An organocatalytic method for the modular synthesis of diverse N‐aryl and N‐alkyl azaheterocycles (indoles, oxindoles, benzimidazoles, and quinoxalinediones) is reported. The method employs a small‐ring organophosphorus‐based catalyst (1,2,2,3,4,4‐hexamethylphosphetane P‐oxide) and a hydrosilane reductant to drive the conversion of ortho‐functionalized nitroarenes into azaheterocycles through sequential intermolecular reductive C−N cross coupling with boronic acids, followed by intramolecular cyclization. This method enables the rapid construction of azaheterocycles from readily available building blocks, including a regiospecific approach to N‐substituted benzimidazoles and quinoxalinediones.
The direct reductive N-arylation of nitromethane by organophosphorus-catalyzed reductive C-N coupling with arylboronic acid derivatives is reported. This method operates by the action of a small ring organophosphorus-based catalyst (1,2,2,3,4,4-hexamethylphosphetane P-oxide) together with a mild terminal reductant hydrosilane to drive the selective installation of the methylamino group to (hetero)aromatic boronic acids and esters. This method also provides for a unified synthetic approach to isotopically-labeled N-methylanilines from various stable isotopologues of nitromethane (i.e. CD 3 NO 2 , CH 3 15 NO 2 and 13 CH 3 NO 2 ), revealing this easy-to-handle compound as a versatile precursor for the direct installation of the methylamino group.
An organophosphorus-catalyzed method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical hydrazines by cross-selective intermolecular N−N reductive coupling is reported. This method employs a small ring phosphacycle (phosphetane) catalyst together with hydrosilane as the terminal reductant to drive reductive coupling of nitroarenes and anilines with good chemoselectivity and functional group tolerance. Mechanistic investigations support an autotandem catalytic reaction cascade in which the organophosphorus catalyst drives two sequential and mechanistically distinct reduction events via P III /P V O cycling in order to furnish the target N−N bond.
A synthetic method for the reductive transformation of nitroarenes into ortho-aminated and -annulated products is reported. The method operates via the exhaustive deoxygenation of nitroarenes by an organophosphorus catalyst and a mild terminal reductant to access aryl nitrenes, which after ring expansion, are trapped by amine nucleophiles to give dearomatized 2-amino-3Hazepines. Treatment of these ring-expanded intermediates with acyl electrophiles triggers 6π electrocyclization to extrude the nitrogen atom and restore aromaticity of the phenyl ring, which delivers via C−H functionalization 2-aminoanilide and benzimidazole products.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.