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

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.

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

The functionalization of internal olefins has been a challenging task in organic synthesis. Efficient CuII-catalyzed trifluoromethylation of internal olefins, that is, α-oxoketene dithioacetals, has been achieved by using Cu(OH)2 as a catalyst and TMSCF3 as a trifluoromethylating reagent. The push-pull effect from the polarized olefin substrates facilitates the internal olefinic C-H trifluoromethylation. Cyclic and acyclic dithioalkyl α-oxoketene acetals were used as the substrates and various substituents were tolerated. The internal olefinic C-H bond cleavage was not involved in the rate-determining step, and a mechanism that involves radicals is proposed based on a TEMPO-quenching experiment of the trifluoromethylation reaction. Further derivatization of the resultant CF3 olefins led to multifunctionalized tetrasubstituted CF3 olefins and trifluoromethylated N-heterocycles.

Copper‐Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Internal Olefinic C—H Bonds: Efficient Routes to Trifluoromethylated Tetrasubstituted Olefins and N‐Heterocycles.

Broensted Acid‐Promoted Cascade Alkylation/Cyclization of Pyrroles with N,N‐Dimethylaminomethyleneglutaconic Acid Dinitrile: A Concise Route to Cyclopenta[b]pyrroles.

Catalytic Carbon–Sulfur Bond Activation and Transformations

Broensted Acid‐Mediated Annulation of α‐Oxo Ketene Dithioacetals with Pyrroles: Efficient Synthesis of Structurally Diverse Cyclopenta[b]pyrroles.

CuCl2-mediated intramolecular C-H/C-H cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of thioalkyl-substituted α-acetyl or α-aroyl ketene N,S-acetals afforded 2-thioalkyl indoles. Tunable C-S bond transformations of the resultant indoles led to highly functionalized N-heterocyclic compounds. A β-thioalkyl is necessary to activate the N,S-acetal substrate and enable the CDC reaction to occur, and the relevant mechanism studies revealed that the CDC reaction follows a radical pathway.

Zhengkun Yu

Papers

Copper‐Catalyzed Trifluoromethylation of Internal Olefinic C—H Bonds: Efficient Routes to Trifluoromethylated Tetrasubstituted Olefins and N‐Heterocycles.

Broensted Acid‐Promoted Cascade Alkylation/Cyclization of Pyrroles with N,N‐Dimethylaminomethyleneglutaconic Acid Dinitrile: A Concise Route to Cyclopenta[b]pyrroles.

Catalytic Carbon–Sulfur Bond Activation and Transformations

Broensted Acid‐Mediated Annulation of α‐Oxo Ketene Dithioacetals with Pyrroles: Efficient Synthesis of Structurally Diverse Cyclopenta[b]pyrroles.

Copper-Mediated Intramolecular Oxidative C—H/C—H Cross-Coupling of α-Oxo Ketene N,S-Acetals for Indole Synthesis.