The development of ligands that can promote selective insertion of a metal into primary or secondary C(sp3)–H bonds is a central challenge in the field of C–H functionalization. Here, we report a rare example of catalyst-controlled primary and secondary C(sp3)–H arylation using two different ligands. Successive application of these ligands enables the sequential hetero-diarylation of an alanine derivative with two different aryl iodides affording a wide range of β-Ar-β-Ar'-α-amino acids with excellent levels of diastereoselectivity (d.r. > 20:1). Both configurations of the β-chiral center can be accessed by choosing the order in which the aryl iodides are installed, thus demonstrating the potential to construct tertiary chiral centers from a simple methyl group. The realization of this reactivity by electronic and steric modulation of the ligands may provide fundamental guidance for the future design of more effective and selective catalysts for C(sp3)–H activation.

To optimize drug candidates, modern medicinal chemists are increasingly turning to an unconventional structural motif: small, strained ring systems. However, the difficulty of introducing substituents such as bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes, azetidines, or cyclobutanes often outweighs the challenge of synthesizing the parent scaffold itself. Thus, there is an urgent need for general methods to rapidly and directly append such groups onto core scaffolds. Here we report a general strategy to harness the embedded potential energy of effectively spring-loaded C–C and C–N bonds with the most oft-encountered nucleophiles in pharmaceutical chemistry, amines. Strain release amination can diversify a range of substrates with a multitude of desirable bioisosteres at both the early and late-stages of a synthesis. The technique has also been applied to peptide labeling and bioconjugation.

Hindered ethers represent an underexplored area of chemical space due to the difficulty and inoperability associated with conventional reactions, despite the high-value of such structural motifs in a variety of societal applications 1-2. For example, such motifs are highly coveted in medicinal chemistry, as extensive substitution about the ether bond prevents unwanted metabolic processes that can lead to rapid in vivo degradation. Demonstrated herein is an exceptionally simple solution to this problem that leverages the power of electrochemical oxidation to liberate *

Driven by the ever-increasing pace of drug discovery and the need to push the boundaries of unexplored chemical space, medicinal chemists are routinely turning to unusual strained bioisosteres such as bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, azetidine, and cyclobutane to modify their lead compounds. Too often, however, the difficulty of installing these fragments surpasses the challenges posed even by the construction of the parent drug scaffold. This full account describes the development and application of a general strategy where spring-loaded, strained C–C and C–N bonds react with amines to allow for the “any-stage” installation of small, strained ring systems. In addition to the functionalization of small building blocks and late-stage intermediates, the methodology has been applied to bioconjugation and peptide labeling. For the first time, the stereospecific strain-release “cyclopentylation” of amines, alcohols, thiols, carboxylic acids, and other heteroatoms is introduced. This report describes the development, synthesis, scope of reaction, bioconjugation, and synthetic comparisons of four new chiral “cyclopentylation” reagents.

Herein we report the synthesis of pyrroloindolines via a catalytic enantioselective formal [3+2] cycloaddition of C(3)-substituted indoles. This methodology utilizes 4-aryl-1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles as carbenoid precursors and the rhodium(II)-tetracarboxylate catalyst Rh2(S-PTAD)4. A variety of aryl-substituted pyrroloindolines were prepared in good yields and with high levels of enantioinduction.

Ortho-C(sp2)–H olefination and acetoxylation of broadly useful synthetic building blocks phenylacetyl Weinreb amides, esters, and ketones are developed without installing an additional directing group. The interplay between the distal weak coordination and the ligand-acceleration is crucial for these reactions to proceed under mild conditions. The tolerance of longer distance between the target C–H bonds and the directing functional groups also allows for the functionalizations of more distal C–H bonds in hydrocinnamoyl ketones, Weinreb amides and biphenyl Weinreb amides. Mechanistically, the coordination of these carbonyl groups and the bisdentate amino acid ligand with Pd(II) centers provides further evidence for our early hypothesis that the carbonyl groups of the potassium carboxylate is responsible for the directed C–H activation of carboxylic acids.

Pd(II)-catalyzed α-C(sp3)–H arylation of pyrrolidines, piperidines, azepanes and N-methyl amines with arylboronic acids has been developed for the first time. This transformation is applicable to both a wide array of pyrrolidines and boronic acids, including heteroaromatic boronic acids. A diastereoselective one-pot hetero-diarylation of pyrrolidines is also achieved.

A new series of lactam-derived EZH2 inhibitors was designed via ligand-based and physicochemical-property-based strategies to address metabolic stability and thermodynamic solubility issues associated with previous lead compound 1. The new inhibitors incorporated an sp hybridized carbon atom at the 7-position of the lactam moiety present in lead compound 1 as a replacement for a dimethylisoxazole group. This transformation enabled optimization of the physicochemical properties and potency compared to compound 1. Analysis of relationships between calculated log D (clogD) values and in vitro metabolic stability and permeability parameters identified a clogD range that afforded an increased probability of achieving favorable ADME data in a single molecule. Compound 23a exhibited the best overlap of potency and pharmaceutical properties as well as robust tumor growth inhibition in vivo and was therefore advanced as a development candidate (PF-06821497). A crystal structure of 23a in complex with the three-protein PRC2 complex enabled understanding of the key structural features required for optimal binding.