Synlett 2020; 31(09): 829-837
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1690779
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© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Epoxides as Dual-Functionalized Alkylating Reagents in Catellani Reactions for the Assembly of Heterocycles

Chenggui Wu
a   Sauvage Center for Molecular Sciences, Engineering Research Center of Organosilicon Compounds and Materials (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, P. R. of China   Email: hgcheng@whu.edu.cn
,
Hong-Gang Cheng
a   Sauvage Center for Molecular Sciences, Engineering Research Center of Organosilicon Compounds and Materials (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, P. R. of China   Email: hgcheng@whu.edu.cn
,
Qianghui Zhou
a   Sauvage Center for Molecular Sciences, Engineering Research Center of Organosilicon Compounds and Materials (Ministry of Education), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, P. R. of China   Email: hgcheng@whu.edu.cn
b   The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, P. R. of China   Email: qhzhou@whu.edu.cn
› Author Affiliations
We are grateful to the National 1000-Youth Talents Plan, the Innovation Team Program of Wuhan University (Program No. 2042017kf0232), start-up funding from Wuhan University, National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 21871213, and 21801193), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2016M602339, H.G.C.) for financial support.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 05 November 2019

Accepted after revision: 05 December 2019

Publication Date:
02 January 2020 (online)


Abstract

Reported is a cooperative catalytic system consisting of a complex of Pd with dicyclohexyl(2′,4′,6′-triisopropylbiphenyl-2-yl)phosphine (XPhos) and the potassium salt of 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid that permits the use of epoxides as dual-functionalized alkylating reagents in Catellani-type reactions for the assembly of heterocycles. Salient features of this research include readily available substrates, use of the potassium salt of 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid as a catalytic mediator as well as a base, and excellent regioselectivity for the cleavage of epoxides. This mild, chemoselective, scalable, atom- and step-economic protocol offers a straightforward approach for the assembly of isochroman and 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran scaffolds.