Enantioselective and diastereoselective syntheses of cyanohydrin carbonates

A new and general synthesis of alkyl cyanoformates is presented starting from the appropriate alcohol and oxalyl chloride. This is used to prepare enantiomerically pure cyanoformates from enantiomerically pure primary and secondary alcohols. Optimal conditions for the addition of various achiral cyanoformates to aldehydes catalysed by an enantiomerically pure titanium(salen) catalyst in the presence of potassium cyanide as a cocatalyst are developed. Under these conditions, two chiral cyanoformates also reacted with aldehydes to give cyanohydrin carbonates. The stereochemistry of this process is predominantly determined by the stereochemistry of the titanium(salen) catalyst and the stereochemistry of two of the cyanohydrin carbonates was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. In a further extension of the chemistry, a homogeneous system in which the potassium cyanide/18-crown-6 complex is used as the cyanide cocatalyst has been developed and the kinetics of this reaction show that it displays first order kinetics, provided at least 2 mol % of the potassium cyanide complex are employed.     

Asymmetric synthesis of polymer-supported cyanohydrin acetates

A bimetallic titanium(salen) complex has been used to catalyze the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide to aldehydes attached to Wang resin giving polymer supported cyanohydrin propionates with up to 91% enantiomeric excesses.     

Asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using heterobimetallic catalysts obtained from titanium and vanadium complexes of chiral and achiral salen ligands

Titanium(IV)(salen) and vanadium(V)(salen) complexes are both known to form catalysts for asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis. When a mixture of titanium and vanadium complexes derived from the same or different salen ligands is used for the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to benzaldehyde, the absolute configuration of the product and level of asymmetric induction can only be explained by in situ formation of a catalytically active heterobimetallic complex, and is not consistent with two monometallic species acting cooperatively. Combined use of complexes containing chiral and achiral salen ligands demonstrates that during the asymmetry inducing step of the mechanism, the aldehyde is coordinated to the vanadium rather than the titanium ion. The titanium complexes also catalyse the asymmetric addition of ethyl cyanoformate to aldehydes, a reaction in which vanadium(V)(salen) complexes are not active. For this reaction, use of a mixture of titanium and vanadium(salen) complexes results in a complete loss of catalytic activity, a result which again can only be explained by in situ formation of a heterometallic complex. Both the titanium and vanadium based catalysts also induce the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide/acetic anhydride to aldehydes. For this reaction, combined use of chiral and achiral complexes indicates that during the asymmetry inducing step of the mechanism, the aldehyde is coordinated to titanium rather than vanadium, a result which contrasts with the observed results when trimethylsilyl cyanide is used as the cyanide source.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of O-acetyl cyanohydrins from KCN,Ac2O and aldehydes

A (salen)titanium catalyst has been found to induce the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide and acetic anhydride to aldehydes, giving enantiomerically enriched cyanohydrin esters with up to 92% enantiomeric excess using just 1 mol% of the catalyst. This is the first report of the asymmetric synthesis of cyanohydrin derivatives using a cyanide source which is non-volatile and inexpensive.     

Synthetic and mechanistic studies on asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using a titanium(salen) bimetallic catalyst

A bimetallic titanium(salen) complex 1 was found to catalyse the asymmetric addition of ethyl cyanoformate to aldehydes. Best results were obtained using 5 mol% of the catalyst at −40 °C and under these conditions, both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes were converted into cyanohydrin carbonates with up to 99% enantiomeric excess. The same catalyst could also be used to catalyse the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide to aldehydes in the presence of propionic anhydride, leading to cyanohydrin esters. Mechanistic studies showed that the enantiomeric excess of the product increased during the early stages of this reaction. However, by adding a ‘sacrificial aldehyde’ this effect could be eliminated. The structure of the catalyst in solution was investigated using variable concentration, variable temperature and variable solvent NMR studies. These experiments showed that the catalyst exists as a mixture of monometallic 4 and bimetallic 1 species, a result which is consistent with previous mechanistic studies on the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes and ketones catalysed by the same catalyst. A mechanistic rationale for all of these observations is reported.     

Dialkylzinc additions with a chiral osmaimidazolidine ligand from asymmetric diamination of olefins

A new chiral ligand was prepared in a convenient two-step procedure starting from an asymmetric diamination reaction. Subsequent treatment of the resulting osmaimidazolidine with a phenyl Grignard reagent and titanium tetra(iso-propoxide) furnished a complex that catalyses asymmetric dialkylzinc additions to aromatic aldehydes.     

Asymmetric Carboxycyanation of Aldehydes by Cooperative AlF/Onium Salt Catalysts: from Cyanoformate to KCN as Cyanide Source

Asymmetric 1,2-additions of cyanide yield enantioenriched cyanohydrins as versatile chiral building blocks. Next to HCN, volatile organic cyanide sources are usually used. Among them, cyanoformates are more attractive on technical scale than TMSCN for cost reasons, but catalytic productivity is usually lower. Here, the development of a new strategy for cyanations is described, in which this activity disadvantage is overcome. A Lewis acidic Al center cooperates with an aprotic onium moiety within a remarkably robust bifunctional Al–F–salen complex. This allowed for unprecedented turnover numbers of up to 10⁴. DFT studies suggest an unexpected unique trimolecular pathway in which the ammonium bound cyanide attacks the aldehyde, which itself is activated by the carbonyl group of the cyanoformate binding to the Al center. In addition, a novel practical carboxycyanation method was developed that makes use of KCN as the sole cyanide source. The use of a pyrocarbonate as carboxylating reagent provided the best results.     

Kinetics and mechanism of base catalysed ethyl cyanoformate addition to aldehydes

The mechanism by which tertiary amines catalyse the formation of cyanohydrin carbonates from aldehydes and alkyl cyanoformates is investigated by means of a kinetic study. The reaction rate shows a second order dependence on amine concentration unless the amine is sterically hindered, when the rate has a first order dependence on amine concentration. The catalytic activity of the amine correlated with its pK_aH. On the basis of these results, a mechanism is proposed in which the amine acts as a base to activate a water molecule, which reacts with the ethyl cyanoformate generating cyanide in situ.     

Lithium salts of chiral metallocomplex anions as catalysts for asymmetric trimethylsilylcyanation of aldehydes

A series of the anionic Co^III complexes based on optically active amino acids containing the lithium cation in the external sphere of the complex was synthesized. The synthesized compounds were used as catalysts in the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes. The influence of the temperature, catalyst concentration, and modification of the chiral anion structure on the enantioselectivity of catalysis was studied.     

A bimetallic aluminium(salen) complex for asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis

In the presence of a phosphine oxide cocatalyst, a bimetallic aluminium(salen) complex was found to catalyse the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes. Under optimised conditions, enantioselectivities of 53-96% were obtained using 2 mol % of the catalyst. An analysis of the reaction kinetics showed that the reactions exhibited first-order kinetics, with the rate of reaction being independent of the aldehyde concentration.     

Asymmetric Catalysis with Heterobimetallic Compounds

This review focuses on a new concept in catalytic asymmetric reactions that was first realized for the use of heterobimetallic complexes. As these heterobimetallic complexes function as both a Brønsted base and as a Lewis acid, just like an enzyme, they make possible a variety of efficient catalytic asymmetric reactions. This heterobimetallic concept should prove to be applicable to a variety of new asymmetric catalyses. The first part of this review describes the development of rare-earth–alkali metal complexes such as LnM₃tris(binaphthoxide) complexes (LnMB, Ln = rare-earth metal, M = alkali metal), which are readily prepared from the corresponding rare-earth trichlorides or rare-earth isopropoxides, and their application to catalytic asymmetric synthesis. By using a catalytic amount of LnMB complexes several asymmetric reactions proceed efficiently to give the corresponding desired products in up to 98% ee: LnLB-catalyzed asymmetric nitroaldol reactions (L = Li), LnSB-catalyzed asymmetric Michael reactions (S ? Na), and LnPB-catalyzed asymmetric hydrophosphonylations of either imines or aldehydes (P ? K). Applications of these heterobimetallic catalysts to the syntheses of several biologically and medicinally important compounds are also described. Spectral analyses and computational simulations of the asymmetric reactions catalyzed by the heterobimetallic complexes reveal that the two different metals play different roles to enhance the reactivity of both reaction partners and to position them. From mechanistic considerations, a useful activation of the heterobimetallic catalyses was realized by addition of alkali metal reagents. The second part describes the development of another type of heterobimetallic catalysts featuring Group 13 elements such as Al and Ga as the central metal. Among them, the AlLibis(binaphthoxide) complex (ALB) is an effective catalyst for asymmetric Michael reactions, tandem Michael–aldol reactions, and hydrophosphonylation of aldehydes.     

Asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using an aluminium(salan) complex

The asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes catalysed by chiral metal(salan) complexes has been investigated. Salan complexes of titanium and vanadium displayed only low catalytic activity, but a bimetallic aluminium(salan) complex gave high levels of catalytic activity and reasonable asymmetric induction when used with triphenylphosphine oxide as a cocatalyst. Mechanistic studies showed that the reactions were first order in catalyst and aldehyde concentrations, but zero order in trimethylsilyl cyanide and triphenylphosphine oxide concentrations. A Hammett analysis indicated that there was no significant change in the electron density at the aldehyde benzylic position during the rate determining step of the catalytic cycle. On the basis of the kinetic data, a catalytic cycle is proposed which accounts for the differences observed between [Al(salen)]₂O and [Al(salan)]₂O based catalysts.     

Investigation of Lewis Acid versus Lewis Base Catalysis in Asymmetric Cyanohydrin Synthesis

The asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes can be catalysed by Lewis acids and/or Lewis bases, which activate the aldehyde and trimethylsilyl cyanide, respectively. It is not always apparent from the structure of the catalyst whether Lewis acid or Lewis base catalysis predominates. To investigate this in the context of using salen complexes of titanium, vanadium and aluminium as catalysts, a Hammett analysis of asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis was undertaken. When Lewis acid catalysis is dominant, a significantly positive reaction constant is observed, whereas reactions dominated by Lewis base catalysis give much smaller reaction constants. [{Ti(salen)O}₂] was found to show the highest degree of Lewis acid catalysis, whereas two [VO(salen)X] (X=EtOSO₃ or NCS) complexes both displayed lower degrees of Lewis acid catalysis. In the case of reactions catalysed by [{Al(salen)}₂O] and triphenylphosphine oxide, a non‐linear Hammett plot was observed, which is indicative of a change in mechanism with increasing Lewis base catalysis as the carbonyl compound becomes more electron‐deficient. These results suggested that the aluminium complex/triphenylphosphine oxide catalyst system should also catalyse the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to ketones and this was found to be the case.     

过渡金属催化的有机硼试剂对醛酮的不对称加成研究进展

手性芳基醇是一类重要的合成砌块,广泛存在于许多生物活性分子以及天然产物中,因此,高效高选择性地构建该类化合物是有机化学家们一直关注的研究热点.金属试剂对羰基化合物的不对称加成是构建手性芳基醇的一个简单高效的方法,其中,有机硼试剂由于其方便易得、稳定、低毒、官能团耐受性好等优点而被广泛用于醛、酮的不对称加成反应中.本文综述了过去二十年来过渡金属催化的有机硼试剂对醛、酮的不对称加成反应研究进展,并介绍了一些方法在生物活性手性分子合成中的应用.     

双芳烃桥连salen配体的合成及其钛配合物在硅腈对醛的不对称加成反应中的应用

新型双芳烃桥连的salen钛配合物是一种高活性的催化三甲基硅腈对醛不对称加成反应的催化剂,底物与催化剂用量比率可达1 000:1.由(R,R)-1,2.环已二胺和3,5-二叔丁基水杨醛合成的催化剂4在催化三甲基硅腈对醛不对称加成反应中达到87%的对映选择性.     

Chiral Ti(IV) complexes of hexadentate Schiff bases as precatalysts for the asymmetric addition of TMSCN to aldehydes and the ring opening of cyclohexene oxide

Chiral dinuclear titanium(IV) complexes (generated in situ from hexadentate Schiff bases and titanium tetra-isopropoxide) have been found to be more effective catalysts for the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes and the ring opening of cyclohexene oxide than their mononuclear analogues. The best results were obtained for benzaldehyde (86% enantiomeric excess) and cyclohexene oxide (89% enantiomeric excess).     

Highly active bifunctional salenTi(Ⅳ) catalysts for asymmetric cyanosilylation of aldehydes and TMSCN

A novel enantiopure salen ligand bearing a diphenylphosphine oxide on the 3-position of one aromatic ring was synthesized and combined with Ti(Oi-Pr)_4 as a monometallic bifunctional catalyst for asymmetric cyanosilylation reaction of aldehydes with tnmethylsilyl cyanide(TMSCN).The catalyst system exhibited excellent activity and moderate enantioselectivity.The addition of TMSCN to 4-nitrobenzaldehyde in the presence of 1 mol%catalyst loading could complete within 10 min at ambient temperature. An intram...     

Recent Advances on O-Ethoxycarbonyl and O-Acyl Protected Cyanohydrins

Ethoxycarbonyl cyanohydrins and O-acyl cyanohydrins are examples of O-protected cyanohydrins in which the protecting group presents an electrophilic center, contributing to additional reaction pathways. The first section of this review describes recent advances on the synthesis of O-ethoxycarbonyl and O-acyl protected cyanohydrins. Reactions using KCN or alkyl cyanoformates as the cyanide ion source are described, as well as organic and transition metal catalysis used in their preparation, including asymmetric cyanation. In a second part, transformations, and synthetic applications of O-ethoxycarbonyl/acyl cyanohydrins are presented. A variety of structures has been obtained starting from such protected cyanohydrins and, in particular, the synthesis of oxazoles, 1,4-diketones, 1,3-diketones, 2-vinyl-2-cyclopentenones through various methods are discussed.     

Asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes promoted by chiral polymeric vanadium(V) salen complex as an efficient and recyclable catalyst

The asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to various aldehydes catalyzed by efficient new vanadyl polymeric salen complexes having 12 repeating salen units was investigated at room temperature. An excellent yield of the trimethylsilylether of cyanohydrins (up to 98%) with high chiral induction (96%) in case of 2-methylbenzaldehyde was achieved in 18 h. The catalyst recovered four times with retention of its performance.     

Highly enantioselective,catalytic conjugate addition of cyanide to alpha,beta-unsaturated imides

(Salen)Al-Cl complex 1a catalyzes the asymmetric conjugate addition of hydrogen cyanide to alpha,beta-unsaturated imides in high yields and enantioselectivities. The cyanide adducts can readily be converted into a variety of useful chiral building blocks, including alpha-substituted-beta-amino acids and beta-substituted-gamma-aminobutyric acids. Mechanistic data obtained thus far point to a cooperative bimetallic mechanism for nucleophile and electrophile activation.