Metal-catalyzed, hydrogenative methods for carbon-carbon bond formation are attractive alternatives to traditional carbonyl addition reactions. Through in situ generation of aldehyde and organometallic species, these redox-triggered reactions circumvent the need for preactivation of reactive partners, thereby providing a more atom economic, efficient approach to carbonyl addition products. Efforts have been focused on the development of ruthenium-catalyzed coupling reactions of primary and secondary alcohols to basic feedstock chemicals and easily accessible and stable unsaturated compounds. To perform highly stereoselective reactions, investigation into the factors that control stereoselectivity in ruthenium catalyzed transfer hydrogenative couplings was undertaken. As a critical tool for the construction of organic molecules, modernizing methods for carbonyl addition can contribute to the evolution of synthetic organic methodology. / text

Transition metal catalyzed selective nitrene insertion into C-H bonds, which allows direct incorporation of nitrogen functionality into hydrocarbons, represents an appealing methodology for C-N bond formation, a type of bond formation of great importance in organic synthesis due to the prevalence of amino groups in biologically active natural products and pharmaceuticals. Organic azides are atom-economic and an environment-benign nitrene source. This dissertation reports the use of organic azides as a nitrene source to develop a series of protocols for C-H bond functionalization by metal-catalyzed nitrene insertion, including the diimination of indoles, the phosphoramidation of aldehydes and the amination of hydrocarbons catalyzed by ruthenium porphyrins. Carbonylruthenium(II) porphyrin complex Ru(TTP)(CO) (TTP = meso-tetrakis(p-tolyl)porphyrinato dianion) is an effective catalyst for nitrene transfer to sp2 C-H bonds of indoles using aryl azides (ArN3) as a nitrene source. This “Ru(TTP)(CO) + ArN3” protocol selectively results in the diimination of indoles without the corresponding monoimination products being detected. In the presence of a catalyst Ru(TTP)(CO), the reactions of N-methylindole with ArN3 (Ar = 4-nitrophenyl; 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl), and reactions of a variety of N-substituted indoles with 4-nitrophenylazide, afford 2,3-diiminoindoles in good to excellent yields (up to 90%). This unique type of 2,3-diimination products was characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The catalytic diimination product from N-methylindole and ArN3 (Ar = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) can also be obtained through stoichiometric reaction of N-methylindole with the corresponding bis(arylimido)ruthenium(VI) porphyrin, suggesting the possible involvement of RuVI(TTP)(NAr)2 intermediates in the Ru(TTP)(CO)-catalyzed diimination reactions. Dichlororuthenium(IV) porphyrin complex Ru(TTP)Cl2 efficiently catalyzes the phosphoramidation of aldehydes with phosphoryl azides (RO)2P(O)N3 via a nitrene insertion into sp2 C-H bonds of aldehydes. This represents the first study on the catalytic activity of a ruthenium(IV) porphyrin towards nitrene insertion into C-H bonds. The “Ru(TTP)Cl2 + (RO)2P(O)N3” protocol exhibits high chemoselectivity and functional group tolerability. Good to excellent product yields (up to 99%) have been obtained for the Ru(TTP)Cl2-catalyzed phosphoramidation of a wide variety of aldehydes with commercially available (PhO)2P(O)N3 (DPPA) and phosphoramidation of p-tolualdehyde with various (RO)2P(O)N3 (R = Me, Et, CCl3CH2, 4-nitrophenyl). The reaction can be scaled up by adding phosphoryl azide dropwise. The use of commercially available DPPA in this protocol offers a convenient and practical method for the synthesis of N-acylphosphoramidates. “Ru(TDCPP)Cl2 + (CCl3CH2O)2P(O)N3” (TDCPP = meso-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrinato dianion) serves as an effective protocol for intermolecular nitrene insertion into sp3 C-H bonds of hydrocarbons. Using this protocol, a variety of hydrocarbons including cycloalkanes (such as cyclohexane) and ethylbenzenes undergo sp3 C-H amination in moderate to high yields (up to 86%). Compared with ruthenium(II) porphyrins such as Ru(TDCPP)(CO) and dirhodium carboxylates such as Rh2(OAc)4, Ru(TDCPP)Cl2 displays a markedly higher catalytic activity towards the nitrene sp3 C-H insertion with (CCl3CH2O)2P(O)N3. In addition, intramolecular nitrene insertion into sp3 C-H bond can also take place in good yields with Ru(TDCPP)Cl2 as the catalyst. / published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

One of the more formidable challenges in the synthesis of complex organic molecules remains the efficient formation of carbon-carbon bonds. The development of a broad class of reactions to achieve this goal involves the addition of carbon based nucleophiles to carbonyl and imine compounds. Until recently, classical approaches to carbon-carbon bond formation generally required the use of stoichiometric pre-formed organometallic reagents to serve as nucleophiles, which translate into stoichiometric organometallic byproducts. In an effort to minimize nucleophile pre-activation and byproduct formation, our lab has developed efficient methods for carbonyl and imine additions via in situ formation of alkyl metal nucleophiles from π-unsaturates. The research reported herein describes our advances in an assortment of transition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reactions mediated by transfer hydrogenation, including regioselective hydrohydroxymethylation, hydrohydroxyfluoroalkylation, and hydroaminomethylation. Additionally, the investigation of regioselective carbonyl vinylation is reported. / text

This thesis describes the preparation of a various NHC ligands with five and six-membered rings, different fused aromatic cores and the subsequent synthetic development of their complexation of with Ag, Ru and Pd. The investigation and preparation of these compunds was with the intention of exploring their chemical and physical properties. The synthesis of the NHC ligands proved to be difficult, but analysis and characterisation of the side products from the reactions helped to establish successful synthetic methodologies. In both the five and six-membered research conducted a common attribute was established of a pyrid-2-yl substituent at the 1 position or both the 1 and 3 positions, thus providing new NHC ligands to investigate. The organic syntheis of the research focused on two NHC ligand functionalites, five and six membered rings. The six memerbered rings focused on 1H-perimidine as the core unit and the design of both bidentate and tridentate NHC ligands to mimic the structural binding relationship of 2,2’- bipyridine (bpy) and 2,2’:6’2”-terpyridine (tpy) with various metal salts. The synthesis of the bpy analogues was achieved in good overall yields with minimal synthetic challenges. However, the tpy analogue was unable to be realised due to time constraints and problems associated with its synthesis. The five membered NHC ligands synthesised were to investigate the physical effects of systematically increasing the size of its aromatic core. The main focus of the research was on the phenanthrene imidazole NHC ligands. This was investigated due to the minimal research that has been conducted on this core unit and NHC-complexes. Synthesis of the two-bidentate NHC ligands with an imidazole head group and fused phenanthrene backbone were completed, but this was with a picolyl substituent at the 1 position rather than the pyrid-2-yl substituent. This failure to isolate this product was attributed to steric influences. Pyrene-fused-imidazole NHC ligands were also investigated and pyrene offers a NHC core that hasn’t been investigated previously. However, synthesis and isolation of the NHC ligands proved to be difficult and was associated with the poor solubility of the NHC ligands. The organometallic NHC synthesis was studied extensively with the main focus on establishing appropriate conditions to give a NHC complex. The main metal investigated was ruthenium as subsequent NHC complexes were expected to have potentially interesting properties such as luminescence. The synthesis of a perimidine and phenanthrene NHC ruthenium complexes have not been isolated before, thus giving new NHC complexes. Many different synthetic routes were attempted to synthesise a perimidine NHC ruthenium complex. However, this proved difficult due to associated higher reactivity of the carbene carbon of perimidine with a new side product as a result of this research. The phenanthrene NHC complex synthesis suffered due to time constraints but potential methodology for their synthesis is stated.

No description available.

The efficient construction of complex organic molecules mandates that an assortment of methods for forming C-C bonds be available to the practicing synthetic chemist. The addition of carbon based nucleophiles to carbonyl compounds represents a broad class of reactions used to achieve this goal. Traditional methodology requires the use of stoichiometrically preformed organometallic reagents as nucleophiles in this type of reaction. However, due to the moisture sensitivity, excessive preactivation and inevitable generation of stoichiometric waste required for the use of these reagents, alternative methods have become a focus of the synthetic organic community. The research presented in this dissertation describes a new class of C-C bond forming reactions enabled through catalytic transfer hydrogenation. Here, the development and implementation of efficient green methods for carbonyl addition employing π-unsaturates as surrogates to preformed organometallic reagents is described. Additionally, this research describes the first systematic studies toward using alcohols as electrophiles in carbonyl allylation, propargylation and vinylation reactions. / text

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy