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.

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.

3.7. Palladium Nanoparticles as Catalysts 888 3.8. Other Transition-Metal Complexes 888 3.9. Transition-Metal-Free Reactions 889 4. Applications 889 4.1. Alkynylation of Arenes 889 4.2. Alkynylation of Heterocycles 891 4.3. Synthesis of Enynes and Enediynes 894 4.4. Synthesis of Ynones 896 4.5. Synthesis of Carbocyclic Systems 897 4.6. Synthesis of Heterocyclic Systems 898 4.7. Synthesis of Natural Products 903 4.8. Synthesis of Electronic and Electrooptical Molecules 906

https://www.chem.ccu.edu.tw/~joyce/referance/ericyang/Chem.%20Rev/Chem.%20Rev.%202007,%20107,%20874-922.pdf

The Sonogashira Reaction: A Booming Methodology in Synthetic Organic Chemistry†

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.

Transition-metal-catalyzed addition of heteroatom-hydrogen bonds to alkynes.

The tert-butylimines of o-(1-alkynyl)benzaldehydes and analogous pyridinecarbaldehydes have been cyclized under very mild reaction conditions in the presence of I2, ICl, PhSeCl, PhSCl, and p-O2NC6H4SCl to give the corresponding halogen-, selenium-, and sulfur-containing disubstituted isoquinolines and naphthyridines, respectively. This methodology accommodates a variety of iminoalkynes and affords the anticipated heterocycles in moderate to excellent yields. Monosubstituted isoquinolines and naphthyridines have been synthesized by the metal-catalyzed ring closure of these same iminoalkynes. The silver-catalyzed ring closure is highly effective in cyclizing aryl-, alkenyl-, and alkyl-substituted iminoalkynes at 50 °C.

Synthesis of substituted isoquinolines by electrophilic cyclization of iminoalkynes

A novel palladium migration methodology for the synthesis of complex fused polycycles has been developed. This process involves 1,4-palladium alkyl to aryl migrations via through-space C−H activation, followed by intramolecular arylation or an intermolecular Heck reaction providing a very efficient way to synthesize fused ring systems.

Pd-catalyzed alkyl to aryl migration and cyclization: an efficient synthesis of fused polycycles via multiple C-H activation.

A novel palladium migration/arylation methodology for the synthesis of complex fused polycycles has been developed, in which one or more sequential Pd-catalyzed intramolecular migration processes involving C-H activation are employed. The chemistry works best with electron-rich aromatics, which is in agreement with the idea that these palladium-catalyzed C-H activation reactions parallel electrophilic aromatic substitution.

1,4-palladium migration via C-H activation, followed by arylation: synthesis of fused polycycles.

A variety of 4-(1-alkenyl)-3-arylisoquinolines have been prepared in moderate to excellent yields by the Pd(II)-catalyzed cyclization of 2-(1-alkynyl)arylaldimines in the presence of various alkenes. The introduction of an o-methoxy group on the arylaldimine promotes the Pd-catalyzed cyclization and stabilizes the resulting Pd(II) intermediate, improving the yields of the isoquinoline products. Ketone-containing isoquinolines 36 and 49−51 have also been prepared by this process when unsaturated alcohols are employed as the alkenes.

Qinhua Huang

Papers

Synthesis of substituted isoquinolines by electrophilic cyclization of iminoalkynes

Pd-catalyzed alkyl to aryl migration and cyclization: an efficient synthesis of fused polycycles via multiple C-H activation.

1,4-palladium migration via C-H activation, followed by arylation: synthesis of fused polycycles.

Synthesis of 4-(1-alkenyl)isoquinolines by palladium(II)-catalyzed cyclization/olefination.

Synthesis of isoquinolines and naphthyridines by electrophilic ring closure of iminoalkynes.