No abstract

The amide functionality is found in a wide variety of biological and synthetic structures such as proteins, polymers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Due to the fact that synthetic amides are still mainly produced by the aid of coupling reagents with poor atom-economy, the direct catalytic formation of amides from carboxylic acids and amines has become a field of emerging importance. A general, efficient and selective catalytic method for this transformation would meet well with the increasing criterias for green 10 chemistry. This review covers catalytic and synthetically relevant methods for direct condensation of carboxylic acids and amines. A comprehensive overview of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic methods is presented, covering biocatalysis, Lewis acid catalysts based on boron and metals as well an assortment of other types of catalysts.

Rhodium(II) azavinyl carbenes, conveniently generated from 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles, undergo a facile, mild and convergent formal 1,3-insertion into N–H and O–H bonds of primary and secondary amides, various alcohols, and carboxylic acids to afford a wide range of vicinally bis-functionalized Z-olefins with perfect regio- and stereoselectively. Utilizing the distinctive functionality installed through these reactions, a number of subsequent rearrangements and cyclizations expand the repertoire of valuable organic building blocks constructed by reactions of transition metal carbene complexes, including α-allenyl ketones and amino-substituted heterocycles.

Allyl alcohols were converted to allyl boronic acids and subsequently to trifluoro(allyl)borates with tetrahydroxy diboron using palladium pincer-complex catalysis. These reactions are regio- and stereoselective proceeding with high isolated yields. Competitive boronation experiments indicate that under the applied reaction conditions the allylic displacement of a hydroxy group is faster than the displacement of an acetate leaving group. It is assumed that the hydroxy group of the allyl alcohol is converted to a diboronic acid ester functionality, which can easily be substituted.

An efficient one-pot procedure was designed by integration of the pincer-complex-catalyzed borylation of allyl alcohols in the Petasis borono-Mannich reaction and in allylation of aldehydes and ketones. These procedures are suitable for one-pot synthesis of alpha-amino acids and homoallyl alcohols from easily available allyl alcohol, amine, aldehyde, or ketone substrates. In the presented transformations, the active allylating agents are in situ generated allyl boronic acid derivatives. These transient intermediates are proved to be reasonably acid-, base-, alcohol-, water-, and air-stable species, which allows a high level of compatibility with the reaction conditions of the allylation of various aldehyde/ketone and imine electrophiles. The boronate source of the reaction is diboronic acid or in situ hydrolyzed diboronate ester ensuring that the waste product of the reaction is nontoxic boric acid. The regio- and stereoselectivity of the reaction is excellent, as almost all products form as single regio- and stereoisomers. The described procedure is suitable to create quaternary carbon centers in branched allylic products without formation of the corresponding linear allylic isomers. Furthermore, products comprising three stereocenters were formed as single products without formation of other diastereomers. Because of the highly disciplined consecutive processes, up to four-step, four-component transformations could be performed selectively as a one-pot sequence. For example, stereodefined pyroglutamic acid could be prepared from a simple allyl alcohol, a commercially available amine, and glyoxylic acid in a one-step procedure. The presented method also grants an easy access to stereodefined 1,7-dienes that are useful substrates for Grubbs ring-closing metathesis.

Selective HCOOH decomposition to H2/CO2 on Au: Au species catalyze HCOOH dehydrogenation at higher rates than on Pt, previously considered the most active metal. Dehydrogenation occurs through formate decomposition limited by H2 desorption on Au species undetectable by TEM. CO did not form (<10 ppm), making products suitable for low‐temperature fuel cells.

An iron-catalyzed coupling reaction of O-acyloximes and O-benzoyl amidoximes with silyl enol ethers is reported. The protocol provides access to functionalized pyrroles, 1,6-ketonitriles, pyrrolines and imidazolines via carbon-centered radicals generated from an initially formed iminyl radical. The intramolecular cyclization and ring-opening processes of the iminyl radical take place preferentially over reactions that proceed through a 1,3-hydrogen transfer, providing insights into iron-catalyzed reactions with oxime derivatives. The cheap and environmentally friendly iron catalyst, the broad substrate scope and the functional group compatibility make this protocol useful for synthesis of valuable nitrogen-containing products.

A highly efficient and stereoselective arylation of in situ generated azavinyl carbenes affording 2,2-diaryl enamines at ambient temperatures has been developed. These transition metal carbenes are directly produced from readily available and stable 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles in the presence of a rhodium carboxylate catalyst. In several cases, the enamines generated in this reaction can be cyclized into substituted indoles employing copper catalysts.