Direct arylation mechanisms

Scheme 4 A prototypical concerted metalation-deprotonation (CMD) direct arylation mechanism...

Secondary bromides and tosylates react with inversion of stereochemistry, as in the classical SN2 substitution reaction.24 Alkyl iodides, however, lead to racemized product. Aryl and alkenyl halides are reactive, even though the direct displacement mechanism is not feasible. For these halides, the overall mechanism probably consists of two steps an oxidative addition to the metal, after which the oxidation state of the copper is +3, followed by combination of two of the groups from the copper. This process, which is very common for transition metal intermediates, is called reductive elimination. The [R 2Cu] species is linear and the oxidative addition takes place perpendicular to this moiety, generating a T-shaped structure. The reductive elimination occurs between adjacent R and R groups, accounting for the absence of R — R coupling product. 

Protons at C2 of imidazole 1-oxides 228 are acidic and are exchanged with deuterium even in weakly acidic solution. The exchange rate increases with increasing pH (2004S2678). Although the mechanism is not fully understood, the palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of imidazole 1-oxides most likely involves deprotonation so that the observed regi-oselective arylation reflects the propensity to proton abstraction found to decrease in the order C2 > C5 > C4 (2009JA3291). 

Liu S, Zhou B, Yang H et al (2008) Aryl vinyl sulfonates and sulfones as active site-directed and mechanism-based probes for protein tyrosine phosphatases. J Am Chem Soc 130 8251-8260... 

By synthesizing bromoalkyl-sulfur and -oxygen based heterocycles, Lautens was able to extend the strategy to include the synthesis of polycyclic thiophenes and furans [83, 84], Under similar reaction conditions to those used for nitrogen-based heterocycles, polycyclic products were obtained in good to excellent yields (Scheme 35). The electronic nature of the aryl iodide had a large impact on the observed yields, as electron-deficient aryl iodides worked well, while little to no product was obtained with electron-rich ones. Based upon these results, Lautens proposed that the mechanism of direct arylation of thiophenes occurs through an electrophilic metalation mechanism. 

Abstract Azines, diazines or thiazole (V-oxides are highly reactive substrates in palladium-catalyzed direct arylation reaction. For these reactions, the results are inconsistent with an SEAr reaction pathway and may best fit with a concerted metalation-deprotonation-like (CMD) mechanism. 

Ongoing research in our group and by others [62-65] on the mechanism of palladium-catalyzed direct arylation has led to the advancement of a second mode of C-H bond cleavage where a Wheland-like intermediate is not involved in the reaction pathway (Scheme 4). This pathway, which we have termed a concerted metalation-deprotonation (CMD) mechanism, appears less dependent on arene... 

Scheme 3 A plausible electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism for palladium-catalyzed direct arylation...

In terms of palladium-catalyzed direct arylation reactions, there are three general mechanisms that are commonly applied (Scheme 7). 

The most common mechanism of C-H bond cleavage in the arylation examples discussed above has been assumed to be electrophilic aromatic substitution involving reaction of an electrophilic palladium catalyst with an electron rich, nucleophilic aromatic ring. In order to effect direct arylation on simple, electron deficient arenes, a basic directing group or intramolecular reaction is usually necessary to enable formation of a metalocycle. As a brief introduction to the effect of this area on the functionalization of indoles and pyrroles, we provide an overview of the mechanistic... 

Unfortunately, experimental studies on the working mode of ruthenium-catalyzed direct arylations with organic (pseudo)halides are scarce. However, a beneficial effect of NaOAc on stoichiometric syntheses of ruthenacycles at ambient temperature was reported (see above) [49, 50], and suggested a cooperative depro-tonation/metalation mechanism [7, 30, 86] for the C-H bond activation step. Furthermore, recent computational DFT-calculations provided support for such a mechanistic rationale [87], Moreover, a transition state 83 was independently proposed to account for the high efficacy observed with (HA)SPO preligands in ruthenium-catalyzed direct arylation reactions (Scheme 31). 

Ozdemir I, Demir S, (Jetinkaya B, Gourlaouen C, Maseras F, Bruneau C, Dixneuf PH (2008) Direct arylation of arene C-H bonds by cooperative action of NHCarbene-Ruthenium(II) catalyst and carbonate via proton abstraction mechanism. J Am Chem Soc 130 1156-1157... 

Gorelsky SI, Lapointe D, Fagnou K (2008) Analysis of the concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism in palladium-catalyzed direct arylation across a broad range of aromatic substrates. J Am Chem Soc 130 10848-10849... 

Scheme 9.14 Mechanism of ruthenium-catalyzed direct arylations of ketones (33) with a substituted boronic ester (37).

A significantly more active catalytic system was recently reported, with a ruthenium complex generated from carboxylic acid 75. This allowed for direct arylations to occur also in apolar solvents likely via a concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism (CMD) and set the stage for the use of aryl bromides, chlorides, and tosylates as electrophilic substrates (Scheme 9.26) [64],... 

Direct arylations of arenes are, however, not restricted to palladium-catalyzed transformations, but were also accomplished with, inter alia, iridium complexes. Thus, the direct coupling of various aryl iodides with an excess of benzene in the presence of [Cp IrHCl]2 afforded the corresponding biaryl products, but usually in moderate yields only (Scheme 9.30) [69]. The reaction is believed to proceed via a radical-based mechanism with initial base-mediated reduction of iridium(III) followed by electron transfer from iridium(II) to the aryl iodide. Rather high catalyst loadings were required and the phenylation of toluene (90) under these reaction conditions provided a mixture of regioisomers 91, 92, and 93 in an overall low yield (Scheme 9.30) [69]. 

Scheme 9.32 Proposed mechanism of palladium-catalyzed direct arylations with pivalic acid as additive.

Palladium-catalyzed arylations of simple electron-rich five-membered heteroarenes with one heteroatom, such as furans, thiophenes, and pyrroles, with aryl iodides, bromides, or chlorides are among the most frequently studied direct arylation reactions [31, 39, 85]. These reactions usually afforded five-membered heterocycles, which were arylated at the position adjacent to the heteroatom in moderate to good yields. These reactions were mainly accomplished with electrophilic catalysts and proceeded more efficiently using aryl bromides with electron-withdrawing groups. This is in agreement with an electrophilic SEAr-type mechanism relying on a palladium(0)/palladium(ll) manifold [86]. Selected results of catalytic direct arylations of simple electron-rich five-membered heteroarenes (124—126) with aryl iodides, bromides, or chlorides are summarized in Table 9.2. 

Scheme 9.40 Proposed mechanism of rhodium-catalyzed direct arylations of pyrroles.

Scheme 9.45 Proposed mechanism for rhodium-catalyzed direct arylations of benzimidazoles.

The direct substitution reaction becomes progressively more favorable as the alcohol becomes a better leaving group. According to the computations, the two mechanisms are closely competitive for alkyl esters, but the direct substitution mechanism is favored for aryl esters. These results refer to the gas phase. 

On the other hand, the direct arylation of carbanionic species generated from substrates having relatively acidic hydrogens such as active methylene compounds and ketones can occur (mechanism B) [5,6]. Aryl halides are also capable of coupling directly with appropriately functionalized aromatic substrates and five-membered heteroaromatic compounds as formal carbon nucleophiles via cleavage of their unactivated C-H bonds [5,7-9]. The Fujiwra-Moritani reaction, which is the arylation of alkenes with arenes, is also useful for preparing arylalkenes without employing any halides (mechanism D) [10,11]. 

In a foUow-up paper, the group disclosed a possible mechanism for direct arylation based on a concerted metalation—deprotonation pathway (Scheme 11) (2010JOC8180). Kinetic experiments revealed a zero order... 

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