Please cite this article in press as: Wang et al., Regioselective Synthesis of Polyfunctional Arenes by a 4-Component Catellani Reaction, Chem
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Article
Regioselective Synthesis of Polyfunctional
Arenes by a 4-Component Catellani Reaction
Jing Wang,1,3 Cheng Qin,1,3 Jean-Philip Lumb,2, and Xinjun Luan
*
SUMMARY
The Bigger Picture
Polyfunctional arenes touch the
lives of nearly every human on
earth. They are integral
Polyfunctional arenes are an important part of the chemical value chain.
To improve the efficiency of their synthesis, we have investigated a
multicomponent approach built upon the Catellani platform. Here,
we describe a 4-component coupling of aryl iodides lacking an ortho
substituent that installs 3 discrete functional groups on the arene in a
single step. The process is regio- and chemoselective and uncovers
remote substituent effects that have a pronounced influence over inter-
mediate Pd-(II) complexes. These intermediates have been a long-
standing focus of the Catellani-reaction development, but persistent
challenges have given rise to the well-known ‘‘ortho effect.’’ We now
show that the ortho effect can be a positive element of reaction design,
and that previously problematic iodides can now be used in
complexity-generating transformations. In expanding the scope of
the Catellani platform, we hope to provide mechanistic considerations
to guide future reaction design, while also improving the environ-
mental footprint of synthesizing polyfunctional arenes.
components of the chemical value
chain with wide-ranging
applications in the pharmaceutical
and agrochemical sectors. In this
work, we describe a new way of
synthesizing polyfunctional
arenes by multicomponent
coupling. Multicomponent
reactions are attractive, because
they assemble simple and
inexpensive building blocks into
functional molecules of much
higher value. If each component
can be varied, the resulting
transformation can rapidly search
chemical space around a given
scaffold at low cost with minimal
waste. To do this effectively, bond
formation between components
must be orchestrated with high
precision and must often
INTRODUCTION
By introducing more than one functional group in a single transformation, multicom-
ponent coupling reactions can provide an efficient synthesis of polyfunctional mol-
ecules.1–4 In the particular case of substituted aromatic rings, Catellani’s conditions,
combining palladium (Pd) and norbornene (NBE) provide a versatile platform for a
number of 3-component coupling reactions (Scheme 1A).5–9 The inclusion of NBE
promotes a characteristic 1,2-transposition (1,2-T) of Pd following oxidative addition
(OA), that allows functionalization of both ortho- and ipso-carbons of the starting
halide (C6 and C1, respectively, see Scheme 1A for numbering).9 High chemo-
and regioselectivity result from the distinct coordination environments of Pd, which
change over the course of the catalytic cycle. The Pd-(II) center at C1 is relatively
electropositive and coordinatively unsaturated, making it well suited for migratory
insertion (MI) or transmetalation (TM), whereas the Pd-(II) center at C6 is relatively
electron rich, making it better suited for OA.10 While the complementarity of these
environments has led to the successful combination of many pairs of coupling part-
ners, a persistent limitation requires an ortho substituent on the starting aromatic
halide to ensure high degrees of selectivity.11–31 In its absence, the Pd-(II) centers
at C1 and C6 behave quite differently, and a number of competitive pathways erode
selectivity in what is commonly referred to as the ortho effect or constraint
(Scheme 1B).32–34 This includes products of over functionalization at both C2 and
C6,10,14–17,21 as well as additional NBE-containing by-products (not shown, see
Maestri et al.,33 Wang et al.,34 and Lei et al.35). A series of elegant studies addressing
aspects of this limitation were recently described by Dong and co-workers, whose
carefully engineered NBE derivatives restore steric effects in classical 3-component
reactions (Scheme 1C).34,36–38 These examples illustrate the influence of remote-
discriminate subtle differences
between reactive centers. Our
work accomplishes this task by
advancing the Catellani platform
to a 4-component coupling that
can provide polyfunctional arene
products containing up to 6
unique substituents in a single
transformation.
Chem 6, 1–13, August 6, 2020 ª 2020 Elsevier Inc.
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