Radical Borylative Cyclization of Isocyanoarenes with N-Heterocyclic Carbene Borane: Synthesis of Borylated Aza-arenes

Org Lett. 2021 Mar 5;23(5):1891-1897. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00309. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Abstract

Borylated aza-arenes are of great importance in the area of organic synthesis. A radical borylative cyclization of isocyanoarenes with N-heterocyclic carbene borane (NHC-BH3) under metal-free conditions was developed. The reaction allows the efficient assembly of several types of borylated aza-arenes (phenanthridines, benzothiazoles, etc.), which are difficult to access using alternative methods. Mild reaction conditions, a good functional-group tolerance, and generally good efficiencies were observed. The utility of these products is demonstrated, and the mechanism is discussed.