Copper complexes are powerful catalysts for alkene addition reactions. Copper is also earth abundant, which further enhances its attractiveness for the sustainable production of useful small organic molecules. We present herein application of air or varying concentrations of oxygen as the green, stoichiometric oxidant for oxidative copper-catalyzed reactions of heteroatoms and alkenes.  Oxygen can serve in either an oxidase (oxidant only) or oxygenase (oxygen is incorporated into the product) capacity in organic reactions. We disclose both applications for the synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles ranging from indoles and enamides to indolines, pyrrolidines, tetrahydrofurans and morpholines, among others. Oxygenase transformations of particular interest are the catalytic enantioselective aminooxygenation and dioxygenation of alkenes to form enantioenriched 2-formyl pyrrolidines and tetrahydrofurans.

Aerobic copper-catalyzed reactions of heteroatoms and alkenes for the synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles

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