The substituted indole nucleus [indole is the acronym from indigo (the natural dye) and oleum (used for the isolation)] is a structural component of a vast number of biologically active natural and unnatural compounds. The synthesis and functionalization of indoles has been the object of research for over 100 years, and a variety of well-established classical methods are now available, to name a few of them, the Fisher indole synthesis, the Gassman synthesis of indoles from N-halo-anilines, the Madelung cyclization of N-acyl-o-toluidines, the Bischler indole synthesis, the Batcho-Leimgruber synthesis of indoles from o-nitrotoluenes and dimethylformamide acetals, and the reductive cyclization of o-nitrobenzyl ketones.1 In the last 40 years or so, however, palladiumcatalyzed reactions, generally tolerant of a wide range of functionalities and therefore applicable to complex molecules, have achieved an important place in the arsenal of the practicing organic chemist. Since the invention of an industrial process for the palladium-catalyzed production of acetaldehyde from ethylene in the presence of PdCl2 and CuCl2, an everincreasing number of organic transformations have been based on palladium catalysis. Almost every area of the organic synthesis has been deeply influenced by the profound potential of this versatile transition metal, modifying the way organic chemists design and realize synthetic processes.2,3 Because of its catalytic nature, palladium-catalyzed synthesis can provide access to fine chemicals, agrochemical and pharmaceutical intermediates, and active ingredients in fewer steps and with less waste than classical † In memory of Prof. Bianca Rosa Pietroni, a colleague and very close friend. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone: + 39 (06) 4991-2785. Fax: + 30 (06) 4991-2780. E-mail: sandro.cacchi@ uniroma1.it. 2873 Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 2873−2920

Synthesis and functionalization of indoles through palladium-catalyzed reactions

phinoethane) seemed mainly to stabilize intermediates, and often the catalytic reactions were slower when dppe was used instead of the most common monodentate triphenylphosphine. We will briefly review the history of “ligand effects” in catalysis before discussing a range of reactions for which a notable effect has been observed. It has taken quite some time before the positive effect that bidentates can have on selectivities and rates of catalytic reactions was fully recognized. Most of the established examples of bite angle effects involve diphosphine ligands. Therefore, many important catalysts containing a chelate ligand such as bipyridine and diimine will fall outside the scope of this review. The connecting bridge in these bidentates does play a dominant role in the performance of these catalysts, but systematic studies have not been published. The effects of phosphine ligands in catalysis have been known for quite some time. One of the first reports involves the use of triphenylphosphine in the “Reppe” chemistry, the reactions of alkynes, alcohols, and carbon monoxide.1 It was found that formation of acrylic esters was much more efficient using NiBr2(PPh3)2 than NiBr2 without ligand. In the commercial system, though, a phosphine-free catalyst is used. While the reaction was not yet understood mechanistically, the use of phosphines in catalysis attracted the attention of the petrochemical industry worldwide. An early example of a phosphine ligand modified catalytic process is the Shell process for alkene hydroformylation using a cobalt catalyst containing a trialkylphoshine.2 The reaction requires higher temperatures, but it leads to more linear product as compared to the unmodified catalyst. The general mechanism of the hydroformylation reaction has been known for a long time.3 Hydrocyanation as used by Du Pont is another early example of an industrially applied catalytic reaction employing ligands.4 It is a nickel-catalyzed reaction in which aryl phosphite ligands are used for the production of adiponitrile. The development of this process has played a key role in the introduction of the now very common study of “ligand effects” in the field of homogeneous catalysis by organometallic complexes.5 While several industries were working on new homogeneous catalysts, important contributions to the new field were made in academia in the early 1960s with the appearance of the first phosphinemodified hydrogenation catalysts. An early example of a phosphine-free ruthenium catalyst was published by Halpern.6 Triphenylphosphine-modified platinumtin catalysts for the hydrogenation of alkenes were reported by Cramer from Du Pont in 1963.7 In the same year Breslow (Hercules) included a few phosFigure 1. Bite angle: The ligand-metal-ligand angle of bidentate ligands. 2741 Chem. Rev. 2000, 100, 2741−2769

Ligand Bite Angle Effects in Metal-catalyzed C−C Bond Formation

Reduction of the five-coordinate iron(II) dihalide complexes (iPrPDI)FeX2 (iPrPDI = ((2,6-CHMe2)2C6H3NCMe)2C5H3N; X = Cl, Br) with sodium amalgam under 1 atm of dinitrogen afforded the square pyramidal, high spin iron(0) bis(dinitrogen) complex (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2. In solution, (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2 loses 1 equiv of N2 to afford the mono(dinitrogen) adduct (iPrPDI)Fe(N2). Both dinitrogen compounds serve as effective precatalysts for the hydrogenation and hydrosilation of olefins and alkynes. Effecient catalytic reactions are observed with low catalyst loadings (≤0.3 mol %) at ambient temperature in nonpolar media. The catalytic hydrosilations are selective in forming the anti-Markovnikov product. Structural characterization of a high spin iron(0) alkyne and a bis(silane) σ-complex has also been accomplished and in combination with isotopic labeling studies provides insight into the mechanism of both catalytic C−H and catalytic C−Si bond formation.

Preparation and molecular and electronic structures of iron(0) dinitrogen and silane complexes and their application to catalytic hydrogenation and hydrosilation.

The last 15 years of hydroformylation and carbonylation chemistry are reviewed, including technical and commercial aspects.

Progress in hydroformylation and carbonylation

Pentaphenylferrocenyl di-tert-butylphosphine has been prepared in high yield from a two-step synthetic procedure, and the scope of various cross-coupling processes catalyzed by complexes bearing this ligand has been investigated. This ligand creates a remarkably general palladium catalyst for aryl halide amination and for Suzuki coupling. Turnovers of roughly 1000 were observed for aminations with unactivated aryl bromides or chlorides. In addition, complexes of this ligand catalyzed the formation of selected aryl ethers under mild conditions. The reactions encompassed electron-rich and electron-poor aryl bromides and chlorides. In the presence of catalysts containing this ligand, these aryl halides coupled with acyclic or cyclic secondary alkyl- and arylamines, with primary alkyl- and arylamines, and with aryl- and primary alkylboronic acids. These last couplings provide the first general procedure for reaction of terminal alkylboronic acids with aryl halides without toxic or expensive bases. The ligand ...

Air Stable, Sterically Hindered Ferrocenyl Dialkylphosphines for Palladium-Catalyzed C−C, C−N, and C−O Bond-Forming Cross-Couplings

The use of 2,2{prime}-bis[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]1,1{prime}-biphenyl (BISBI, 1), trans-1,2-bis[(diphenylphosphino)-methyl]cyclopropane (T-BDCP, 2), and other diphosphines with large natural bite angles as ligands in rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation has been studied. The X-ray crystal structure of (BISBI)Rh(PPh{sub 3})(CO)H{center_dot}CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} (7{center_dot}CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}) indicated a trigonal bipyramidal structure with three phosphorus atoms in the equatorial plane. The P-Rh-P bite angle of the BISBI ligand in 7{center_dot}CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2} of 124.8{degrees} is much smaller than the 152{degrees}P-Fe-P bite angle found in (BISBI)Fe(CO){sub 3} and indicates that the BISBI ligand is rather flexible. NMR studies indicate that rapid exchange ({Delta}G = 15.5 kcal mol{sup -1}) occurs between the coordinated PPh{sub 3} of 7 and free PPh{sub 3}. 7 reacted with CO to produce (BISBI)Rh(CO){sub 2}H(9), which was shown by IR and NMR studies to have a trigonal bipyramidal structure with BISBI in the equatorial plane and hydride in an apical position. The solution structures of the T-BDCP complexes (T-BDCP)Rh(PPh{sub 3})(CO)H(13) and (T-BDCP)Rh(CO){sub 2}H(14) were shown by spectroscopy to be similar to the related BISBI compounds. A correlation between the size of the natural bite angle of chelating diphosphines and the regioselectivity for formation of straight-chain aldehydes in the rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation of 1-hexane was observed. 30 refs., 9 figs.,more » 2 tabs.« less

Diphosphines with natural bite angles near 120.degree. increase selectivity for n-aldehyde formation in rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation

The natural bite angles of chelating diphosphine ligands have been determined by molecular mechanics calculations using the MACROMODEL program with a modified AMBER force field. The natural bite angle (βn) is defined as the preferred chelation angle determined only by ligand backbone constraints and not by metal valence angles. Potential energy diagrams for diphosphine chelates were constructed to estimate chelate flexibility. Molecular mechanics calculations have been used to select diphosphine ligands with natural bite angles of 120° for diequatorial chelation in trigonal bipyramidal metal complexes.

The Natural Bite Angle of Chelating Diphosphines

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.oprd.5b00417

NMR Chemical Shifts of Trace Impurities: Industrially Preferred Solvents Used in Process and Green Chemistry

Highly regio- and enantioselective asymmetric hydroformylation of olefins mediated by 2,5-disubstituted phospholane ligands.

A series of mono- and bidentate phosphites was prepared with (S)-5,5‘,6,6‘-tetramethyl-3,3‘-di-tert-butyl-1,1‘-biphenyl-2,2‘-dioxy [(S)-BIPHEN] as a chiral auxiliary and screened in the asymmetric hydroformylation of allyl cyanide. These hydroformylation results were compared with those of two existing chiral ligands, Chiraphite and BINAPHOS, whose utility in asymmetric hydroformylation has been previously demonstrated. Bisphosphite 11 with a 2,2‘-biphenol bridge was found to be the best overall ligand for asymmetric hydroformylation of allyl cyanide with up to 80% ee and regioselectivities (branch-to-linear ratio, b/l) of 20 with turnover frequency of 625 [h-1] at 35 °C. BINAPHOS gave enantioselectivities up to 77% ee when the reaction was conducted in either acetone or neat but with poor regioselectivity (b/l 2.8) and activities 7 times lower than that of 11. The product of allyl cyanide hydroformylation using (R,R)-11 was subsequently transformed into (R)-2-methyl-4-aminobutanol, a useful chiral buildi...

/pdf/synthesis-and-application-of-a-new-bisphosphite-ligand-3oo0chvp8r.pdf

Gregory T. Whiteker

Papers

Diphosphines with natural bite angles near 120.degree. increase selectivity for n-aldehyde formation in rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation

The Natural Bite Angle of Chelating Diphosphines

NMR Chemical Shifts of Trace Impurities: Industrially Preferred Solvents Used in Process and Green Chemistry

Highly regio- and enantioselective asymmetric hydroformylation of olefins mediated by 2,5-disubstituted phospholane ligands.

Synthesis and application of a new bisphosphite ligand collection for asymmetric hydroformylation of allyl cyanide.