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3,3-Difluoroallyl ammonium salts: highly versatile, stable and selective gem-difluoroallylation reagents
The selective synthesis of fluorinated organic molecules continues to be of major importance for the development of bioactive compounds (agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals) as well as unique materials. Among the established synthetic toolbox for incorporation of fluorine-containing units, efficient and general reagents for introducing -CF2- groups have been largely neglected. Here, we present the synthesis of 3,3-difluoropropen-1-yl ammonium salts (DFPAs) as stable, and scalable gem-difluoromethylation reagents, which allow for the direct reaction with a wide range of fascinating nucleophiles. DFPAs smoothly react with N-, O-, S-, Se-, and C-nucleophiles under mild conditions without necessity of metal catalysts with exclusive regioselectivity. In this way, the presented reagents also permit the straightforward preparation of many analogues of existing pharmaceuticals.
Simple ruthenium-catalyzed reductive amination enables the synthesis of a broad range of primary amines
The production of primary benzylic and aliphatic amines, which represent essential feedstocks and key intermediates for valuable chemicals, life science molecules and materials, is of central importance. Here, we report the synthesis of this class of amines starting from carbonyl compounds and ammonia by Ru-catalyzed reductive amination using H2. Key to success for this synthesis is the use of a simple RuCl2(PPh3)3 catalyst that empowers the synthesis of >90 various linear and branched benzylic, heterocyclic, and aliphatic amines under industrially viable and scalable conditions. Applying this catalyst, −NH2 moiety has been introduced in functionalized and structurally diverse compounds, steroid derivatives and pharmaceuticals. Noteworthy, the synthetic utility of this Ru-catalyzed amination protocol has been demonstrated by upscaling the reactions up to 10 gram-scale syntheses. Furthermore, in situ NMR studies were performed for the identification of active catalytic species. Based on these studies a mechanism for Ru-catalyzed reductive amination is proposed.
Highly active and efficient catalysts for alkoxycarbonylation of alkenes
Carbonylation reactions of alkenes constitute the most important industrial processes in homogeneous catalysis. Despite the tremendous progress in this transformation, the development of advanced catalyst systems to improve their activity and widen the range of feedstocks continues to be essential for new practical applications. Herein a palladium catalyst based on 1,2-bis((tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphanyl)methyl)benzene L3 (py t bpx) is rationally designed and synthesized. Application of this system allows a general alkoxycarbonylation of sterically hindered and demanding olefins including all kinds of tetra-, tri-and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes as well as natural products and pharmaceuticals to the desired esters in excellent yield. Industrially relevant bulk ethylene is functionalized with high activity (TON: >1,425,000; TOF: 44,000 h-1 for initial 18 h) and selectivity (>99%). Given its generality and efficiency, we expect this catalytic system to immediately impact both the chemical industry and research laboratories by providing a practical synthetic tool for the transformation of nearly any alkene into a versatile ester product.