Ullmann biaryl coupling

The short synthesis of the pyrrolophenanthridone alkaloid hippadine was accomplished by D.C. Harrowven and co-workers. " The key step of the synthetic sequence was the Ziegler modified intramolecular Ullmann biaryl coupling between two aryl bromides. One of the aryl halides was 7-bromoindole which was prepared using the Bartoli indole synthesis. The second aryl bromide was connected to 7-bromoindole via a simple A/-alkylation. 

Carbon-oxygen bonds are formed by the Ullmann reaction (- coupling of aryl halides with copper) which has been varied in alkaloid chemistry to produce diaryl ethers instead of biaryls. This is achieved by the use of CuO in basic media (T. Kametani, 1969 R.W. Dos-kotch, 1971). 

This iron-ate complex 19 is also able to catalyze the reduction of 4-nitroanisole to 4-methoxyaniline or Ullmann-type biaryl couplings of bis(2-bromophenyl) methylamines 31 at room temperature. In contrast, the corresponding bis(2-chlor-ophenyl)methylamines proved to be unreactive under these conditions. A shift to the dianion-type electron transfer(ET)-reagent [Me4Fe]Li2 afforded the biaryl as well with the dichloro substrates at room temperature, while the dibromo substrates proved to be reactive even at —78°C under these reaction conditions. This effect is attributed to the more negative oxidation potential of dianion-type [Me4Fe]Li2. 

The Ullmann coupling is the classical example of Cu-catalyzed biaryl coupling, wherein (a) a phenol and arylhalide substrate are converted to a bis-arylether or (b) two arenes are coupled to form a bis-arene species. These coupling reactions are of great importance for general organic synthesis as well as pharmaceutical and fine chemicals. The copper-catalyzed phenol coupling to arrive at chiral biphenol derivatives is used extensively as a test reaction for the catalytic activity of new copper complexes [254,255]. 

The Ullmann biaryl amine condensation was used in the synthesis of SB-214857, a GPIIb/llla receptor antagonist. D. Ma and co-workers coupled aryl halides with 3-amino acids and esters under relatively mild conditions using Cul as a true catalyst. 

Cu-catalyzed Ullmann biaryl ether synthesis Cu-mediated synthesis of biaryl ethers by coupling aryl halides and phenols. 464... 

The classical Ullmann reaction has also attracted renewed interest in recent years. Miyano has prepared optically enriched binaphthyl derivatives by intramolecular biaryl coupling, as shown in equation (9). " Diastereoselectivities of up to 70% have been obtained with a binaphthol chiral auxiliary in the linking chain. Intermolecular cross-coupling is best accomplished with preformed arylcopper compounds. "... 

Over the past century, several methods have been developed for the synthesis of biaryl compounds [7]. Among these are the Ullmann-type coupling [8,9], the Scholl reaction [10], the Gomberg-Bachmann reaction [11], and recently transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions [12], In particular, palladium-catalyzed crosscoupling reactions have been successfully applied to the synthesis of biaryls due to their generally high yields and excellent selectivities. 

The classical methodology of the Ullmann biaryl synthesis was significantly improved by Semmelhack et al. using zero-valent nickel complexes [28]. Aryl iodides were coupled in high yield using bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) as catalyst. Yields were further improved by the application of tetrakis(triphenylphosph-ine)nickel(0) [29] (Scheme 40). 

Organocopper reagents, such as methylcopper prepared from MeLi were also used as catalyst recently [148]. Yields could be further improved by ultrasonic irradiation [149],.as well as under phase transfer conditions [150]. It is surprising that, in contrast to the Ullmann biaryl synthesis, activated aromatic fluoro compounds (e.g. fluoro-esters, -nitrils, -aldehydes and -acetophenones) can couple with phenols in good yield. The reaction does not require any catalysts, but only K2CO3 as a base, [146] (Scheme 56). ... 

The reaction employing copper was utilized almost exclusively in the following decades for biaryl formation until the rising popularity of nickel, in an Ullmann-type coupling. This was followed by the use of zinc, tin, boron, and eventually, palladium, arguably the most commonly used transition metal in organic synthesis today for such transformations. 

Meyers has also reported the use of chiral oxazolines in asymmetric copper-catalyzed Ullmann coupling reactions. For example, treatment of bromooxazoline 50 with activated copper powder in refluxing DMF afforded binaphthyl oxazoline 51 as a 93 7 mixture of atropisomers diastereomerically pure material was obtained in 57% yield after a single recrystallization. Reductive cleavage of the oxazoline groups as described above afforded diol 52 in 88% yield. This methodology has also been applied to the synthesis of biaryl derivatives. 

Traditionally, the synthesis of symmetrical biaryls was routinely accomplished using the Ullmann reaction. Recently, palladium-catalyzed homocoupling of aryl halides has also been demonstrated to rival the utility of the Ullmann coupling. As illustrated in Scheme 21, using Pd(OAc)2 as the... 

Although the copper mediated Ullmann reaction is a well known method for biaryl synthesis, drastic conditions in the range of 150-280 °C are required. Zerovalent nickel complexes such as bis(l,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel or tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)nickel have been shown to be acceptable coupling reagents under mild conditions however, the complexes are unstable and not easy to prepare. The method using activated metallic nickel eliminates most of these problems and provides an attractive alternative for carrying out aryl coupling reactions(36,38). 

Chan has discovered a completely atropdiasteroselective synthesis of a biaryl diphosphine by asymmetric intramolecular Ullmann coupling or Fe(m)-promoted oxidative coupling. A chiral atropisomeric biaryl bisphosphine ligand 2 was synthesized through this central-to-axial chirality transfer.38 Recently, a xylyl-biaryl bisphosphine ligand, Xyl-TetraPHEMP, was introduced by Moran, and is found to be effective for the Ru-catalyzed hydrogenation of aryl ketone.39... 

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