Ryosuke Takise

Nickel‐Catalyzed α‐Arylation of Ketones with Phenol Derivatives

The nickel-catalyzed α-arylation of ketones with readily available phenol derivatives (esters and carbamates) provides access to useful α-arylketones. For this transformation, 3,4-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)thiophene (dcypt) was identified as a new, enabling, air-stable ligand for this transformation. The intermediate of an assumed C-O oxidative addition was isolated and characterized by X-ray crystal-structure analysis.

Ligand-Enabled Cross-Coupling of C(sp3)–H Bonds with Arylsilanes

Pd(II)-catalyzed cross-coupling of C(sp(3))-H bonds with organosilicon coupling partners has been achieved for the first time. The use of a newly developed quinoline-based ligand is essential for the cross-coupling reactions to proceed.

Ligand‐Promoted Borylation of C(sp3)H Bonds with Palladium(II) Catalysts

A quinoline-based ligand effectively promotes the palladium-catalyzed borylation of C(sp(3))-H bonds. Primary β-C(sp(3))-H bonds in carboxylic acid derivatives as well as secondary C(sp(3))-H bonds in a variety of carbocyclic rings, including cyclopropanes, cyclobutanes, cyclopentanes, cyclohexanes, and cycloheptanes, can thus be borylated. This directed borylation method complements existing iridium(I)- and rhodium(I)-catalyzed C-H borylation reactions in terms of scope and operational conditions.

Decarbonylative Diaryl Ether Synthesis by Pd and Ni Catalysis

Because diaryl ethers are present as an important motif in pharmaceuticals and natural products, extensive studies for the development of novel methods have been conducted. A conventional method for the construction of the diaryl ether moiety is the intermolecular cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides and phenols with a copper or palladium catalyst. We developed a catalytic decarbonylative etherification of aromatic esters using a palladium or nickel catalyst with our enabling diphosphine ligand to give the corresponding diaryl ethers. The present reaction can be conducted on gram scale in excellent yield. This reaction not only functions in an intramolecular setting but also allows for a cross-etherification using other phenols.

Cyanation of Phenol Derivatives with Aminoacetonitriles by Nickel Catalysis

Generation of useful arylnitrile structures from simple aromatic feedstock chemicals represents a fundamentally important reaction in chemical synthesis. The first nickel-catalyzed cyanation of phenol derivatives with metal-free cyanating agents, aminoacetonitriles, is described. A nickel-based catalytic system consisting of a unique diphosphine ligand such as dcype or dcypt enables the cyanation of versatile phenol derivatives such as aryl carbamates and aryl pivalates. The use of aminoacetonitriles as a cyanating agent leads to an environmentally and easy-to-use method for arylnitrile synthesis.

Dynamic Ligand Exchange as a Mechanistic Probe in Pd-Catalyzed Enantioselective C–H Functionalization Reactions Using Monoprotected Amino Acid Ligands

A new tool for probing enantioselective reaction mechanisms is introduced. Monitoring the temporal change in product enantiomeric excess after addition of the opposite enantiomer of the ligand during the reaction provides a means of probing dynamic ligand exchange in enantioselective C-H iodination catalyzed by Pd with monoprotected amino acid ligands (MPAAs). This work has general potential to provide insights about the dynamics of catalyst and ligand molecularity and exchange.

Pd-Catalyzed Decarbonylative C-H Coupling of Azoles and Aromatic Esters.

A decarbonylative C-H coupling of azoles and aromatic esters by palladium catalysis is described. Our previously reported Ni-catalyzed C-H coupling of azoles and aromatic esters has a significant drawback regarding the substrate scope. Herein, we employ palladium catalysis instead of nickel, resulting in a broader substrate scope in terms of azoles and aromatic esters.