Catalyst-free synthesis of phenanthridinesviaelectrochemical coupling of 2-isocyanobiphenyls and amines
Catalyst free synthesis of 6-aryl phenanthridines and amides through an electrochemical reaction is reported in this study. The coupling reaction proceeds by the cathodic reduction ofin situformed diazonium ions, which are formed from anilines and an alkyl nitrite. The generated aryl radical diazonium ions coupled from isocyanides furnished the desired products in good yields. This cascade reaction was conducted in an undivided cell equipped with an RVC as the anode and Pt as the cathode usingnBu4NBF4as the electrolyte at room temperature. A series of detailed mechanistic studies have also been performed, including a radical clock experiment and cyclic voltammetry analysis.
Arylative cyclization of 2-isocyanobiphenyls with anilines: One-pot synthesis of 6-arylphenanthridines via competitive reaction pathways
A transition-metal-free method for the synthesis of C6 phenanthridine derivatives by arylative cyclization of 2-isocyanobiphenyls with arylamines in one pot was developed. Mechanistic studies suggest that electrophilic aromatic substitution (SEAr) of a nitrilium intermediate and homolytic aromatic substitution (HAS) of an imidoyl radical intermediate are two competitive reaction pathways involved in the annulation step.