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Journal ArticleDOI

C-H bond activation enables the rapid construction and late-stage diversification of functional molecules

01 May 2013-Nature Chemistry (Nature Research)-Vol. 5, Iss: 5, pp 369-375
TL;DR: This Perspective highlights the potential of metal-catalysed C-H bond activation reactions, which now extend beyond the field of traditional synthetic organic chemistry, and are more atom- and step-economical than previous methods.
Abstract: The beginning of the twenty-first century has witnessed significant advances in the field of C-H bond activation, and this transformation is now an established piece in the synthetic chemists' toolbox. This methodology has the potential to be used in many different areas of chemistry, for example it provides a perfect opportunity for the late-stage diversification of various kinds of organic scaffolds, ranging from relatively small molecules like drug candidates, to complex polydisperse organic compounds such as polymers. In this way, C-H activation approaches enable relatively straightforward access to a plethora of analogues or can help to streamline the lead-optimization phase. Furthermore, synthetic pathways for the construction of complex organic materials can now be designed that are more atom- and step-economical than previous methods and, in some cases, can be based on synthetic disconnections that are just not possible without C-H activation. This Perspective highlights the potential of metal-catalysed C-H bond activation reactions, which now extend beyond the field of traditional synthetic organic chemistry.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review presents the current state of the art in this field and detail C-H activation transformations reported since 2011 that proceed either at or below ambient temperature, in the absence of strongly acidic or basic additives or without strong oxidants.
Abstract: Organic reactions that involve the direct functionalization of non-activated C–H bonds represent an attractive class of transformations which maximize atom- and step-economy, and simplify chemical synthesis. Due to the high stability of C–H bonds, these processes, however, have most often required harsh reaction conditions, which has drastically limited their use as tools for the synthesis of complex organic molecules. Following the increased understanding of mechanistic aspects of C–H activation gained over recent years, great strides have been taken to design and develop new protocols that proceed efficiently under mild conditions and duly benefit from improved functional group tolerance and selectivity. In this review, we present the current state of the art in this field and detail C–H activation transformations reported since 2011 that proceed either at or below ambient temperature, in the absence of strongly acidic or basic additives or without strong oxidants. Furthermore, by identifying and discussing the major strategies that have led to these improvements, we hope that this review will serve as a useful conceptual overview and inspire the next generation of mild C–H transformations.

1,373 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Tim Cernak1, Kevin D. Dykstra1, Sriram Tyagarajan1, Petr Vachal1, Shane W. Krska1 
TL;DR: This review details a toolbox of intermolecular C-H functionalization chemistries with proven applicability to drug-like molecules, classified by regioselectivity patterns, and gives guidance on how to systematically develop LSF strategies using these patterns and other considerations.
Abstract: The advent of modern C–H functionalization chemistries has enabled medicinal chemists to consider a synthetic strategy, late stage functionalization (LSF), which utilizes the C–H bonds of drug leads as points of diversification for generating new analogs. LSF approaches offer the promise of rapid exploration of structure activity relationships (SAR), the generation of oxidized metabolites, the blocking of metabolic hot spots and the preparation of biological probes. This review details a toolbox of intermolecular C–H functionalization chemistries with proven applicability to drug-like molecules, classified by regioselectivity patterns, and gives guidance on how to systematically develop LSF strategies using these patterns and other considerations. In addition, a number of examples illustrate how LSF approaches have been used to impact actual drug discovery and chemical biology efforts.

1,035 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent progress in the field of organometallic cobalt-catalyzed C–H activation is reviewed until November 2015.
Abstract: Catalytic C–H activation has emerged as a powerful tool for sustainable syntheses. In the recent years, notable success was achieved with the development of cobalt-catalyzed C–H functionalizations with either in situ generated or single-component cobalt-complexes under mild reaction conditions. Herein, recent progress in the field of organometallic cobalt-catalyzed C–H activation is reviewed until November 2015.

953 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review includes reactions that take place via reactive organoiron intermediates, and it covers the reactions of simple substrates and substrates possessing a directing group that anchors the catalyst to the substrate, providing an overview of iron-mediated and iron-catalyzed C-H activation reported in the literature by October 2016.
Abstract: Catalytic C–H bond activation, which was an elusive subject of chemical research until the 1990s, has now become a standard synthetic method for the formation of new C–C and C–heteroatom bonds. The synthetic potential of C–H activation was first described for ruthenium catalysis and is now widely exploited by the use of various precious metals. Driven by the increasing interest in chemical utilization of ubiquitous metals that are abundant and nontoxic, iron catalysis has become a rapidly growing area of research, and iron-catalyzed C–H activation has been most actively explored in recent years. In this review, we summarize the development of stoichiometric C–H activation, which has a long history, and catalytic C–H functionalization, which emerged about 10 years ago. We focus in this review on reactions that take place via reactive organoiron intermediates, and we excluded those that use iron as a Lewis acid or radical initiator. The contents of this review are categorized by the type of C–H bond cleaved...

662 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on the newly developed oxidative C-N bond formation techniques, applicable in the field of organic synthesis, and particular emphasis is given to those which are classified as cross-dehydrogenative-couplings, through dual C-H and N-H activation, thus formally extruding "H2" as a by-product.
Abstract: Towards “Oxidative-Ullmann–Goldberg” and “Oxidative-Buchwald–Hartwig” type amination reactions. This review focuses on the newly developed oxidative C–N bond formation techniques, applicable in the field of organic synthesis. Particular emphasis is given to those which are classified as cross-dehydrogenative-couplings, through dual C–H and N–H activation, thus formally extruding “H2” as a by-product.

658 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This is the first comprehensive review encompassing the large body of work in this field over the past 5 years, and will focus specifically on ligand-directed C–H functionalization reactions catalyzed by palladium.
Abstract: 1.1 Introduction to Pd-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization The development of methods for the direct conversion of carbon–hydrogen bonds into carbon-oxygen, carbon-halogen, carbon-nitrogen, carbon-sulfur, and carbon-carbon bonds remains a critical challenge in organic chemistry. Mild and selective transformations of this type will undoubtedly find widespread application across the chemical field, including in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, natural products, agrochemicals, polymers, and feedstock commodity chemicals. Traditional approaches for the formation of such functional groups rely on pre-functionalized starting materials for both reactivity and selectivity. However, the requirement for installing a functional group prior to the desired C–O, C–X, C–N, C–S, or C–C bond adds costly chemical steps to the overall construction of a molecule. As such, circumventing this issue will not only improve atom economy but also increase the overall efficiency of multi-step synthetic sequences. Direct C–H bond functionalization reactions are limited by two fundamental challenges: (i) the inert nature of most carbon-hydrogen bonds and (ii) the requirement to control site selectivity in molecules that contain diverse C–H groups. A multitude of studies have addressed the first challenge by demonstrating that transition metals can react with C–H bonds to produce C–M bonds in a process known as “C–H activation”.1 The resulting C–M bonds are far more reactive than their C–H counterparts, and in many cases they can be converted to new functional groups under mild conditions. The second major challenge is achieving selective functionalization of a single C–H bond within a complex molecule. While several different strategies have been employed to address this issue, the most common (and the subject of the current review) involves the use of substrates that contain coordinating ligands. These ligands (often termed “directing groups”) bind to the metal center and selectively deliver the catalyst to a proximal C–H bond. Many different transition metals, including Ru, Rh, Pt, and Pd, undergo stoichiometric ligand-directed C–H activation reactions (also known as cyclometalation).2,3 Furthermore, over the past 15 years, a variety of catalytic carbon-carbon bond-forming processes have been developed that involve cyclometalation as a key step.1b–d,4 The current review will focus specifically on ligand-directed C–H functionalization reactions catalyzed by palladium. Palladium complexes are particularly attractive catalysts for such transformations for several reasons. First, ligand-directed C–H functionalization at Pd centers can be used to install many different types of bonds, including carbon-oxygen, carbon-halogen, carbon-nitrogen, carbon-sulfur, and carbon-carbon linkages. Few other catalysts allow such diverse bond constructions,5,6,7 and this versatility is predominantly the result of two key features: (i) the compatibility of many PdII catalysts with oxidants and (ii) the ability to selectively functionalize cyclopalladated intermediates. Second, palladium participates in cyclometalation with a wide variety of directing groups, and, unlike many other transition metals, promotes C–H activation at both sp2 and sp3 C–H sites. Finally, the vast majority of Pd-catalyzed directed C–H functionalization reactions can be performed in the presence of ambient air and moisture, making them exceptionally practical for applications in organic synthesis. While several accounts have described recent advances, this is the first comprehensive review encompassing the large body of work in this field over the past 5 years (2004–2009). Both synthetic applications and mechanistic aspects of these transformations are discussed where appropriate, and the review is organized on the basis of the type of bond being formed.

5,179 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of palladium-catalyzed coupling of CH bonds with organometallic reagents through a PdII/Pd0 catalytic cycle can be found in this paper.
Abstract: Pick your Pd partners: A number of catalytic systems have been developed for palladium-catalyzed CH activation/CC bond formation. Recent studies concerning the palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling of CH bonds with organometallic reagents through a PdII/Pd0 catalytic cycle are discussed (see scheme), and the versatility and practicality of this new mode of catalysis are presented. Unaddressed questions and the potential for development in the field are also addressed. In the past decade, palladium-catalyzed CH activation/CC bond-forming reactions have emerged as promising new catalytic transformations; however, development in this field is still at an early stage compared to the state of the art in cross-coupling reactions using aryl and alkyl halides. This Review begins with a brief introduction of four extensively investigated modes of catalysis for forming CC bonds from CH bonds: PdII/Pd0, PdII/PdIV, Pd0/PdII/PdIV, and Pd0/PdII catalysis. A more detailed discussion is then directed towards the recent development of palladium(II)-catalyzed coupling of CH bonds with organometallic reagents through a PdII/Pd0 catalytic cycle. Despite the progress made to date, improving the versatility and practicality of this new reaction remains a tremendous challenge.

3,533 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on Rh-catalyzed methods for C-H bond functionalization, which have seen widespread success over the course of the last decade and are discussed in detail in the accompanying articles in this special issue of Chemical Reviews.
Abstract: 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.

3,210 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A number of improvements have developed the former process into an industrially very useful and attractive method for the construction of aryl -aryl bonds, but the need still exists for more efficient routes whereby the same outcome is accomplished, but with reduced waste and in fewer steps.
Abstract: 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.

3,204 citations