Rationally designed organocatalyst for direct asymmetric aldol reaction in the presence of water

A rationally designed organocatalyst for direct asymmetric aldol reaction in the presence of water has been developed. High yield (up to 99%), diastereoselectivity (up to 99:1) and enantioselectivity (up to 97%) were obtained under optimal conditions.     

Zinc-prolinamide complex catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions in the presence of water

An efficient direct asymmetric aldol reaction with zinc triflate and prolinamides as combined catalysts is reported. A series of chiral prolinamides have been designed and used in the direct aldol reaction resulting in the desired products with excellent yields (up to 94% yield) and high enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee). Water was found to play a significant role in the formation of the aldol products, which suggests a new strategy in the design of new organic catalysts.     

Direct Asymmetric Aldol Type Reaction with Ethyl Diazoacetate: Stereoselective Synthesis of α, β-Dihydroxy Esters

Enantioselective aldol condensation under catalytic condition remains a challenging task in modern organic synthesis, and numerous efforts have been directed to this area. In particular, the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction is very attractive considering the requirement of atom efficiency. This has been studied only recently, and several very practical processes have been developed. We have recently initiated a study on the direct asymmetric aldol type reaction with ethyl diazoacetate as nucleophile. Moderate enantioselectivities (65% ～91% ee ) were achieved in the condensation of aldehydes with ethyl diazoacetate catalyzed by the chiral complex of BINOL derivatives-Zr (OBu- t )4. [1]     

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions inspired by two types of natural aldolases: water-compatible organocatalysts and Zn(II) complexes

In this article the utility of water-compatible amino-acid-based catalysts was explored in the development of diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions of a broad range of substrates. Chiral C(2)-symmetrical proline- and valine-based amides and their Zn(II) complexes were designed for use as efficient and flexible chiral catalysts for enantioselective aldol reactions in water, on water, and in the presence of water. The presence of 5 mol % of the prolinamide-based catalyst affords asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions between unmodified ketones and various aldehydes to give anti products with excellent enantioselectivities. We also demonstrate aldol reactions of more demanding substrates with high affinity to water (i.e., acetone and formaldehyde). Newly designed serine-based organocatalyst promoted aldol reaction of hydroxyacetone leading to syn-diols. For presented catalytic systems organic solvent-free conditions are also acceptable, making the elaborated methodology interesting from a green chemistry perspectives.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions promoted by water-compatible organocatalysts bearing a pyrrolidinyl-camphor structural scaffold

Efficient synthetic routes have been developed for the synthesis of a series of pyrrolidinyl-camphor containing organocatalysts (1-10). Structural modifications were made by varying the stereo- and electronic properties of the camphor scaffold and the aromatic substituents. These readily tunable and amphiphilic organocatalysts were evaluated for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of various aromatic aldehydes and cyclohexanone either in organic solvents or in the presence of water. The aldol reaction proceeded smoothly with excellent chemical yields (up to 99%), enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee), and anti-diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) with a catalytical amount of the bifunctional organocatalysts (20 mol %) under optimal reaction conditions. Mechanistic transition models are proposed and the stereochemical bias of the asymmetric aldol reaction is presented.     

Rationally designed 4-phenoxy substituted prolinamide phenols organocatalyst for the direct aldol reaction in water

A rationally designed 4-phenoxy substituted prolinamide phenols as an efficient hydrophobic organocatalyst for direct asymmetric aldol reaction in water has been developed. High yield (up to 99%), diastereoselectivity (up to 99:1), and enantioselectivity (up to 97%) were obtained under optimal condition. The influence of substituent groups on the reactivity of catalysts was studied in detail.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by a siloxy serine organocatalyst in water

A siloxy-l-serine organocatalyst has been developed to catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions in the presence of water, furnishing the β-hydroxy carbonyl scaffold in high enantio- and diastereoselectivities. The direct aldol reaction between a selection of aromatic aldehydes and cyclohexanone resulted in good yields and high enantioselectivities.     

Asymmetric organocatalytic direct aldol reactions of ketones with alpha-keto acids and their application to the synthesis of 2-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactones

A variety of organocatalysts for the asymmetric direct aldol reactions of ketones with alpha-keto acids were designed on the basis of molecular recognition and prepared from proline and aminopyridines. The organic molecule 8e, derived from proline and 6-methyl-2-amino pyridine, was the best catalyst, affording excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) for the direct aldol reactions of acetone or 2-butanone with a wide range of alpha-keto acids and for the reactions of various acyclic aliphatic ketones with 3-(2-nitrophenyl)-2-oxopropanoic acid. The aldol adducts could be converted to 2-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactones by reaction sequences of diastereoselective reduction and lactonization. Experimental and theoretical studies on the transition states revealed that the amide N-H and the pyridine N of the organocatalyst selectively form hydrogen bonds with the keto oxygen and the carboxylic acid hydroxy of the alpha-keto acid, respectively. These two hydrogen-bonding interactions are important for the reactivity and enantioselectivity of the direct asymmetric aldol condensation.     

A novel (S)-proline-modified task-specific chiral ionic liquid—an amphiphilic recoverable catalyst for direct asymmetric aldol reactions in water

A novel chiral (S)-proline-modified task-specific ionic liquid has been designed and synthesized as an efficient recoverable organocatalyst for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction between cycloalkanones and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of water. The catalyst retains its activity and selectivity over at least five reaction cycles.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of hydroxyketones: asymmetric Zn catalysis with a Et(2)Zn/linked-BINOL complex

Full details of our newly developed catalyses with asymmetric zinc complexes as mimics of class II zinc-containing aldolase are described. A Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL complex was developed and successfully applied to direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of hydroxyketones. A Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 2/1 system was initially developed, which efficiently promoted the direct aldol reaction of 2-hydroxy-2'-methoxyacetophenone (7d). Using 1 mol % of (S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 and 2 mol % of Et(2)Zn, we obtained 1,2-dihydroxyketones syn-selectively in high yield (up to 95%), good diastereomeric ratio (up to 97/3), and excellent enantiomeric excess (up to 99%). Mechanistic investigation of Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1, including X-ray analysis, NMR analysis, cold spray ionization mass spectrometry (CSI-MS) analysis, and kinetic studies, provided new insight into the active oligomeric Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1/ketone 7d active species. On the basis of mechanistic investigations, a modified second generation Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 4/1 with molecular sieves 3A (MS 3A) system was developed as a much more effective catalyst system for the direct aldol reaction. As little as 0.1 mol % of (S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 and 0.4 mol % of Et(2)Zn promoted the direct aldol reaction smoothly, using only 1.1 equiv of 7d as a donor (substrate/ligand = 1000). This is the most efficient, in terms of catalyst loading, asymmetric catalyst for the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction. Moreover, the Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL 1 = 4/1 system was effective in the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of 2-hydroxy-2'-methoxypropiophenone (12), which afforded a chiral tetrasubstituted carbon center (tert-alcohol) in good yield (up to 97%) and ee (up to 97%), albeit in modest syn-selectivity. Newly developed (S,S)-sulfur-linked-BINOL 2 was also effective in the direct aldol reaction of 12. The Et(2)Zn/(S,S)-sulfur-linked-BINOL 2 = 4/1 system gave aldol adducts anti-selectively in good ee (up to 93%). Transformations of the aldol adducts into synthetically versatile intermediates were also described.     

Current progress in the asymmetric aldol addition reaction

Control of stereochemistry during aldol addition reactions has attracted considerable interest over the years as the aldol reaction is one of the most fundamental tools for the construction of new carbon-carbon bonds. Several strategies have been implemented whereby eventually any single possible stereoisomeric aldol product can be accessed by choosing the appropriate procedure. With earlier methods, stoichiometric quantities of chiral reagents were required for efficient asymmetric induction, with the auxiliary most often attached covalently to the substrate carbonyl. Lewis acid catalyzed addition reactions of silyl enolates to aldehydes (Mukaiyama reaction) later opened the way for catalytic asymmetric induction. In the last few years, both chiral metal complexes and small chiral organic molecules have been found to catalyse the direct aldol addition of unmodified ketones to aldehydes with relatively high chemical and stereochemical efficiency. These techniques along with the more recent developments in the area are discussed in this tutorial review.     

Small peptides catalyze highly enantioselective direct aldol reactions of aldehydes with hydroxyacetone: unprecedented regiocontrol in aqueous media

[reaction: see text] L-Proline-based small peptides have been developed as efficient catalysts for the asymmetric direct aldol reactions of hydroxyacetone with aldehydes. Chiral 1,4-diols 7, which are disfavored products in similar aldol reactions catalyzed by either aldolases or L-proline, were obtained in high yields and enantioselectivities of up to 96% ee with peptides 3 and 4 in aqueous media.     

Aminophosphonates as organocatalysts in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction: towards syn selectivity in the presence of Lewis bases

Chiral alpha-aminophosphonates have been synthesized and their performance was evaluated as organocatalysts in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction. High enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) were achieved for a range of substituted cyclohexanones and benzaldehydes. Several organic bases, such as DBU, DBN, and TMG, were used together with the alpha-aminophosphonates in the aldol reactions and were found to favor syn-selectivity.     

Development of highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct asymmetric aldol reaction of a glycinate Schiff base with aldehydes catalyzed by chiral quaternary ammonium salts

A highly efficient direct asymmetric aldol reaction of a glycinate Schiff base with aldehydes has been achieved under mild organic/aqueous biphasic conditions with excellent stereochemical control, using chiral quaternary ammonium salt 1b as a phase-transfer catalyst. The initially developed reaction conditions, using 2 equiv of aqueous base (1% NaOH (aq)), exhibited inexplicably limited general applicability in terms of aldehyde acceptors. The mechanistic investigation revealed the intervention of an unfavorable yet inevitable retro aldol process involving the chiral catalyst. On the basis of this information, a reliable procedure has been established by use of a catalytic amount of 1% NaOH (aq) and ammonium chloride, which tolerates a wide range of aldehydes to afford the corresponding anti-beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino esters almost exclusively in an essentially optically pure form.     

Direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides

In nature there are at least nineteen different acyclic amino acids that act as the building blocks of polypeptides and proteins with different functions. Here we report that alpha-amino acids, beta-amino acids, and chiral amines containing primary amine functions catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities. Moreover, the amino acids can be combined into highly modular natural and unusual small peptides that also catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high stereoselectivities, to furnish the corresponding aldol products with up to >99 % ee. Simple amino acids and small peptides can thus catalyze asymmetric aldol reactions with stereoselectivities matching those of natural enzymes that have evolved over billions of years. A small amount of water accelerates the asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides, and also increases their stereoselectivities. Notably, small peptides and amino acid tetrazoles were able to catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities in water, while the parent amino acids, in stark contrast, furnished nearly racemic products. These results suggest that the prebiotic oligomerization of amino acids to peptides may plausibly have been a link in the evolution of the homochirality of sugars. The mechanism and stereochemistry of the reactions are also discussed.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction of hydroxyacetone promoted by chiral tertiary amines

The tertiary amine-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of hydroxyacetone with a variety of aromatic aldehydes is developed. Using 5-10 mol % of quinidine as catalyst, the direct aldol condensation products were obtained in reasonable yields and with asymmetric induction (up to 47% ee). The present approach is extended to asymmetric organocatalytic strategies for the preparation of 1,2-diols.     

Asymmetric direct aldol reaction of functionalized ketones catalyzed by amine organocatalysts based on bispidine

Organocatalysts containing primary-secondary amine based on bispidine and amino acid have been designed to catalyze the asymmetric direct aldol reaction of functionalized ketones including alpha-keto phosphonates, alpha-keto esters, as well as alpha,alpha-dialkoxy ketones as aldol reaction acceptors. The corresponding products with chiral tertiary alcohols were obtained in moderate to high yields (up to 97%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). A theoretical study of transition structures demonstrated that protonated piperidine was important for the reactivity and enantioselectivity of this reaction.     

固载脯氨酸类手性催化剂的制备及在不对称Aldol反应中的催化作用

制备了两种二氧化硅-甲基纤维素-脯氨酸类手性小分子复合催化剂,证明了它们可以在室温下催化不对称Aldol反应.所得产物产率较高,ee值最高能达到86.8%.这些催化剂比较稳定,并具有一定的重复使用的性能.     

Proline-based Amino Pyridine Dipeptides as Efficient Organocatalysts for Direct Aldol Reaction

A series of proline-based amino pyridine dipeptide organocatalysts was synthesized and applied in direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reaction. These catalysts showed good solubility in organic solvents, good yields (73%―97%) and enantioselectivitives(74%―94%). Among them, dipeptide organocatalyst(2) was found to be the most efficient one for the asymmetric aldol reaction between cyclohexanone and 4-nitrobeznaldehyde. After optimizing the catalytic reaction conditions, we found that the catalyst showed high yield(97%), enantioselectivity(e.e., up to 92%) and anti-diastereoselectivity(up to 95:5) at mild room temperature without any additives.     

Primary amine catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction assisted by water

l-Valine was found to be an active catalyst in the asymmetric direct aldol reaction. The aldol reaction of a variety of aromatic aldehydes with acetone was catalyzed by 20 mol % of l-valine at 35 °C with the aldol products obtained in moderate to good yields (48–83%) and enantiomeric excesses (42–72%). The reaction was more efficient catalytically with best results observed in the presence of 1 mol equiv of water, with respect to the aldehyde, in either DMSO or DMF as solvent. The effect of water concentration on the reaction rate and enantioselectivity was also investigated. Thus, with increasing water concentration in DMSO there was decreasing enantioselectivity. However, the reaction in the presence of l-phenylalanine showed a lower level of reactivity and enantioselectivity to afford the aldol in 25% with 31% ee. In marked contrast, reaction with l-phenylglycine resulted in the negligible formation of the aldol (<5%). Our results, suggest a new strategy in the design of new bioorganic catalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions.