organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

, a cross-coupling reaction is a

reaction Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure. Physics and chemistry *Chemical reaction *Nuclear reaction *Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law * Chain reaction (disambiguation) Biology and ...

where two different fragments are joined. Cross-couplings are a subset of the more general coupling reactions. Often cross-coupling reactions require metal

catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

s. One important reaction type is this: : (R, R' = organic fragments, usually

aryl In organic chemistry, an aryl is any functional group or substituent derived from an aromatic ring, usually an aromatic hydrocarbon, such as phenyl and naphthyl. "Aryl" is used for the sake of abbreviation or generalization, and "Ar" is used ...

; M = main group center such as Li or MgX; X =

halide In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fl ...

) These reactions are used to form

carbon–carbon bond A carbon–carbon bond is a covalent bond between two carbon atoms. The most common form is the single bond: a bond composed of two electrons, one from each of the two atoms. The carbon–carbon single bond is a sigma bond and is formed between on ...

s but also carbon-heteroatom bonds. Cross-coupling reaction are a subset of

coupling reaction In organic chemistry, a coupling reaction is a type of reaction in which two reactant molecules are bonded together. Such reactions often require the aid of a metal catalyst. In one important reaction type, a main group organometallic compound o ...

s. Richard F. Heck,

Ei-ichi Negishi was a Japanese chemist who was best known for his discovery of the Negishi coupling. He spent most of his career at Purdue University in the United States, where he was the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor and the director of the Negi ...

, and

Akira Suzuki is a Japanese chemist and Nobel Prize Laureate (2010), who first published the Suzuki reaction, the organic reaction of an aryl- or vinyl- boronic acid with an aryl- or vinyl- halide catalyzed by a palladium(0) complex, in 1979. Early life a ...

were awarded the 2010

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

for developing palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions.

Mechanism

Many mechanisms exist reflecting the myriad types of cross-couplings, including those that do not require metal catalysts. Often, however, cross-coupling refers to a metal-catalyzed reaction of a nucleophilic partner with an electrophilic partner. In such cases, the

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (economics), a set of rules for a game designed to achieve a certain outcome **Mechanism design, the study of such mechanisms *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a ...

generally involves reductive elimination of R-R' from L_nMR(R') (L = spectator ligand). This intermediate L_nMR(R') is formed in a two-step process from a low valence precursor L_nM. The oxidative addition of an

organic halide Halocarbon compounds are Chemical compound, chemical compounds in which one or more carbon atoms are linked by covalent bonds with one or more halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine – ) resulting in the formation of organofluor ...

(RX) to L_nM gives L_nMR(X). Subsequently, the second partner undergoes

transmetallation Transmetalation (alt. spelling: transmetallation) is a type of organometallic reaction that involves the transfer of ligands from one metal to another. It has the general form: :M1–R + M2–R′ → M1–R′ + M2–R where R and R′ can be, but ...

with a source of R'⁻. The final step is reductive elimination of the two coupling fragments to regenerate the catalyst and give the organic product. Unsaturated substrates, such as C(sp)−X and C(sp²)−X bonds, couple more easily, in part because they add readily to the catalyst.

Catalysts

Catalysts are often based on

palladium Palladium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1802 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas (formally 2 Pallas), ...

, which is frequently selected due to high

functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...

tolerance. Organopalladium compounds are generally stable towards water and air. Palladium catalysts can be problematic for the pharmaceutical industry, which faces extensive regulation regarding heavy metals. Many pharmaceutical chemists attempt to use coupling reactions early in production to minimize metal traces in the product.

Heterogeneous catalyst Heterogeneous catalysis is catalysis where the phase of catalysts differs from that of the reagents or products. The process contrasts with homogeneous catalysis where the reagents, products and catalyst exist in the same phase. Phase distingui ...

s based on Pd are also well-developed. Copper-based catalysts are also common, especially for coupling involving heteroatom-C bonds. Iron-, cobalt-, and nickel-based catalysts have been investigated.

Leaving groups

The

leaving group In organic chemistry, a leaving group typically means a Chemical species, molecular fragment that departs with an electron, electron pair during a reaction step with heterolysis (chemistry), heterolytic bond cleavage. In this usage, a ''leaving gr ...

X in the organic partner is usually a

, although

triflate In organic chemistry, triflate (Preferred IUPAC name, systematic name: trifluoromethanesulfonate), is a functional group with the Chemical formula, formula and Chemical structure, structure . The triflate group is often represented by , as opp ...

, tosylate, pivalate esters, and other pseudohalides have been used. Chloride is an ideal group due to the low cost of organochlorine compounds. Frequently, however, C–Cl bonds are too inert, and

bromide A bromide ion is the negatively charged form (Br−) of the element bromine, a member of the halogens group on the periodic table. Most bromides are colorless. Bromides have many practical roles, being found in anticonvulsants, flame-retard ...

iodide An iodide ion is I−. Compounds with iodine in formal oxidation state −1 are called iodides. In everyday life, iodide is most commonly encountered as a component of iodized salt, which many governments mandate. Worldwide, iodine deficiency ...

leaving groups are required for acceptable rates. The main group metal in the organometallic partner is usually an electropositive element such as

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

, silicon, or

boron Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...

Carbon–carbon cross-coupling

Many cross-couplings entail forming carbon–carbon bonds. The restrictions on carbon atom geometry mainly inhibit β-hydride elimination when complexed to the catalyst.

Carbon–heteroatom coupling

Many cross-couplings entail forming carbon–heteroatom bonds (heteroatom = S, N, O). A popular method is the Buchwald–Hartwig reaction:

Miscellaneous reactions

Palladium-catalyzes the cross-coupling of aryl halides with fluorinated arene. The process is unusual in that it involves C–H functionalisation at an electron deficient arene.

Applications

Cross-coupling reactions are important for the production of pharmaceuticals, examples being

montelukast Montelukast, sold under the brand name Singulair among others, is a medication used in the maintenance treatment of asthma. It is generally less preferred for this use than inhaled corticosteroids. It is not useful for acute asthma attacks. ...

, eletriptan,

naproxen Naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve among others, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain, menstrual cramps, and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and fever. It is taken orally. It ...

, varenicline, and

resveratrol Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-''trans''-stilbene) is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol or polyphenol and a phytoalexin produced by several plants in response to injury or when the plant is under attack by pathogens, such as bacterium, ba ...

. with Suzuki coupling being most widely used. Some polymers and monomers are also prepared in this way.Hartwig, J. F. Organotransition Metal Chemistry, from Bonding to Catalysis; University Science Books: New York, 2010.

Reviews

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coupling Reaction Organometallic chemistry Carbon-carbon bond forming reactions Catalysis