The ability to differentiate between highly similar C−H bonds in a given molecule remains a fundamental challenge in organic chemistry. In particular, the lack of sufficient steric and electronic differences between C−H bonds located distal to functional groups has prevented the development of site-selective catalysts with broad scope. An emerging approach to circumvent this obstacle is to utilize the distance between a target C−H bond and a coordinating functional group, along with the geometry of the cyclic transition state in directed C−H activation, as core molecular recognition parameters to differentiate between multiple C−H bonds. In this Perspective, we discuss the advent and recent advances of this concept. We cover a wide range of transition-metalcatalyzed, template-directed remote C−H activation reactions of alcohols, carboxylic acids, sulfonates, phosphonates, and amines. Additionally, we review eminent examples which take advantage of non-covalent interactions to achieve regiocontrol. Continued advancement of this distance-and geometry-based differentiation approach for regioselective remote C−H functionalization reactions may lead to the ultimate realization of molecular editing: the freedom to modify organic molecules at any site, in any order.

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Ni-catalyzed C(sp 3)-O bond activation provides a useful approach to synthesize enantioenriched products from readily available enantioenriched benzylic alcohol derivatives. The control of stereospecificity is key to the success of these transformations. To elucidate the reversed stereospecificity and chemoselectivity of Ni-catalyzed Kumada and cross-electrophile coupling reactions with benzylic ethers, a combined computational and experimental study is performed to reach a unified mechanistic understanding. Kumada coupling proceeds via a classic cross-coupling mechanism. Initial rate-determining oxidative addition occurs with stereoinversion of the benzylic stereogenic center. Subsequent transmetallation with the Grignard reagent and syn reductive elimination produces the Kumada coupling product with overall stereoinversion at the benzylic position. The cross-electrophile coupling reaction initiates with the same benzylic CO bond cleavage and transmetallation to form a common benzylnickel intermediate. However, the presence of the tethered alkyl chloride allows a facile intramolecular S N 2 attack by the benzylnickel moiety. This step circumvents the competing Kumada coupling, leading to the excellent chemoselectivity of cross-electrophile coupling. These mechanisms account for the observed stereospecificity of the Kumada and cross-electrophile couplings, providing a rationale for double inversion of the benzylic stereogenic center in cross-electrophile coupling. The improved mechanistic understanding will enable design of stereoselective transformations involving Ni-catalyzed C(sp 3)-O bond activation.

The stereospecific reductive cross-electrophile coupling reaction of 2-vinyl-4-halotetrahydropyrans for vinylcyclopropane synthesis is reported. The nickel-catalyzed reaction occurs with both alkyl fluorides and alkyl chlorides. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported cross-electrophile coupling reaction of an alkyl fluoride. Ring contraction proceeds with high stereospecificity, providing selective synthesis of either diastereomer of di- and trisubstituted cyclopropanes. The utility of this methodology is demonstrated by several synthetic applications including the synthesis of the natural product dictyopterene A. 2-Vinyl-4-fluorotetrahydrofurans also undergo stereospecific ring contractions, providing access to synthetically useful hydroxymethyl cyclopropanes.

Metrics & MoreArticle Recommendations CONSPECTUS: Enolate alkylation and conjugate addition into an α,β-unsaturated system have served as long-standing strategic disconnections for the installation of αor β-substituents on carbonyl-containing compounds. At the onset of our efforts to develop C−H activation reactions for organic synthesis, we set our eye toward developing asymmetric β-C−H activation reactions of aliphatic acids with the perspective that this bond-forming event could serve as a more flexible retrosynthetic surrogate for both canonical carbonyl-related asymmetric transformations.In this Account, we describe our early efforts using strongly coordinating chiral oxazolines to probe reaction mechanism and the stereochemical nature of the C−H cleavage transition state. The characterization of key reactive intermediates through Xray crystallography and computational studies suggested a transition state with C−H and Pd−OAc bonds being approximately coplanar for optimum interaction. We then moved forward to develop more practical, weakly coordinating monodentate amide directing groups, a necessary advance toward achieving the β-C−H activation of weakly coordinating native carboxylic acids. Throughout this journey, gradual deconvolution between a substrate's directing effect and its intimate interplay with ligand properties has culminated in the design of new ligand classes that ultimately allowed the competency of native carboxylic acids in β-C−H activation. These efforts established the importance of ligand acceleration in Pd-catalyzed C−H activation, where the substrate's weak coordination is responsible for positioning the catalyst for C−H cleavage, while the direct participation from the bifunctional ligand is responsible for enthalpically stabilizing the C−H cleavage transition state. Building upon these principles, we developed five classes of chiral ligands (MPAA, MPAQ, MPAO, MPAThio, MPAAM) to enable enantioselective β-C−H activation reactions, including carbon−carbon and carbon−heteroatom bond formation. The accumulated data from our developed enantioselective C−H activation reactions indicate that ligands possessing point chirality are most effective for imparting stereoinduction in the C−H activation step, the application of which enabled the desymmetrization and subsequent C−H functionalization of enantiotopic carbon and protons across a range of weakly coordinating arylamides and, more recently, free carboxylic acids. Progress in ligand design, in conjunction with the enabling nature of alkali metal countercations, led to the realization of a suite of β-methyl and now methylene C(sp 3 )−H activation reactions. These advancements also enabled the use of economical oxidants, such as peroxides and molecular oxygen, to facilitate catalyst turnover. In the future, continued progress in designing more efficient bifunctional chiral ligands is likely to provide a myriad of enantioselective β-C−H activation reactions of readily available native substrates.