Lewis base activation of Lewis acids. Vinylogous aldol addition reactions of conjugated N,O-silyl ketene acetals to aldehydes

N,O-Silyl dienyl ketene acetals derived from unsaturated morpholine amides have been developed as highly useful reagents for vinylogous aldol addition reactions. In the presence of SiCl4 and the catalytic action of chiral phosphoramide (R,R)-3, N,O-silyl dienyl ketene acetal 8 undergoes high-yielding and highly site-selective addition to a wide variety of aldehydes with excellent enantioselectivity. Of particular note is the high yields and selectivities obtained from aliphatic aldehydes. Low catalyst loadings (2-5 mol %) can be employed. The morpholine amide serves as a useful precursor for further synthetic manipulation.     

Highly enantioselective mukaiyama aldol reaction of alpha,alpha-dichloro ketene silyl acetal: an efficient synthesis of a key intermediate for diltiazem

An efficient synthesis of methyl (2R,3S)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)glycidate (-)-2, a key intermediate for diltiazem (1), has been developed on the basis of the highly enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction of p-anisaldehyde (4a) with alpha,alpha-dichloro ketene silyl acetal 5. Thus, the reaction using a stoichiometric amount of chiral oxazaborolidinone catalyst 12a proceeded to excellent yield (83%) and high enantioselectivity (96% ee), together with the chiral ligand 13a in nearly quantitative recovery. The reaction using a substoichiometric amount of 12e (20 mol %) also proceeded to excellent yield (88%), with somewhat lower enantioselectivity (77% ee). The aldol product 3a thus obtained was easily converted to (-)-2 in excellent yield (80%) and high optical purity (>99% ee). The highly enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction with 5 catalyzed by 12a proved to be applicable to various aldehydes. An efficient preparation of 5 from inexpensive starting materials was also described.     

Enantioselective construction of quaternary stereogenic carbons by the Lewis base catalyzed additions of silyl ketene imines to aldehydes

Silyl ketene imines derived from a variety of alpha-branched nitriles have been developed as highly useful reagents for the construction of quaternary stereogenic centers via the aldol addition reaction. In the presence of SiCl4 and the catalytic action of chiral phosphoramide (R,R)-5, silyl ketene imines undergo extremely rapid and high yielding addition to a wide variety of aromatic aldehydes with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Of particular note is the high yields and selectivities obtained from electron-rich, electron-poor, and hindered aldehydes. The nitrile function serves as a useful precursor for further synthetic manipulation.     

A new silicon lewis acid for highly enantioselective mannich reactions of aliphatic ketone-derived hydrazones

The first general method for the highly enantioselective Mannich reaction of aliphatic ketimines is reported. A new, second generation chiral silane Lewis acid has been developed that promotes the reaction between ketone-derived hydrazones and silyl ketene acetals, providing the beta,beta-disubstituted beta-amino esters with good enantioselectivity even for the hydrazone derived from 2-butanone (methyl vs ethyl, 91% ee). Several examples are provided, including a reaction with a substituted (propanoate-derived) silyl ketene acetal.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on Mannich-type reactions of chiral non-racemic N-(benzyloxyethyl) nitrones

The nucleophilic addition of both silyl ketene acetals and lithium enolates derived from methyl acetate to chiral non-racemic N-(benzyloxyethyl)nitrones has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Aromatic nitrones showed lower reactivity that aliphatic nitrones and the addition of the silyl ketene acetal led to lower selectivities than the addition of the corresponding lithium enolate. Whereas low selectivity was obtained for the addition of the silyl ketene acetal, only one diastereomer could be detected in all cases for the addition of lithium enolate to aliphatic nitrones. The synthetic utility of the two chiral auxiliaries employed lies in the preparation of enantiomeric compounds. DFT theoretical calculations confirmed the stepwise mechanism for the addition of silyl ketene acetals to nitrones and are in good agreement with the observed experimental results.     

Chiral Allenes via Alkynylogous Mukaiyama Aldol Reaction

Herein we describe the development of a catalytic enantioselective alkynylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction. The reaction is catalyzed by a newly designed chiral disulfonimide and delivers chiral allenoates in high yields and with excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivity. Our process tolerates a broad range of aldehydes in combination with diverse alkynyl‐substituted ketene acetals. The reaction products can be readily derivatized to furnish a variety of highly substituted enantiomerically enriched building blocks.     

Catalytic, enantioselective alpha-additions of isocyanides: Lewis base catalyzed Passerini-type reactions

[reaction: see text] The generality of catalytic, enantioselective alpha-additions of isocyanides to aldehydes has been demonstrated (Passerini-type reactions). The catalytic system of silicon tetrachloride and a chiral bisphosphoramide (R,R)-1b provided high yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities for the addition of tert-butyl isocyanide to a wide range of aldehydes (aromatic, heteroaromatic, olefinic, acetylenic, aliphatic). Aqueous workup afforded the alpha-hydroxy tert-butyl amides whereas a low-temperature methanol quench followed by basic workup afforded the alpha-hydroxy methyl esters. The reaction is also successful for other isocyanides, albeit with reduced enantioselectivity. Reaction conditions, particularly the rate of addition of the isocyanide was found to be crucial for good yields and high selectivities.     

Enantioselective aldol reaction of silyl ketene acetals promoted by a Lewis base-activated Lewis acid catalyst

The enantioselective aldol reaction of a silyl ketene acetal was promoted by chiral phosphine oxide-activated tetrachlorosilane to afford the corresponding adduct in high yield with moderate enantioselectivity.     

Lewis base activation of Lewis acids: catalytic, enantioselective addition of glycolate-derived silyl ketene acetals to aldehydes

A catalytic system involving silicon tetrachloride and a chiral, Lewis basic bisphosphoramide catalyst is effective for the addition of glycolate-derived silyl ketene acetals to aldehydes. It was found that the sense of diastereoselectivity could be modulated by changing the size of the substituents on the silyl ketene acetals. In general, the trimethylsilyl ketene acetals derived from methyl glycolates with a large protecting group on the alpha-oxygen provide enantiomerically enriched alpha,beta-dihydroxy esters with high syn-diastereoselectivity, whereas the tert-butyldimethylsilyl ketene acetals derived from bulky esters of alpha-methoxyacetic acid provide enantiomerically enriched alpha,beta-dihydroxy esters with high anti-diastereoselecitvity.     

A Catalyst Designed for the Enantioselective Construction of Methyl‐ and Alkyl‐Substituted Tertiary Stereocenters

Tertiary methyl‐substituted stereocenters are present in numerous biologically active natural products. Reported herein is a catalytic enantioselective method for accessing these chiral building blocks using the Mukaiyama–Michael reaction between silyl ketene thioacetals and acrolein. To enable remote enantioface control on the nucleophile, a new iminium catalyst, optimized by three‐parameter tuning and by identifying substituent effects on enantioselectivity, was designed. The catalytic process allows rapid access to chiral thioesters, amides, aldehydes, and ketones bearing an α‐methyl stereocenter with excellent enantioselectivities, and allowed rapid access to the C4–C13 segment of (?)‐bistramide A. DFT calculations rationalized the observed sense and level of enantioselectivity.     

Catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction to ketones

An enantioselective aldol reaction between ketones and ketene silyl acetals is described using CuF-chiral phosphine as a catalyst. The key for high enantioselectivity was the development of a novel ligand derived from Taniaphos combined with the unique accelerative effect of PhBF3K. These conditions are applicable to various substrates such as aromatic, aliphatic, and heteroaromatic ketones. In the case of substituted nucleophiles, the reaction proceeds well. The diastereoselectivity is independent of ketene silyl acetal geometry. This is the first example of a catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective aldol reaction to ketones using ketene silyl acetals.     

Construction of Chiral 2,3-Allenols through a Copper(I)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Direct Alkynylogous Aldol Reaction

Chiral 2,3-allenols were constructed through copper(I)-catalyzed asymmetric direct alkynylogous aldol reaction. With aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes, the alkynylogous aldol reaction with (R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS as the ligand proceeded smoothly to furnish the products in excellent regioselectivity with good to high diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity. In the cases of aliphatic aldehydes, esters of but-2-yn-1-ol as the substrates and (R,R)-Ph-BPE as the ligand were found to be crucial to get good to high regio- and diastereoselectivity. The produced chiral 2,3-allenols are easily transformed into synthetically useful 2-furanones through cyclization. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied in the rapid synthesis of two chiral intermediates toward the synthesis of two pharmaceutically active compounds that have been proposed for the treatment of neurological disorders.     

Enantioselective synthesis of the optically active alpha-methylene-beta-hydroxy esters, equivalent compounds to Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts, using successive asymmetric aldol reaction and oxidative deselenization

[Chemical reaction: See text] The asymmetric aldol reaction of a tetra-substituted ketene silyl acetal including an alkylseleno group with aldehydes has been developed by the promotion of Sn(OTf)2 coordinated with a chiral diamine to afford the corresponding aldols having chiral quaternary centers at the alpha-positions. The facile oxidative deselenization of these aldol compounds produces optically active alpha-methylene-beta-hydroxy esters which correspond to adducts prepared by the asymmetric Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction.     

Lewis base activation of Lewis acids: catalytic, enantioselective addition of silyl ketene acetals to aldehydes

The concept of Lewis base activation of Lewis acids has been reduced to practice for catalysis of the aldol reaction of silyl ketene acetals and silyl dienol ethers with aldehydes. The weakly acidic species, silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4), can be activated by binding of a strongly Lewis basic chiral phosphoramide, leading to in situ formation of a chiral Lewis acid. This species has proven to be a competent catalyst for the aldol addition of acetate-, propanoate-, and isobutyrate-derived silyl ketene acetals to conjugated and nonconjugated aldehydes. Furthermore, vinylogous aldol reactions of silyl dienol ethers are also demonstrated. The high levels of regio-, anti diastereo-, and enantioselectivity observed in these reactions can be rationalized through consideration of an open transition structure where steric interactions between the silyl cation complex and the approaching nucleophile are dominant.     

Catalytic, enantioselective aldol additions to ketones

Catalytic, enantioselective additions of a trichlorosilyl ketene acetal to ketones have been demonstrated. The trichlorosilyl enolate of methyl acetate undergoes a rapid and high-yielding aldol addition to a wide range of ketones (aromatic, olefinic, acetylenic, aliphatic) in the presence of a catalytic amount of pyridine N-oxide. Moreover, in the presence of a catalytic amount (10 mol %) of a chiral bispyridine bis N-oxide (possessing both axial and central chiral elements) the aldol addition takes place again in excellent yield and with good stereoselectivity. The enantioselectivities of the additions are highly variable (7-86% ee) and are strongly dependent on the structure of the ketone acceptor. Aromatic methyl ketones gave the highest selectivity, whereas olefinic ketones were the least selective.     

Highly enantioselective phenylacetylene additions to both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes

The readily available and inexpensive BINOL in combination with Ti(O(i)Pr)(4) is found to catalyze the reaction of an alkynylzinc reagent with various types of aldehydes including aliphatic aldehydes, aromatic aldehydes, and other alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes to generate chiral propargyl alcohols with 91-99% ee at room temperature. No previous chiral catalysts have exhibited such a broad scope of enantioselectivity with respect to the type of aldehydes for this reaction. [reaction: see text]     

Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acids and derivatives

It is shown that racemic oxazolones are excellent reagents for the synthesis of chiral quaternary amino acids and its derivatives by the diastereo- and enantioselective nucleophilic addition to alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by diarylprolinol silyl ethers. The scope of this new organocatalytic reaction is demonstrated for different oxazolones having aromatic and alkyl groups at the reactive carbon atom and different aromatic and aliphatic substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes, for which the stereoselective reaction proceeds with good yield, moderate to good to very high diastereoselectivity, and very high enantioselectivity. The potential of the reaction is shown for the synthesis of optically active alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acids, alpha-quaternary proline derivatives, amino alcohols, lactams, and tetrahydropyranes. Furthermore, we have calculated by DFT-methods the transition-state structures that account for both the diastereo- and enantioselectivity observed for the addition of oxazolones to the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes. For one class of compounds, the stereoselectivity is controlled by a hydrogen-bonding interaction of the enolate-form of the oxazolone with an ortho-hydroxy-phenyl substituent of the alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, whereas the benzhydryl-protecting group in the oxazolone determines the diastereo- and enantioselectivity in a more general manner for both aromatic and aliphatic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes.     

Construction of Chiral 2,3‐Allenols through a Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Direct Alkynylogous Aldol Reaction

Chiral 2,3‐allenols were constructed through copper(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric direct alkynylogous aldol reaction. With aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes, the alkynylogous aldol reaction with (R)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS as the ligand proceeded smoothly to furnish the products in excellent regioselectivity with good to high diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity. In the cases of aliphatic aldehydes, esters of but‐2‐yn‐1‐ol as the substrates and (R,R)‐Ph‐BPE as the ligand were found to be crucial to get good to high regio‐ and diastereoselectivity. The produced chiral 2,3‐allenols are easily transformed into synthetically useful 2‐furanones through cyclization. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied in the rapid synthesis of two chiral intermediates toward the synthesis of two pharmaceutically active compounds that have been proposed for the treatment of neurological disorders.     

(μ-Hydroxo)-platinum complex-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-methoxy-2-methyl-1-(trimethylsilyloxy)propene in DMF

[((R)-BINAP)Pt(μ-OH)]₂·2OTf catalyzed the enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-methoxy-2-methyl-(1-trimethylsilyloxy)propene at room temperature in dry DMF in high yields with enantioselectivity up to 92%. This is a versatile example of the catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction using a silyl ketene acetal promoted by (μ-hydroxo)-platinum complexes under mild conditions.     

Pyrrole macrocyclic ligands for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric Henry reactions

New chiral perazamacrocycles containing four pyrrole rings have been synthesized by the [2+2] condensation of (R,R)-diaminocyclohexane and 5,5'-(alkane-2,2-diyl)bis(1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehydes). These macrocycles, differing for the alkyl/aryl meso-substituents, were used as ligands in the copper-catalyzed Henry reactions of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with nitroalkanes. In the optimized experimental conditions, the condensations of nitromethane and aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper diacetate and methyl-substituted macrocyclic ligand (2:1 ratio) in ethanol at room temperature provided products often with high enantiomeric excesses (up to 95% ee). The positive influence of the macrocyclic structure on the efficiency/enantioselectivity of the catalytic system was demonstrated by comparison with the outcomes of Henry reactions performed using analogous macrocyclic ligands (trianglamines) and open-chain ligands derived from (R,R)-diaminocyclohexane.