Rhodium(I)/Zn(OTf)2‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Ring Opening/Cyclopropanation of Oxabenzonorbornadienes with Phosphorus Ylides

The strong binding ability of P‐ylides with transition metals limits the utilization of stabilized P‐ylide as nucleophiles in asymmetric organometallic catalysis. Herein we describe the first rhodium‐catalyzed asymmetric ring‐opening reaction of P‐ylides utilizing oxabicyclic alkenes as the electrophilic partner. Various P‐ylides including ester‐, ketone‐ and amide‐style P‐ylides are all applicable. This asymmetric reaction occurs through the cleavage of two bridgehead C?O bonds and the formation of two C?C bonds, and oxabenzonorbornadienes are used as 1,4‐biselectrophiles, thus providing access to benzonorcaradienes in good yields with high enantioselectivity and perfect diastereoselectivity. The present protocol also constitutes the first highly enantioselective direct catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of stabilized P‐ylide nucleophiles.     

Enantioselective Copper‐Catalyzed Carboetherification of Unactivated Alkenes

Chiral saturated oxygen heterocycles are important components of bioactive compounds. Cyclization of alcohols onto pendant alkenes is a direct route to their synthesis, but few catalytic enantioselective methods enabling cyclization onto unactivated alkenes exist. Herein reported is a highly efficient copper‐catalyzed cyclization of γ‐unsaturated pentenols which terminates in C? C bond formation, a net alkene carboetherification. Both intra‐ and intermolecular C? C bond formations are demonstrated, thus yielding functionalized chiral tetrahydrofurans as well as fused‐ring and bridged‐ring oxabicyclic products. Transition‐state calculations support a cis‐oxycupration stereochemistry‐determining step.     

Nucleophile Coordination Enabled Regioselectivity in Palladium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic C−H Alkylation

Branched selectivity in asymmetric allylic C?H alkylation is enabled by using 2‐acylimidazoles as nucleophiles in the presence of a chiral phosphoramidite‐palladium catalyst. A wide range of terminal alkenes, including 1,4‐dienes and allylarenes, are nicely tolerated and provide chiral 2‐acylimidazoles in moderate to high yields and with high levels of regio‐, and enantio‐, and E/Z‐selectivities. Mechanistic studies using density‐functional theory calculations suggest a nucleophile‐coordination‐enabled inner‐sphere attack mode for the enantioselective carbon–carbon bond‐forming event.     

CBr4‐Mediated Cross‐Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction of Amines

A novel CBr₄‐mediated dehydrogenative Povarov/aromatization tandem reaction of glycine derivatives with alkenes, leading to complex quinoline derivatives, and a CBr₄‐mediated dehydrogenative C?H functionalization of N‐aryl tetrahydroisoquinolines with nucleophiles to form C?C and C?P bonds are reported. The reactions were performed under very simple and mild reaction conditions; only CBr₄ was used as a promoter. A plausible mechanism involving a radical process is proposed.     

Chiral Proline‐Based P,O and P,N Ligands for Iridium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation

Two new classes of proline‐based P,O and P,N ligands were prepared and applied in the iridium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of alkenes. Both types of ligands induced high enantioselectivities in the hydrogenation of trisubstituted C?C bonds. Iridium complexes derived from P,O ligands bearing sterically demanding amide or urea groups at the pyrrolidine N‐atom proved to be especially efficient catalysts for the conjugate reduction of α,β‐unsaturated esters and ketones, whereas analogous P,N ligands led to better results with dialkyl‐phenyl‐substituted alkenes and an allylic alcohol as substrates.     

Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric ring opening of oxabicyclic alkenes with organoboronic acids

The first rhodium(I)-catalyzed asymmetric addition of organoboronic acids to oxabicyclic alkenes is reported. This asymmetric ring-opening (ARO) reaction can proceed in high yield under very mild conditions with electronically diverse organoboronic acids, in a highly diastereoselective and enantioselective manner. [structure: see text]     

Study on the Regioselectivity of Rhodium-Catalyzed Ring Opening Reactions of C1-Substituted 7-Oxabenzonorbornadienes with Boronic Acids

An optimized condition for the rhodium-catalyzed ring-opening reaction of C₁-substituted oxabicyclic alkenes with aryl boronic acids was developed and the effect of aryl boronic acid as well as the effect of C₁ substitution on the oxabicyclic alkenes was studied. Aryl boronic acids carrying electron-donating substituents provided the ring-opened products in excellent yields regardless of the position, while electron-withdrawing substituents were more susceptible to steric interactions. Although two different regioisomers are possible, all the rhodium-catalyzed ring-opening reactions of C₁ substituted oxabicyclic alkenes studied with aryl boronic acids were found to be highly regioselective, giving single regioisomers in all cases.     

General One‐Pot Reductive gem‐Bis‐Alkylation of Tertiary Lactams/Amides: Rapid Construction of 1‐Azaspirocycles and Formal Total Synthesis of (±)‐Cephalotaxine

Amides are a class of highly stable and readily available compounds. The amide functional group constitutes a class of powerful directing/activating and protecting group for C? C bond formation. Tertiary tert‐alkylamine, including 1‐azaspirocycle is a key structural feature found in many bioactive natural products and pharmaceuticals. The transformation of amides into tert‐alkylamines generally requires several steps. In this paper, we report the full details of the first general method for the direct transformation of tertiary lactams/amides into tert‐alkylamines. The method is based on in situ activation of amide with triflic anhydride/2,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methylpyridine (DTBMP), followed by successive addition of two organometallic reagents of the same or different kinds to form two C? C bonds. Both alkyl and functionalized organometallic reagents and enolates can be used as the nucleophiles. The method displayed excellent 1,2‐ and good 1,3‐asymmetric induction. Construction of 1‐azaspirocycles from lactams required only two steps or even one‐step by direct spiroannelation of lactams. The power of the method was demonstrated by a concise formal total synthesis of racemic cephalotaxine.     

Scope of palladium-catalyzed alkylative ring opening

We have explored the scope of the palladium-catalyzed nucleophilic ring opening methodology. New highly selective and highly active catalysts have been found for the ring opening of oxabenzonorbornadienes. Employing these catalysts, the addition of various alkyl nucleophiles to oxabenzonorbornadiene has been achieved. In addition, reaction of diethylzinc with [3.2.1] oxabicyclic alkenes has been accomplished to yield ring-opened products as well as functionalized alkene addition products.     

Highly Enantioselective Iron‐Catalyzed cis‐Dihydroxylation of Alkenes with Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidant via an FeIII‐OOH Reactive Intermediate

The development of environmentally benign catalysts for highly enantioselective asymmetric cis‐dihydroxylation (AD) of alkenes with broad substrate scope remains a challenge. By employing [Fe^II(L)(OTf)₂] (L=N,N′‐dimethyl‐N,N′‐bis(2‐methyl‐8‐quinolyl)‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐diamine) as a catalyst, cis‐diols in up to 99.8 % ee with 85 % isolated yield have been achieved in AD of alkenes with H₂O₂ as an oxidant and alkenes in a limiting amount. This “[Fe^II(L)(OTf)₂]+H₂O₂” method is applicable to both (E)‐alkenes and terminal alkenes (24 examples >80 % ee, up to 1 g scale). Mechanistic studies, including ¹⁸O‐labeling, UV/Vis, EPR, ESI‐MS analyses, and DFT calculations lend evidence for the involvement of chiral Fe^III‐OOH active species in enantioselective formation of the two C?O bonds.     

Asymmetric ring-opening reaction of oxabicyclic alkenes with aryl boronic acids catalyzed by P-containing palladacycles

The chiral phosphine-containing palladacycle, synthesized easily from H-MOP, showed its high catalytic activity as well as asymmetric induction ability in ring-opening reaction of oxabicyclic alkenes with arylboronic acids, providing corresponding products in high yields and high ee.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Dearomative syn‐1,4‐Oxyamination

A palladium‐catalyzed dearomative syn‐1,4‐oxyamination protocol using non‐activated arenes has been developed. This one‐pot procedure utilizes arenophile chemistry, and the corresponding para‐cycloadducts are treated with oxygen nucleophiles via formal allylic substitution, providing direct access to syn‐1,4‐oxyaminated products. The reaction conditions permit a range of arenes, as well as different O‐nucleophiles, such as oximes and benzyl alcohols. Moreover, this process was established in an asymmetric fashion, delivering products with high enantioselectivity. The dearomatized products are amenable to a multitude of further derivatizations ranging from olefin chemistry to C?H activation, giving rise to a diverse set of new functionalities. Overall, this dearomative functionalization offers rapid and controlled formation of molecular complexity, enabling straightforward access to functionalized small molecules from simple and readily available arenes.     

Direct Observation of Aryl Gold(I) Carbenes that Undergo Cyclopropanation,C−H Insertion,and Dimerization Reactions

Mesityl gold(I) carbenes lacking heteroatom stabilization or shielding ancillary ligands have been generated and spectroscopically characterized from chloro(mesityl)methylgold(I) carbenoids bearing JohnPhos‐type ligands by chloride abstraction with GaCl₃. The aryl carbenes react with PPh₃ and alkenes to give stable phosphonium ylides and cyclopropanes, respectively. Oxidation with pyridine N‐oxide and intermolecular C?H insertion to cyclohexane have also been observed. In the absence of nucleophiles, a bimolecular reaction, similar to that observed for other metal carbenes, leads to a symmetrical alkene.     

Direct Observation of Aryl Gold(I) Carbenes that Undergo Cyclopropanation,C−H Insertion,and Dimerization Reactions

Mesityl gold(I) carbenes lacking heteroatom stabilization or shielding ancillary ligands have been generated and spectroscopically characterized from chloro(mesityl)methylgold(I) carbenoids bearing JohnPhos‐type ligands by chloride abstraction with GaCl₃. The aryl carbenes react with PPh₃ and alkenes to give stable phosphonium ylides and cyclopropanes, respectively. Oxidation with pyridine N‐oxide and intermolecular C?H insertion to cyclohexane have also been observed. In the absence of nucleophiles, a bimolecular reaction, similar to that observed for other metal carbenes, leads to a symmetrical alkene.     

Type 3 ring opening reaction of cyclopropanated oxabenzonorbornadienes with alcohol nucleophiles

The first examples of a Type 3 ring opening reaction of cyclopropanated oxabenzonorbornadiene (CPOBD) were found to occur using alcohol nucleophiles under acid catalyzed conditions, yielding seven-membered rings via ring expansion. Optimization of the reaction determined the ideal conditions to be 10?mol% pTsOH at 40?°C using excess alcohol nucleophile as the solvent. The scope of the reaction investigated diverse alcohol nucleophiles and bridgehead substituents on the CPOBD; in both cases the steric properties of the substituent was found in influence the yield of the reaction. Alternative Type 3 products were observed when the bridgehead substituent was an ethyl or hydroxymethyl group and limited examples of Type 3 products were formed using a palladium catalyst with alcohol nucleophiles. Mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of the Type 3 product as well as the alternative Type 3 products.     

Cobalt-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydroamination of Arylalkenes with Secondary Amines

Catalytic asymmetric hydroamination of alkenes with Lewis basic amines is of great interest but remains a challenge in synthetic chemistry. Here, we developed a Co-catalyzed asymmetric hydroamination of arylalkenes directly using commercially accessible secondary amines. This process enables the efficient access to valuable α-chiral tertiary amines in good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction includes a CoH-mediated hydrogen atom transfer (MHAT) with arylalkenes, followed by a pivotal catalyst controlled S_N2-like pathway between in situ generated electrophilic cationic alkylcobalt(IV) species and free amines. This radical-polar crossover strategy not only provides a straightforward and alternative approach for the synthesis of enantioenriched α-tertiary amines, but also underpins the substantial opportunities in developing asymmetric radical functionalization of alkenes with various free nucleophiles in oxidative MHAT catalysis.     

anti‐Markovnikov Hydroamination of Alkenes Catalyzed by a Two‐Component Organic Photoredox System: Direct Access to Phenethylamine Derivatives

Disclosed herein is a general catalytic system for the intermolecular anti‐Markovnikov hydroamination of alkenes. By using an organocatalytic photoredox system, α‐ and β‐substituted styrenes as well as aliphatic alkenes undergo anti‐Markovnikov hydroamination. Heterocyclic amines were also successfully employed as nitrogen nucleophiles, thus providing a direct route to heterocyclic motifs common in medicinal agents.     

Multinuclear Pd/Zn complex-catalyzed asymmetric alkylative ring-opening reaction of oxabicyclic alkenes

A multinuclear palladium catalyst can be used to realize the efficient catalytic asymmetric alkylative ring-opening reaction of oxabicyclic alkenes using dimethylzinc. The use of (R)-BINOL-PHOS bearing bisphosphine and diol moieties is essential for achieving excellent catalytic performance; the corresponding monophosphine and hydroxy-protected derivatives showed lower catalytic activities and/or enantioselectivities. The generation of Pd/Zn-multinuclear complexes is a key feature of the present catalysis.     

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric ring opening of oxabicyclic alkenes with organolithium reagents

A highly efficient method is reported for the asymmetric ring opening of oxabicyclic alkenes with organolithium reagents. Using a copper/chiral phosphoramidite complex together with a Lewis acid (BF(3)·OEt(2)), full selectivity for the anti isomer and excellent enantioselectivities were obtained for the ring opened products.     

Enantioselective Ring Opening of Aza and Oxabicyclic Alkenes with Dimethylzinc

A system for efficient, asymmetric alkylative ring opening of azabenzonorbornadienes and [2.2.1] and [3.2.1] oxabicyclic alkenes was developed. The use of Pd(CH(3)CN)(2)Cl(2) and chiral phosphinooxazoline ligands gives the dihydronaphthalenes, cyclohexenols, and cycloheptenols in excellent yields and enantiomeric excesses.