The present invention relates to
copper-catalyzed carbon-
heteroatom and carbon-carbon bond-forming methods. In certain embodiments, the present invention relates to
copper-catalyzed methods of forming a carbon-
nitrogen bond between the
nitrogen atom of an
amide or amine
moiety and the
activated carbon of an
aryl, heteroaryl, or
vinyl halide or
sulfonate. In additional embodiments, the present invention relates to
copper-catalyzed methods of forming a carbon-
nitrogen bond between a
nitrogen atom of an acyl hydrazine and the
activated carbon of an
aryl, heteroaryl, or
vinyl halide or
sulfonate. In other embodiments, the present invention relates to copper-catalyzed methods of forming a carbon-nitrogen bond between the
nitrogen atom of a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic, e.g., indole,
pyrazole, and
indazole, and the
activated carbon of an
aryl, heteroaryl, or
vinyl halide or
sulfonate. In certain embodiments, the present invention relates to copper-catalyzed methods of forming a carbon-
oxygen bond between the
oxygen atom of an
alcohol and the activated carbon of an aryl, heteroaryl, or vinyl
halide or sulfonate. The present invention also relates to copper-catalyzed methods of forming a carbon-carbon bond between a reactant comprising a nucleophilic
carbon atom, e.g., an enolate or
malonate anion, and the activated carbon of an aryl, heteroaryl, or vinyl
halide or sulfonate. Importantly, all the methods of the present invention are relatively inexpensive to practice due to the low cost of the copper comprised by the catalysts.