The biaryl structural motif is a predominant feature in many pharmaceutically relevant and biologically active compounds. As a result, for over a century 1 organic chemists have sought to develop new and more efficient aryl -aryl bond-forming methods. Although there exist a variety of routes for the construction of aryl -aryl bonds, arguably the most common method is through the use of transition-metalmediated reactions. 2-4 While earlier reports focused on the use of stoichiometric quantities of a transition metal to carry out the desired transformation, modern methods of transitionmetal-catalyzed aryl -aryl coupling have focused on the development of high-yielding reactions achieved with excellent selectivity and high functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions. Typically, these reactions involve either the coupling of an aryl halide or pseudohalide with an organometallic reagent (Scheme 1), or the homocoupling of two aryl halides or two organometallic reagents. Although a number of improvements have developed the former process into an industrially very useful and attractive method for the construction of aryl -aryl bonds, the need still exists for more efficient routes whereby the same outcome is accomplished, but with reduced waste and in fewer steps. In particular, the obligation to use coupling partners that are both activated is wasteful since it necessitates the installation and then subsequent disposal of stoichiometric activating agents. Furthermore, preparation of preactivated aryl substrates often requires several steps, which in itself can be a time-consuming and economically inefficient process.

http://aether.cmi.ua.ac.be/artikels/Artikels%20Gitte/Artikels/Reviews/Heck-Type-lautens.pdf

Aryl-aryl bond formation by transition-metal-catalyzed direct arylation.

N-Heterocyclic Carbenes in Late Transition Metal Catalysis

The area of transition-metal-catalyzed direct arylation through cleavage of CH bonds has undergone rapid development in recent years, and is becoming an increasingly viable alternative to traditional cross-coupling reactions with organometallic reagents In particular, palladium and ruthenium catalysts have been described that enable the direct arylation of (hetero)arenes with challenging coupling partners—including electrophilic aryl chlorides and tosylates as well as simple arenes in cross-dehydrogenative arylations Furthermore, less expensive copper, iron, and nickel complexes were recently shown to be effective for economically attractive direct arylations

Transition-metal-catalyzed direct arylation of (hetero)arenes by C-H bond cleavage.

A number of studies were conducted to demonstrate C-H activation for the construction of C-B bonds. Investigations revealed that the conversion of C-H bonds to C-B bonds was both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable. The reaction at a primary C-H bond of methane or a higher alkene B 2(OR)4 formed an alkylboronate ester R' -B(OR)2 and the accompanying borane H-B(OR2. The ester and the borane were formed on the basis of calculated bond energies for methylboronates and dioaborolanes. The rates of key steps along the reaction pathway for the conversion of a C-H bond in an alkane or arene to the C-B bond in an alkyl or arylboronate ester were favorable. These studies also highlighted the accessible barriers for C-H bond cleavage and B-C bond formation during the borylation of alkanes and arenes.

/pdf/c-h-activation-for-the-construction-of-c-b-bonds-23ckat61mx.pdf

C−H Activation for the Construction of C−B Bonds

Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions that form C–N bonds have become useful methods to synthesize anilines and aniline derivatives, an important class of compounds throughout chemical research. A key factor in the widespread adoption of these methods has been the continued development of reliable and versatile catalysts that function under operationally simple, user-friendly conditions. This review provides an overview of Pd-catalyzed N-arylation reactions found in both basic and applied chemical research from 2008 to the present. Selected examples of C–N cross-coupling reactions between nine classes of nitrogen-based coupling partners and (pseudo)aryl halides are described for the synthesis of heterocycles, medicinally relevant compounds, natural products, organic materials, and catalysts.

Applications of Palladium-Catalyzed C–N Cross-Coupling Reactions

A new catalytic system for the dehydrogenative oxidation of alcohols using a water-soluble Cp*Ir complex bearing a bipyridine-based functional ligand as catalyst has been developed. With this catalytic system, a variety of primary and secondary alcohols have been efficiently converted to aldehydes and ketones, respectively, in aqueous media without using any oxidant. Reuse of the catalyst by a very simple procedure has been also accomplished.

Dehydrogenative Oxidation of Alcohols in Aqueous Media Using Water-Soluble and Reusable Cp*Ir Catalysts Bearing a Functional Bipyridine Ligand

The first homogeneous catalytic system for the efficient reversible dehydrogenation-hydrogenation reactions of nitrogen heterocycles in one flask has been developed using the pyridonate Cp*Ir complex as the single catalyst at relatively low temperature. The reversible catalytic reactions proceed with the reversible interconversion of catalytic species and can be nearly quantitatively repeated five times with almost no loss of efficiency. The remarkable feature of the present homogeneous catalytic system is that the reversible dehydrogenation-hydrogenation reactions proceed with the reversible interconversion of the catalytic species, depending on the absence or presence of hydrogen.

Homogeneous catalytic system for reversible dehydrogenation-hydrogenation reactions of nitrogen heterocycles with reversible interconversion of catalytic species.

Ken-ichi Fujita

Papers

Dehydrogenative Oxidation of Alcohols in Aqueous Media Using Water-Soluble and Reusable Cp*Ir Catalysts Bearing a Functional Bipyridine Ligand

Homogeneous catalytic system for reversible dehydrogenation-hydrogenation reactions of nitrogen heterocycles with reversible interconversion of catalytic species.

Cp*Ir-catalyzed N-alkylation of amines with alcohols. A versatile and atom economical method for the synthesis of amines

Ligand-promoted dehydrogenation of alcohols catalyzed by Cp*Ir complexes. A new catalytic system for oxidant-free oxidation of alcohols.

N-Alkylation of amines with alcohols catalyzed by a Cp*Ir complex