A chiral ligand-mediated asymmetric addition of a lithium BHA ester enolate to an aldehyde

The asymmetric reaction of a lithium enolate generated from a BHA (2, 6-di-tert-buty-4-methoxyphenyl) propanoate was allowed to react with benzaldehyde in the presence of a diether-type chiral ligand affording the corresponding anti-aldol product in a moderate enantioselectivity. A tetradentate ligand induced better enantioselectivity albeit relative loss of anti-selectivity. A variation of lithiating amide agent affected the selectivity, indicating involvement of an amine as a component of the mixed aggregate. Absolute configuration of some of the aldol products was determined by standard transformations.     

The first catalytic asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehyde promoted by chiral thiourea

A series of C₂-symmetric and asymmetric chiral thiourea derivatives were synthesized from commercial L-phenylalanine.All of the new compounds have been fully characterized by IR,¹H NMR,¹³C NMR,MS spectra and elemental analyses.The chiral thioureas were used as chiral ligands in the catalytic enantioselective ethylation of aldehydes with diethylzinc,the corresponding sec-alcohols were gained with excellent enantioselectivities（up to 87.1%ee） and high yields（up to 76.7%） after the conditions were optimized.     

Highly enantioselective radical addition to N-benzoyl hydrazones using chiral ammonium salts

In the presence of a protonated cinchonine derivative, radical addition reactions proceeded efficiently, affording addition adducts in high yields with an extremely high enantioselectivity. The chiral ammonium salt was recyclable after a simple aqueous workup. The reaction provides environmentally benign reaction conditions.     

Synthesis of L-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid via nucleophilic addition to a chiral aldehyde

Fluorine-containing derivatives of amino acids are assuming increasing importance as probes of biological function and enzyme mechanism. We now report a new, flexible route to enantiomerically pure L-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid that exploits the addition of difluorinated nucleophiles to configurationally stable alpha-aminoaldehydes. Conversion of the difluorinated adducts to L-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid can be accomplished in three steps by Barton-McCombie dehydroxylation and acid hydrolysis.     

The catalytic asymmetric addition of alkyl- and aryl-zinc reagents to an isoxazole aldehyde

Nucleophilic addition of alkyl- and aryl-zinc reagents to a C(4) functionalized isoxazolyl aldehyde proceeded effectively with high enantioselectivity (85-94% ee). The amino alcohol catalyst (S)-2-piperidinyl-1,1,2-triphenyl ethanol (10) afforded the (R)-product 2b, as established by X-ray crystallography.     

First substoichiometric version of the catalytic enantioselective addition of an alkyllithium to an aldehyde

A substoichiometric enantioselective version of the extremely fast nucleophilic addition of Alk-Li to RCHO is made possible thanks to a thorough analysis of the aggregation phenomena involved in the reaction: calculated quantities of LiCl must be added to the medium at the right time to keep the catalytic cycle running.     

Highly efficient asymmetric Michael addition of aldehyde to nitroolefin using perhydroindolic acid as a chiral organocatalyst

Perhydroindolic acids, the by-products obtained in the industrial production of a trandolapril intermediate, were used as chiral organocatalysts in asymmetric Michael addition reactions of aldehydes to nitroolefins. These proline-like catalysts are unique for their rigid bicyclic structure with two H atoms attached to the bridgehead C atoms lying on the opposite side of the ring. They therefore showed high efficiency in asymmetric Michael additions of aldehydes to nitroolefins. Under the optimal conditions, excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 99/1 dr and 98% ee) were obtained with high chemical yields for a series of aldehydes and nitroolefins using only 5 mol% catalyst loading. The methodology features easily available catalysts, high catalytic efficiency and environmentally green procedures.     

Diastereoselective addition of HCN to Garner's aldehyde

The hydrocyanation of N-Boc-N,O-isopropylidene-l-serinal 1 (Garner's aldehyde) is described. The influence of various reaction conditions (solvent, temperature, addition of a Lewis acid, presence of a biocatalyst) on the stereochemical outcome of the addition of HCN was investigated. The use of 2-pentanol as the solvent at room temperature afforded complete stereoselectivity. X-Ray analysis of the product showed the anti configuration. The results can be readily explained on the basis of a Felkin–Anh type model.     

Synthesis of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols: study of their catalytic ability as ligand in asymmetric diethylzinc addition to aldehyde

A broad variety of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols sharing a common structural motif in the 3-(hydroxymethyl)morpholine 6 were prepared from enantiomerically pure serine for the purpose of studying their catalytic ligand properties. The asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde in the presence of 10 mol % of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols gave 1-phenyl-1-propanol in 59–81% yield with 10–30% ee. The addition of 10 mol % of n-butyl lithium to the reaction mixture resulted in a significant enhancement of the stereoselectivity in the case of ligands bearing the two geminal phenyl substituents on the backbone. In the presence of n-butyl lithium and using (S)-3-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)morpholine (S)-19 as the chiral promoter, (S)-1-phenyl-1-propanol was obtained in 81% yield with 76% ee. The geminal diphenyl-class of morpholine ligands was examined for the diethylzinc addition to four different aldehydes in the presence of n-butyl lithium. (S)-N-Benzyl-3-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)morpholine (S)-27 was found to be most enantioselective in the case of 4-methoxybenzaldehyde to give (R)-alcohol in 87% yield with 80% ee. Catalysts (S)-19 and its N-methyl derivative (S)-26 gave alcohols with an (S)-absolute configuration while the N-benzylated derivative (S)-27 gave the opposite enantiomeric products. The tentative transition state models to account for the observed product stereoselectivity with morpholine ligands holding the geminal diphenyl group on the β-amino alcohol segment are proposed.     

Novel chiral ammonium ionic liquids as efficient organocatalysts for asymmetric Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins

Two chiral ammonium ionic liquids 1a and 1b have been newly synthesized from commercially available (+)-cis-2-benzamidocyclohexanecarboxylic acid. These CILs have been demonstrated to be efficient organocatalysts for asymmetric Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins with excellent yields (up to 99%), high enantioselectivities (up to 90%) and modest to high diastereoselectivities (syn/anti ratio up to 99/1).     

Oxidative addition of N-aminophthalimide to cinnamic aldehyde phthaloylhydrazone

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry -     

Highly enantioselective conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to alkylidenemalonates using efficient phase-transfer catalysis of N-spiro chiral ammonium bromides

Highly enantioselective conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to alkylidenemalonates has been accomplished for the first time by the utilization of efficient phase-transfer catalysis of N-spiro C2-symmetric chiral quaternary ammonium bromide 1. For instance, simple mixing of nitropropane (2, R1 = Et), diisopropyl benzylidienemalonate (3, R2 = Ph), Cs2CO3 (1 equiv), and (S,S)-1 (1 mol %) in toluene at 0 degrees C for 2.5 h gave rise to the desired conjugate addition product 4 (R1 = Et, R2 = Ph) quantitatively (anti/syn = 86:14) with 97% ee (anti isomer). The applicability of this procedure has been demonstrated with other representative alkylidenemalonates and nitroalkanes. Since 4 can be readily transformed into the corresponding gamma-amino acid hydrochloride 5 without loss of diastereo- and enantioselectivity, the present method provides a new and practical access to various optically active gamma-amino acid derivatives.     

Theoretical study on the mechanism of the reaction for alkene hydroaminations catalyzed by chiral aldehyde

Alkene hydroamination catalyzed by chiral aldehyde relying only on temporary intramolecularity is a new concept reaction. In this article, the reaction mechanism was investigated using density functional theory. The calculation results show that: (1) The reaction can be divided into two parts. The first part is a dehydration process involving a hemiaminal formation. The nitrone catalyst forms through rapid intermolecular nucleophilic addition of benzylhydroxylamine to chiral aldehyde precatalyst. The second part is a catalytic cycle, which involves an aminal formation—hydroamination—ring opening—product release process. (2) There are four enantioselective pathways related to the products of S and R configurations. Enantioselectivity is attributed to the different forming ways of a planar five‐membered ring. The preferred pathways for the S‐configuration product ( S3 ) and R‐configuration product ( R3 ) are confirmed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reagent controlled addition of chiral sulfur ylides to chiral aldehydes

The degree of reagent and substrate control in the reaction of chiral sulfur ylides with chiral aldehydes has been investigated. Specifically, the reactions of the two enantiomers of the chiral benzyl sulfonium salt 1 with glyceraldehyde acetonide were studied in detail. Of the two new stereogenic centers created, it was found that the C1 stereochemistry was largely controlled by the reagent, whereas control at the C2 center was dependent on the aldehyde used. In one case, the trans isomer was produced via reversible formation of the intermediate betaine, whereas in the alternative case, the C2 center was under Felkin Anh/Cornforth control through non-reversible formation of the betaine. Thus, the aldehyde stereocenter influenced the degree of reversibility in betaine formation, which impacted on the stereocontrol at the C2 position.     

Enantioselective Michael addition of aldehydes to maleimides organocatalysed by chiral 1,2-diamines: an experimental and theoretical study

Simple and commercially available chiral 1,2-diamines were used as organocatalysts for the enantioselective conjugate addition of aldehydes, including α,α-disubstituted, to maleimides. The reaction was carried out in the presence of hexanedioic acid as an additive in aqueous solvents at room temperature. By employing (1S,2S)- and (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine as organocatalysts, the corresponding Michael adducts bearing new stereocenters were obtained in high or quantitative yields with enantioselectivities of up to 92%, whereas the use of (1S,2S)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine gave a much lower ee. Theoretical calculations were used to justify the observed sense of the stereoinduction.     

Enantioselective radical addition reactions to the C=N bond utilizing chiral quaternary ammonium salts of hypophosphorous acid in aqueous media

An enantioselective addition of alkyl radicals to glyoxylate oxime ether mediated by Cinchona alkaloid derived chiral ammonium salts of hypophosphorous acid, QP and QDP, has been developed.     

Aza-Michael addition of chiral hydrazines to alkylidene malonates

The conjugate spontaneous addition of chiral N,N-dialkylhydrazines 1 to dimethyl alkylidene/arylidene malonates 2, 5-10 affords the corresponding β-hydrazino esters in moderate-to-good yields and selectivities. d-Mannitol-derived hydrazine 1a afforded best results, mainly due to the higher stability of the products 3, 11-16.     

Highly stereoselective addition of silylphosphines to chiral aldehydes

The reaction between diphenyl(trimethylsilyl)phosphine and chiral aldehydes proceeds with high stereoselectivity to give diastereomerically pure tertiary α-trimethylsiloxyalkylphosphines. The diastereomeric purity of the addition products was 90-100%. The products were purified via the formation of borane-phosphine complexes. The reaction of bis(trimethylsilyl)phenylphosphine with acetonide (R)-glyceraldehyde provides tertiary bis(glyceryl)phosphines.