Palladium-Catalyzed Solvent-Controlled Divergent C2/C5 Site-Selective Alkynylation of Pyrrole Derivatives
Zeng Huang1, Chenjie Zhang1, Pengfei Zhou1
1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.
Abstract:
Among the known aromatic N-heterocycles, pyrroles are significant and versatile privileged components in pharmacologically relevant molecules. Herein, we demonstrate a protocol for the selective construction of alkynylated pyrroles in a diversity-oriented fashion through divergent C2/C5 site-selective alkynylation of pyrrole derivatives by employing a palladium catalyst with two different solvent systems. In the presence of 1,4-dioxane, the C2-alkynylation process via chelation-assisted palladation is favored. However, the use of a dimethylformamide/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMF/DMSO) solvent system could override the chelation effect of a weak ester-directing group, favoring the C5-alkynylation process via electrophilic palladation. Late-stage modification of biologically relevant scaffolds and further derivatization of the products highlighted the potential utility and importance of the solvent-controlled regiodivergence.
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