Achieving site selectivity in C–H functionalization reactions is a significant challenge, especially when the target C–H bond is distant from existing functional groups.1–5 Coordination of a functional group to a metal catalyst is often a key driving force and control element in many important reactions including asymmetric hydrogenation,6 epoxidation7, 8, and lithiation9. Exploitation of this effect has led to the development of a broad range of directed C–H activation reactions.10–14 However, such C–H activation methods are limited to proximal C–H bonds, which are spatially and geometrically accessible from the directing functional group. Development of meta-selective C–H functionalizations remains a significant challenge.1–5,15–17 We recently developed a U- shaped template that can be used to overcome this constraint and have shown that it can be used to selectively activate remote meta-C–H bonds.1, 2 While this approach has proven applicable for a diverse set of substrates and catalytic transformations,3–5 the need for a covalently attached complex template is a significant drawback for synthetic applications. In this manuscript, we report an alternative approach, one that employs norbornene as a transient mediator to achieve meta-selective C–H activation with a simple and common ortho-directing group. The use of a newly developed pyridine-based ligand is crucial for relaying the palladium catalyst to the meta position by norbornene following initial ortho- C–H activation. Thus, this catalytic reaction demonstrates the feasibility of switching ortho-selectivity to meta-selectivity in C–H activation of the same substrate by catalyst control.

A conformationally flexible template for the meta-C-H olefination of benzoic acids was designed through both experimental and computational efforts. The newly designed template favors a silver-palladium heterodimer low barrier transition state, and demonstrates that it is feasible to lengthen templates so as to achieve meta-selectivity when the distance between the functional handle of the native substrate and target C-H bond decreases. Analysis of the ortho-, meta-, and para-C-H cleavage transition states determined that the new template conformation optimizes the interaction between the nitrile and palladium-silver dimer in the meta-transition state, enabling palladium to cleave meta-C-H bonds with moderate-to-good yields and generally high regioselectivity. Regioselectivity is governed exclusively by the template, and kinetic experiments reveal that there is a 4-fold increase in rate in the presence of monoprotected amino acid ligands. Using a Boltzmann distribution of all accessible C-H activation transition states, it is possible to computationally predict meta-selectivity in a number of investigated templates with reasonable accuracy. Structural and distortion energies reported may be used for the further development of templates for meta-C-H activation of hitherto unexplored arene substrates.

Targeted drug delivery systems using PLGA as a nanocarrier for anti-cancer agents to improve efficacy and reduce toxicity in normal cells.