cheng Shi

Synthesis of Biaryls through Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Amides by Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Cleavage.

The first Ni-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of amides for the synthesis of widely occurring biaryl compounds through N-C amide bond activation is reported. The reaction tolerates a wide range of electron-withdrawing, electron-neutral, and electron-donating substituents on both coupling partners. The reaction constitutes the first example of the Ni-catalyzed generation of aryl electrophiles from bench-stable amides with potential applications for a broad range of organometallic reactions.

Efficient Synthesis of Diaryl Ketones by Nickel-Catalyzed Negishi Cross-Coupling of Amides by Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Cleavage at Room Temperature Accelerated by a Solvent Effect.

The first Negishi cross-coupling of amides for the synthesis of versatile diaryl ketones by selective C-N bond activation under exceedingly mild conditions is reported. The cross-coupling was accomplished with bench-stable, inexpensive precatalyst [Ni(PPh3 )2 Cl2 ] that shows high functional-group tolerance and enables the synthesis of highly functionalized diaryl ketone motifs. The coupling occurred with excellent chemoselectivity favoring the ketone (cf. biaryl) products. Notably, this process represents the mildest conditions for amide N-C bond activation accomplished to date (room temperature, <10 min). Considering the versatile role of polyfunctional biaryl ketone linchpins in modern organic synthesis, availability, and excellent functional-group tolerance of organozinc reagents, this strategy provides a new platform for amide N-C bond/organozinc cross-coupling under mild conditions.

Ground-State Distortion in N-Acyl-tert-butyl-carbamates (Boc) and N-Acyl-tosylamides (Ts): Twisted Amides of Relevance to Amide N-C Cross-Coupling.

Amide N-C(O) bonds are generally unreactive in cross-coupling reactions employing low-valent transition metals due to nN → π*C═O resonance. Herein we demonstrate that N-acyl-tert-butyl-carbamates (Boc) and N-acyl-tosylamides (Ts), two classes of acyclic amides that have recently enabled the development of elusive amide bond N-C cross-coupling reactions with organometallic reagents, are intrinsically twisted around the N-C(O) axis. The data have important implications for the design of new amide cross-coupling reactions with the N-C(O) amide bond cleavage as a key step.

Structures of Highly Twisted Amides Relevant to Amide N-C Cross-Coupling: Evidence for Ground-State Amide Destabilization.

Herein, we show that acyclic amides that have recently enabled a series of elusive transition-metal-catalyzed N-C activation/cross-coupling reactions are highly twisted around the N-C(O) axis by a new destabilization mechanism of the amide bond. A unique effect of the N-glutarimide substituent, leading to uniformly high twist (ca. 90°) irrespective of the steric effect at the carbon side of the amide bond has been found. This represents the first example of a twisted amide that does not bear significant steric hindrance at the α-carbon atom. The (15) N NMR data show linear correlations between electron density at nitrogen and amide bond twist. This study strongly supports the concept of amide bond ground-state twist as a blueprint for activation of amides toward N-C bond cleavage. The new mechanism offers considerable opportunities for organic synthesis and biological processes involving non-planar amide bonds.

Decarbonylative Cyanation of Amides by Palladium Catalysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides is a process of significant importance in the preparation pharmaceuticals, organic materials and agrochemicals. Here, we demonstrate a palladium-catalyzed decarbonylative cyanation of amides by highly selective carbon-nitrogen bond cleavage for the synthesis of a wide range of aryl nitriles. The utility of this technology is demonstrated by the synthesis of isotopically labeled aryl nitriles and orthogonal cross-coupling reactions of bench-stable amides to establish cross-coupling synthons with opposite polarity.

Metal-Free Transamidation of Secondary Amides via Selective N–C Cleavage under Mild Conditions

Nonplanar, electronically destabilized amides have emerged as powerful intermediates in organic synthesis. We report a highly selective method for transamidation of common secondary amides under mild, metal-free conditions that relies on transient N-selective functionalization to weaken amidic resonance. The combination of rational modification of the amide bond with nucleophilic addition mechanism, and the thermodynamic collapse of the resultant tetrahedral intermediate constitutes a two-step procedure to accomplish a challenging transamidation of secondary amides under mild conditions.

Highly Chemoselective Synthesis of Indolizidine Lactams by SmI2 -Induced Umpolung of the Amide Bond via Aminoketyl Radicals: Efficient Entry to Alkaloid Scaffolds.

Samarium(II) iodide enables a wide range of highly chemoselective umpolung radical transformations proceeding by electron transfer to carbonyl groups; however, cyclizations of important nitrogen-containing precursors have proven limited due to their prohibitive redox potential. Herein, we report the first reductive cyclizations of unactivated cyclic imides onto N-tethered olefins using SmI2 /H2 O. This new umpolung protocol leads to the rapid synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles that are of particular significance as precursors to pharmaceutical pharmacophores and numerous classes of alkaloids. The reaction conditions tolerate a wide range of functional groups. Excellent chemoselectivity is observed in the cyclization over amide and ester functional groups. Such unconventional reactivity has important implications for the design and optimization of new bond-forming reactions by umpolung radical processes. The reaction advances the SmI2 cyclization platform to the challenging unactivated N-tethered acyl-type radical precursors to access nitrogen-containing architectures.

Reversible Twisting of Primary Amides via Ground State N–C(O) Destabilization: Highly Twisted Rotationally Inverted Acyclic Amides

Since the seminal studies by Pauling in 1930s, planarity has become the defining characteristic of the amide bond. Planarity of amides has central implications for the reactivity and chemical properties of amides of relevance to a range of chemical disciplines. While the vast majority of amides are planar, nonplanarity has a profound effect on the properties of the amide bond, with the most common method to restrict the amide bond relying on the incorporation of the amide function into a rigid cyclic ring system. In a major departure from this concept, here, we report the first class of acyclic twisted amides that can be prepared, reversibly, from common primary amides in a single, operationally trivial step. Di-tert-butoxycarbonylation of the amide nitrogen atom yields twisted amides in which the amide bond exhibits nearly perpendicular twist. Full structural characterization of a range of electronically diverse compounds from this new class of twisted amides is reported. Through reactivity studies we demonstrate unusual properties of the amide bond, wherein selective cleavage of the amide bond can be achieved by a judicious choice of the reaction conditions. Through computational studies we evaluate structural and energetic details pertaining to the amide bond deformation. The ability to selectively twist common primary amides, in a reversible manner, has important implications for the design and application of the amide bond nonplanarity in structural chemistry, biochemistry and organic synthesis.

Proton-coupled electron transfer in the reduction of carbonyls using SmI2–H2O: implications for the reductive coupling of acyl-type ketyl radicals with SmI2–H2O

Samarium diiodide-water (SmI2-H2O) reagents have emerged as some of the most practical systems enabling reduction and reductive cyclizations of ketyl radicals. Recently, this reaction manifold has been extended to acyl-type radicals generated from cyclic polar carboxylic acid derivatives. However, the relationship between the fundamental electron- and proton-transfer steps in the generation of ketyl-type radicals with SmI2-H2O remains unclear. An intriguing scenario involves an initial proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism from SmI2-H2O to the carbonyl group. Herein, we calculate with high accuracy bond dissociation free energies (BDFE) for the O-H bond in ketyl radicals in 14 cyclic and acyclic ketone, ester, imide and amide substrates and in anthracene relevant to reductions with SmI2-H2O and quantitatively assess the feasibility of concerted PCET in the reduction of carbonyl groups using SmI2-H2O. Reduction potentials of all substrates have been calculated. The data argue against concerted PCET from SmI2-H2O to carbonyl substrates.

Mechanistic Study of SmI2/H2O and SmI2/Amine/H2O-Promoted Chemoselective Reduction of Aromatic Amides (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary) to Alcohols via Aminoketyl Radicals

Samarium(II) iodide-water and samarium(II) iodide-water-amine complexes have been recognized as valuable reagents for the selective generation of aminoketyl radicals from amides and derivatives. The resulting aminoketyl radicals can undergo reduction or reductive cyclization pathways, providing a powerful method for (i) direct synthesis of alcohols from amides by the challenging N-C bond scission and (ii) synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles via polarity reversal of the amide bond. This report describes mechanistic investigation into samarium(II) iodide-water and samarium(II) iodide-water-amine-mediated generation of benzylic aminoketyl radicals from aromatic primary, secondary, and tertiary amides (benzamides). The mechanistic experiments suggest that the rate and selectivity of the reduction is closely dependent on the water concentration and the type of amide undergoing the reduction. The data also suggest that benzylic aminoketyl radicals generated in the reduction of benzamides are significantly more dependent on the electronic effects of α-substitution than the corresponding aminoketyl radicals generated by single-electron transfer to unactivated aliphatic amides; however, little variation in terms of steric influence of N-substituents is observed. These observations will have implications for the design of reductive processes involving Sm(II)-mediated reduction of amides and reductive umpolung cyclizations via aminoketyl radicals as a key step.