Chemo- and Regioselective Alkylation of Pyridine -Oxides with Titanacyclopropanes.

While titanacyclopropanes are used to react mainly with ester, amide, and cyano to undergo cyclopropanation, herein they react preferentially with pyridine -oxide to accomplish C2-H alkylation beyond these functionalities with double regioselectivity. After being pyridylated at the less hindered C-Ti bond, the remaining C-Ti bond of titanacyclopropanes can be further functionalized by various electrophiles, allowing facile introduction of complex alkyls onto the C2 of pyridines. Its synthetic potential has been demonstrated by late-stage diversification of drugs.

Small extrachromosomal circular DNA harboring targeted tumor suppressor gene mutations supports intratumor heterogeneity in mouse liver cancer induced by multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9.

Background: Primary liver cancer has significant intratumor genetic heterogeneity (IGH), which drives cancer evolution and prevents effective cancer treatment. CRISPR/Cas9-induced mouse liver cancer models can be used to elucidate how IGH is developed. However, as CRISPR/Cas9 could induce chromothripsis and extrachromosomal DNA in cells in addition to targeted mutations, we wondered whether this effect contributes to the development of IGH in CRISPR/Cas9-induced mouse liver cancer.

Phenolate Enabled General and Selective Fe/Ti Cocatalyzed Biaryl Cross-Couplings between Aryl Halides and Aryl Grignard Reagents.

The serendipitous addition of a phenolate to FeCl/TMEDA/Ti(OEt) enables a strong Fe/Ti cooperativity that can efficiently catalyze a general and selective biaryl-coupling reaction. In the absence of phosphine or NHC ligands, various aryl chlorides, bromides, and iodides can couple with a variety of common and Knochel-type aryl Grignard reagents. A wide range of sensitive functional groups in either coupling partner can be tolerated.

Cobalt-Catalyzed Biaryl Couplings via C-F Bond Activation in the Absence of Phosphine or NHC Ligands.

A highly general and selective Co-catalyzed biaryl coupling through C-F cleavage under phosphine or NHC-free conditions was described. A broad range of aryl fluorides including unactivated fluorides as well as those with sensitive functionalities could couple with various Ti(OEt)-mediated aryl Grignard reagents with high selectivity under the catalysis of CoCl/DMPU. Importantly, selective C-F bond activation couplings between two types of fluorines (difluorinated aromatics and on two different coupling partners) and in the presence of C-Cl or C-Br bonds could also be achieved.

Room-temperature cobalt-catalyzed arylation of aromatic acids: overriding the ortho-selectivity via the oxidative assembly of carboxylate and aryl titanate reagents using oxygen.

A room temperature phosphine or NHC ligand-free cobalt-catalyzed arylation of (hetero)aromatic acids has been developed. It involves an oxidative cross-coupling between carboxylate and aryl titanate reagents using oxygen as an oxidant, and the arylation at the position ortho, meta and para to the carboxylic acid group could all be achieved. As application, various (hetero)aromatic acids including xenalipin, tafamidis and the key intermediate for a cardioprotective compound have been efficiently synthesized.

Unified Protocol for Cobalt-Catalyzed Oxidative Assembly of Two Aryl Metal Reagents Using Oxygen as an Oxidant.

The first cobalt-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling reaction of two aryl metal reagents is described. An equivalent amount of two aryl Grignard or lithium reagents, after mediation by an equivalent amount of simple ClTi(OEt)3, was facilely assembled under the catalysis of 1 mol % of CoCl2/10 mol % of DMPU using oxygen. The cross-couplings between various aryl metal reagents, especially between two structurally similar aryl Grignard reagents, proceeded smoothly and selectively and, thus, provided a highly general and efficient method for the construction of biaryl compounds.

Iron-catalyzed oxidative biaryl cross-couplings via mixed diaryl titanates: significant influence of the order of combining aryl Grignard reagents with titanate.

The mixed diaryl titanates were used for the first time to modify the reactivity of two aryl Grignard reagents. Two titanate intermediates, Ar[Ar'Ti(OR)3]MgX and Ar'[ArTi(OR)3]MgX, formed via alternating the sequence of combining Grignard reagents with ClTi(OR)3 showed a significant reactivity difference. Taking advantage of such different reactivity, two highly structurally similar aryl groups could be facilely assembled through iron-catalyzed oxidative cross-couplings using oxygen as the oxidant.

Iron catalyzed oxidative assembly of N-heteroaryl and aryl metal reagents using oxygen as an oxidant.

An equivalent amount of N-heteroaryl and aryl Grignard or lithium reagents, after mediation by an equivalent of titanate, was facilely coupled to furnish N-heteroaryl-aryl compounds under the catalysis of FeCl3/TMEDA at ambient temperature using oxygen as an oxidant. Most of the common N-heteroaryls were all good candidates, and thus provided a general, green and pratical protocol for the flexible construction of various N-heteroaryl-aryl structures.

Selective Co/Ti cooperatively catalyzed biaryl couplings of aryl halides with aryl metal reagents.

Various aryl bromides or chlorides, including those bearing a free COOH, OH, CONHR, and SO2NHR group, coupled with aryl magnesium or lithium reagents in the presence of 7.5 mol % CoCl2/15 mol % PBu3 and substoichiometric Ti(OEt)4 (40 mol % to ArM) at room temperature in high yields with high chemo- and regioslectivity. This simple reaction represents the first example of Co/Ti cooperative catalysis which plays a key role in suppressing undesired homocouplings.