Conjugate addition‐enantioselective protonation to forge tertiary stereocentresαto azaarenes via cooperative hydrogen atom transfer and chiral hydrogen‐bonding catalysis

Cooperative hydrogen atom transfer and chiral hydrogen‐bonding catalysis as a new platform for the asymmetric synthesis of azaarene derivatives is reported.By using a tetrabutylammonium decatungstate as the photocatalyst and a chiral phosphoric acid as the hydrogen‐bonding catalyst,transformations of a variety of commercially available hydrocarbons and silanes with diverseα‐branched 2‐vinylazaarenes could efficiently experience a tandem radical conjugate addition and enantioselective protonation process,providing a convenient and fully atom economical approach to access a range of valuable enantioenrichedα‐tertiary azaarenes in high yields with good to excellent enantioselectivities(up to 93%ee).Through the direct use of tert‐butyl methylcarbamate as the feedstock,this method enables a highly practical and concise synthesis of the enantiomerically pure medicinal molecule pheniramine(Avil).

Enantioselective intermolecular[2+2]photocycloadditions of vinylazaarenes with triplet-state electron-deficient olefins

The development of catalytic asymmetric radical reactions is an attractive but formidable task.The high reactivity of radicals enables the use of readily accessible feedstocks and mild reaction conditions,but it leads to substantial difficulty for chiral catalysts to provide sufficient enantiocontrol.Moreover,a racemic background process is often inevitable,further deteriorating enantioselectivity.In this regard,an effective protocol has been established for enantioselective intermolecular[2+2]photocycloadditions to overcome the challenges,which is capitalising on the ground-state preassociations of chiral catalysts with photoactivated substrates.Here,we report the viability of substrate-differentiating synergistic catalysis for this important reaction.In this new platform,energy transfer occurs between DPZ as a photosensitizer and enones or(E)-2-substituted vinylazaarenes for producing triplet-state species,and chiral phosphoric acid interacts with ground-state 2-vinylazaarenes via hydrogen bonding for subsequent enantiofacial cycloaddition.Although all active species are dispersed in the reaction system,valuable enantioenriched mono-and di-azaarene-functionalized cyclobutanes are obtained efficiently and selectively.In addition to constructing all-carbon quaternary stereocentres,flexible modulation of azaaryl groups and other substituents on the cyclobutane ring is also operative.

Ligand-controlled NiH-catalyzed regiodivergent hydroalkylation of 2-alkenylazaarenes

A nickel-hydride(Ni H)-catalyzed migratory and nonmigratory hydroalkylation reaction of 2-alkenyl azaarenes with alkyl iodines has been established through strategic modulation of N-or P-donor ligands.This method enables the synthesis of diverseβ-orγ-branched aromatic N-heterocycles.The mild regiodivergent protocols exhibit wide substrate scope,excellent functional tolerance,and great reaction yield with remarkable regioselectivity.Importantly,deuterium labeling studies reveal Ni H-catalyzed interrupted chain-walking mode as the mechanism behind remotedβ-selective hydroalkylation reaction—an interesting phenomenon mediated through aromatic imine directing groups.

Direct enantioselective reduction of C=C bond of β-polyfluoro-alkylated enones via asymmetric photoredox catalysis

Direct enantioselective reduction of the C=C bond ofβ-polyfluoro-alkylated enones is an important but long-pending subject in asymmetric catalysis.Here,we report on the viability of visible light-driven cooperative photoredox and chiral hydrogenbonding catalysis to effectively address this challenge,as a variety of products are obtained in high yields(up to 85%)with good to excellent enantioselectivities(up to 98%ee).The formation of thermodynamically favorable enol intermediates after double single-electron reduction represents the center of the success.Additionally,the utility of the current method is validated by the convenient regio-specific and-diverse synthesis of various deuterated derivatives for these products using inexpensive D_(2)O as the deuterium source.

Benzothiophene and benzosulfone fused pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline:Synthesis and semiconducting properties

A novel air-stable n-type benzothiaphene endcapped azaarene(BTPQ) and its sulfonated derivative(BSPQ) were prepared via two pathways and characterized by NMR, UV–vis, fluorescence and cyclic voltammetry spectroscopy. Symmetrically introducing four nitrogen atoms into acenes, the semiconductor properties could be changed from p-type to n-type detected through the space charge limited current(SCLC) method. After sulfonation of BTPQ, BSPQ is with deeper frontier orbital energy levels and enhanced the electron mobility.

Divergent asymmetric synthesis of azaarene-functionalized cyclic alcohols through stereocontrolled Beckwith-Enholm cyclizations

The first enantioselective Beckwith-Enholm cyclization reaction is reported herein.Under cooperative photoredox and chiral hydrogen-bonding catalysis mediated by visible light,cyclization of carbonyls with azaarene-based olefins as a new reaction system offers a general and divergent synthetic pathway to furnish a variety of highly valuable enantioenriched azaarenefunctionalized carbocyclic and heterocyclic alcohols,which bear adjacent 1,2-or nonadjacent 1,3-stereocentres on distinct cyclic frameworks,in high yields and enantio-and diastereoselectivities.The good compatibility of various azaarenes and carbonyls as well as the diversity of cyclic structures of the products underscores the generality of the catalysis platform.In addition to the ability to precisely introduce deuterium into molecules in an enantioselective manner,the considerable synthetic value of this method includes the excellent antioxidant stress potential of the products.In particular,molecule 29 was determined to be a promising lead compound for antioxidant stress drug design.

Alumina-supported heteropoly acid:An efficient catalyst for the synthesis of azaarene substituted 3-hydroxy-2-oxindole derivatives via C(sp^3)-H bond functionalization

A method of C（sp^3）-H bond functionalization of methyl azaarenes catalyzed by alumina-supported heteropoly acid and addition to isatins was developed. This transformation could be used for the synthesis of biologically important 3-hydroxy-2-oxindole derivatives in good to excellent yields and the catalyst could be reused for six times without significant decrease in activity.