Jian-Jun Dai

Borylation of primary and secondary alkyl bromides catalyzed by Cu2O nanoparticles

A Cu2O nanoparticle catalyzed borylation of activated and unactivated alkyl bromides is developed, using bis(pinacolato)diboron as a boron source. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a heterogeneous Cu2O nanocatalyst applied in the direct synthesis of primary and secondary alkylboronic esters. Our catalytic system features mild reaction conditions, high yield (nearly 100%) and the absence of ligands which otherwise are essential in homogenous catalysis.

Directed alkynylation of unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds with ethynylbenziodoxolones mediated by DTBP

A general and efficient method for the direct alkynylation of unactivated C(sp3)–H bonds under metal-free conditions is described. The reaction performs smoothly under mild conditions and shows excellent functional-group tolerance. Initial mechanistic investigation indicates that the reaction may involve a radical pathway.