Stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-diaryl β-lactams

Novel 3,4-diaryl β-lactams were prepared with high stereoselectivity in an efficient manner by a palladium-catalyzed [2+2] carbonylative cycloaddition of benzyl halides with heteroarylidene amines. The type of alkyl group linked to the nitrogen atom influences the reaction’s stereoselectivity. Moreover, using chiral imines, separable diastereomeric mixtures of chiral 3,4-diaryl-β-lactams were isolated with good yields and high trans diastereoselections.     

Benzyl (phenyl) gamma- and delta-lactones via photoinduced tandem Ar-C, C-O bond formation

A convenient metal-free procedure for the preparation of benzyl (phenyl) gamma- and delta-lactones is illustrated. This method is based on the photochemical generation of phenyl cations and their reaction with 3, 4, or 5-alkenoic acids. This leads to a phenyl- or benzyl-substituted lactone by tandem formation of an aryl-C and C-O bond. The intermediacy of a phenonium ion imparts a full regio- and stereoselectivity to the reaction.     

Preparation and addition--elimination reactions of benzyl alpha,beta,beta-trifluoroacrylate. A new stereoselective approach to (Z)-beta-substituted alpha,beta-difluoroacrylates

Benzyl alpha,beta,beta-trifluoroacrylate (1) was prepared in good yield via the reductive Br-F elimination of benzyl 2-bromo-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropanoate or the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of 1,2,2-trifluorovinylstannane with benzyl chloroformate. On treating 1 with various Grignard reagents or dialkylzinc reagents in the presence of copper(I) salt, the corresponding beta-substituted alpha,beta-difluoroacrylates were obtained in high yields with high Z-selectivity. Additionally, trialkylaluminum reagents were also found to be good nucleophiles, the corresponding addition-elimination products being afforded in good yields but with low stereoselectivity.     

A novel asymmetric vinylogous tin-Pummerer rearrangement

A new type of vinylogous tin-Pummerer rearrangement reaction was observed when benzyl tin derivatives containing a sulfinyl group at the ortho position were allowed to react with acyl chlorides or TFAA. The reaction is thought to proceed by nucleophilic attack of the leaving carboxylate at the gamma-position of the conjugated thionium ion. The enantioselectivity (ee) of the reaction can reach values as high as 98%. The observed stereoselectivity is related to the nature of the solvent, the temperature employed, and the stability of the migrating carboxylate anion. [reaction--see text]     

手性助剂控制的不对称Michael加成立体选择性研究

手性助剂控制的不对称反应是不对称合成的主要方法之一.采用不同空间位阻Evans手性助剂对呋喃基丙烯酸进行立体选择性控制,通过不同空间位阻的格氏试剂对Michael受体1进行不对称1,4-Michael加成反应研究,合成了一系列新的Michael加成产物2a～2h.研究结果表明手性助剂及格氏试剂的空间位阻是影响反应立体选择性的主要因素.当手性助剂及格氏试剂的取代基为芳基时,产物的de值都大于95%,而取代基为烷基、苄基及脂环基时,产物的de值则低于70%.     

Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Benzofuran‐2‐ones to Alkyl 2‐Phthalimidoacrylates: Modeling Structure–Stereoselectivity Relationships with Steric and Electronic Parameters

A highly predictive model to correlate the steric and electronic parameters of tertiary amine thiourea catalysts with the stereoselectivity of Michael reactions of 3‐substituted benzofuranones and alkyl 2‐phthalimidoacrylates is described. As predicted, new 3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl‐ and methyl‐substituted tertiary amine thioureas turned out to be highly suitable catalysts for this reaction and enabled the synthesis of enantioenriched α‐amino acid derivatives with 1,3‐nonadjacent stereogenic centers.     

Stereomeric studies on the oxidation and alkylation of 4-thiazolidinones

Diastereoselectivity in the oxidation of different 4-thiazolidinones was discussed. Alkylation of these compounds with benzyl bromide was also studied. The stereoselectivity obtained was interpreted by the presence of the sulfoxide.     

Povarov reactions of exo-glycals: preparation of C-linked, quinoline analogues

A one-pot approach based upon the Povarov reaction has been efficiently employed with a number of exo-glycals and para-substituted benzanilines to synthesize novel open-ring, carbohydrate-derived quinolines. The mechanism of this reaction was studied and an explanation for the observed stereoselectivity is proposed. Treatment of the compounds with the Lewis acid, boron trichloride, successfully removes the benzyl ether protecting groups in good yields. Several of the prepared compounds have been screened in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) 60 cell line model. Moderate activity was observed for several leukemia cell lines.     

Synthesis of flavonoid 2-deoxyglucosides via the Mitsunobu reaction

The Mitsunobu reaction of flavonoids and 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranose or 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranose is a very effective method for the stereoselective synthesis of flavonoid 2-deoxyglucosides. Since there is no C2 substituent on the sugar moieties, the observed α- or β-stereoselectivity was mainly controlled by the (acetyl or benzyl) protecting groups. Possible mechanistic insights are offered to explain the dual stereoselectivity.     

Efficient Control of the Stereoselectivity in Reactions of 2-Oxy-Substituted Benzylic Radicals

The stereoselectivity in reactions of 2-oxy-substituted radicals of type B was investigated. As expected, minimization of allylic 1,3-strain was the major controlling factor. Under standard conditions, only a modest level of stereoselectivity was observed. E.g., deuteration of the benzylated radical (R¹ = benzyl) gave diastereoisomer ratios ≤ 2:1. Use of a bulky protective group on the O-atom (R¹ = (t-Bu)Ph₂Si) enhanced slightly the selectivity (ratio 4.1:1). However, a dramatic increase of the stereoselectivity (ratio 13:1) was obtained, when the reaction was performed with the free alcohol after treatment with bulky methylaluminium bis(phenoxide) derivatives (methyl-aluminium bis[2,6-di(tert-butyl)-4-methylphenoxide] (MAD) and methylaluminium bis(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (MAPH)).     

Concise Synthesis of Pentenyl Phenyl Acrylic Acid

Pentenyl phenyl acrylic acid is a structural unit of pepticinnamin E, a natural product and a bisubstrate inhibitor of FPTase. In this article, a new synthetic strategy was developed to prepare pentenyl phenyl acrylic acid with high stereoselectivity and high overall yield of 78.6%. The method used in producing these effects involved the application of a five‐step procedure. Pentenyl phenyl acrylic acid was synthesized starting from 2‐iodo‐benzyl alcohol through an E‐selective Wittig–Horner reaction, and then the Sonogashira reaction was used to produce 2‐(1‐pentynyl)‐E‐ethyl‐cinnamoylate, which was quantitatively hydrogenated, catalyzed by Lindlar catalyst.     

Convenient one-pot synthesis of (E)-beta-aryl vinyl halides from benzyl bromides and dihalomethanes

(E)-beta-aryl vinyl iodides are synthesized in high yield with excellent stereoselectivity from benzyl bromides by a one-pot homologation/stereoselective elimination procedure. Convenient conditions involving the anion of diiodomethane and an excess of base provide complete consumption of the benzyl bromide and elimination from a diiodoalkane intermediate. Similar conditions provide (E)-beta-aryl vinyl chlorides and bromides by employing the anions of ICH(2)Cl or CH(2)Br(2). The functional group tolerance and facile purification allows rapid access to a wide range of functionalized vinyl halides.     

Exploiting an aromatic aglycone as a reporter of glycosylation stereochemistry in the synthesis of 1,6-linked maltooligosaccharides

Analysis of glycosylation stereoselectivity in the synthesis of branched maltooligosaccharides is hampered by poor spectral dispersion due to the repetitive nature of the saccharide chain and overlap of sugar H-1 signals with benzylic proton signals from the typically used benzyl ether protecting groups. A suitably protected p-methoxyphenyl maltoside acceptor, when coupled with benzylated maltooligosaccharide donors, gives discrete aglycone ¹H NMR signals that can be used to report on the stereoselectivity of 1,6-glycosylation reactions.     

The Michaelis-Arbuzov rearrangement of anomeric thiocyanates: synthesis and application of S-glycosyl thiophosphates, thiophosphonates and thiophosphinates as glycosyl donors

Reaction of anomeric thiocyanates with triethyl phosphite, dimethyl phenylphosphonite and methyl diphenylphosphinite afforded the corresponding S-glycosyl thiophosphates, thiophosphonates and thiophosphinates in good yields. These derivatives were applied as glycosyl donors in the synthesis of benzyl glycosides and disaccharides with excellent stereoselectivity.     

High throughput screening of O-glycosylation conditions

We report a novel methodology for rapid and quantitative screening of O-glycosylation reactions of application to the analysis of parallel reaction systems. Our system exploits perdeuterated benzyl (Bn-d₇) ether, and stereoselectivity and yield are evaluated by ¹H NMR and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. This paper summarizes over 240 screenings of 1 → 3 linkage formation between glucose residues targeting the α-isomer in high yield.     

Stereoselective Control by Face‐to‐Face Versus Edge‐to‐Face Aromatic Interactions: The Case of C3‐TiIV Amino Trialkolate Sulfoxidation Catalysts

The stereoselective oxidation of differently functionalised benzyl phenyl sulfides has been examined by using enantiopure Ti^IV trialkanolamine complexes. These complexes efficiently catalyse the sulfoxidation with good stereoselectivities. The data highlight the contribution to the stereoselectivity of steric effects and non‐covalent π–π interactions between the aromatic rings of the Ti^IV complex and those pertaining to the substrates. Enantiomeric excesses have been correlated with the electrostatic potential surfaces (EPS) of the reacting sulfides. The overall study leads to a mechanistic interpretation that explains the stereoselectivity of the system and dissects the role of aromatic and steric interactions in the stereoselective process.     

Conformational effects on the electronic structure and chemical reactivity of lignin modelp-quinone methides and benzyl cations

The electronic structure and its dependence on the conformation in typical lignin model intermediates, β-arylethericp-quinone methide {2-methoxy-4-[2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)]propylidene-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one} and related benzyl cation has been determined on the basis of semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations. Electrostatic but not frontier orbital characteristics of lignin intermediates were demonstrated to be dependent on the conformation. Conformationally induced electrostatic non-equivalence of two possible routes of nucleophile approach to the reaction center may be the main cause of stereoselectivity of the reactions of quinone methides (but not related cations) with nucleophiles. Quinone methides and related cations also differ in their intramolecular charge transfer properties.     

1,3]-Transfer of chirality during the Nicholas reaction in gamma-benzyloxy propargylic alcohols

A highly regio- and stereoselective intramolecular [1,5]-hydrogen-transfer process is described. Treatment of gamma-benzyl-protected Co2(CO)6-alpha,gamma-acetylenic diols with BF3 x OEt2 provides bis-homopropargylic alcohols. The reaction occurs within seconds, tolerates a wide range of functionalities, and provides good yields. When the ether group is located at a stereochemically defined carbon atom, the rearrangement occurs with high stereoselectivity, transferring the chirality of the carbinol center to the newly created stereocenter. The cleavage of the benzyloxy group is totally regioselective when additional benzyl ethers are present. The scope and limitations of this novel process in densely substituted substrates are evaluated, and possible competitive reactions and/or stereochemical influences are also described. A mechanism based on a highly ordered chair-like transition state substantiated by a theoretical study is also included.     

Do reaction conditions affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction?

The stereochemistry is one of the critical issues in the Staudinger reaction. We have proposed the origin of the stereoselectivity recently. The effects of solvents, additives, and pathways of ketene generation on the stereoselectivity were investigated by using a clean Staudinger reaction, which is a sensitive reaction system to the stereoselectivity. The results indicate that the additives, usually existed and generated in the Staudinger reaction, and the pathways of the ketene generation do not generally affect the stereoselectivity. The solvent affects the stereoselectivity. The polar solvent is favorable to the formation of trans-beta-lactams. The addition orders of the reagents affect the stereoselectivity in the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines. The addition of a tertiary amine into a solution of the acyl chloride and the imine generally decreases the stereoselectivity, which is affected by the interval between additions of the acyl chloride and the tertiary amine, and the imine substituents. Our current results provide further understanding on the stereochemistry of the Staudinger reaction between acyl chlorides and imines and on the factors affecting the stereochemistry and also provide a method to prepare beta-lactams with the desired relative configuration via rationally tuning the stereoselectivity-controlling factors in the Staudinger reaction.     

Formal Asymmetric Catalytic Thiolation with a Bifunctional Catalyst at a Water–Oil Interface: Synthesis of Benzyl Thiols

The enantioselective conjugated addition of tritylthiol to in situ generated ortho‐quinone methides (o‐QMs) is catalyzed by an acid–base bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst. The transformation proceeds with high yield (up to 99 %) and stereoselectivity (up to 97:3 e.r.) using water as solvent under mild conditions. The catalyst system provides a new strategy for the synthesis of optically active benzyl mercaptans. Control experiments suggested that o‐QMs are generated by the tertiary amine moiety of the squaramide organocatalyst and that the water–oil biphase is crucial for achieving high reactivity and stereoselectivity.