C À H bond amination has emerged as a powerful tool for the synthesis of complex nitrogen-containing molecules. Following the early discoveries by Breslow and Gellman, [1] Du Bois and co-workers revolutionized this area of chemistry by developing protocols for practical, efficient, and predictable reactions for oxidative C À H amination.[2] Dirhodium(II) tetracarboxylate catalysts were shown to be particularly effective. Manganese-and ruthenium-porphyrin complexes, [3] silver complexes, [4] and preoxidized nitrogen sources have also been developed as catalysts to carry out this important reaction. [5] Despite these recent advances, general methods for both enantioselective and intermolecular C À H amination remain elusive. Although chiral dirhodium(II) complexes have been developed as catalysts for highly enantioselective metallocarbene reactions, [6] their application to CÀH amination chemistry is yet to produce the same spectacular results. [7] To date, the most effective protocol for asymmetric CÀH amination requires the combination of enantioenriched sulfoxamines as chiral auxiliaries and a chiral dirhodium(II) catalyst.[8] To address the challenge of catalytic asymmetric CÀH amination, we chose to study ruthenium(II)-pybox (pybox = pyridine bisoxazoline) complexes (Scheme 1). Despite reports that show complex 1 exhibited limited reactivity and selectivity in C À H amination reactions, [3f] we felt that the modular nature of the ligand, and the fact that the anionic ligands were independent of the chiral pybox ligand, offered us an opportunity which had not been possible by using either dirhodium(II)-or porphyrin-based catalyst systems.Ruthenium(II)-pybox complexes 1-4 were readily prepared by using the method developed by Nishiyama et al. (Scheme 1).[9] In our initial study, the challenging test substrate sulfamate ester 5[10] was treated with 1.1 equivalents of the oxidant bis(acetoxy)iodobenzene and 5 mol % catalyst 2 to give the desired product of CÀH insertion 6, albeit in modest yield and enantiomeric excess (Table 1, entries 1-3).Based on the study by Fiori and Du Bois, which demonstrates that rhodium-catalyzed C À H amination involves formation of an electrophilic metallonitrene and a build up of positive charge on the carbon center during the insertion process, we rationalized that a cationic catalyst would be more reactive than its neutral analogue.[2e] Halide abstraction from the Scheme 1. Synthesis of ruthenium(II)-pybox complexes. [b] ee [%] [b]

A wide range of polyfunctionalized quinolines was prepared via chemo- and regioselective magnesiation reactions using appropriate Mg reagents, such as i-PrMgCl.LiCl, MesMgBr.LiCl, Mes2Mg.2LiBr, TMPMgCl.LiCl, and TMP2Mg.2LiCl. An application to the total synthesis of the biologically active compound talnetant was performed (six steps, 28%).

A wide range of directing groups (ester, ketone, acetate, aryl sulfonate, triazene, carbamate) allow the regioselective directed ortho insertion (DoI) of zinc in the presence of LiCl leading to polyfunctional aryl and heteroaryl zinc reagents.

Two successive regio- and chemoselective magnesiations using TMPMgCl x LiCl and TMP(2)Mg x 2 LiCl enable the full functionalization of protected uracils and thiouracils in good to excellent yields.

Using regioselective cuprations (via magnesiations), various primary, secondary and tertiary aminated pyrimidine and purine derivatives were prepared by the oxidative coupling of lithium amidocuprates using chloranil. DNA and RNA units such as aminated uracil or thymine, and adenine, as well as a CDK inhibitor, purvalanol A, were all obtained under mild conditions and satisfactory yields.