ConspectusOlefin functionalization represents one of the most important synthetic transformations in organic synthesis. Over the past decades, palladium-catalyzed enantioselective Heck reactions, and Heck/anion-capture domino sequences through olefin carbopalladation followed by termination of the resulting alkyl-Pd species have been extensively developed. Extension of the coupling partners from classical olefins to other π-components would enable further advances and open new space in this field. Aromatics are important and easily available bulk chemicals. Dearomative transformation of endocyclic aromatic π-bonds via the Heck reaction pathway provides an efficient and straightforward route to structurally diverse alicyclic compounds. Nevertheless, major challenges for this transformation include aromaticity breaking and reactivity and selectivity issues.Recently, we have engaged in developing catalytic enantioselective dearomative Heck reactions and related domino reactions. A range of heteroarenes and naphthalenes have been employed as novel π-coupling partners in these reactions. Through dearomative migratory insertion of endocyclic aromatic C–C π-bonds followed by interception of the transient alkyl-Pd species, enantioselective Heck reactions, reductive Heck reactions, Heck/anion-capture difunctionalization reactions, and heteroarenyne cycloisomerization reactions have been established. Relying on β-H elimination of the alkyl-Pd intermediate, we realized enantioselective dearomative Heck reactions with a range of aromatic partners, including heterocyclic indoles, pyrroles, furans, benzofurans, and more challenging carbocyclic naphthalenes. In order to avoid the utilization of organohalide electrophiles, heteroarenyne cycloisomerization reaction was developed by merging intermolecular alkyne hydropalladation with intramolecular dearomative Heck reaction. Cycloisomerization of alkyne-tethered indoles delivered chiral indolines in excellent enantioselectivities with 100% atom economy. On the other hand, Heck/anion-capture domino sequences were established through nucleophilic trapping of the alkyl-Pd intermediate. When HCO2Na was employed as a capturing reagent, the enantioselective dearomative reductive Heck reaction of indoles was realized. By employing other nucleophiles, including alkynes, N-sulfonylhydrazones, and organoboron reagents, we developed a series of dearomative difunctionalization reactions. Two vicinal stereocenters with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities were constructed in the corresponding Heck/Sonogashira, Heck/vinylation, and Heck/borylation reactions. Moreover, dearomative 1,4-diarylation of naphthalenes was developed through Heck/Suzuki domino reactions, in which competitive C–H arylation and the direct Suzuki reaction were almost fully inhibited in the presence of a spiro-phosphoramidite ligand.In this Account, we provide a panoramic view of our results since 2015 on enantioselective Heck reactions and related domino sequences by extending the coupling partners from classical olefins to aromatic systems. Investigations outlined in this Account established straightforward and efficient access to a variety of structurally diverse chiral heteropolycyclic molecules starting from simple and planar aromatic compounds.
A Pd-catalyzed intramolecular dearomative [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of naphthalenes with arylalkynes is developed. The protocol provides a straightforward method to access a range of polycyclic dihydronaphthalenes containing two vicinal all-carbon stereocenters in moderate yields under mild conditions in an air atmosphere. The deuterium labeling experiment suggests a pathway involving electrophilic dearomatization followed by Friedel–Crafts cyclization. Several synthetic transformations of the product were conducted to demonstrate the utility of this reaction.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Abstract The extensively developed ene‐type enantioselective cycloisomerization of classical 1,n‐enynes provides an efficient approach to chiral cyclic 1,4‐dienes. In contrast, the catalytic asymmetric heteroarenyne (heteroarene–alkyne) cycloisomerization involving the dearomative transformation of endocyclic aromatic C=C bonds remains unknown. Herein, we communicate a PdH‐catalyzed enantioselective heteroarenyne cycloisomerization reaction of alkyne‐tethered indole substrates (formal 1,5‐ and 1,6‐enynes). Based on this strategy, a variety of structurally diverse chiral spiro and fused indoline derivatives bearing quaternary stereocenters and exocyclic C=C bonds are afforded in moderate to excellent yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee). The classical ene‐type enantioselective 1,5‐enyne cycloisomerization of N ‐vinylpropiolamides is also developed to afford chiral 2‐pyrrolones in good to excellent ee values.
Highly enantioselective palladium-catalyzed dearomative reductive Heck reaction and domino Heck-Suzuki reaction of 2-CF3-indoles have been developed. Using Pd(OAc)2/(R)-Synphos as the catalyst and Et3SiH as a hydride source, a variety of indolines bearing a 2-trifluoromethyl quaternary stereocenter were obtained via a dearomative reductive Heck reaction. Alternatively, using Pd(dba)2/phosphoramidite as the catalyst and Ar4BNa as a coupling partner, structurally diverse indolines containing two vicinal carbon stereocenters were afforded through the domino dearomative Heck-Suzuki reaction.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Dearomative functionalization reactions represent an important strategy for the synthesis of valuable three-dimensional molecules from simple planar aromatics. Naphthalene is a challenging arene towards transition-metal-catalyzed dearomative difunctionalization reactions. Reported herein is an application of naphthalene as a masked conjugated diene in a palladium-catalyzed dearomative 1,4-diarylation or 1,4-vinylarylation reaction via tandem Heck/Suzuki sequence. Three types of 1,4-dihydronaphthalene-based spirocyclic compounds are achieved in excellent regio- and diastereoselectivities. Key to this transformation is the inhibition of a few competitive side reactions, including intramolecular naphthalenyl C-H arylation, intermolecular Suzuki cross-coupling, dearomative 1,2-difunctionalization, and dearomative reductive-Heck reaction. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations imply that the facile exergonic dearomative insertion of a naphthalene double bond disrupts the sequence of direct Suzuki coupling, leading to the tandem Heck/Suzuki coupling reaction. The observed regioselectivity towards 1,4-difunctionalization is due to the steric repulsions between the introduced aryl group and the spiro-scaffold in 1,2-difunctionalization.