Themed collection Editors’ collection: Catalytic Organic Transformations

This review is about the momentous evolution of transient directing group assisted C–H functionalizations promoted by three major second row transition metals.

This review provides a summary of recent metal-catalysed approaches for the synthesis of cyclopenta[b]indoles.

The developments in the carbonylative transformations of aryl chlorides and aryl tosylates have been collected and discussed.

This review summarizes the preparation of amines involving homogeneous transition metal catalysed hydrosilylation including reductions of imines, amides, nitro and nitriles, reductive aminations and N-methylation of amines with CO₂.

Recent developments of ruthenium-catalyzed atom-economic transformations for dehydrogenative amide synthesis are reviewed.

Aryl chlorides are readily available at lower cost than the corresponding bromides and iodides, but are much more challenging as substrates in metal-catalyzed cross-couplings.

A facile formation of 3-aminooxindole derivatives from the reaction of 1,3-diketones with isatin (N-Boc) via an asymmetric Mannich reaction catalyzed by chiral cinchona alkaloid based squaramide containing H-bond donor catalysts.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of unsymmetrical allyl diarylmethanes through a Lewis acid catalysed 1,6-conjugate addition of allylsilanes to para-quinone methides is described.

An efficient organocatalytic method was developed for synthesizing functionalized spiropyrazolone derivatives by using a Michael-aldol consecutive reaction.

An efficient strategy for the synthesis of 2-(2H-1,2,3-triazole-2-yl)aniline derivatives from 2-aryl-1,2,3-triazoles and sulfonylazides through ruthenium-catalyzed intermolecular C–H amidation is achieved.

An enantioselective Pd-catalyzed silicon–carbon bond-forming silylation reaction of aryl iodides with hydrosilanes for the synthesis of silicon-stereogenic silanes has been developed with good enantioselectivity under mild conditions.

An efficient palladium-catalyzed C–H cyanation reaction of arenes using α-iminonitrile as a new cyanating reagent has been developed.

A general and practical strategy has been developed to prepare aurone derivatives.

The copper and triphenylphosphine-promoted sulfenylation of quinones with arylsulfonyl chlorides has been developed under mild conditions with moderate to good yields. This is the first time to prepare arylthioquinones with arylsulfonyl chlorides.

We report herein a tandem Ir(III)-catalyzed C–H activation and annulation reactions for the synthesis of isoquinolines. This novel method affords an alternative strategy for the construction of diverse and useful isoquinoline derivatives.

We disclose a novel and efficient synthesis of 2-substituted quinazolines by aerobic photooxidative reaction catalyzed by magnesium iodide.

Gold-catalyzed ring-opening reactions of oxygen-containing heterocycles.

An iodine/CuI mediated double oxidative C–H amination reaction has been developed for the synthesis of 2-iodo-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines, which can serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) of marketed drugs like saripidem and nicopidem.

Many various aminoquinolines-derived sulfones were obtained in moderate to high yields via copper(II)-catalyzed direct C(sp²)–H sulfonylation of aminoquinolines with sodium sulfinates.

N-Formylation of amines with CO₂ and PhSiH₃ catalyzed by a copper complex.

An efficient and highly regioselective synthesis of fully substituted furans has been described using Ca(OTf)₂. The reaction proceeds through tandem alkylation, 5-exo dig cyclisation and isomerization under solvent free conditions.

A facile and efficient method for the synthesis of alkynones by a Pd-catalyzed carbonylative Sonogashira coupling reaction starting from aryl iodide, terminal alkyne and chloroform (CHCl₃) as the CO source is described.

An efficient and regioselective cobalt-catalyzed synthesis of multi-substituted pyrroles is reported by the use of readily available enamides and alkynes.

A copper-catalyzed and iodide promoted aerobic C–C bond cleavage/C–N bond formation reaction between ketone and simple amine was developed toward the synthesis of amides.

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation of olefins is achieved by an earth-abundant metal cobalt catalyst. A range of alkene substrates including those with functional groups have been hydrogenated in high yields.

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective copper-catalyzed propargylic alkylations of morpholine-derived cyclic enamines have been developed by the employment of a less sterically hindered chiral tridentate P,N,N-ligand.

Various N-arylsulfonamides were prepared from nitroarenes and arylsulfonyl hydrazides via hydrogen transfer methodology.

A novel and highly efficient cascade synthesis of sulfonated quinoline dione derivatives from N-(2-cyanoaryl) methylacrylamides and sulfonylhydrazides in good yields is described.

A new and general method for the synthesis of phosphonoisoquinolinediones has been achieved through copper-catalyzed phosphonation–cyclization of various methacryloylbenzamides with P(O)H compounds.

The nickel(II)-catalyzed ortho-arylation of unactivated C–H bonds utilizing amino acids as directing groups with aryl iodides or bromides as coupling electrophiles is described.

Non-precious metal copper-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-hydrosilylation of β-aryl or β-alkyl-substituted N-aryl β-enamino esters proceeded in air in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (26 examples, 90–98% ee).

N-heterocyclic carbene–palladium(II)-catalyzed cross-coupling of benzylammonium salts with arylboronic acids for the synthesis of diarylmethane derivatives via C–N bond activation has been developed.

An efficient and green protocol for the synthesis of 3-acylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines utilizing I₂ as a catalyst and H₂O₂ as an oxidant under neat condition or in water was developed.

An efficient method was developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical N-arylsulfamides using sulfamoyl azides and arylboronic acids in the presence of 10 mol% of copper chloride as the catalyst.

A simple and compatible catalytic system for one-pot transformation of alkynes into chiral alcohols was developed.

Pd(t-Bu₃P)₂/KOAc proved to be a good combination for one-pot synthesis of N–H phenanthridinones with up to 95% yield.

A direct cobalt-catalyzed oxidative coupling between C(sp²)–H in unactivated benzamides and C(sp³)–H in simple alkanes, ethers and toluene derivatives was explored.

A cobalt(II)-catalyzed reaction for highly selective C5-sulfonylation of quinolines via insertion of sulfur dioxide is developed, leading to diverse sulfonated quinolines in moderate to good yields.

Enantioselective organocatalytic domino reactions of in situ generated ortho-quinone methides with malononitrile and β-functionalized ketones have been developed. This strategy could generate various chiral chromenes in high yields and stereoselectivities.

A novel CuCl/air-mediated oxidative cross-coupling of imidazoheterocycles with glycine esters has been developed.

Valuable N-fused heterocycles were successfully obtained via Rh(III)-catalyzed sequential C–H activation and annulation.

A Pd catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of a benzyltrimethylammonium salt is described. This reaction offers a highly efficient approach to diarylmethanes and also paves the way for the application of benzyltrimethylammonium salts in Pd catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.

A novel method for Eosin Y-catalyzed photooxidation of triarylphosphines under visible light irradiation and aerobic conditions was reported.

A new Ag-catalyzed oxidative bicyclization of N-tethered 1,7-enynes with alkylcarboxylic acids for forming 41 examples of polycyclic 3,4-dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones has been established using readily accessible K₂S₂O₈ as an oxidant.

A visible-light-induced decarboxylative amination of N-protected indoline-2-carboxylic acids and azodicarboxylate esters catalyzed by Rose Bengal has been developed.

We report the first example of copper(II) catalyzed remote C–H nitration of 8-aminoquinoline amides by using sodium nitrite as nitration reagent under mild conditions in 1 minute which undergoes single electron process.

For the first time, an iron(II) catalyst is used in the biphasic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones to enantioenriched alcohols employing water and potassium formate as the proton and hydride source, respectively.

A highly efficient, one-pot Fe(NO₃)₃/TEMPO-catalyzed protocol for aerobic oxidative synthesis of quinazolinones from easily accessible primary alcohols and 2-aminobenzamides with molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant.

Cu(II)-catalyzed C6-selective C–H thiolation of 2-pyridones with aryl and alkyl disulfides to provide functional thioethers has been achieved.

L-Isoleucine derived bifunctional N-acylaminophosphine catalyzed a [3 + 2]-annulation reaction between allenyl carbonyl compounds and isatinimines to afford a facile and asymmetric access to 3,2′-dihydropyrrolyl spirooxindoles.

An efficient Pd(0)-catalyzed radical cascade difluoroalkylation/cyclization of acrylamide with ethyl difluorobromoacetate was described.

A wide range of Rh(III)-catalyzed ortho-olefinated 7-azaindole derivatives as well as novel tetracyclic heterorings were achieved, which could served as useful starting materials for the construction of biological molecules.

The asymmetric palladium-catalysed alkylation of structurally diverse nucleophiles, including alcohols, activated methylene compounds, indoles, and aromatic amines, led to the formation of corresponding products in good yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).

An ionic Ru pincer complex was demonstrated to be highly efficient catalyst for conversion of aldoximes and aldehydes into corresponding primary amides with environmental benignity, operational convenience and catalytic loading as low as 0.5 mol%.

An efficient copper-catalyzed oxidative decarboxylative amination of arylacetic acids with 2-aminobenzoketones and ammonium acetate under an oxygen atmosphere was first developed.

A series of 2-aminoquinolines were afforded by Co(acac)₂ catalyzed isocyanide insertion with 2-vinylanilines under an O₂ atmosphere.

A ligand-free Pd-catalyzed approach has been developed for the synthesis of dibenzo-fused naphthyridines.

Derivatized indolizines were efficiently prepared by direct C-3 arylation of indolizines using sodium arylsulfinates and arylsulfonyl hydrazides in good yields.

A facile [3 + 2]cycloaddition/oxidation/aromatization cascade reaction for the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and indolizino[8,7-b]indoles has been developed by employing tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI).

The threefold cross-coupling reactivity of sterically highly demanding bulky triarylbismuths was addressed with task specific Pd–Cu dual catalytic conditions.