Cobalt-Catalyzed N-O and C-C Bond Cleavage in 1,2-Oxazetidines: Solvent-Controlled C-H Aminomethylation and Hydroxymethylation of Heteroarenes

Org Lett. 2019 Mar 15;21(6):1602-1606. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.9b00141. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Abstract

An efficient cobalt-catalyzed ring-opening reaction of bench-stable 1,2-oxazetidines with heteroarenes was unprecedentedly developed. The sustainable Cp *Co(III) catalyst enables a distinctive merger of C-H activation with concomitant N-O and C-C cleavages of 1,2-oxazetidine, leading to site-selective C-H aminomethylation and hydroxymethylation of heteroaromatic compounds containing a broad range of functional groups. Preliminary control experiments unravel some essential mechanistic features of this one-pot transformation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't