The site-selective formation of carbon-carbon bonds through direct functionalizations of otherwise unreactive carbon-hydrogen bonds constitutes an economically attractive strategy for an overall streamlining of sustainable syntheses. In recent decades, intensive research efforts have led to the development of various reaction conditions for challenging C-H bond functionalizations, among which transition-metal-catalyzed transformations arguably constitute thus far the most valuable tool. For instance, the use of inter alia palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, copper, or iron complexes set the stage for chemo-, site-, diastereo-, and/or enantioselective C-H bond functionalizations. Key to success was generally a detailed mechanistic understanding of the elementary C-H bond metalation step, which depending on the nature of the metal fragment can proceed via several distinct reaction pathways. Traditionally, three different modes of action were primarily considered for CH bond metalations, namely, (i) oxidative addition with electronrich late transition metals, (ii) σ-bond metathesis with early transition metals, and (iii) electrophilic activation with electrondeficient late transition metals (Scheme 1). However, more recent mechanistic studies indicated the existence of a continuum of electrophilic, ambiphilic, and nucleophilic interactions. Within this continuum, detailed experimental and computational analysis provided strong evidence for novel C-H bond metalationmechanisms relying on the assistance of a bifunctional ligand bearing an additional Lewis-basic heteroatom, such as that found in (heteroatom-substituted) secondary phosphine oxides or most prominently carboxylates (Scheme 1, iv). This novel insight into the nature of stoichiometric metalations has served as stimulus for the development of novel transformations based on cocatalytic amounts of carboxylates, which significantly broadened the scope of C-H bond functionalizations in recent years, with most remarkable progress being made in palladiumor ruthenium-catalyzed direct arylations and direct alkylations. These carboxylate-assisted C-H bond transformations were mostly proposed to proceed via a mechanism in which metalation takes place via a concerted base-assisted deprotonation. To mechanistically differentiate these intramolecular metalations new acronyms have recently been introduced into the literature, such as CMD (concerted metalationdeprotonation), IES (internal electrophilic substitution), or AMLA (ambiphilic metal ligand activation), which describe related mechanisms and will be used below where appropriate. This review summarizes the development and scope of carboxylates as cocatalysts in transition-metal-catalyzed C-H functionalizations until autumn 2010. Moreover, experimental and computational studies on stoichiometric metalation reactions being of relevance to the mechanism of these catalytic processes are discussed as well. Mechanistically related C-H bond cleavage reactions with ruthenium or iridium complexes bearing monodentate ligands are, however, only covered with respect to their working mode, and transformations with stoichiometric amounts of simple acetate bases are solely included when their mechanism was suggested to proceed by acetate-assisted metalation.

Carboxylate-assisted transition-metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalizations: mechanism and scope.

Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed C–H Bond Activation and Functionalization

Functionalizing traditionally inert carbon–hydrogen bonds represents a powerful transformation in organic synthesis, providing new entries to valuable structural motifs and improving the overall synthetic efficiency. C–H bond activation, however, often necessitates harsh reaction conditions that result in functional group incompatibilities and limited substrate scope. An understanding of the reaction mechanism and rational design of experimental conditions have led to significant improvement in both selectivity and applicability. This critical review summarizes and discusses endeavours towards the development of mild C–H activation methods and wishes to trigger more research towards this goal. In addition, we examine select examples in complex natural product synthesis to demonstrate the synthetic utility of mild C–H functionalization (84 references).

Towards mild metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation

The direct functionalization of heterocyclic compounds has emerged as one of the most important topics in the field of metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation due to the fact that products are an important synthetic motif in organic synthesis, the pharmaceutical industry, and materials science. This critical review covers the recent progresses on the regioselective dehydrogenative direct coupling reaction of heteroarenes, including arylation, olefination, alkynylation, and amination/amidation mainly utilizing transition metal catalysts (113 references).

Recent advances in the transition metal-catalyzed twofold oxidative C–H bond activation strategy for C–C and C–N bond formation

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct functionalization of C-H bonds under oxidative conditions leading to C-C, C-N, and C-O bond formation is reviewed. Various arene substrates bearing nitrogen and oxygen directing groups are covered in their coupling with unsaturated partners such as alkenes and alkynes. The facile construction of C-E (E = C, N, S, or O) bonds makes Rh(III) catalysis an attractive step-economic approach to value-added molecules from readily available starting materials. Comparisons and contrasts between rhodium(III) and palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative coupling are made. The remarkable diversity of structures accessible is demonstrated with various recent examples, with a proposed mechanism for each transformation being briefly summarized (critical review, 138 references).

C–C, C–O and C–N bond formation via rhodium(III)-catalyzed oxidative C–H activation

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

Four azuliporphyrins, two meso-unsubstituted and two meso-tetraaryl substituted, were investigated in the synthesis of novel organometallic compounds. The meso-unsubstituted or "etio" series azuliporphyrins 8 reacted with nickel(II) acetate, palladium(II) acetate, and platinum(II) chloride in DMF to give the corresponding chelates 14-16, where the metal cation lies within the macrocyclic cavity and binds to all three nitrogens and the internal carbon atom. The newly available meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrins 13 similarly afforded the corresponding nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes, 17-19, respectively. The new organometallic complexes are stable nonpolar compounds and were fully characterized spectroscopically and by mass spectrometry. The UV-vis data indicate that these complexes, in common with the parent azuliporphyrin system 8, do not possess porphyrin-type aromaticity. However, electron donation from the azulene unit can give rise to dipolar resonance contributors that provide a degree of carbaporphyrin-type aromatic character. The platinum(II) azuliporphyrins 16 gave noteworthy proton NMR spectra where the meso-protons showed satellite peaks due to transannular coupling to platinum-195. The pyrrolic protons of the platinum(II) meso-tetraarylazuliporphyrin 19b also showed similar satellite peaks due to coupling from the platinum-195 isotope. The electrochemistry of free base tetraphenylazuliporphyrin 13a and the related nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, and these data indicate that metal coordination improves the reversibility of the ligand-based oxidations. Nickel(II) azuliporphyrin 14a and palladium(II) tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)azuliporphyrin 18b were also structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The macrocyclic core of the palladium(II) complex 18b was significantly more planar than the nickel(II) derivative 14b, and this difference was attributed to the better size match between the azuliporphyrin cavity and the larger palladium(II) ion. The straightforward synthesis of metalloazuliporphyrins under mild conditions, and their interesting spectroscopic, electrochemical, and structural features, demonstrates that the azuliporphyrin system holds great promise as a platform for organometallic chemistry.

Organometallic chemistry of azuliporphyrins: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and structural characterization of nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes of azuliporphyrins.

An azulene analogue of the tripyrranes and carbaporphyrinoids therefrom.

Carbaporphyrinoid chemistry has a silver lining! silver(III) oxybenzi-, oxynaphthi-, tropi-, and benzocarbaporphyrins.

Electrophilic substitution of azulene has recently been shown to provide the means by which carbon-carbon bonds can be generated to form novel macrocyclic systems such as calixazulenes. These studies inspired us to develop a "one-pot" Rothemund-type synthesis of meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin. Azuliporphyrins, a group of cross-conjugated carbaporphyrinoids that exhibit intriguing chemistry and metallation properties, have previously only been available by multistep syntheses. In this work, azulene, pyrrole and benzaldehyde were shown to react in a 1:3:4 ratio in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin 7a. The free base shows only a minor diatropic ring current, but addition of TFA generates the related dication which shows greatly enhanced diatropicity where the internal CH shifts from delta = +3.35 to -0.5 ppm. Addition of pyrrolidine to 7a gave rise to a carbaporphyrin adduct which showed a porphyrin-like UV/Vis spectrum and the internal CH shifted further upfield to give a resonance near delta = -5.7 ppm. Treatment of 7a with tertbutyl hydroperoxide in the presence of potassium hydroxide afforded a mixture of benzocarbaporphyrins 9a-c. These tetraphenylcarbaporphyrins were fully aromatic by NMR spectroscopy and gave typical porphyrin-type UV/Vis spectra with a strong Soret band near 446 nm. This new methodology makes these important porphyrin analogues readily available for further study.

Denise A. Colby

Papers

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

Organometallic chemistry of azuliporphyrins: synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and structural characterization of nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II) complexes of azuliporphyrins.

An azulene analogue of the tripyrranes and carbaporphyrinoids therefrom.

Carbaporphyrinoid chemistry has a silver lining! silver(III) oxybenzi-, oxynaphthi-, tropi-, and benzocarbaporphyrins.

Adaptation of the Rothemund reaction for carbaporphyrin synthesis: preparation of meso-tetraphenylazuliporphyrin and related benzocarbaporphyrins.