Exploring the role of halogen bonding in iodonium ylides: insights into unexpected reactivity and reaction control

• Carlee A. Montgomery and
• Graham K. Murphy

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1171–1190, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.86

• provides an overview of the reactions of iodonium ylides in which halogen bonding has been invoked. Herein, we summarize key discoveries and mechanistic proposals from the early iodonium ylide literature that invoked halogen bonding-type mechanisms, as well as recent reports of reactions between iodonium

• ylides and Lewis basic nucleophiles in which halogen bonding has been specifically invoked. The reactions discussed herein are organized to enable the reader to build an understanding of how halogen bonding might impact yield and chemoselectivity outcomes in reactions of iodonium ylides. Areas of focus

• include nucleophile σ-hole selectivity, and how ylide structural modifications and intramolecular halogen bonding (e.g., the ortho-effect) can improve ylide stability or solubility, and alter reaction outcomes. Keywords: electron donor–acceptor complex; halogen bonding; σ-holes; iodonium ylides; ortho

Copper-catalyzed N-arylation of amines with aryliodonium ylides in water

• Kasturi U. Nabar,
• Bhalchandra M. Bhanage and
• Sudam G. Dawande

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1008–1014, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.76

• electron-withdrawing groups on the aryl ring reacted smoothly with iodonium ylides to give the corresponding diarylamines with good to excellent yields. Also, secondary amines underwent N-arylation to deliver tertiary amines with moderate yields. Keywords: amines; arylation; C–N bond formation; iodonium

• ]. Further, a few reports are also available for the copper and palladium-catalyzed N-arylation of primary and secondary aliphatic as well as aromatic amines using diaryliodonium salts as aryl sources [33][34][35] (Scheme 1a). Similarly, iodonium ylides undergo a wide range of reactions through in situ

• generation of carbene as a reactive intermediate [36][37]. Also, spirocyclic iodonium ylides have been used for radiolabeling techniques [38]. In 2013, Shibata’s research group reported a novel trifluoromethanesulfonyl iodonium ylide for trifluoromethylthiolation of enamines, indoles, and ketoesters

Practical synthesis of isocoumarins via Rh(III)-catalyzed C–H activation/annulation cascade

• Qian-Ci Gao,
• Yi-Fei Li,
• Jun Xuan and
• Xiao-Qiang Hu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 100–106, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.10

• activation/annulation cascade of readily available enaminones with iodonium ylides towards the convenient synthesis of isocoumarins. This coupling system proceeds in useful chemical yields (up to 93%) via a cascade C–H activation, Rh-carbenoid migratory insertion and acid-promoted intramolecular annulation

• ]. Compared with highly sensitive diazo compounds, iodonium ylides are known to show ready availability and good stability [29][30]. Our group has recently demonstrated that iodonium ylides can be used as carbene precursors in the Rh-catalyzed [4 + 2] cyclization of pyrazolidinones [31]. During the

• preparation of manuscript, the group of Li reported a similar Rh(III)-catalyzed [3 + 3] annulation of enaminones with iodonium ylides [32]. Inspired by the collected contributions [26][27][28] and based on our ongoing research in C–H activation [33][34][35], we recently wondered whether it might be possible