Novel and efficient copper-catalysed synthesis of nitrogen-linked medium-ring biaryls.

Herein, a new copper-catalysed strategy for the synthesis of rare nitrogen-linked seven-, eight- and nine-membered biaryl ring systems is described. It is proposed that the reaction proceeds through a highly activated intramolecularly co-ordinated copper catalyst. The process is technically simple, proceeds under relatively mild conditions, displays a broad substrate scope and forms biologically valuable products that are difficult to synthesise by other methods.

Diversity-oriented synthesis of disubstituted alkenes using masked silanols.

The regio- and stereoselective synthesis and subsequent Hiyama cross coupling of pentafluorophenyldimethylvinylsilanes has been developed, thus providing a convenient and robust method for the diversity-oriented synthesis of (E)-, (Z)- and alpha-disubstituted alkenes from terminal alkynes. Pentafluorophenyldimethylvinylsilanes undergo cross-coupling reactions with excellent selectivity and in good yields, offering an attractive alternative to existing masked silanols.

Copper catalyzed oxidation of organozinc halides.

A wide range of organozinc substrates may be oxidized in the presence of catalytic copper to give carbon-carbon bonds in high yield.