Severe diseases such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the previous SARS and MERS outbreaks, are the result of coronavirus infections and have demonstrated the urgent need for antiviral drugs to combat these deadly viruses. Due to its essential role in viral replication and function, 3CL pro (main coronaviruses cysteine-protease) has been identified as a promising target for the development of antiviral drugs. Previously reported SARS-CoV 3CL pro non-covalent inhibitors were used as a starting point for the development of covalent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL pro . We report herein our efforts in the design and synthesis of submicromolar covalent inhibitors when the enzymatic activity of the viral protease was used as a screening platform.

A palladium-catalyzed approach to intermolecular carbonylative C-H functionalization is described. This transformation is mediated by P(t)Bu3-coordinated palladium catalyst and allows the derivatization of a diverse range of heterocycles, including pyrroles, indoles, imidazoles, benzoxazoles, and furans. Preliminary studies suggest that this reaction may proceed via the catalytic formation of highly electrophilic intermediates. Overall, this provides with an atom-economical and general synthetic route to generate aryl-(hetero)aryl ketones using stable reagents (aryl iodides and CO) and without the typical need to exploit pre-metalated heterocycles in carbonylative coupling chemistry.

The development of metal-catalysed methods to functionalize inert C-H bonds has become a dominant research theme in the past decade as an approach to efficient synthesis. However, the incorporation of carbon monoxide into such reactions to form valuable ketones has to date proved a challenge, despite its potential as a straightforward and green alternative to Friedel-Crafts reactions. Here we describe a new approach to palladium-catalysed C-H bond functionalization in which carbon monoxide is used to drive the generation of high-energy electrophiles. This offers a method to couple the useful features of metal-catalysed C-H functionalization (stable and available reagents) and electrophilic acylations (broad scope and selectivity), and synthesize ketones simply from aryl iodides, CO and arenes. Notably, the reaction proceeds in an intermolecular fashion, without directing groups and at very low palladium-catalyst loadings. Mechanistic studies show that the reaction proceeds through the catalytic build-up of potent aroyl triflate electrophiles.

We describe here a tandem catalytic route to prepare imidazoles in a single operation from aryl iodides, imines and CO.

We describe herein a modular nickel-catalyzed synthesis of isoindolinones from imines, aryl iodides, and CO. This reaction is catalyzed by Ni­(1,5-cyclooctadiene)2 in concert with chloride salts and postulated to proceed via a tandem nickel-catalyzed carbonylation to form N-acyl iminium chloride salts, followed by a spontaneous nickel-catalyzed cyclization. A range of aryl iodides and imines have been found to be viable substrates in this reaction, providing a modular route to generate substituted isoindolinones with high atom economy.