Abstract
Transition-metal catalysis has revolutionized the field of organic synthesis by facilitating the construction of complex organic molecules in a highly efficient manner. Although these catalysts are typically based on precious metals, researchers have made great strides in discovering new base metal catalysts over the past decade. This Account describes our efforts in this area and details the development of versatile Ni complexes that catalyze a variety of cycloaddition reactions to afford interesting carbocycles and heterocycles. First, we describe our early work in investigating the efficacy of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands in Ni-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions with carbon dioxide and isocyanate. The use of sterically hindered, electron donating NHC ligands in these reactions significantly improved the substrate scope as well as reaction conditions in the syntheses of a variety of pyrones and pyridones. The high reactivity and versatility of these unique Ni(NHC) catalytic systems allowed us to develop unprecedented Ni-catalyzed cycloadditions that were unexplored due to the inefficacy of early Ni catalysts to promote hetero-oxidative coupling steps. We describe the development and mechanistic analysis of Ni/NHC catalysts that couple diynes and nitriles to form pyridines. Kinetic studies and stoichiometric reactions confirmed a hetero-oxidative coupling pathway associated with this Ni-catalyzed cycloaddition. We then describe a series of new substrates for Ni-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions such as vinylcyclopropanes, aldehydes, ketones, tropones, 3-azetidinones, and 3-oxetanones. In reactions with vinycyclopropanes and tropones, DFT calculations reveal noteworthy mechanistic steps such as a C-C σ-bond activation and an 8π-insertion of vinylcyclopropane and tropone, respectively. Similarly, the cycloaddition of 3-azetidinones and 3-oxetanones also requires Ni-catalyzed C-C σ-bond activation to form N- and O-containing heterocycles.