Volume 62, Issue 35 e202307118
Research Article

Programmable Amine Synthesis via Iterative Boron Homologation

Qiqiang Xie

Qiqiang Xie

Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 5735 S Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL, 60637 USA

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Rui Zhang

Rui Zhang

Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 5735 S Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL, 60637 USA

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Prof. Dr. Guangbin Dong

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Guangbin Dong

Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 5735 S Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL, 60637 USA

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First published: 07 July 2023
Citations: 9

Graphical Abstract

Programmable amine synthesis is realized through sequential insertion of nitrogen and carbon atoms into boronate C−B bonds. This strategy is enabled by a new nitrenoid reagent, which allows for direct formation of aminoboranes from aryl or alkyl boronates via N-insertion.

Abstract

The value of Matteson-type reactions has been increasingly recognized for developing automated organic synthesis. However, the typical Matteson reactions almost exclusively focus on homologation of carbon units. Here, we report the detailed development of sequential insertion of nitrogen and carbon atoms into boronate C−B bonds, which provides a modular and iterative approach to access functionalized tertiary amines. A new class of nitrenoid reagents is uncovered to allow direct formation of aminoboranes from aryl or alkyl boronates via N-insertion. The one-pot N-insertion followed by controlled mono- or double-carbenoid insertion has been realized with widely available aryl boronates. The resulting aminoalkyl boronate products can undergo further homologation and various other transformations. Preliminary success on homologation of N,N-dialkylaminoboranes and sequential N- and C-insertions with alkyl boronates have also been achieved. To broaden the synthetic utility, selective removal of a benzyl or aryl substituent permits access to secondary or primary amine products. The application of this method has been demonstrated in the modular synthesis of bioactive compounds and the programmable construction of diamines and aminoethers. A plausible reaction mechanism, supported by preliminary NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and computational studies, is also proposed.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information of this article.

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