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  1. Abstract Recent years have witnessed marked progress in the efficient synthesis of various enantioenriched 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines. However, enantio- and diastereoselective access to trans-2,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines remains much less explored. Herein we report that a frustrated Lewis pair-based catalyst generated via in situ hydroboration of 2-vinylnaphthalene with HB(C6F5)2 allows for the one-pot tandem cyclization/hydrosilylation of 1,2-diaminobenzenes and 1,2-diketones with commercially available PhSiH3 to exclusively afford trans-2,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivities (>20 : 1 dr). Furthermore, this reaction can be rendered asymmetric by using an enantioenriched borane-based catalyst derived from HB(C6F5)2 and a binaphthyl-based chiral diene to give rise to enantioenriched trans-2,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines in high yields with almost complete diastereo- and enantiocontrol (>20 : 1 dr, up to >99 % ee). A wide substrate scope, good tolerance of diverse functionality and up to 20-gram scale production are demonstrated. The enantio- and diastereocontrol are achieved by the judicious choice of borane catalyst and hydrosilane. The catalytic pathway and the origin of the excellent stereoselectivity are elucidated by mechanistic experiments and DFT calculations. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 20, 2024
  2. A Rh( i )-catalyzed trideuteromethylation of heteroarenes with inexpensive and readily available deuterated acetic acid (CD 3 CO 2 D) with the aid of a N -containing directing groups is developed. The oxidant-free reaction is applicable to a wide range of heteroarene substrates, including 2-pyridones, indoles, aryl rings, pyrroles and carbazoles. It allows installation of CD 3 groups under straightforward reaction conditions. It is expected that the salient and practical features of this trideuteromethylation protocol will be of use to academic and industrial researchers. 
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  3. A highly selective palladium-catalyzed carbonylative arylation of weakly acidic benzylic C(sp 3 )–H bonds of azaarylmethylamines with aryl bromides under 1 atm of CO gas has been achieved. This work represents the first examples of use of such weakly acidic pronucleophiles in this class of transformations. In the presence of a NIXANTPHOS-based palladium catalyst, this one-pot cascade process allows a range of azaarylmethylamines containing pyridyl, quinolinyl and pyrimidyl moieties and acyclic and cyclic amines to undergo efficient reactions with aryl bromides and CO to provide α-amino aryl-azaarylmethyl ketones in moderate to high yields with a broad substrate scope and good tolerance of functional groups. This reaction proceeds via in situ reversible deprotonation of the benzylic C–H bonds to give the active carbanions, thereby avoiding prefunctionalized organometallic reagents and generation of additional waste. Importantly, the operational simplicity, scalability and diversity of the products highlight the potential applicability of this protocol. 
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  4. A versatile Rh( i )-catalyzed C6-selective decarbonylative C–H alkenylation of 2-pyridones with readily available, and inexpensive alkenyl carboxylic acids has been developed. This directed dehydrogenative cross-coupling reaction affords 6-alkenylated 2-pyridones that would otherwise be difficult to access using conventional C–H functionalization protocols. The reaction occurs with high efficiency and is tolerant of a broad range of functional groups. A wide scope of alkenyl carboxylic acids, including challenging conjugated polyene carboxylic acids, are amenable to this transformation and no addition of external oxidant is required. Mechanistic studies revealed that (1) Boc 2 O acts as the activator for the in situ transformation of the carboxylic acids into anhydrides before oxidative addition by the Rh catalyst, (2) a decarbonylation step is involved in the catalytic cycle, and (3) the C–H bond cleavage is likely the turnover-limiting step. 
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  5. Abstract

    The first RhI‐catalyzed, directed decarbonylative C2−H alkenylation of imidazoles with readily available alkenyl carboxylic acids is reported. The reaction proceeds in a highly regio‐ and stereoselective manner, providing efficient access to C2‐alkenylated imidazoles that are generally inaccessible by known C−H alkenylation methods. This transformation accommodates a wide range of alkenyl carboxylic acids, including challenging conjugated polyene carboxylic acids, and diversely decorated imidazoles with high functional group compatibility. The presence of a removable pyrimidine directing group and the use of a bidentate phosphine ligand are pivotal to the success of the catalytic reaction. This process is also suitable for benzimidazoles. Importantly, the scalability and diversification of the products highlight the potential of this protocol in practical applications. Detailed experimental and computational studies provide important insights into the underlying reaction mechanism.

     
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  6. Abstract

    A Rh(I)‐catalyzed C6‐selective C−H arylation of 2‐pyridones with inexpensive, readily available, safe and structurally diverse aryl carboxylic acids with the aid of a pyridine directing group is developed. This decarbonylative arylation protocol features an easy‐to‐handle catalytic system, and is amenable to diversely substituted 2‐pyridones and aryl carboxylic acids. It allows access to a wide range of C6‐arylated 2‐pyridones, including those that are difficult to prepare using conventional C−H arylation processes. The method tolerates various electron‐neutral, electron‐rich and electron‐deficient functional groups, and affords the products in 41–91% yields.

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  7. Abstract

    Cp*Rh(III)‐catalyzed chelation‐assisted direct C−H bond functionalization of 1‐(2‐pyridyl)‐2‐pyridones with internal alkynes that can be controlled to give three different products in good yields has been realized. Depending on the reaction conditions, solvents and additives, the reaction pathway can be switched between alkenylation, alkenylation/directing group migration and rollover annulation. These reaction manifolds allow divergent access to a variety of valuable C6‐alkenylated 1‐(2‐pyridyl)‐2‐pyridones, (Z)‐6‐(1,2‐diaryl‐2‐(pyridin‐2‐yl)vinyl)pyridin‐2(1H)‐ones and 10H‐pyrido[1,2‐a][1,8]naphthyridin‐10‐ones from the same starting materials. These protocols exhibit excellent regio‐ and stereoselectivity, broad substrate scope, and good tolerance of functional groups. A combination of experimental and computational approaches have been employed to uncover the key mechanistic features of these reactions.

     
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