Rhodium-Catalyzed Remote C-8 Alkylation of Quinolines with Activated and Unactivated Olefins: Mechanistic Study and Total Synthesis of EP4 Agonist

Reported herein is a rhodium(III)-catalyzed regioselective distal C(sp2)-H bond alkylation of quinoline N-oxides using olefins as alkyl source and N-oxide as the traceless directing group. The reaction exhibits broad substrate scope with excellent selectivity for C-8 position and good yields of alkylated products. The usefulness of the developed catalytic protocol is established by synthesis of EP4 agonist. In mechanistic study, C-8 olefinated quinoline was identified as the reaction intermediate, which gets reduced to desired C-8 alkylated product in the presence of a rhodium(I) species (produced from rhodium(III) during reaction) and formic acid. Formic acid is produced from dimethylformamide in the presence of silver tetrafluoroborate.