Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Defluoroalkylation Using Arylboronate-Activated Alkyl Grignard Reagents.

A copper-catalyzed system has been introduced for the enantioselective defluoroalkylation of linear 1-(trifluoromethyl)alkenes through C-F activation to synthesize various gem-difluoroalkenes as carbonyl mimics. For the first time, arylboronate-activated alkyl Grignard reagents were uncovered in this cross-coupling reaction. Mechanistic studies confirmed that the tetraorganoborate complexes generated in situ were the key reactive species for this transformation.

Nickel-catalysed retro-hydroamidocarbonylation of aliphatic amides to olefins.

Amide and olefins are important synthetic intermediates with complementary reactivity which play a key role in the construction of natural products, pharmaceuticals and manmade materials. Converting the normally highly stable aliphatic amides into olefins directly is a challenging task. Here we show that a Ni/NHC-catalytic system has been established for decarbonylative elimination of aliphatic amides to generate various olefins via C-N and C-C bond cleavage.

Nickel-Catalyzed Borylation of Aryl- and Benzyltrimethylammonium Salts via C-N Bond Cleavage.

By developing a mild Ni-catalyzed system, a method for direct borylation of sp(2) and sp(3) C-N bonds has been established. The key to this hightly efficient C-N bond borylative cleavage depends on the appropriate choice of the nickel catalyst Ni(COD)2, ICy·HCl as a ligand, and the use of 2-ethoxyethanol as the cosolvent. This transformation shows good functional group compatibility and can serve as a powerful synthetic tool for gram-scale synthesis and late-stage C-N borylation of complex compounds.