Metal–Ligand Cooperative Approach To Achieve Dehydrogenative Functionalization of Alcohols to Quinolines and Quinazolin-4(3H)‑ones under Mild Aerobic Conditions

A simple metal–ligand cooperative approach for the dehydrogenative functionalization of alcohols to various substituted quinolines and quinazolin-4­(3H)-ones under relatively mild reaction conditions (≤90 °C) is reported. Simple and easy-to-prepare air-stable Cu­(II) complexes featuring redox-active azo-aromatic scaffolds, 2-arylazo-(1,10-phenanthroline) (L1,2), are used as catalyst. A wide variety of substituted quinolines and quinazolin-4­(3H)-ones were synthesized in moderate to good isolated yields via dehydrogenative coupling reactions of various inexpensive and easily available starting materials under aerobic conditions. A few control experiments and deuterium labeling studies were carried out to understand the mechanism of the dehydrogenative coupling reactions, which indicate that both copper and the coordinated azo-aromatic ligand participate in a cooperative manner during the catalytic cycle.