Chiral Lewis acid-bonded picolinaldehyde enables enantiodivergent carbonyl catalysis in the Mannich/condensation reaction of glycine ester

A new strategy of asymmetric carbonyl catalysis via a chiral Lewis acid-bonded aldehyde has been developed for the direct Mannich/condensation cascade reaction of glycine ester with aromatic aldimines. The co-catalytic system of 2-picolinaldehyde and chiral Yb^III-N,N′-dioxides was identified to be efficient under mild conditions, providing a series of trisubstituted imidazolidines in moderate to good yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Enantiodivergent synthesis was achieved via changing the sub-structures of the chiral ligands. The reaction could be carried out in a three-component version involving glycine ester, aldehydes, and anilines with equally good results. Based on control experiments, the X-ray crystal structure study and theoretical calculations, a possible dual-activation mechanism and stereo-control modes were provided to elucidate carbonyl catalysis and enantiodivergence.

The catalytic asymmetric Mannich/condensation of glycine ester with aldimines was achieved by merging chiral N,N′-dioxide/Yb^III complex Lewis acid catalysis/carbonyl catalysis under mild condition.     

First total synthesis of the anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediator 16(R),17(S)-diHDHA

The first total synthesis of the anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediator 16(R),17(S)-diHDHA, derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and its 16-epimer have been achieved. Two synthetic approaches are described for the synthesis of 16(R),17(S)-diHDHA. The first strategy started from DHA and used an enzymatic reaction, a vanadium catalyzed allylic epoxidation and a base-promoted epoxide isomerization. The second approach utilized a chiral pool strategy starting from 2-deoxy-d-ribose to establish the chiral centers; Wittig reactions, mild acetonide cleavage and ester hydrolysis were the key steps in the synthesis.     

Chiral N,N′-dioxide-iron(II) complexes catalyzed enantioselective oxa-Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

The enantioselective oxa-Michael addition reaction of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl) ethanone oxime to various α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was accomplished by using chiral N,N′-dioxide-FeSO₄·7H₂O (1:1) complex. Aromatic acid was employed as additive to increase the yield of the reaction. The corresponding adducts were obtained in moderate yields with up to 76% ee under mild conditions.     

Asymmetric conjugate addition of α-keto esters to nitroolefins catalyzed by chiral CuII hydroxo complexes

As a part of our research project on hard anion-late transition metal complexes as mild acid–base catalysts, we describe herein that Cu^II hydroxo complexes having chiral N-substituted-diaminocyclohexanes are mild and selective catalysts, which are applicable to the catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of α-keto esters to nitroolefins. The reaction proceeded diastereoselectively without the detectable formation of self-aldol products, affording the corresponding coupling products with anti-stereochemistry in an enantioselective manner.     

Copper nanoparticles catalyzed N-H functionalization: An efficient solvent-free N-tert-butyloxycarbonylation strategy

A chemoselective transformation of amines to their tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) protected derivatives (NBoc) is described using Cu-NPs under solvent-free conditions. Simple method, rapid reaction rate, mild conditions, tolerance of a wide range of functional groups, excellent yield, ease recovery and high catalytic turnover are the salient features of this approach. tert-Butyloxycarbonylation of chiral amino acid esters and amino alcohols were performed without racemization.     

Enantioselective alkylation using a new C3 symmetric amine-based chiral phase-transfer catalyst

A new C₃ symmetric amine-based chiral phase-transfer catalyst was synthesized. Application of the chiral PTC (1 mol%) in the alkylation of a tert-butyl glycinate-benzophenone Schiff base under mild reaction conditions provided an alkylated product with up to 58% enantiomeric excess.     

Asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones catalyzed by novel chiral N,N′-dioxide titanium complexes

A novel C₂-symmetric chiral N,N′-dioxide titanium complex was described, which could efficiently catalyze the asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones in high yields with up to 92% ee under mild conditions. In addition, the catalyst system was simple and the ligands could be easily prepared from commercially available chiral amino acid.     

A chiral Rh–phosphite complex displaying high activity in the enantioselective Rh-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to carbonyl compounds: when and why atropos is better than tropos

The use of deoxycholic acid derived tropos and atropoisomeric phosphites as chiral ligands in the Rh-catalyzed enantioselective addition of arylboronic acids to arylaldehydes and 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone is presented. Screening of these phosphites showed the high activity of the Rh-complex obtained starting from one of the two atropoisomeric ligands, which afforded complete conversion of the carbonyl compounds in short reaction times under mild reaction conditions and with ee’s of up to 84%. A study aimed at getting information about the different behavior of tropos and atropoisomeric ligands is also reported.     

Enantioselective organocatalytic synthesis of the chiral chromenes by domino oxa-Michael-aldol reaction

The proline based chiral organocatalyst has been found to be an efficient catalyst for enantioselective domino oxa-Michael-aldol reaction. This catalytic system provided the synthesis of substituted 2-aryl-2H-chromenes-3-carbaldehyde in good to high yields (73%–97%) with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 97%) and reasonable reaction times. The atom economy, high yield and mild reaction conditions are some of the important features of this protocol.     

Chiral nickel(II) complex catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α‐diazo pyrazoleamides with 2‐siloxy‐1‐alkenes

A highly efficient asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α-diazo pyrazoleamides with silyl enol ethers was realized by employing a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Ni(II) complex catalyst. The process includes the formation of chiral nickel carbenoid intermediate and the following enantioselective cycloaddition reaction. The desired dihydrofuran O,O-acetal derivatives were obtained in good yields (up to 90%) with high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under mild reaction conditions within short reaction time. On the basis of the determination of the catalyst structure, a possible transition state mode was proposed.     

(R)- and (S)-3-Hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinone as chiral auxiliaries in the enantioselective preparation of α-aryloxypropanoic acid herbicides and α-chlorocarboxylic acids

rac-α-Chlorocarboxylic acids, rac-9a–e, were formally deracemized by reaction of the corresponding acyl chlorides with the chiral auxiliaries (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinone, (R)- and (S)-4, followed by mild alkaline hydrolysis. The highest o.p. (99%) was obtained in the case of (S)-α-chloropropanoic acid, a known precursor for the synthesis of (R)-α-aryloxypropanoic acid herbicides such as dichlorprop-P, (R)-3a, or mecoprop-P, (R)-3b, which, together with their enantiomers, were also obtained in moderate e.e.s by dynamic kinetic resolution from (αRS,3S)-4,4-dimethyl-2-oxo-1-phenylpyrrolidin-3-yl α-bromopropanoate, (αRS,3S)-6, by reaction with the corresponding phenoxide followed by mild acid hydrolysis.     

Chiral N-phosphino sulfinamide ligands in rhodium(I)-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions

The combination of cationic rhodium(I) complexes with N-phosphino tert-butylsulfinamides (PNSO) ligands is efficient for catalytic intra- and intermolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions. PNSO ligands are a new class of chiral bidentate ligands, which have the characteristic of combining the easily accessible sulfur chirality with the coordinating capacity of phosphorous. Cycloaddition of open-chained and macrocyclic E-enediynes with these chiral complexes have proved to be highly efficient in terms of yields, giving moderate enantiomeric excesses of the corresponding cyclohexadiene derivatives. In addition Rh(I)/PNSO complexes catalyzed the intermolecular cycloaddition of diynes with monoalkynes in mild reaction conditions and short reaction times.     

Asymmetric synthesis and the novel retro Diels–Alder reaction of a P-chiral sulfonyl-substituted phosphanorbornene

An asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction between phenylvinylsulfone and 1-phenyl-3,4-dimethylphosphole in the presence of a chiral organometallic reaction promoter generates the corresponding P-chiral sulfonyl-substituted phosphanorbornene which is found to undergo the facile cycloreversion reaction under mild conditions.     

Enantioselective Darzens reaction using organoselenide-lithium hydroxide complexes

Asymmetric Darzens reaction catalyzed by chiral selenides is described. A novel Lewis acid/Brønsted base catalyst formed by C₂ symmetric chiral selenide-bearing isoborneol skeletons, which were readily prepared from (1S)-10-camphorsulfonic acid, and LiOH promoted the reaction of phenacyl bromide with aldehydes to afford the desired trans oxiranes with up to 62% ee.     

Enantioselective direct Mannich reaction of functionalized acetonitrile to N-Boc imines catalyzed by quaternary phosphonium catalysis

Quaternary phosphonium ion-pair or a salt derived from amino acid has been developed to catalyze the Mannich-type reaction of α-substituted ethyl cyanoacetates and 2-(2-nitrophenyl) acetonitrile to N-Boc imines. Experiments shown that more active cyanoacetates could be catalyzed by the gentle phosphonium ion-pair catalysis, while 2-(2-nitrophenyl) acetonitrile as the substrate has to be activated by quaternary phosphonium salts and strong base. All the reactions gave the corresponding highly functionalized chiral β-amino nitriles products with good yields, high diastereo- and enantioselectivities in mild conditions.     

Cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) for mild and efficient reagent to remove hydroxyethyl units from 2-hydroxyethyl ethers and 2-hydroxyethyl amines

Cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) removed hydroxyethyl units from 2-hydroxyethyl ethers and 2-hydroxyethyl amines to produce alcohols and amines in good yields. Especially, removal of the 2-hydroxyethyl ethers from C₂-symmetric diols, chiral 2,3-butanediol and chiral hydrobenzoin, was very useful for asymmetric syntheses using C₂-symmetric diols. The reactions using dual abilities of CAN, i.e., the ability for removal of the 2-hydroxyethyl unit and the ability for acetal hydrolysis by a single electron transfer, were also achieved successfully. The reaction conditions were very mild and efficient, and many functional groups, which can be affected under normal conditions, were unaffected during the reaction.     

Highly enantioselective monoalkylation of p-chlorobenzaldehyde imine of glycine tert-butyl ester under mild phase-transfer conditions

The selective monoalkylation of glycine tert-butyl ester aldimine Schiff base 3 has been realized in high chemical yield with excellent enantioselectivity under mild liquid–liquid phase-transfer conditions by the use of binaphthyl-derived chiral quaternary ammonium bromides 7 and 8 as catalysts. This achievement demonstrates that 3 can be used as a cost-effective substrate for the preparation of optically active α-alkyl-α-amino acid derivatives by chiral phase-transfer catalysis.     

A simplified synthesis of (R)-(−)-muscone using a ring-opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone

A chiral macrocyclic precursor can be constructed via a ring-opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone with a functionalized organocuprate with no loss of enantiomeric excess. The carboxylic acid precursor was used as a chiral building block for the synthesis of chiral muscone and musky macrolactones.     

Synthesis of chiral β2-amino acids by asymmetric hydrogenation

The synthesis of chiral β²-amino acids by homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation is discussed. Prochiral β-aryl- or β-hetaryl-α-N-benzyl/N-acetyl/N-Boc substituted α-aminomethylacrylates used as substrates were prepared by a Baylis–Hillman reaction, followed by acylation and amination. For the asymmetric hydrogenation, a large variety of chiral, preferentially rhodium catalysts bearing commercially available phosphorus ligands were tested. Conversions and enantioselectivities were dependent on the reaction conditions and varied strongly between the substrates used. A chiral N-α-phenylethyl group supports the stereoface discriminating ability of the chiral catalysts and thus a matching pair effect could be realized. In strong contrast, a chiral ester group has almost no effect in this respect. In some cases the use of the corresponding substrate acid was better in comparison to the use of its ester. After optimization of the hydrogenation conditions (chiral catalyst, H₂-pressure, temperature, solvent), full conversions and products with up to 99% ee were achieved.     

Direct Enantioselective HPLC Monitoring of Lipase-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of 2-Phenoxy Propionic Acid in Non-Standard Organic Solvents

In this work, a direct enantioselective HPLC monitoring system is developed. The system consists of an HPLC equipped with an immobilized cellulose-based chiral stationary phase Chiralpak IB, UV and a polarimetric detector in series. The developed system is used in the direct monitoring of the enantioselectivity of lipase-catalyzed enantioselective esterification of 2-phenoxy propionic acid of which the (R)-enantiomer is a precursor of the (R)-2-(p-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic acid known as an important intermediate in synthesizing aryloxyphenoxypropionic acid based agrochemicals. The versatility of the biocatalyzed reaction in chiral separation to access to both enantiomers of racemic 2-phenoxy propionic acid is demonstrated. The solvent versatility of the immobilized chiral stationary phase used in the direct monitoring of such reaction in non-standard HPLC solvent is shown.