Direct arylation without carboxylic acid

Reactions between a representative range of alkyl- and aryl-amines and of aliphatic and aromatic acids showed that the direct formation of amides from primary amines and carboxylic acids without catalyst occurs under relatively low-temperature conditions (Scheme 1). The best result obtained was a 60% yield of N-bcnzyl-4-phenylbutan-amide from benzylamine and 4-phenylbutanoic acid. For all these reactions, an anhydride intermediate was proposed. Boric and boronic acid-based catalysts improved the reaction, especially for the less reactive aromatic acids, and initial results indicated that bifunctional catalysts showed even greater potential. Again, anhydride intermediates were proposed, in these cases mixed anhydrides of carboxylic acids and arylboronic acids, e.g. (I).1... 

Palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reactions with aryl halides are powerful methods of generating aromatic amides, hydrazides, esters and carboxylic acids [25]. We have previously reported the exploitation of Mo(CO)6 as a robust carbon monoxide-releasing reagent in palladium-catalyzed carbonylation reactions [26-29]. This stable and inexpensive solid delivers a fixed amount of carbon monoxide upon heating or by the addition of a competing molybdenum coordinating ligand (for example DBU). This allows for direct liberation of carbon monoxide in the reaction mixture without the need for external devices. 

The synthesis of derivatives of quinoline from isatins and carboxylic acid anhydrides can also be realized without isolating the intermediate N-acyl derivatives. Thus, unsubstituted 2-quinolonecarboxylic acid containing the 14C isotope at position 3 was synthesized by the condensation of isatin 7 with the anhydride (H314CC0)20 [172], The unsubstituted acid 168 [163] and its 3-aryl derivatives 195 [173, 174] were obtained by heating the isatin 7 directly with the respective anhydrides. 

Sulfonic esters are most frequently prepared by treatment of the corresponding halides with alcohols in the presence of a base. The method is much used for the conversion of alcohols to tosylates, brosylates, and similar sulfonic esters. Both R and R may be alkyl or aryl. The base is often pyridine, which functions as a nucleophilic catalyst, as in the similar alcoholysis of carboxylic acyl halides (10-21). Primary alcohols react the most rapidly, and it is often possible to sulfonate selectively a primary OH group in a molecule that also contains secondary or tertiary OH groups. The reaction with sulfonamides has been much less frequently used and is limited to N,N-disubstituted sulfonamides that is, R" may not be hydrogen. However, within these limits it is a useful reaction. The nucleophile in this case is actually R 0 . However, R" may be hydrogen (as well as alkyl) if the nucleophile is a phenol, so that the product is RS020Ar. Acidic catalysts are used in this case. Sulfonic acids have been converted directly to sulfonates by treatment with triethyl or trimethyl orthoformate HC(OR)3, without catalyst or solvent and with a trialkyl phosphite P(OR)3. ... 

---