynes (see scheme). Esterification then provided vinyl boronate esters as useful precursors to tetrasubstituted alkenes. Following mechanistic studies, the scope of the haloboration was expanded simply by variation of the amine. Pin = 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-butanedioxy.

Room Temperature Ring Expansion of N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes and BB Bond Cleavage of Diboron(4) Compounds

We report the isolation and detailed structural characterization, by solid-state and solution NMR spectroscopy, of the neutral mono- and bis-NHC adducts of bis(catecholato)diboron (B2 cat2 ). The bis-NHC adduct undergoes thermally induced rearrangement, forming a six-membered -B-C=N-C=C-N-heterocyclic ring via C-N bond cleavage and ring expansion of the NHC, whereas the mono-NHC adduct is stable. Bis(neopentylglycolato)diboron (B2 neop2 ) is much more reactive than B2 cat2 giving a ring expanded product at room temperature, demonstrating that ring expansion of NHCs can be a very facile process with significant implications for their use in catalysis.

syn‐1,2‐Carboboration of Alkynes with Borenium Cations

The reaction of 8-(trimethylsiloxy)quinoline (QOTMS) with BCl3 and (aryl)BCl2 forms QOBCl2 and QOBCl(aryl). The subsequent addition of stoichiometric AlCl3 follows one of two paths, dependent on the steric demands of the QO ligand and the electrophilicity of the resulting borenium cation. The phenyl- and 5-hexylthienylborenium cations, QOBPh+ and QOBTh+, are formed, whereas QOBCl+ is not. Instead, AlCl3 preferentially binds with QOBCl2 at oxygen, forming QOBCl2⋅AlCl3, rather than abstracting chloride. A modest increase in the steric demands around oxygen, by installing a methyl group at the 7-position of the quinolato ligand, switches the reactivity with AlCl3 back to chloride abstraction, allowing formation of QOBCl+. All the prepared borenium cations are highly chlorophilic and exhibit significant interaction with AlCl4− resulting in an equilibrium concentration of Lewis acidic “AlCl3” species. The presence of “AlCl3” species limits the alkyne substrates compatible with these borenium systems, with reaction of [QOBPh][AlCl4] with 1-pentyne exclusively yielding the cyclotrimerised product, 1,3,5-tripropylbenzene. In contrast, QOBPh+ and QOBTh+ systems effect the syn-1,2-carboboration of 3-hexyne. DFT calculations at the M06-2X/6-311G(d,p)/PCM(DCM) level confirm that the higher migratory aptitude of Ph versus Me leads to a lower barrier to 1,2-carboboration relative to 1,1-carboboration.

Synthesis of the enantiomer of the structure assigned to the natural product nobilisitine A

The synthesis of the enantiomer of the structure, 1, assigned to the natural product nobilisitine A has been accomplished using the enantiomerically pure cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 4 as starting material. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral data derived from compound ent-1 do not match those reported for the natural product, thus suggesting its structure has been incorrectly assigned.

gem-Dibromocyclopropanes and enzymatically derived cis-1,2-dihydrocatechols as building blocks in alkaloid synthesis*

The application of the title building blocks, the 6,6-dibromobicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes and the cis-1,2-dihydrocatechols, to the total synthesis of crinine and lycorinine alkaloids is described.

1-Borabenzonitrile (B-cyanoboratabenzene)

The reaction of 1-chloro-2-(trimethylsilyl)-1-boracyclohexa-2,5-diene with [(n)Bu(4)N]C≡N provides the 1-borabenzonitrile salt [(n)Bu(4)N][C(5)H(5)BC≡N] which in turn reacts with [Ru(4)(μ-Cl)(4)(η-C(5)Me(5))(4)] to afford the sandwich complex [Ru(η(6)-C(5)H(5)BC≡N)(η-C(5)Me(5))]. The bonding of 1-borabenzonitrile is discussed with recourse to crystallographic data for [(n)Bu(4)N][C(5)H(5)BC≡N] and [Ru(η(6)-C(5)H(5)BC≡N)(η-C(5)Me(5))].

1,1/1,2 Isomerisation in Lewis base adducts of B2cat2

Reaction of bis-catecholatodiborane and 1 or 2 equivalents of 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene or 4-picoline yields Lewis acid-base adducts. Recrystallisation enabled identification of an unexpected isomerisation from the 1,1-isomer to the 1,2-isomer. This observation was probed computationally with significantly different dipole moments calculated for the two effectively isoenergetic isomeric forms.

Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydro-4(1H)-quinolones and the Corresponding 4(1H)-Quinolones via Low-Temperature Fries Rearrangement of N-Arylazetidin-2-ones

N-Arylazetidin-2-ones of the general form 1, which are readily prepared by Goldberg–Buchwald-type copper-catalyzed coupling of N-unsubstituted azetidin-2-ones with the relevant aryl halide or using Mitsunobu cyclization processes, undergo smooth Fries-rearrangement in triflic acid at 0–18°C to give the isomeric 2,3-dihydro-4(1H)-quinolones (2). Dehydrogenation of the latter compounds using 10% Pd on C in 1.0 M aqueous sodium hydroxide/propan-2-ol mixtures at ca. 82°C provides the corresponding 4(1H)-quinolones (3).

Metabolism of stanozolol: chemical synthesis and identification of a major canine urinary metabolite by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation ion trap mass spectrometry.

The canine phase I and phase II metabolism of the synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroid stanozolol was investigated following intramuscular injection into a male greyhound. The major phase I biotransformation was hydroxylation to give 6alpha-hydroxystanozolol which was excreted as a glucuronide conjugate and was identified by comparison with synthetically derived reference materials. An analytical procedure was developed for the detection of this stanozolol metabolite in canine urine using solid phase extraction, enzyme hydrolysis of glucuronide conjugates and analysis by positive ion electrospray ionisation ion trap LC-MS.