Facile access to C-N bonds via unexpected side reactions of Knoevenagel condensation and their application in high-efficiency organic solar cells

The construction of C-N bonds is of great importance in the fields of biology,medicine,chemistry and materials science.Here,the replacement of organic base from pyridine to piperidine in the Knoevenagel condensation process unexpectedly yields a series of novel organic molecules containing C-N bonds.Interestingly,the synthesis method does not require any external transition-metals catalysis,and photo-/electro-catalysis.Additionally,when the new compound 1b is added as a third component to a well-known binary system of PM6:Y6,the efficiency of the organic solar cell is significantly improved,resulting in an outstanding efficiency of 18.0%,which is one of the highest values reported to date for PM6:Y6-based ternary organic solar cells.

Radical denitrogenative transformations of polynitrogen heterocycles:Building C–N bonds and beyond

Polynitrogen heterocycles are readily available and have recently arisen as versatile synthons for the formation of various C-C and C-X bonds,and medicinally active nitrogen-containing heterocycles.Several cascade reactions,including annulation,radical cascade,and borylation reactions,have been reported in which polynitrogen heterocycles are applied as arylation reagents.The success of these exceptional reactions illustrates the great synthetic potential of polynitrogen heterocycles,which provides a direct and useful approach to arylation reactions and the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles.The use of photocatalysts to effectively transfer energy from visible light to non-absorbing compounds has gained increasing attention as this method allows for the mild and efficient generation of radicals in a controlled manner.This approach has thus led to new methods that involve unique bond formation reactions.In addition,the use of free radical intermediates stabilized by transition metal catalysts is a powerful way to construct new chemical bonds.The aim of this review is to highlight the rapidly expanding area of radical-initiated denitrogenative cascade reactions of polynitrogen heterocycles and elaborate on their mechanisms from a new perspective by using photocatalysis and metal-based catalysis.

Continuous-flow electrosynthesis of urea and oxalic acid by CO_(2)-nitrate reduction and glycerol oxidation

Urea and oxalic acid are critical component in various chemical manufacturing industries.However,achieving simultaneous generation of urea and oxalic acid in a continuous-flow electrolyzer is a challenge.Herein,we report a continuous-flow electrolyzer equipped with 9-square centime-ter-effective area gas diffusion electrodes(GDE)which can simultaneously catalyze the glycerol oxidation reaction in the anode region and the reduction reaction of CO_(2) and nitrate in the cathode region,producing oxalic acid and urea at both the anode and cathode,respectively.The current density at low cell voltage(0.9 V)remained above 18.7 mA cm^(-2) for 10 consecutive electrolysis cycles(120 h in total),and the Faraday efficiency of oxalic acid(67.1%) and urea(70.9%)did not decay.Experimental and theoretical studies show that in terms of the formation of C-N bond at the cathode,Pd-sites can provide protons for the hydrogenation process of CO_(2) and NO_(3)^(-),Cu-sites can promote the generation of *COOH and Bi-sites can stabilize *COOH.In addition,in terms of glycerol oxidation,the introduction of Cu and Bi into Pd metallene promotes the oxidation of hydroxyl groups and the cleavage of C-C bond in glycerol molecules,respectively.

Iron/B_(2)pin_(2)catalytic system enables the generation of alkyl radicals from inert alkyl C-O bonds for amine synthesis

A method for the generation of alkyl radicals from inert alkyl C-o bonds has been developed via an iron/borane reagent/alkoxide catalytic system,which can be employed for the synthesis of amines from nitroarenes with excellent efficiency.This reductive amination features good functional group compatibility and enables the late-stage amination of bio-relevant compounds,thus providing good opportunities for applications in medicinal chemistry.Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the amine synthesis may be involving a Fe/Li cation-assisted single electron transfer pathway to form alkyl radicals,and the low-valent iron speciesmaybetheactive intermediates.

N-Radical enabled cyclization of 1,n-enynes

Compared to the widely used carbon-centered radicals,N-radicals have been relatively unexplored owing to the lack of practical and convenient production methods.Over the past few years,benefitting from the resurgence of reliable and controllable radical chemistry,N-radicals have been produced via thermal decomposition,oxidants,metal salts,or electrocatalysis.Therefore,numerous N-radical enabled cyclization of 1,n-enynes methods have been developed,providing a versatile and concise synthetic platform for the preparation of complex cyclic systems and natural products containing elaborate ring frameworks.In this review,we will summarize recent advances in the promising field of radical chemistry focusing on the production methods of N-radicals and their cyclization patterns,associated mechanisms,unmet challenges,and future opportunities.

Scandium terminal imido complex induced intramolecular C-N bond cleavage and transformation

The scandium terminal imido complex supported by a monoanionic tetradentate NNNN ligand, [LSc=N(DIPP)](L = [MeC(N(DIPP))CHC(Me)(NCH2CH2N(Me)CH2CH2NMe2]-, DIPP = 2,6-(iPr)2C6H3)(1), undergoes a C–N bond cleavage at elevated temperature to give a mononuclear scandium anilido intermediate 2a, which subsequently aggregates into a binuclear scandium anilido complex 2. The mononuclear intermediate 2a reacts with alkyne or imine to provide two scandium anilido complexes 3 and 4, which contain a dianionic tetradentate NNNC ligand or a dianionic tetradentate NNNN ligand. DFT calculations on the reaction mechanism of C–N bond cleavage in 1 were also performed.

Palladium-Catalyzed Aminomethylation of Nitrodienes and Dienones via Double C-N Bond Activation

Main observation and conclusion A new strategy for the generation of the active Pd-alkyl species from aminal via C-N bond activation has been established,in which the formation of zwitterionic intermediate through aza-Michael addition of aminal to nitrodienes or dienones is identified as a key step for the activation of the C-N bond.The efficient strategy has enabled a new palladium-catalyzed a-aminomethylation of nitro-dienes and dienones via double C-N bond activation.The scope and versatility of the reaction were demonstrated and a broad range of substrates bearing electron-donating and-withdrawing groups on the aromatic rings were all compatible with this reaction to furnish the desired a-aminomethylated products in moderate to good yields with excellent regioselectivities and E/Z selectivities.

A facile access for the C–N bond formation by transition metal-free oxidative coupling of benzylic C–H bonds and amides

Using 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone(DDQ)as the oxidant,we communicate an efficient oxidative C–N coupling of benzylic C–H bonds with amides to afford a series of amination products in good yields.A wide range of functional groups as well as various sulfonamides and carboxamides are well tolerated.Moreover,this reaction involves both the challenging C–H functionalization and C–N bond formation.

Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Double C--N Bond Activation： A New Strategy for Aminomethylation of 1,3-Dienes with Aminals

A new palladium-catalyzed selective aminomethylation of conjugated 1,3-dienes with aminais via double C-N bond activation is described. This simple method provides an effective and rapid approach for the synthesis of linear a,13-unsaturated allylic amines with perfect regioselectivity. Mechanistic studies disclosed that one palladium catalyst cleaved two distinct C-N bond to furnish a cascade double C-N bond activation, in which an allylic 1,3-diamine and allylic 1,2-diamine were initially formed as key intermediates through the palladium-catalyzed C-N bond activation of aminal and the α,β-unsaturated allylic amine was subsequently produced via palladium-catalyzed C-N bond activation of the allylic diamines.

Carbon-nitrogen bond formation to construct novel polyketide-indole hybrids from the indole-3-carbinol exposed culture of Daldinia eschscholzii

A plenty of cytochrome P450s have been annotated in the Daldinia eschosholzii genome.Inspired by the fact that some P450s have been reported to catalyze the carbon-nitrogen(C-N)bond formation,we were curious about whether hybrids through C-N bond formation could be generated in the indole-3-carbinol(I3C)exposed culture of D.eschscholzii.As expected,two skeletally undescribed polyketide-indole hybrids,designated as indolpolyketone A and B(1 and 2),were isolated and assigned to be constructed through C-N bond formation.Their structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra.The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by comparing the recorded and calculated electronic circular dichroism(ECD)spectra.Furthermore,the plausible biosynthetic pathways for 1 and 2 were proposed.Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant antiviral activity against H1N1 with IC_(50) values of 45.2 and 31.4μM,respectively.In brief,compounds 1 and 2 were reported here for the first time and were the first example of polyketide-indole hybrids pieced together through C-N bond formation in the I3C-exposed culture of D.eschscholzii.Therefore,this study expands the knowledge about the chemical production of D.eschscholzii through precursor-directed biosynthesis(PDB).

Dynamic kinetic stereodivergent transformations of propargylic ammonium salts via dual nickel and copper catalysis

The dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation of racemic propargylic ammonium salts with prochiral aldimine esters through a stereodivergent propargylation is catalyzed by dual nickel and copper catalysis.Thus,a diverse range of optically activeα-quaternary amino esters were produced via C-N bond cleavage with high reaction efficiency and stereoselectivity(up to>99%ee).By selection of the appropriate pair-wise combination of catalyst configurational isomers,all four possible stereoisomers of the corresponding propargylation products are obtained in high yields with excellent regio-,diastereo-,and enantioselectiv-ities.

Carbene-Catalyzed Asymmetric Ring-Opening Reaction of Biaryl Lactams to Access Axially Chiral Biaryls

Axially chiral biaryls represent the most important class of atropisomers,and they widely exist in natural products and biologically active molecules.They also constitute a unique scaffold for chiral ligands and catalysts in organic synthesis.The development of synthetic methods to obtain such chiral compounds has received widespread attention,among which catalytically atroposelective ring-opening of configurationally labile compounds represents one of the most attractive strategies.Various substrates with strained cyclic structures,such as the renowned Bringmann's lactones,can undergo asymmetric transformation into stable atropisomers.Known advancement primarily relies on metal catalyst combined with well-designed chiral ligands,the approaches utilizing organocatalysis as a critical resolution strategy are notably scarce.In this study,we disclosed a N-heterocyclic carbene(NHC)-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening reaction of biaryl lactams via direct atroposelective nucleophilic activation.The optimized bulky carbene catalyst ensures that the reaction can proceed under mild conditions,affording the desired product with good to excellent yields and atroposelectivity.

A facile synthesis of 2-aryloxypyrimidine derivatives via a tandem reductive amination/intermolecular S_NAr sequence

A novel tandem reductive amination/intermolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) sequence has been established for the synthesis of amine containing pyrimidine in formation of one carbon-oxygen and one carbon-nitrogen bonds in a one-pot fashion. Treatment of aldehyde with arylamine, 2-methanesulfonyl-4,6-dimeth-oxypyrimidine and sodium borohydride provides good overall yield. The p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) can be used as activator and is generally needed in the reaction. Dioxane is the preferred reaction solvent, but reactions can also be carried out in tetrahydrofuran (THF), MeCN, toluene and dichloromethane. The procedure is carried out effectively in the presence of K2CO3. The reaction proceeds smoothly with aromatic aldehydes and arylamines possessing elec-tron-donating or-withdrawing groups. This method can be applied to the synthesis of the oilseed rape herbicide and is superior to the classical one in several aspects: cutting out several purification steps, minimizing solvent use and chemical waste, and saving time. Its advantages such as operational convenience, high-efficient synthesis, and starting material availability make it a desirable method for preparing amines with molecular diversity and biological activity.

Upgrading CO2 by Incorporation into Urethanes through Silver-Catalyzed One-Pot Stepwise Amidation Reaction

One-pot two-step stepwise reaction of terminal propargylic alcohols, carbon dioxide, and primary/secondary amines for the effective synthesis of various urethanes through robust silver-catalysed C-O/C-N bond formation is reported, Catalytic activities were investigated by controlling catalyst loading, reaction pressure and time, and very high turnover number （turnover frequency） was obtained： 3350 （35 h-1） with 0.01 mol% silver catalyst under 0.1 MPa, and up to 13360 （139 h-1） with 0.005 mol% silver catalyst under 2.0 MPa at room temperature. The strategy was ingeniously regulated, and synchronously afforded a wide range of β-oxopropylcarbamate and 1,3-oxazolidin-2-one motifs in excellent yields and selectivity together with unprecedented high turnover number （TON） and turnover frequency （TOF） value.

Defect engineering for advanced electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen-containing molecules

Electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen-containing molecules into valuable chemicals is a promising strategy to alleviate anthropogenic imbalances in the global nitrogen cycle,but developing efficient electrocatalysts remains a formidable challenge.In recent years,the exploration of high-performance electrocatalysts has achieved significant progress by resorting to defect engineering strategy,which encouraged the researchers to understand the relationship between defects in catalysts and electrocatalytic performance.In this review,recent advances in defect engineering for advanced electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen-containing molecules are systematically summarized,with special focus on electrocatalytic nitrogen oxidation and reduction,electrocatalytic nitric oxide oxidation and reduction,electrocatalytic nitrate reduction,and the construction of C–N bonds.Defects can effectively tune the electronic structure of catalysts,facilitate species diffusion,and provide more adsorption/active sites for reaction intermediates,thereby enhancing the electrocatalytic performance.Moreover,objective issues and future trends for optimizing electrocatalyst by defect engineering are proposed,which will contribute to the further development of advanced electrocatalytic conversion of nitrogen-containing molecules.

Boosting Electrocatalytic Urea Production via Promoting Asymmetric C–N Coupling

Electrocatalytic C–N coupling shows great potential in direct and sustainable urea synthesis.However,the mechanism of interaction between catalytic sites and intermediate species is currently unclear,and exploring corresponding strategies to boost urea synthesis is urgent.Herein,we demonstrated that a multihole structure could preserve the Cu^(+)component of Cu_(2)O spheres under electrochemical reduction conditions.An in situ formed Cu^(0)–Cu^(+)site thermodynamically and kinetically promoted the asymmetric coupling process of^(*)CO and^(*)NO,thereby boosting the urea production.The impressive urea yield rates of 29.2 and 114.0 mmol h^(−1)g^(−1)were realized for electrochemical coupling of CO_(2)with nitrate and nitrite,respectively.The multihole-Cu_(2)O exhibits both superior activity and long-term stability compared to the electrocatalysts with a reconstructed Cu^(0)-dominated surface.This work provides insights into the identification and design of the active site for C–N coupling and urea synthesis.

Visible Light-Driven Catalyst-Free Amination of Indoles Initiated by Electron Donor-Acceptor Complexes

The visible light-driven C2 or C3 amination of indoles without any additives was initiated via electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex formed by indole and N-aminopyridinium salt.This method was compatible with a wide range of substrates and could proceed smoothly without the addition of any photocatalysts,transition-metal catalysts,or bases.A variety of studies were carried out to examine the presence of EDA complex.

Copper-catalyzed arenes amination with saccharins

A novel copper-catalyzed direct C–N formation reaction of simple arenes with cheap and pharmacological saccharin derivatives under relatively mild conditions was developed with arenes as limiting reagents.This work provided a new method for oxidative coupling of aromatic C(sp2)–H bonds and N–H bonds.

Recent advances in polyoxometalates acid-catalyzed organic reactions

Polyoxometalates(POMs)have conducive properties such as controlled Bronsted and Lewis acidity,high thermal stability,nontoxic nature,tunable solubility,and less corrosiveness.POMs have been extensively applied in catalytic organic reactions and have an exciting prospect for industrial applications.This review summarized recent progress in the application of POMs as acid catalysts for various organic reactions including C-C bond formation,C-N bond formation,C-O bond formation,heterocyclic synthesis reactions,cyanosilylation and hydrolysis reactions.Various POMs catalysts including heteropoly acids(HPAs)and cationic functionalized HPAs with Bronsted acidity,HPAs supported on non-precious metal support with Bronsted acidity(or both Bronsted and Lewis acidity),transition metal substituted POMs with Lewis acidity were applied in above reactions.This review attempts to provide up-to-date information about POMs acid-catalyzed organic reactions and propose future prospects.

Electrosynthesis of ^(15)N-labeled amino acids from ^(15)N-nitrite and ketonic acids

^(15)N isotope-labeled amino acids(^(15)N-amino acids)are crucial in the fields of biology,medicine,and chemistry.^(15)N-amino acids are conventionally synthesized through microbial fermentation and chemical reductive amination of ketonic acids methodologies,which usually require complicated procedures,high temperatures,or toxic cyanide usage,causing energy and environmental concerns.Here,we report a sustainable pathway to synthesize ^(15)N-amino acids from readily available ^(15)N-nitrite(^(15)NO_(2)-)and biomass-derived ketonic acids under ambient conditions driven by renewable electricity.A mechanistic study demonstrates a ^(15)N-nitrite→^(15)NH_(2)OH→^(15)N-pyruvate oxime→^(15)N-alanine reaction pathway for ^(15)N-alanine synthesis.Moreover,this electrochemical strategy can synthesize six ^(15)N-amino acids with 68%–95%yields.Furthermore,a ^(15)N-labeled drug of ^(15)N-tiopronin,the most commonly used hepatitis treatment drug,is fabricated using ^(15)N-glycine as the building block.Impressively,^(15)N sources can be recycled by the electrooxidation of ^(15)NH4^(+) to ^(15)NO_(2)-with a method economy.This work opens an avenue for the green synthesis of ^(15)N-labeled compounds or drugs.