Preparative synthesis of the Corey chiral controller for enantioselective dihydroxylation of olefins

A five-step synthesis of both enantiomers of 1,2-di(2,4,6-trimethylbenzylamino)-1,2-diphenylethane,i.e., Corey (R,R)- and (S,S)-controllers for enantioselective dihydroxylation of olefins by osmium tetroxide, starting from α,α′-diphenylglyoxime, has been developed. The key operations in the synthesis are the optical resolution of intermediaterac-1,2-diamino-1,2-diphenylethane into two enantiomers using only (R,R)-tartaric acid and the subsequent enhancement of the enantiomeric purity to >98% by crystallizations of the corresponding Schiff's bis-bases. Analysis of the enantiomeric purity of the controllers can be easily performed using¹H NMR spectra of their salts with (R)-α-methoxy-α-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetic acid (MosherR-acid). Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 101–105, January, 1997.     

A chiral Ag-based catalyst for practical, efficient, and highly enantioselective additions of enolsilanes to alpha-ketoesters

A Ag-based chiral catalyst promotes efficient and highly enantioselective aldol additions of ketone-derived enolsilanes to alpha-ketoesters in the presence of a readily available amino acid-based ligand and commercially available AgF2. alpha-Ketoester substrates may bear alkyl, alkenyl, and aryl substituents; reactions proceed to >98% conversion to afford the desired tertiary alcohols in 61->98% isolated yield and 60-96% ee. In contrast to previously reported approaches, highest enantioselectivities are observed with sterically demanding substrates, and reactions can be carried out in undistilled solvent, in air with as little as 1 mol % catalyst.     

A practical and efficient route for the highly enantioselective synthesis of mexiletine analogues and novel beta-thiophenoxy and pyridyl ethers

A practical and efficient procedure for the enantioselective synthesis of mexiletine analogues with use of 10% of spiroborate ester 6 as chirality transfer agent is presented. A variety of mexiletine analogues were prepared in good yield with excellent enantioselectivities (91-97% ee) from readily available starting materials. The developed methodology was also successfully applied for the synthesis of novel beta-amino ethers containing thiophenyl and pyridyl fragments.     

A simple one-pot, three-component, catalytic, highly enantioselective isoxazolidine synthesis

The highly chemo- and enantioselective organocatalytic three-component reaction between N-arylhydroxylamines, aldehydes and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is presented; the reaction gives access to isoxazolidines in high yields with >25:1 dr and 91-99% ee.     

A new bifunctional catalyst for tandem Heck-asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins

A new bifunctional catalyst consisting of active palladium and osmium species anchored on silica gel through a mercaptopropyl spacer and a cinchona alkaloid respectively has been prepared for the first time and used in the heterogeneous tandem Heck-asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins to afford diols with excellent yields and enantiomeric excesses (ee's) in presence of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide or K3Fe(CN)6 as cooxidants.     

MTO and OsO4: an efficient catalytic couple for mild H2O2-based asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins

A novel and robust system for osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins by aqueous H2O2 with methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) as electron transfer mediator (ETM) has been developed. The MTO is catalyzing the H2O2 oxidation of the chiral ligand to its mono-N-oxide, which in turn reoxidizes OsVI to OsVIII. Thus the (DHQD)2PHAL plays a dual role serving as the chiral inductor as well as the tertiary amine generating the N-oxide required for the recycling of osmium. The present catalytic system gives vicinal diols in good isolated yields and high enantiomeric excess (up to 99 % ee).     

An efficient,one-pot,three-component procedure for the synthesis of chiral spirooxindolopyrrolizidines via catalytic highly enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

The catalytic, highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective synthesis of a small library of chiral spirooxindolopyrrolizidines via a three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azomethine ylides, derived from isatin, with electron-deficient dipolarophiles, 3-(2-alkenoyl)-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones, is described. A chiral copper(II) complex of cyclohexane-1,2-bis(arylmethyleneamine) catalyzed this process at room temperature. The reaction mechanism is discussed on the basis of the assignment of the absolute configuration of the cycloadducts.     

A simple and efficient highly enantioselective synthesis of alpha-ionone and alpha-damascone

An efficient highly enantioselective (ee > or =99%) synthesis of alpha-ionone and alpha-damascone is described. Both enantiomers of title compounds were synthesized through two straightforward pathways diverging from enantiopure (R)- or (S)-alpha-cyclogeraniol. These versatile building blocks were obtained by regioselective ZrCl(4)-promoted biomimetic cyclization of (6S)- or (6R)-(Z)-6,7-epoxygeraniol, respectively, followed by deoxygenation of the so formed secondary alcohol. The chiral information was encoded by a highly regioselecive Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation of inexpensive geranyl acetate.     

An electrophilic cleavage procedure for the asymmetric dihydroxylation: direct enantioselective synthesis of cyclic boronic esters from olefins

A variation within the osmium-catalysed asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD) of olefins is described that yields cyclic boronic esters from olefins in a straight-forward manner. This process represents the first real product alteration in asymmetric dihydroxylation, since all previous protocols lead to free diols exclusively. A protocol based on the Sharpless AD conditions (for enantioselective oxidation of prochiral olefins) was developed that gives cyclic boronic esters with excellent enantiomeric excesses (ee's). Some of the ee's are higher than those reported for conventional AD. The unprecedented role of phenyl boronic acid on the course of the AD reaction was investigated in detail. PhB(OH)2 does not interfere with the chiral ligand, leaving the enantioselective step of olefin oxidation intact. The main role of the boronic acids-apart from protecting the diol products against potential overoxidation-relies on removing the diol entity in an electrophilic cleavage, which is in contrast to the conventional hydrolytic cleavage of the AD protocols. Thus, a mechanistically new cleavage for enantioselective dihydroxylation reactions is introduced within the present work.     

A novel catalytic and highly enantioselective approach for the synthesis of optically active carbohydrate derivatives

A catalytic enantioselective inverse-electron demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with electron-rich alkenes catalyzed by chiral bisoxazolines in combination with Cu(OTf)2 as the Lewis acid is presented. The reaction of gamma-substituted beta,gamma-unsaturated alpha-keto esters with vinyl ethers and various types of cis-disubstituted alkenes proceeds in good yield, high diastereoselectivity, and excellent enantioselectivity. The potential of the reaction is demonstrated by the synthesis of optically active carbohydrates such as spiro-carbohydrates, an ethyl beta-D-mannoside tetraacetate, and acetal-protected C-2-branched carbohydrates. On the basis of X-ray crystallographic data and the absolute configuration of the products, it is proposed that the alkene approaches the si-face of the reacting alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl functionality when coordinated to the catalyst.     

A practical and highly efficient synthesis of lennoxamine and related isoindolobenzazepines

Lennoxamine and related isoindolobenzazepines were prepared in high yield by intramolecular condensation of aldehyde isoindolones under basic conditions followed by catalytic hydrogenation of the resulting dehydroisoindolobenzazepines.     

A new and highly efficient synthesis of hydroxyporphyrins

A new synthesis of hydroxyporphyrins is reported. The method involves nucleophilic displacement of a nitro group using the sodium salt of E-benzaldoxime and is a general process allowing the synthesis of both β-hydroxyporphyrins and meso-hydroxyporphyrins. Activation of the porphyrin system towards nucleophilic attack is achieved by complexation of the macrocycle with the relatively electronegative nickel(II) or copper(II) ions. Thus, treatment of either the copper(II) or the nickel(II) chelates of 2-nitro-5, 10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin with the sodium salt of E-benzaldoxime gave the corresponding 2-hydroxyporphyrin in high yield. Similar treatment of the copper(II) or the nickel(II) chelates of 5-nitro-2, 3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin gave the corresponding 5-hydroxyporphyrin, again in high yield. These reactions show that metallo-nitroporphyrins display similar electrophilic properties to much simpler nitro-arene systems. The nickel(II) 5-hydroxyporphyrin 10 was cleanly demetallated on treatment with concentrated sulfuric acid to give the corresponding free-base oxophlorin thereby greatly increasing the general utility of the hydroxylation methodology. Conversion of (5-methoxy-15-nitro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrinato) nickel(II) 16 into (5-acetoxy-15-methoxy-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-porphyrinato) nickel(II) 18 established that the reaction mechanism involves regiospecific replacement (i.e., ipso-substitution) of the nitro group by the oxygen nucleophile.     

A new reagent for the efficient synthesis of disulfides from alkyl halides

Benzyltriethylammonium tetracosathioheptamolybdate [(C₆H₅CH₂N(Et)₃)₆Mo₇S₂₄] has been found to be a superior sulfur transfer reagent for the conversion of alkyl halides to the corresponding disulfides in excellent yields under very mild reaction conditions.     

Thioether-phosphite: new ligands for the highly enantioselective Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of minimally functionalized olefins

We have described the first successful application of non-N-donor heterodonor ligands--thioether-phosphite ligands--in the Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of minimally functionalized olefins. Excellent enantioselectivities (ee's up to 99%) have been obtained for a range of substrates, including challenging terminal disubstituted substrates, under standard conditions.     

An enantioselective synthesis of (+)-polyoxamic acid via phase-transfer catalytic conjugate addition and asymmetric dihydroxylation

A new enantioselective synthetic method of (+)-polyoxamic acid is reported. (+)-Polyoxamic acid could be obtained in 7 steps with 46% overall yield from diphenylmethyl-glycineimine tert-butyl ester via an enantioselective phase-transfer conjugate addition (99% yield, 96% ee) and an asymmetric dihydroxylation (98% yield, 94% de) as the key reactions.