Metal mediated arylboronic acids

Transition metal mediated cross couplings of epoxides have remained relatively unexplored, with only a few examples of this potentially useful reaction reported in the literature. A recent report details the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of epoxides <07JOC3253>. The reaction of aryl epoxides with arylboronic acids under Suzuki-Miyaura coupling conditions provides the coupled product in good yields. Careful monitoring of the reaction is essential to avoid Pd-catalyzed rearrangement of the epoxides. 

The two key catalytic intermediates have been observed by electrospray mass spectrometry [394]. Although the exact role and influence of the base remains unclear [395], the transmetallation is thought to be facilitated by base-mediated formation of the tetracoordinate boronate anion [396], which is more electrophilic than the free boronic acid (Sections 1.5.1 and 1.5.2). A useful carbonylative variant has also been developed to access benzophenones (Equation 70) [397], which can also be produced from the coupling of acid chlorides [398] or anhydrides [399], A variant of this method allows the preparation of a, 3-unsaturated esters from alkenylboronic esters [243]. In all of these reactions, one dreaded limitation with some ortho-substituted and electron-poor arylboronic acids is the possible occurrence of a competitive protolytic de-boronation, which is exacerbated by the basic conditions and the use of a transition metal catalyst (Section 1.5.1). Methods to minimize this side reaction were developed in particular the use of milder alternative bases [400] such as fluoride salts [401], and... 

Ritter et al. [32a] developed a silver-mediated cross-coupling of trifluoromethoxide (Tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium trifluoromethoxide (TAS-OCFs) [32b] with aryl stannanes and arylboronic acids to give aryl trifluoromethyl ethers. This is the first report of a transition-metal-mediated Cajyi-OCFs bond formation (Scheme 5). 

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