Heteroaryl Heck reactions

Intermolecular or intramolecular Heck reaction that occurs onto a heteroaryl recipient. 

Ohkuwa, T. Chiba, M. Fukunaka, R. Miyafuji, A. Nakata, T.  

Aoyagi, Y. Inoue, A. Koizumi, L Hashimoto, R. Tokunaga, K. Gohma, K. Komatsu, J. Sekine, K. Miyafuji, A. Kunoh, J. Houma, R. Akita, Y. Ohta, A. Heterocycles 1992, 33, 257. 

Gribble, G. W. In Palladium in Heterocyclic Chemistry 2000, Pergamon Oxford, pl6. (Review). 

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Palladium chemistry involving heterocycles has its unique characteristics stemming from the heterocycles inherently different structural and electronic properties in comparison to the corresponding carbocyclic aryl compounds. One example illustrating the striking difference in reactivity between a heteroarene and a carbocyclic arene is the heteroaryl Heck reaction (vide infra, see Section 1.4). We define a heteroaryl Heck reaction as an intermolecular or an intramolecular Heck reaction occurring onto a heteroaryl recipient. Intermolecular Heck reactions of carbocyclic arenes as the recipients are rare [12a-d], whereas heterocycles including thiophenes, furans, thiazoles, oxazoles, imidazoles, pyrroles and indoles, etc. are excellent substrates. For instance, the heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2-chloro-3,6-diethylpyrazine (1) and benzoxazole occurred at the C(2) position of benzoxazole to elaborate pyrazinylbenzoxazole 2 [12e]. 

The Heck, intramolecular Heck and heteroaryl Heck reactions... 

A particularly elegant domino Heck reaction involving 4-bromoindole and bromo(indolyl)maleimide 251 to give N-methylarcyriacyanin A (252) in one operation was reported by Steglich [173]. This alkaloid could also be prepared from triflate 253 in higher yield in a heteroaryl Heck reaction. 

In a synthetic route to the E-azaebumane series, an intramolecular heteroaryl Heck reaction was the major cyclization strategy [140], Under Jeffery s ligand-free conditions, E-azaebumane skeleton 182 was prepared from bromopyridine 181. The migratory insertion occurred at C(2) of the indole ring. 

Ohta s group investigated the heteroaryl Heck reaction of thiophenes and benzothiophenes with aryl halides [127] and chloropyrazines [128]. Addition of the electrophiles invariably took place at C(2) as exemplified by the formation of arylbenzothiophene 156 from the reaction of benzothiophene and p-bromobenzaldehyde [127]. As expected, the heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2-thienylnitrile, an activated thiophene, with iodobenzene afforded the arylation product 157 [129],... 

Ohta s group coupled aryl bromides such as 2-bromonitrobenzene with benzofuran [85]. The heteroaryl Heck reaction took place at the more electron-rich C(2) position of benzofuran. They later described the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines with both furan and benzofuran [86],... 

In contrast, thiazoles and benzothiazoles are suitable recipients for the heteroaryl Heck reaction. Treatment of 2-chloro-3,6-diisobutylpyrazine (103) with thiazole led to regioselective addition at C(5), giving rise to adduct 104 [57]. A similar reaction between 2-chloro-3,6-diethylpyrazine (105) and benzo[ >]thiazole took place at C(2) exclusively to afford pyrazinylbenzothiazole 106 [57]. 

Similar results were obtained for the heteroaryl Heck reaction of iodobenzene or bromobenzene with oxazole and benzoxazole [23]. 

Ohta s group thoroughly studied the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines and jt-electron-rich heteroaryls [42-44], The substitution occurred at the electron-rich C(5) position of the imidazole ring for the heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2-chloro-3,6-dimethylpyrazine and N-methylimidazole. 

Miura s group carried out a heteroaryl Heck reaction of bromobenzene and 1-methylimidazole and isolated both mono-arylation (53%) and bis-arylation products [45], In accord with Ohta s observation, the first arylation took place at the electron-rich C(5) and the second arylation occurred at the more electron-poor C(2). 

Furthermore, Ohta s group successfully conducted heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines with many rt-electron-rich heteroaryls including furan, thiophene, benzo[ ]furan and benzo[6] thiophene [42, 43]. In reactions of chloropyrazines with furan, thiophene and pyrrole, disubstituted heterocycles were also isolated albeit in low yields. 

Although the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines with pyrrole itself were low-yielding for both mono- and bis-arylation products, better yields were obtained for N-phenylsulfonylpyrrole. Bulkier alkyl substituents on the pyrazine ring promoted the formation of C(3)-substituted pyrroles. The C(3)-substituted pyrrole 64 was the major product (62%) for the coupling of 1 and Al-phenylsulfonylpyrrole, while C(2)-substituted pyrrole 63- was a minor product (15%). 

Similar results were observed for the heteroaryl Heck reactions of chloropyrazines with jt-electron-rich heteroaryls including oxazole, thiazole, benz[fc]oxazole, benz[fc]thiazole and N-... 

Walker and associates described a heteroaryl Heck reaction of 2,4-dimethoxy-5-iodopyrimidine with thiophene [78], They found that it was advantageous to carry out the thienylation in the presence of water as opposed to anhydrous conditions. Thienylation of less reactive 2,4-dimethoxy-5-bromopyrimidine gave the product in a lower yield (38%). 

Palladium chemistry of heterocycles has its idiosyncrasies stemming from their different structural properties from the corresponding carbocyclic aryl compounds. Even activated chloroheterocycles are sufficiently reactive to undergo Pd-catalyzed reactions. As a consequence of a and y activation of heteroaryl halides, Pd-catalyzed chemistry may take place regioselectively at the activated positions, a phenomenon rarely seen in carbocyclic aryl halides. In addition, another salient peculiarity in palladium chemistry of heterocycles is the so-called heteroaryl Heck reaction . For instance, while intermolecular palladium-catalyzed arylations of carbocyclic arenes are rare, palladium-catalyzed arylations of azoles and many other heterocycles readily take place. Therefore, the principal aim of this book is to highlight important palladium-mediated reactions of heterocycles with emphasis on the unique characteristics of individual heterocycles. 

Another variant of the Heck reaction which is important in heterocyclic chemistry utilizes five membered heterocycles as olefin equivalent (2.2.)7 It is not clear whether the process, coined as heteroaryl Heck reaction follows the Heck mechanism (i. e. carbopalladation of the aromatic ring followed by //-elimination) or goes via a different route (e.g. electrophilic substitution by the palladium complex or oxidative addition into the C-H bond). Irrespective of these mechanistic uncertainties the reaction is of great synthetic value and is frequently used in the preparation of complex policyclic structures. 

Formation of the antiasthmatic imidazoquinoline compound was achieved through the closure of the central pyridine ring in a heteroaryl Heck reaction (4.28.), The best results were obtained in the presence of tetrabutylammonium chloride without any added ligand (Jeffery s ligand free variant).32... 

Tethering an iodobenzene and a furane moiety through a y0-lactam led to the formation of a unique tetracyclic y0-lactam derivative (5.17.). Oxidative addition followed by the carbopalladation of the furane ring resulted in the closure of the seven membered core in a so called heteroaryl Heck reaction "... 

The common feature of the first set of examples discussed is the coupling of an arylpalladium complex, formed in oxidative addition, with a five membered heterocyclic ring via the formal displacement of a hydrogen atom. This reaction, formally a Heck coupling, is often called the heteroaryl Heck reaction . 

The use of the heteroaryl Heck reactions extends beyond fine chemicals synthesis. Polythiophenes were prepared starting from 3-octyl-2-iodotiophene by heating in the presence of palladium acetate and tetrabutylammonium chloride (6.91.),122 The arylation of benzothiophene has also been achieved under the same conditions.123... 

The heteroaryl Heck reaction is an efficient tool for the introduction of other five membered heteroaromatic systems too (for more details see Chapter 6.4.). Chloropyrazines reacted readily with oxazole to give the coupled product (7.57.), consisting solely of the 5-oxazolyl isomer.77 Extension of the reaction to imidazole led to a similar observation,78 and the expected 5-pyrazyl-imidazole derivative was isolated in acceptable yield. Reactions using thiophene as the masked olefin gave similar results. Under forcing conditions the 2,5-diarylation of fiiran was also observed.77... 

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