The Pd-catalyzed regioselective C-H activation/arylation, /iodination, and/acetoxylation reactions of 4-arylpyrimidines using aryl iodides, N-iodosuccinimide, and (diacetoxyiodo)benzene respectively as coupling partners are described. Suzuki-Miyaura coupling and Sonogashira reactions of the resulting aryl iodides are demonstrated. The scalability of the C-H activation/functionalization starting with readily accessible 4-aryl pyrimidines is also reported.
An efficient, regioselective gold-catalyzed 1,3-transposition reaction of ynones and diynones has been developed. It was found that stereoelectronic (interrupted conjugation) and electronic (extended conjugation) factors could efficiently govern the regioselectivity of this thermodynamically controlled transformation. The produced conjugated diynones were efficiently transformed into diverse alkyne-substituted five- and six-membered heterocycles.