New simple primary amine–thiourea organocatalysts and their application in asymmetric conjugate addition

A kind of simple primary amine–thiourea organocatalysts was developed. And their application in asymmetric conjugate addition of ketone to nitroalkene was investigated. In the presence of the new primary amine–thiourea, the conjugate addition of ketone to nitroalkene proceeded smoothly to afford the 1,4-adducts in high yields with good enantioselectivities.     

BINOL–quinine–squaramides as efficient organocatalysts for the asymmetric Michael addition of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to nitroalkenes

A set of BINOL–quinine–squaramides were synthesized, and then used as organocatalysts to promote the catalytic enantioselective Michael addition reaction of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to nitroalkenes with excellent yields and ees (up to 99% yield and 93% ee) at low catalyst loading (0.5 mol %).     

The highly enantioselective bifunctional organocatalysts for the Michael addition of сyclohexanone to titroolefins

A new family of organocatalyst derived from proline has been developed and shown to be an efficient catalyst for asymmetric Michael addition of cyclohexanone to nitroolefins with high diastereo- and enanthio -selectivities. (syn: anti ratio up to 99:1, ee. up to 95%.). The result of computational studies at the B3LYP/6-31G* level indicate that both the hydrogen bonding and the stereo hindrance play the crucial role in the activation of the nitro alkene and help to discriminate between the two diastereofacial approaches.     

The asymmetric addition of phenylacetylene to aldehydes

Enantioselective formation of C-C bonds is an area of intense research.Among them, the asymmetric addition of alkynyl reagents to aldehydes is very useful for the synthesis of chiral secondary propargyl alcohols, which are very important building blocks for many chiral organic compounds, and the acetylene and hydroxyl founctional group of propargyl alcohol can be easily transfered into many other structures.1Recently, many significant chiral ligands have been disclosed.2 Here, we report our r…     

Highly efficient asymmetric organocatalytic Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to nitroolefins under solvent-free conditions

A chiral pyrrolide-based diamine in combination with benzoic acid has been found to be an effective organocatalyst for Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes with nitroolefins. The reaction provided the desired Michael products possessing all-carbon quaternary center with high yields (76–98%) and high levels of enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) under solvent-free reaction conditions. The procedure presented is simple and makes this method suitable for practical use.     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to maleimides catalyzed by new primary amine-squaramide bifunctional organocatalysts

New bifunctional primary amine-squaramides catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition reaction of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to maleimides has been developed. This organocatalytic asymmetric reaction provides easy access to functionalized succinimides with a broad substrate scope. Both enantiomers of desired succinimide derivatives were obtained in good to excellent yields (up to 98%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99%?ee).     

Noscapine-derived β-amino alcohols as new organocatalysts for enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

In this paper, synthesis of two derivatives of noscapine and their application as organocatalysts in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aromatic aldehydes is reported. The first catalyst (2) was synthesized by the reduction of lactone ring of noscapine to form the corresponding diol, and the second one (3) was prepared by tert-butyl dimethyl silylation of the primary hydroxyl group of 2. Excellent yields and high ees up to 95% were obtained by using 3 as the catalyst. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the application of lactone ring opened noscapinoid compounds as organocatalysts in asymmetric reactions.     

Asymmetric Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins catalyzed by a pyrrolidine–pyrazole

An effective protocol for the stereoselective Michael addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins using pyrrolidine–pyrazole as an organocatalyst is described. The catalytic cycle was found to be productive in terms of yield and selectivity, when performed under solvent-free reaction conditions and employing 15 mol % of catalyst and 10 mol % of benzoic acid at room temperature.     

Novel and practical asymmetric synthesis of β2,3-amino esters using asymmetric Michael addition of chiral amine

A practical method for the synthesis of chiral β^2,3-amino esters having various substituents was developed, which is characterized by an asymmetric Michael addition reaction of a chiral lithium amide with trisubstituted (E)-α,β-unsaturated esters. We found that a highly face-selective protonation occurred by the quick addition of water to the enolate intermediate derived from the Michael addition reaction to afford N-protected β^2,3-amino esters in moderate to excellent yields. This finding was made possible by the facile preparation of geometrically pure trisubstituted (E)-α,β-unsaturated esters, which was established recently by our group. The subsequent deprotection of the amino group in the Michael adduct by using N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) efficiently provided β^2,3-amino esters having various substituents.     

Enantioselective synthesis of gabapentin analogues via organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition of α-branched aldehydes to β-nitroacrylates

Michael addition reaction of α-branched aldehydes to β-nitroacrylates was successfully carried out by using a mixed catalyst consisting of a primary amino acid, L-phenylalanine, and its lithium salt to give β-formyl-β'-nitroesters having a quaternary carbon centre in good yields (up to 85%) with high enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee). By using benzyl β-nitroacrylates as Michael acceptors, the obtained β-formyl-β'-nitroesters were converted into various 4,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids including analogues of gabapentin (Neurotin(?)) in one step from the Michael adducts in high yields.     

Asymmetric Michael addition of α-substituted isocyanoacetates with maleimides catalyzed by chiral tertiary amine thiourea

A highly diastereoselective and enantioselective Michael addition of α-substituted isocyanoacetates with maleimides catalyzed by bifunctional tertiary amine thioureas has been developed. Various chiral succinimide derivatives bearing adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocenters were prepared in excellent yields (up to 98%), diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1), and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). The synthetic utility of chiral succinimide derivatives is also demonstrated in the preparation of h5-HT(1d) receptor agonist motifs.     

Highly effective and enantioselective Michael addition of 4-hydroxycoumarin to α,β-unsaturated ketones promoted by simple chiral primary amine thiourea bifunctional catalysts

Highly asymmetric Michael addition of 4-hydroxycoumarin to α,β-unsaturated ketones promoted by chiral primary amine thiourea bifunctional catalysts was developed and a series of Michael adducts were obtained in excellent yields (up to 97%) and enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee). Optically pure S-warfarin was easily obtained in 99% ee after single recrystallization.     

Structure-reactivity relationships of l-proline derived spirolactams and α-methyl prolinamide organocatalysts in the asymmetric Michael addition reaction of aldehydes to nitroolefins

l-Proline derived spirolactams and α-methyl prolinamides act as organocatalysts for the asymmetric conjugate addition of aldehydes to nitroolefins in excellent yields, with good diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. Furthermore, low catalyst loadings (5 mol %) and a low aldehyde molar excess (1.5 M equiv) were achieved.     

Chiral sulfamide-catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition of protected 3-hydroxypropanal to β-nitrostyrenes

Organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition of 3-(OTBS)-propanal to β-nitrostyrenes catalyzed by chiral sulfamides was investigated. Good d.r. (up to 80:20) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee) were achieved. Both the N-[(1R,2R)-2-aminocyclohexyl]-N’-(phenylmethyl)sulfamide 7b and the novel chiral N-[(1R,2R)-2-aminocyclohexyl]-N’-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]sulfamide 7a were identified as efficient primary amine organocatalysts.     

Catalytic asymmetric Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to Ni(II) complexes of the Schiff base of glycine

The conjugate addition of Ni(II) complexes of glycine Schiff base to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by (S)-2-(diphenyl(trimethylsilyloxy)methyl)pyrrolidine afforded adducts in excellent yields with up to 49:1 dr and 95% ee. This method enables the construction of two adjacent chiral centers in one step, and offers an alternative route to chiral α-amino acid derivatives.     

Cinchona–diaminomethylenemalononitrile organocatalyst for asymmetric conjugate addition of 1,3-diketone to nitroalkene

A diaminomethylenemalononitrile organocatalyst with a cinchona motif efficiently promotes the enantioselective conjugate addition of acetylacetone to various nitroalkenes to yield the corresponding addition products in high to excellent yields with up to 89% ee.     

Ru/Me-BIPAM-catalyzed asymmetric addition of arylboronic acids to aliphatic aldehydes and α-ketoesters

A ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric arylation of aliphatic aldehydes and α-ketoesters with arylboronic acids has been developed, giving chiral alkyl(aryl)methanols and α-hydroxy esters in good yields. The use of a chiral bidentate phosphoramidite ligand (Me-BIPAM) achieved excellent enantioselectivities.     

Influence of α-methyl substitution of proline-based organocatalysts on the asymmetric α-oxidation of aldehydes

The direct asymmetric organocatalytic α-oxidation of aldehydes using trans-2-(p-methylphenylsulfonyl)-3-phenyloxaziridine is reported. This method affords the S isomer of α-hydroxy aldehydes, thereby complementing the selectivity for the R isomer observed using the two-step nitrosobenzene method. Use of α-methylproline and α-methylproline tetrazole significantly increases the enantioselectivity observed for the α-oxidation of aldehydes compared to analogous unsubstituted organocatalysts.     

Organocatalytic asymmetric Michael addition of 1-acetylindolin-3-ones to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes: synthesis of 2-substituted indolin-3-ones

A highly efficient asymmetric Michael addition of 1-acetylindolin-3-ones to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is developed to afford 2-substituted indolin-3-one derivatives in high yields (up to 94%) with good stereoselectivities (up to 11:1 dr and 96% ee). The Michael adducts can be transformed into substituted cyclopentyl[b]indoline compounds conveniently without racemization.