10.1002/anie.201710520
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
COMMUNICATION
Site-selective Linear Alkylation of Anilides by Cooperative
Nickel/Aluminum Catalysis
Shogo Okumura, Takuya Komine, Erika Shigeki, Kazuhiko Semba, Yoshiaki Nakao*
Dedication ((optional))
Abstract: We report meta- and para-selective linear alkylation of
Table 1. Conditions for the meta-Selective Alkylation of Anilides
with 1-Tridecene.
anilides with alkenes by nickel/N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and
aluminum catalysis. With a relatively less bulky NHC, the alkylation
reaction of N-methyl-N-phenylcyclohexanecarboxamide proceeds
2a (0.22 mmol)
Ni(cod)2 (10 mol%)
C11H23
mainly at the meta-position. In contrast, a bulky NHC ligand results
in the para-selective alkylation of N-(sec-alkyl)-anilides.
R
N
C11H23
R
O
N
+
ligand (10 mol%)
Lewis acid (40 mol%)
O
O
N
R
N
3
5
4
O
toluene, 100 ºC, 18 h
N
R
R
0.20 mmol
R = Me: 1a
Cy: 1b
+
+
The site-selective C–H functionalization of readily available
mono-substituted benzenes is one of the most effective strategies to
synthesize a wide variety of poly-substituted benzenes.[1] Aniline
and its derivatives are important substrates for C–H
functionalizations owing to their availability and the applications
of substituted anilines in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and
advanced materials. The C–H alkylation of anilines with alkenes as
alkylating agents represents an ideal alkylation reaction in terms of
atom economy. However, the ortho/meta/para selectivity, as well
as the linear/branched selectivity remain difficult to be controlled
precisely. The Friedel-Crafts alkylation of aniline with olefins
proceeds selectively at the ortho[2] or para[3] positions to afford
branched alkylanilines. Recently Ackermann has reported the
ruthenium-catalyzed meta-selective tertiary alkylation of N-
protected anilines with tertiary alkyl bromides,[4] whereas examples
of the meta-selective branch alkylation using alkenes have not yet
been reported. In contrast to the advances in branched alkylation
reactions, linear alkylation reactions of aniline derivatives remain
undeveloped. Although a few examples of ortho-selective linear
alkylation of anilines bearing directing groups[5] and several
methods for the direct meta-selective C–H functionalization of
aniline derivatives have been developed, [6] meta- or para-selective
linear alkylations of aniline derivatives with alkenes have not been
reported so far.
O
C11H23
C11H23
C11H23
6
R2
R2
R1
R1
N
R2
R2
N
N
N
O
O
Al
R3
R3
R2
R2
R2
R2
R1 = R3 = H, R2 = Me: IPr
MAD
IiPr
R1 = R2 = Me, R3 = H: IPrMe
R1 = H, R2 = Ph, R3 = OMe: IPr*OMe
entry
1
ligand
Lewis acid yield of
3 + 4 + 5
3/(4 + 6)/5[a]
(%)[a]
46[b]
48 (5)[c]
48 (8)[c]
26
21:66:13
4:82:14
3:84:13
<1:72:28
8:73:19
n.d.
1a
1b
1b
1b
1b
1b
1b
1b
IPrMe
IPrMe
IPrMe
1
MAD
MAD
MAD
MAD
MAD
MAD
AlMe3
none
2
3[d]
4
IPr*OMe
IPr
5
13
[e]
IiPr•HBF4
IPrMe
IPrMe
6
<1
7
5
10:75:15
n.d.
8
<1
[a] Determined by GC analysis using n-dodecane as an internal standard and
not corrected for response factors of minor isomers. [b] Dialkylation products
were observed, which were not considered when determining site-selectivity.
[c] Yield of 6. Other dialkylation products were observed in GC analysis in
~1% yield, which were not considered when determining site-selectivity.
[d] With 100 mol% MAD. [e] With 10 mol% NaOtBu.
Herein we report the meta- and para-selective linear
alkylation of anilides using a nickel/aluminum cooperative
catalysis system. We have previously reported the para-selective
effect of the N-acylamino groups. In order to accomplish a proof-of
principle for such a meta-selective alkylation of anilides, we chose
an NHC ligand whose %Vbur value[8] is probably smaller than the
one we used in the previous work (L1 in Table 3). [9] The reaction
of N-methylacetoanilide (1a) with 1-tridecene (2a) in the presence
of Ni(cod)2, IPrMe, and MAD in toluene at 100 ºC for 18 h afforded
a mixture of ortho- (3a), meta- (4a), and para-alkylation (5a)
products in 46% yield overall with a 21:66:13 selectivity (entry 1,
Table 1) and a small amount of dialkylation products. The
replacement of the acetyl group in 1a with a cyclohexanecarbonyl
group hampered the reaction at the ortho-position and enhanced the
site-selectivity to o/m/p = 4:82:14, in which m,m’-dialkylation
product 6b (5% yield) was also considered (entry 2). The use of
100 mol% of MAD slightly increased site-selectivity (entry 3). The
bulkier NHC ligand IPr*OMe generated the products in lower yield
and site-selectivity (entry 4). The less bulky ligands IPr and IiPr
were not effective in this reaction (entries 5 and 6) probably
because it might stabilized (NHC)Ni(alkene)2 complex, which
seemed to be a resting state in the catalytic reaction,[10a] or slowed
down the reductive elimination step. AlMe3 resulted in low yields,
under retention of the meta-selectivity (entry 7). Without Lewis
acid co-catalysts, no alkylation products were obtained (entry 8).
linear alkylation of benzamides and aromatic ketones by
[7]
nickel/aluminum cooperative catalysis.
As discussed in the
previous work, the para-selectivity was controlled by both
electronic and steric factors and bulky ligands for nickel, while
sterically unhindered and electron-poor C–H bonds worked best in
the reaction. Therefore, we expected that, should the steric factors
be neglected, the alkylation of anilides might proceed at the meta-
position, as the meta-position of anilides should be less electron-
rich than the ortho- and para-position on account of the resonance
[*]
S. Okumura, T. Komine, E. Shigeki, Dr. K. Semba, Prof. Dr. Y.
Nakao
Department of Material Chemistry
Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510 (Japan)
E-mail: nakao.yoshiaki.8n@kyoto-u.ac.jp
Supporting information for this article is given via a link at the end
of the document.
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