Pick your Pd partners: A number of catalytic systems have been developed for palladium-catalyzed CH activation/CC bond formation. Recent studies concerning the palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling of CH bonds with organometallic reagents through a PdII/Pd0 catalytic cycle are discussed (see scheme), and the versatility and practicality of this new mode of catalysis are presented. Unaddressed questions and the potential for development in the field are also addressed.

In the past decade, palladium-catalyzed CH activation/CC bond-forming reactions have emerged as promising new catalytic transformations; however, development in this field is still at an early stage compared to the state of the art in cross-coupling reactions using aryl and alkyl halides. This Review begins with a brief introduction of four extensively investigated modes of catalysis for forming CC bonds from CH bonds: PdII/Pd0, PdII/PdIV, Pd0/PdII/PdIV, and Pd0/PdII catalysis. A more detailed discussion is then directed towards the recent development of palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling of CH bonds with organometallic reagents through a PdII/Pd0 catalytic cycle. Despite the progress made to date, improving the versatility and practicality of this new reaction remains a tremendous challenge.

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Palladium(II)-catalyzed C-H activation/C-C cross-coupling reactions: versatility and practicality.

Catalytic dehydrogenative cross-coupling: forming carbon-carbon bonds by oxidizing two carbon-hydrogen bonds

Once considered the 'holy grail' of organometallic chemistry, synthetically useful reactions employing C-H bond activation have increasingly been developed and applied to natural product and drug synthesis over the past decade. The ubiquity and relative low cost of hydrocarbons makes C-H bond functionalization an attractive alternative to classical C-C bond forming reactions such as cross-coupling, which require organohalides and organometallic reagents. In addition to providing an atom economical alternative to standard cross - coupling strategies, C-H bond functionalization also reduces the production of toxic by-products, thereby contributing to the growing field of reactions with decreased environmental impact. In the area of C-C bond forming reactions that proceed via a C-H activation mechanism, rhodium catalysts stand out for their functional group tolerance and wide range of synthetic utility. Over the course of the last decade, many Rh-catalyzed methods for heteroatom-directed C-H bond functionalization have been reported and will be the focus of this review. Material appearing in the literature prior to 2001 has been reviewed previously and will only be introduced as background when necessary. The synthesis of complex molecules from relatively simple precursors has long been a goal for many organic chemists. The ability to selectively functionalize a molecule with minimal pre-activation can streamline syntheses and expand the opportunities to explore the utility of complex molecules in areas ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to materials science. Indeed, the issue of selectivity is paramount in the development of all C-H bond functionalization methods. Several groups have developed elegant approaches towards achieving selectivity in molecules that possess many sterically and electronically similar C-H bonds. Many of these approaches are discussed in detail in the accompanying articles in this special issue of Chemical Reviews. One approach that has seen widespread success involves the use of a proximal heteroatom that serves as a directing group for the selective functionalization of a specific C-H bond. In a survey of examples of heteroatom-directed Rh catalysis, two mechanistically distinct reaction pathways are revealed. In one case, the heteroatom acts as a chelator to bind the Rh catalyst, facilitating reactivity at a proximal site. In this case, the formation of a five-membered metallacycle provides a favorable driving force in inducing reactivity at the desired location. In the other case, the heteroatom initially coordinates the Rh catalyst and then acts to stabilize the formation of a metal-carbon bond at a proximal site. A true test of the utility of a synthetic method is in its application to the synthesis of natural products or complex molecules. Several groups have demonstrated the applicability of C-H bond functionalization reactions towards complex molecule synthesis. Target-oriented synthesis provides a platform to test the effectiveness of a method in unique chemical and steric environments. In this respect, Rh-catalyzed methods for C-H bond functionalization stand out, with several syntheses being described in the literature that utilize C-H bond functionalization in a key step. These syntheses are highlighted following the discussion of the method they employ.

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Rhodium-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation via Heteroatom-Directed C-H Bond Activation

4.3. Reaction Mechanism 2373 4.4. Asymmetric Synthesis 2374 4.5. Outlook 2374 5. Alternating Polymerization of Oxiranes and CO2 2374 5.1. Reaction Outlines 2374 5.2. Catalyst 2376 5.3. Asymmetric Polymerization 2377 5.4. Immobilized Catalysts 2377 6. Synthesis of Urea and Urethane Derivatives 2378 7. Synthesis of Carboxylic Acid 2379 8. Synthesis of Esters and Lactones 2380 9. Synthesis of Isocyanates 2382 10. Hydrogenation and Hydroformylation, and Alcohol Homologation 2382

Transformation of carbon dioxide.

Green Chemistry is a relatively new emerging field that strives to work at the molecular level to achieve sustainability. The field has received widespread interest in the past decade due to its ability to harness chemical innovation to meet environmental and economic goals simultaneously. Green Chemistry has a framework of a cohesive set of Twelve Principles, which have been systematically surveyed in this critical review. This article covers the concepts of design and the scientific philosophy of Green Chemistry with a set of illustrative examples. Future trends in Green Chemistry are discussed with the challenge of using the Principles as a cohesive design system (93 references).

Green Chemistry: Principles and Practice

Several novel synthetic reactions of arenes and alkanes discovered and investigated in our laboratory are summarized here. These include olefin arylation, hydroarylation of alkynes, hydroxylation of arenes, carboxylation of arenes and alkanes, and aminomethylation and acetoxylation of alkanes. Most of these reactions are catalyzed by highly electrophilic transition metal cationic species generated in situ in an acid medium, involving electrophilic metalation of C−H bonds of arenes and alkanes which lead to the formation of aryl−metal and alkyl−metal σ-complexes.

Catalytic functionalization of arenes and alkanes via C-H bond activation.

Efficient electrophilic metalation of aromatic C-H bonds leading to new C-C bond formation through regio- and stereoselective addition to alkynes and alkenes has been realized by a catalytic amount (0.02 to 5 mole percent) of palladium(II) or platinum(II) compounds in a mixed solvent containing trifluoroacetic acid at room temperature. Various arenes undergo unexpected selective trans hydroarylation to terminal or internal CcC bonds inter- and intramolecularly with high efficiency (up to a turnover number of 4500 for palladium), especially for electron-rich arenes, giving thermodynamically unfavorable cis-alkenes, and the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. The simplicity, generality, and efficiency of this process should be very attractive to the possible industrial application for the functionalization of arenes.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/287/5460/1992.full.pdf

Efficient Activation of Aromatic C-H Bonds for Addition to C-C Multiple Bonds

Efficient trans-hydroarylation of alkynes by simple arenes has been realized regio- and stereoselectively at room temperature in the presence of Pd(II) or Pt(II) catalysts and a mixed solvent containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Various arenes undergo trans-hydroarylation selectively across terminal and internal C−C triple bondsincluding those conjugated to CHO, COMe, CO2H, and CO2Et groups, affording kinetically controlled cis-arylalkenes predominantly in most cases, especially, in good yields for electron-rich arenes and activated alkynes. The formation of arene/alkyne 1/2 or 2/1 adducts as side products is dependent on the arenes' and alkynes' substituents, which can be suppressed in some cases by changing the catalyst, catalyst concentration, and reaction time. The Pt(II) system, PtCl2/2AgOAc/TFA, shows lower catalytic activity than Pd(OAc)2/TFA, but higher selectivity, giving higher yields of adducts at the same conversion. On the basis of several isotope experiments and control reactions, a possib...

Novel Pd(II)- and Pt(II)-Catalyzed Regio- and Stereoselective trans-Hydroarylation of Alkynes by Simple Arenes

Highly Efficient Pd-Catalyzed Coupling of Arenes with Olefins in the Presence of tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide as Oxidant

A new and general method has been developed for preparation of coumarins and quinolinones by intramolecular hydroarylation of alkynes. Various aryl alkynoates and alkynanilides undergo fast intramolecular reaction at room temperature in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)(2) in a mixed solvent containing trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), affording coumarins and quinolinones in moderate to excellent yields with more than 1000 turnover numbers (TON) to Pd. The methodology proved to tolerate a number of functional groups such as Br and CHO. On the basis of isotope experiments, a possible mechanism involving ethynyl chelation-assisted electrophilic metalation of aromatic C-H bonds by in-situ generated cationic Pd(II) species has been discussed. Also the involvement of vinylcationic species has been suggested.

Chengguo Jia

Papers

Catalytic functionalization of arenes and alkanes via C-H bond activation.

Efficient Activation of Aromatic C-H Bonds for Addition to C-C Multiple Bonds

Novel Pd(II)- and Pt(II)-Catalyzed Regio- and Stereoselective trans-Hydroarylation of Alkynes by Simple Arenes

Highly Efficient Pd-Catalyzed Coupling of Arenes with Olefins in the Presence of tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide as Oxidant

New method for preparation of coumarins and quinolinones via Pd-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of C-C triple bonds.