Enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation of enol carbamates in the presence of monodentate phosphines

The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of different acyclic and cyclic enol carbamates to give optically active carbamates has been examined in the presence of chiral monodentate ligands based on a 4,5-dihydro-3H-dinaphthophosphepine motif 4. The enantioselectivity is largely dependent upon the reaction conditions, the nature of substituents on the phosphorus ligand and structure of the enol carbamate. By applying the optimized reaction conditions, enantioselectivities of up to 96% ee have been achieved.     

Total Synthesis and Electrophysiological Properties of Natural (−)-Perhydrohistrionicotoxin,its Unnatural (+)-Antipode and their 2-Depentyl Analogs

Natural (?)-perhydrohistrionicotoxin ( 6a ), its unnatural (+)-antipode 6b , (?)-2-depentylperhydrohistrionicotoxin ( 7a ) and its (+)-antipode 7b have been prepared and characterized. Kishi's lactam 8 reacted with optically active iso-cyanates, and the mixture of diastereomeric carbamates so obtained was separated and hydrolyzed yielding the optical antipodes of Kishi's lactam in optically pure form. Reduction with LiAlH₄ yielded the optically active 2-depentyl analogs, while another sequence already developed in the racemic series afforded the natural toxin and its (+)-antipode. Some electrophysiological properties of these compounds are presented.     

Synthesis of 4-Alkyl-4-alkoxybutenolides Having Unsaturated Side Chains via Chromium Carbene Complex Photochemistry: (+)-Cerulenin

The photochemical reaction between optically active ene carbamates and chromium alkoxycarbene complexes containing unsaturated aliphatic side chains was further developed. Although remote olefinic groups, including conjugated dienes, were tolerated, a homoallylic side chain underwent intramolecular reaction to give a strained cyclobutanone. (+)-Cerulenin was synthesized utilizing the photochemical reaction of an alkynylcarbene complex with an optically active ene carbamate and the bis(pi-crotyl)nickel halide alkylation of a vinyl bromide as key steps.     

Palladium-catalyzed reaction of allyl carbamates; allylation of carbonucleophiles,and protection-deprotection of amines

Allylation of carbonucleophiles with allylic carbamates under neutral conditions has been studied. The C-allylation of carbonucleophile is competitive with the N-allylation of amines, and the structure of amines is crucial for the selectivity. Bulky secondary amines gave the best results. Also a new method of protection-deprotection of amines as carbamates has been developed. Smooth deprotection is possible by the palladium-catalyzed reaction of allyl carbamates with formic acid. This method is particulary useful for primary amines, including optically active amino acids.     

Enantioselective Cu-catalyzed decarboxylative propargylic amination of propargyl carbamates

A copper-catalyzed asymmetric propargylic amination with a chiral ketimine P,N,N-ligand that proceeds via decarboxylation of propargyl carbamates has been developed. The reaction can be performed under the mild condition for a broad range of substrates, providing the corresponding propargylic amines in high yields and with up to 97% ee. This reaction represents a new and facile access to optically active propargylic amines.     

Regioselective and diastereoselective allylic amination using chlorosulfonyl isocyanate. A novel asymmetric synthesis of unsaturated aromatic 1,2-amino alcohols

The diastereoselective synthesis of unsaturated aromatic 1,2-amino alcohols can be achieved on an epimeric mixture of optically active allylic ethers having a hydroxyl group attached to an allylic chiral center to the pi-system using chlorosulfonyl isocyanate. These reactions produced the unsaturated anti-1,2-amino alcohols either exclusively or predominantly only for aromatic derivatives. The anti-selectivity may be explained by the Cieplak electronic model during the conversion from ethers to carbamates.     

Asymmetric synthesis of both enantiomers of esters and γ-lactones from optically active 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides and lithium ester enolates with the formation of a tertiary or a quaternary carbon stereogenic center at the β-position

Treatment of optically active 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides having two different substituents at the 2-position, which were synthesized from aldehydes or unsymmetrical ketones and (R)-(−)-chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide in two or three steps, with the lithium enolate of tert-butyl acetate gave optically active adducts in 99% chiral induction from the sulfur stereogenic center. The adducts were converted to optically active esters, carboxylic acids, and γ-lactones, which have a tertiary or a quaternary carbon stereogenic center at the β-position. A synthesis of optically active spiro-lactones was realized starting from 2-cyclohexenone by this method.     

Palladium(II)-catalyzed highly regio- and diastereoselective cyclization of difunctional allylic N-tosylcarbamates. A convenient synthesis of optically active 4-vinyl-2-oxazolidinones and total synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-L-xylitol

A Pd(II)-catalyzed cyclization of difunctional allylic N-tosyl carbamates in the presence of halide ions was developed with high regio- and diastereoselectivity. The reaction involves aminopalladation of alkene and beta-heteroatom elimination to regenerate Pd(II) species. When the readily available homochiral alcohols were used as substrates, highly optically active 4-vinyl-2-oxazolidinones were easily obtained. The utility of this method was exemplified by the convenient synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-L-xylitol.     

Palladium-catalyzed intra-molecular olefin insertion reaction of α-alkenyl-α-acyloxytrialkylsilane. Synthesis of optically active carbocycle

Pd-catalyzed intra-molecular olefin insertion/carbonylation reaction of optically active α-alkenyl-α-acyloxysilanes is described. The reactions proceeded in a stereoselective manner to give five- and six-membered optically active carbocycles having (E)-vinylsilane in their side chains. Under CO condition, optically active carbocycles containing one-carbon homologated side chain were produced by Pd-catalyzed tandem olefin insertion-carbonylation reaction.     

Intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of optically active aza-Baylis-Hillman adducts

The intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of aza-Baylis-Hillman adducts, which were prepared through the thio-Michael/imino-aldol domino reaction of optically active sulfinimines, was examined and gave optically active cis- and trans-pyrrolidine-fused cyclopentenones in a stereoselective manner.     

Synthesis and reactions of the optically active selenols derived from monoterpenes

A convenient methodology for the synthesis of optically active selenols, derived from p-menthane, carane, and pinane, is described. The selenols were oxidized with air to give the optically active diselenides, and were also converted into the corresponding allylic selenides via reaction with Z- and E-cinnamyl, geranyl, and neryl chlorides. Oxidation of the allylic selenides with mCPBA gave the optically active alcohols via [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the in situ generated allylic selenoxides.     

Optically active P-chiral phosphinoselenoic amides: stereochemical outcome at the P-stereogenic center in the synthesis of these substances and their characterization

A variety of optically active P-chiral phosphinoselenoic amides were synthesized with high efficiency by reacting racemic P-chiral phosphinoselenoic chlorides with optically active lithium amides. Some of the diastereomers of the amides were separated by column chromatography on silica gel. The absolute configurations of the phosphinoselenoic amides were determined by X-ray molecular structure analyses. Optically active P-chiral phosphinoselenoic chlorides were also reacted with optically active lithium amide. The reaction proceeded predominantly with inversion of configuration, but also involved retention of stereochemistry at the phosphorus atom during the substitution reaction.     

Cholesterol vinyl ether in free-radical homo-and copolymerization reactions

Vinyl ether of cholesterol has been polymerized through the free-radical mechanism with a yield of up to 30% to obtain optically active soluble oligomers. By the example of acrylonitrile, N-vinylpyrrolidone, ethylene glycol vinyl glycidyl ether, and N-vinyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindole, it has been established that optically active copolymers of cholesterol may be synthesized.     

Stereochemical studies-LVIII: Synthesis of optically active compounds by the novel use of meso-compound-2. efficient synthesis of an optically pure steroid intermediate

In order to explore the general application of a novel method for preparing optically active compounds, synthesis of the optically pure steroid intermediate((?)-1) has been examined by employing the diol(2) as a meso-compound and N-mesyl-(S)-phenylalanyl chloride(3) as a source of the optically active functional group.     

Synthesis of optically active 2-aminotetraline derivatives via enantioselective ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of ene carbamates

The enantioselective hydrogenation of prochiral ene carbamates, directly derived from 2-tetralone, was completed using a catalytic ruthenium system generated from Ru(COD)(methallyl)₂, an optically pure diphosphine and a strong acid containing a non-coordinating counter anion.     

Base catalyzed cyclization of N-aryl and N-alkyl-O-propargyl carbamates to 4-alkylidene-2-oxazolidinones

The base catalyzed cyclization of N-aryl and N-alkyl-O-propargyl carbamates is studied in detail. The effect of various bases and solvents on the efficacy of this cyclization reaction is analyzed and a new base-solvent system (LiOH in DMF) for effective cyclization of these carbamates is reported. A number of differentially substituted O-propargyl carbamates were cyclized to the corresponding 2-oxazolidinones under these conditions. The reaction conditions reported here are mild and no side reactions were observed in any of the substrates studied. A propargyl carbonate group was unaffected during the course of the cyclization of the O-propargyl carbamate group. The propargyl carbamates were prepared from the corresponding alkyl or aryl amines and the corresponding propargyl chloroformate, resulting in oxazolidinones diversely substituted at the nitrogen atom. N-Aryl-O-propargyl carbamates cyclized readily to the corresponding oxazolidinones with LiOH in DMF, whereas N-alkyl-O-propargyl carbamates reacted slowly under the same conditions. O-Propargyl carbamates substituted at the 1-position tend to cyclize faster whereas those substituted at 3-position cyclize considerably slower than the unsubstituted carbamates.     

Synthesis of optically active medium-sized α-aminolactams via ring-closing metathesis

The synthesis of optically active medium-sized α-aminolactams via ring-closing metathesis is described. The amidation of optically active N-Boc-allylglycine derivatives with N-protected alkenylamine, and ring-closing metathesis resulted in the formation of medium-sized α-aminolactams with good yield.     

Stereoelective radical copolymerization of (RS)-α-methylbenzyl vinyl ether with (S)-(-)- or (R)-(+)-N-(α-methylbenzyl)maleimide

Racemic α-methylbenzyl vinyl ether was copolymerized with optically active (S)-(-)- or (R)-(+)-N-(α-methylbenzyl)maleimide using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile in order to examine the possibility of stereoelective radical polymerization of vinyl-type racemic monomers. The resulting copolymers were found to have almost alternating sequences of the two kinds of monomeric units. The non-polymerized α-methylbenzyl vinyl ether, recovered from the copolymerization system, showed an optical activity of opposite sign to the optically active comonomer used, indicating clearly that the co-polymerization process is stereoelective. It was confirmed that α-methylbenzyl vinyl ether preferentially incorporated in the copolymer has the same absolute configuration as the optically active N-substituted maleimide.     

Optically active imidazole N-oxides derived from l-prolinamine1

Starting with (S)-1-benzylprolinamine and α-hydroxyimino ketones, enantiomerically pure bisheterocyclic imidazole N-oxides bearing the (S)-configured N-benzyl(pyrrolidin-2-yl)methyl residue were prepared. These N-oxides reacted with 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1,3-dithione to give the corresponding optically active imidazole-2-thione derivatives via a sulfur transfer reaction. Reduction of the N-oxides with Raney-nickel led to deoxygenation, whereas catalytic hydrogenation (Pd/C) in ethanol occurred with simultaneous deoxygenation and debenzylation, leading to optically active 1-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)methyl-1H-imidazoles. Alkylation of the prepared imidazole N-oxides and their respective imidazoles with butyl and hexyl bromide and subsequent anion exchange gave optically active N-alkoxy- and N-alkylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates, respectively, with the properties of ‘room temperature ionic liquids’.     

Fragmentation of Optically Active (1-Phenylethyl)- and (1-Naphthylethyl)ureas in Refluxing Alcohols: Easy Preparation of Optically Active Amines of High Optical Purity

(1-Phenylethyl)- and (1-naphthylethyl)ureas, obtained in the reaction of racemic amines with optically pure isocyanates, are separated and then decomposed in refluxing alcohols, to afford optically pure secondary amines and optically pure alkyl carbamates in quantitative yields. The scope of this fragmentation for the resolution of racemic mixtures of amines is illustrated by several examples of biologically important compounds. Carbamates obtained by this fragmentation can readily be recycled.