Benzylic C-H isocyanation/amine coupling sequence enabling high-throughput synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant ureas

C(sp³)-H functionalization methods provide an ideal synthetic platform for medicinal chemistry; however, such methods are often constrained by practical limitations. The present study outlines a C(sp³)-H isocyanation protocol that enables the synthesis of diverse, pharmaceutically relevant benzylic ureas in high-throughput format. The operationally simple C-H isocyanation method shows high site selectivity and good functional group tolerance, and uses commercially available catalyst components and reagents [CuOAc, 2,2'-bis(oxazoline) ligand, (trimethylsilyl)isocyanate, and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide]. The isocyanate products may be used without isolation or purification in a subsequent coupling step with primary and secondary amines to afford hundreds of diverse ureas. These results provide a template for implementation of C-H functionalization/cross-coupling in drug discovery.