Development of Nontrigonal Phosphorus Catalysts for Redox-Mediated Cross-Coupling Transformations

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Transition metal-catalyzed cross-couplings afford innumerous pathways for the construct of new C–X bonds with high regio-, stereo-, and chemoselectivity. This has led to widespread adoption of cross-coupling in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), most commonly using Pd-based catalysts. However, even traces of Pd must be purged from the API to meet FDA standards, often requiring additional purification steps that negatively impact overall yields and increases cost. Therefore, the development of transition metal-free catalysts for cross-coupling would be beneficial by requiring less stringent purification and also affording access to new areas of complementary reactivity. This proposal describes a new approach that utilizes rigidly planar nontrigonal phosphines to catalyze nucleophile-electrophile and electrophile-electrophile cross-coupling reactions for C–C bond construction. In nucleophile-electrophile couplings, phosphorus catalysts will be developed for Kumada and Negishi cross-couplings via a PIII/PV redox cycle. The use of a phosphorus center in catalysis will subvert traditional reactivity trends in aryl halide oxidative addition by favoring the activation of C– F and C–Cl bonds over C–Br and C–I bonds. Initial efforts will focus on understanding limitations in stepwise reactivity and the underlying thermodynamics that dictate each transformation before investigating catalysis. In a complementary thrust, the one electron reactivity of nontrigonal phosphinyl radical anions will be merged with two-electron oxidative addition and reductive elimination to drive reductive cross-coupling of aryl halides. The two electrophile activation steps in this process are expected to exhibit inverse orders of reactivity for aryl halide bonds, allowing for chemoselectivity to dictate C–C bond formation. This ultimately will severely diminish the formation of undesired homocoupling byproducts, something that can be difficult for transition metal-catalyzed systems. The development of these phosphorus-catalyzed transformations will not only demonstrate alternative approaches to traditionally transition metal-based processes in the synthesis of APIs, but will also highlight undiscovered areas of complementary reactivity that will enhance the chemical diversity accessible to drug discovery efforts. This proposal aligns with the fellowship training plan by ensuring the development of new skills in main group catalysis and organic reaction design will take place. The Radosevich lab at MIT is an ideal environment for the development of these skills and the proposed work due to their pioneering work in phosphorus redox catalysis. Additionally, Prof. Radosevich’s commitment to developing postdoctoral researchers into successful independent investigators guarantees that professional development goals will be met. Furthermore, the resources available at MIT will ensure access to the necessary equipment, training, and support to succeed.