Unified Approach to Deamination and Deoxygenation Through Isonitrile Hydrodecyanation: A Combined Experimental and Computational Investigation

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2024 Apr 15:e202405779. doi: 10.1002/anie.202405779. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHerein, we describe a general hydrodefunctionalization protocol of alcohols and amines through a common isonitrile intermediate. To cleave the relatively inert C-NC bond, we leveraged dual hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and photoredox catalysis to generate a nucleophilic boryl radical, which readily forms an imidoyl radical intermediate from the isonitrile. Rapid β-scission then accomplishes defunctionalization. This method has been applied to the hydrodefunctionalization of both amine and alcohol-containing pharmaceuticals, natural products, and biomolecules. We extended this approach to the reduction of carbonyls and olefins to their saturated counterparts, as well as the hydrodecyanation of alkyl nitriles. Both experimental and computational studies demonstrate a facile β-scission of the imidoyl radical, and reconcile differences in reactivity between nitriles and isonitriles within our protocol.PMID:38619535 | DOI:10.1002/anie.202405779

Source: Angewandte Chemie - April 15, 2024 Category: Chemistry Authors: Ziqi Jiao Kyle T Jaunich Thomas Tao Olivia Gottschall Maxwell M Hughes Aneta Turlik Alexander Schuppe Source Type: research