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Metal-Catalyzed Electrochemical Diazidation of Alkenes: Organic Chemistry
Metal-Catalyzed Electrochemical Diazidation of Alkenes: Organic Chemistry
V
(Fig. 2). However, efforts to trigger diazidation by
icinal diamines are frequently found in these oxidants produce environmentally delete- directly trapping I with another equivalent of
pharmaceuticals and medicinally relevant rious by-products and present an explosion hazard azidyl radical proved unsuccessful; only traces of
natural products, as well as in privileged when used alongside an azide source. An elegant 1,2-diazide 1b were detected, despite full con-
molecular catalysts for stereoselective syn- catalytic protocol was recently developed to ad- sumption of 1a. Owing to their high reactivity,
thesis (1). Despite substantial advances, a dress these conventional issues with reaction se- radicals can undergo a variety of transforma-
broadly applicable methodological approach to lectivity and substrate generality (13). Nonetheless, tions, including dimerization, polymerization,
their synthesis remains elusive (2). The direct ad- both azidotrimethylsilane (TMSN3, a toxic and vola- oxidation or reduction to ionic species, and re-
dition of two nitrogen-based functional groups to tile reagent) and hypervalent iodine derivatives— action with the electrode surface, many of which
alkenes—a family of abundant, readily accessible, compounds that are difficult to handle on a remain diffusion-controlled and virtually barrier-
and structurally diverse feedstocks—is a particu- practical scale—remain necessary to drive the less. Direct sequestration of I by azidyl radical
larly powerful approach to 1,2-diamine synthesis. diazidation reactivity. proved too sluggish to outpace competing side
Although several methods are available for the Electrochemistry offers a mild and efficient al- reactions, and the majority of the mass balance
oxidative transformation of alkenes into 1,2-diols ternative to conventional chemical approaches for came from an array of by-products resulting
(3), the analogous extension of this synthetic logic redox transformations (19–21). With sufficient po- from radical homocoupling (1d) (37) and over-
to vicinal diamines remains underdeveloped. Exist- tential bias, common organic starting materials oxidation followed by water addition (1e).
ing methods frequently require stoichiometric can lose or gain electrons at the electrode surface, To overcome this challenge and accelerate for-
heavy metals (e.g., osmium or palladium) or eso- readily producing highly reactive intermediates. mation of the elusive second C–N bond, we sought
teric nitrogenous reagents (e.g., nitrogen oxides, Electrochemistry allows for precise, external to introduce a redox-active catalyst to impart se-
diaziridinones, or N-activated sulfamides) and gen- control of chemoselectivity and the flux of re- lectivity through kinetic control (38). Such a catalyst
erally exhibit limited substrate scope (Fig. 1A) (4–10). active intermediates by regulating the applied could complex with N3– and undergo anodic oxi-
In this context, alkene diazidation is an attract- potential. Such control also maximizes energy dation to form active metal azidyl (M–N3) adducts,
ive alternative route to vicinal diamine synthesis efficiency, making electrosynthesis one of the which could subsequently react with the in situ–
(11–13), because the resulting 1,2-diazides can readily most sustainable approaches for the prepa- generated carbon radical I via either direct group
be reduced to the corresponding diamines (Fig. 1B). ration of complex organic molecules (21). More- transfer or oxidative addition followed by reduc-
Furthermore, organic azides can participate in 1,3- over, because the driving force derives solely from tive elimination to complete diazidation. As such,
dipolar cycloaddition (14), the aza-Wittig reaction electricity, electrosynthesis can be easily coupled we envisioned that electrochemistry and redox-
(15), Staudinger ligation (16), and C–H bond ami- with renewable energy sources such as solar active metal catalysis could act in synergy to
nation (17), making them highly versatile inter- light (22, 23). Recent studies have demonstrated harness radical-mediated reactivities. Drawing
mediates for synthetic, materials, and biological electrochemistry’s distinctive capability to engen- inspiration from recent work on C–H and alkene
applications (18). However, existing protocols der bond-forming reactions that challenge or- azido-functionalization methods catalyzed by
uniformly require stoichiometric quantities of thodox methods (24–36). Here we present an transition metals such as copper complexes
reagents including peroxydisulfates (11), high- electrochemical protocol for the diazidation of (8, 39, 40), iron-bisoxazoline (13, 41, 42), manganese-
valent metal salts (11, 12), or hypervalent iodines alkenes as a general, efficient, and atom-economical porphyrin (43), and cobalt–Schiff base (44), we
(13). The use of strong and indiscriminate oxidiz- approach to vicinal diamine synthesis (Fig. 1C). surveyed a series of redox-active metal catalysts
ing agents precludes the use of substrates with Anodic generation of azidyl radical (N3·) from and ultimately discovered that a catalytic amount
oxidatively labile functionalities, such as alcohol, sodium azide (NaN3), followed by successive of MnII greatly enhanced the propensity of our
aldehyde, sulfide, and amine groups. In addition, additions of N3· to the alkene C=C bond and system to diazidate. After multiple iterations of
the incipient carbon radical adduct (I), forms optimization, we developed a highly efficient
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
two new C–N bonds, furnishing a vicinal diazide. diazidation protocol using manganese(II) bro-
University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Hydrogen gas (H2 ) generated from cathodic mide (MnBr2) as the catalyst, acetic acid (HOAc)
*Corresponding author. Email: songlin@cornell.edu proton reduction—as evidenced by gas chro- as the proton source, and reticulated vitreous
Previous work: examples of alkene diamination and diamidation (refs. 4, 6, 9) carbon (RVC) as the anode, all in 0.10 M lithium
tBuN perchlorate (LiClO4)/acetonitrile (MeCN; Me,
NtBu
Os t Bu
methyl) solution under a nitrogen (N2) atmo-
O NtBu R1 NHt Bu sphere with an applied cell potential (Ecell) of
O N 1) LiAlH 4 2.3 V (corresponding to an initial anodic poten-
(1 equiv) Os R1
R1 R 2
tial, Eanode, of ~0.62 V versus the ferrocenium
R2 tBuN N R2 2) NaOH NHtBu ion/ferrocene redox couple). 1,2-Diazide 1b was
t Bu
O O isolated in 92% yield in 2.5 hours with an initial
S current of 10 to 12 mA (33 to 40 mA per cubic
BocHN NH 2 O O
centimeter of RVC). Simply passing the reaction
PhI(OAc) 2 (1.1 equiv) Boc N S NH pyridine NHBoc
mixture through a short silica plug removed polar
R NH 2
[Rh] (cat.), then NaI R impurities and furnished spectroscopically pure
R product.
O O We also tested the diazidation protocol under
S
conditions of constant current or constant elec-
tBu
N N tBu O
tBu 1) conc. HCl trode potential. At a controlled current of 8 mA,
O BaCO 3 NH 2
(1.5 equiv) N S we observed 90% yield of 1b within 1.5 hours,
Ar N tBu NH 2
CuCl-PBu3 (cat.) 2) NaOH Ar with Ecell increasing from 2.1 to 2.4 V. At a con-
Ar
trolled Eanode of 0.72 V, the reaction reached com-
pletion within 1.2 hours with an initial current of
Previous work: examples of alkene diazidation (refs. 11, 13) ~18 mA, furnishing 1b in 86% yield. Thus, Mn-
Fig. 3. Substrate scope for the electrocatalytic alkene diazidation. one-compartment cell, at 2.3 V cell potential, for 2 to 6 hours. †Yield
All yields are of isolated products. (A) Alkene substitution patterns and of reaction is reported on a 3-mmol scale. ‡With 0.6 mmol NaN3.
electronic properties. (B) Functional group compatibility. (C) Reduction of §With TBAPF6 instead of LiClO4. ||With 10 mol% MnBr2·4H2O.
diazide to diamine. *Unless otherwise noted, reaction conditions were ¶With 300 ml of HOAc. #Reaction at 40°C. **See the supplementary
as follows: 0.2 mmol alkene, 0.01 mmol MnBr2·4H2O, 1.0 mmol NaN3, materials for detailed reaction conditions. ††Yield of product is reported
400 ml of HOAc, 3.5 ml of LiClO4 solution in MeCN (0.1 M, 1.75 equiv with respect to alkene a. dr, diastereomeric ratio; OBn, benzyloxy; Ts,
LiClO4), RVC as the anode, Pt as the cathode, under N2, at 22 ± 1°C, in a p-toluenesulfonyl; Et, ethyl.
We then explored the substrate scope of our chemical infidelity was consistent with the inter- chloride, and alkyl bromide (43b to 46b), were
optimized electrocatalytic diazidation protocol mediacy of radical adduct I. Cyclic alkenes also tolerated, likely as a result of the moderately
(Fig. 3A). Aryl-substituted acyclic alkenes underwent with all substitution patterns also proved to acidic reaction medium, which attenuates the
smooth conversion to the corresponding 1,2- be suitable substrates, producing predominant- nucleophilicity of the azide anion. A representative
diazides in high yields (1b to 8b). The efficacy of ly the trans-1,2-diazides in robust yields and set of 11 alkene substrates was also examined
our protocol showed little dependence on the elec- with good to excellent diastereoselectivity (22b under constant-current conditions and exhibited
tronic properties of the aryl substituent. The scope to 27b). Electron-rich heterocycles—including high Faradaic efficiencies (62 to 99%; fig. S1). Many
of this methodology was then extended to classes benzofuran and N-tosyl indole—dearomatized synthetic methods have been established for the
of activated and unactivated substrates beyond to form diazides with high diastereomeric ratios reduction of aliphatic azides to their correspond-
styrenes. The reaction exhibited extraordinary in- (28b and 29b). The stereoselectivity was imparted ing amines with high functional group tolerance
sensitivity to substitution pattern. Terminal (9b through a catalyst-controlled process, because in (table S1). Accordingly, we demonstrated that a
to 12b), 1,1- and 1,2-disubstituted (13b to 18b), the absence of Mn, reaction with 22a yielded number of 1,2-diazides, including those bearing
trisubstituted (19b), and tetrasubstituted (20b traces of 22b in a substantially lower diastereo- reductively labile groups (31b, 33b, 39b, 40b,
and 21b) alkenes underwent radical diazidation meric ratio (2:1). and 46b), could be chemoselectively converted
smoothly to produce the corresponding 1,2-diazides The ability to dial in oxidizing potential at the to 1,2-diamines (Fig. 3C). The diazidation and
in high yields. Because of steric hindrance, tetra- minimum level required for the desired redox reduction procedures could be carried out con-
substituted alkenes remain notoriously challeng- transformation makes electrochemistry an ideal secutively without elaborate isolation of the inter-
ing to functionalize, and no methods are available means of functionalizing complex synthetic inter- mediate, thereby constituting a general, safe, and
for the direct diazidation or diamidation of this mediates (21). For instance, the electrochemical operationally simple method for vicinal diamine
class of substrates. In comparison, our electro- diazidation was conducted at the oxidation po- synthesis.
chemical protocol provides convenient access to tential of the catalyst-azide adduct (~0.62 V; fig. The unusually broad substrate scope of the
1,1,2,2-tetrasubstituted vicinal diamines in excel- S3), which is below that of many oxidation-sensitive alkene diazidation piqued our interest in elucidat-
lent yields (20b and 21b). In particular, product functionalities. As such, substrates containing al- ing its mechanism, particularly the roles of the
21b constitutes a masked a,b-diamino acid with cohol, aldehyde, enolizable ketone, carboxylic acid, anode and Mn catalyst in regulating the gener-
two contiguous, fully substituted carbons. We hy- amine, sulfide, and alkyne groups all proved com- ation and reactivity of radical intermediates.
pothesize that the unusual substrate generality of patible with the reaction system (30b to 41b; Radical clock experiments confirmed the in-
this protocol arose from the high reactivity of the Fig. 3B), showing little evidence of undesired side termediacy of radical adduct I (Fig. 4A): (i)
electrochemically generated group transfer agent, reactions involving the additional vulnerable func- trans-Stilbene and cis-stilbene were converted
MnIII–N3, in addition to its small steric profile. tionalities. Ferrocene, a thermodynamically more to a pair of diastereomeric 1,2-diazides with
Cyclopropyl-substituted alkene 13a did not yield reducing group (E = 0) than MnII–N3, was also identical diastereomeric ratios, (ii) diene 47a
an appreciable amount of the ring-opened product; tolerated (42b), indicating that the observed high reacted through both diazidation and cyclization
this selectivity arises from the substantial differ- chemoselectivity may also be attributed to catalyst- to form pyrrolidine 47b, and (iii) cyclopropyl-
ence in stability between the benzylic and primary induced kinetic control. In comparison, no pre- substituted alkenes 48a and 49a underwent
alkyl radicals en route to 13b and the acyclic viously reported vicinal diamine syntheses using ring opening after the first azidyl addition, fur-
product, respectively. Diazidation was nonstereo- conventional oxidants have proven compatible nishing 48b and 49b, respectively, as the major
specific: trans-b-Methylstyrene and trans-stilbene with a majority of the aforementioned functional products. The highly electron-deficient, dicarbonyl-
afforded diastereomers 16b (3:1 mixture) and groups. Substituents susceptible to nucleophilic substituted radical intermediate originating from
17b (2:1 mixture), respectively. This stereo- displacement by N3–, such as epoxide, ester, alkyl substrate 49a was trapped by MnIII–N3, the
putative active catalyst, to form the diazide in ality and high functional group compatibility of 29. H.-C. Xu, K. D. Moeller, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 13542–13543
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