General asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-alkyl- and 2-aryl-substituted quinoxaline derivatives catalyzed by iridium-difluorphos: unusual halide effect and synthetic application

A general asymmetric hydrogenation of a wide range of 2-alkyl- and 2-aryl-substituted quinoxaline derivatives catalyzed by an iridium-difluorphos complex has been developed. Under mild reaction conditions, the corresponding biologically relevant 2-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxaline units were obtained in high yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities up to 95%. With a catalyst ratio of S/C = 1000 and on a gram scale, the catalytic activity of the Ir-difluorphos complex was maintained showing its potential value. Finally, we demonstrated the application of our process in the synthesis of compound (S)-9, which is an inhibitor of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP).     

Scope and mechanism of the Pd(II)-catalyzed arylation/carboalkoxylation of unactivated olefins with indoles

Treatment of 1-methyl-2-(4-pentenyl)indole (5) with a catalytic amount of [PdCl2(MeCN)2] (2; 5 mol %) and a stoichiometric amount of CuCl2 (3 equiv) in methanol under CO (1 atm) at room temperature for 30 min gives methyl (9-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-4-carbazolyl)acetate (6), which was isolated in 83% yield. A number of 2- and 3-alkenyl indoles undergo a similar palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation to give the corresponding polycyclic indole derivatives in moderate to excellent yields with excellent regio- and diastereoselectivity. Under similar conditions, vinyl arenes undergo intermolecular arylation/carboalkoxylation with indoles to give 3-(1-aryl-2-carbomethoxyethyl) indoles in moderate yield with high regioselectivity. Stereochemical analyses of the palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of both 2- and 3-alkenyl indoles are in agreement with mechanisms involving outer-sphere attack of the indole on a palladium-olefin complex followed by alpha-migratory insertion of CO and methanolysis of the resulting acyl palladium intermediate. CuCl2 functions as the terminal oxidant in this palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of alkenyl indoles and also significantly increases the rate of reaction of 2 with the alkenyl indole to form the corresponding acyl palladium complex. Spectroscopic studies are in agreement with the intermediacy of a heterobimetallic Pd/Cu complex as the active catalyst in this reaction.     

Catalytic enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction in ionic liquid via a recyclable chiral In(III) complex

[Structure: see text] A recyclable, air- and moisture-stable chiral indium complex in [hmim][PF6-] ionic liquid has been developed. The cycloaddition of a variety of cyclic and open-chained dienes to 2-methacrolein and 2-bromoacrolein resulted in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). Moreover, the chiral In(III) complex can be reused for seven successive cycles with comparable enantioselectivities and yields without loss of catalytic activity.     

Highly enantioselective cyanation of aldehydes catalyzed by a multicomponent titanium complex

A new multicomponent bifunctional catalytic system based on a titanium complex was used for the efficient enantioselective cyanation of aldehydes. The catalyst was readily prepared from tetraisopropyl titanate (Ti(Oi-Pr)4), (S)-6,6'-dibromo-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (1e), cinchonine (2a), and (1R,2S)-(-)-N-methylephedrine (3b). It was revealed that the combination of 1e, 2a, 3b, and Ti(IV) was essential in this cyanation. The reaction proceeded smoothly in the presence of a catalytic amount of the multicomponent catalyst to afford the desired cyanohydrins ethyl carbonates in moderate to excellent isolated yields (up to 95%) with high enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee). A catalytic cycle based on experimental phenomena was proposed to explain the origin of the asymmetric induction.     

Highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with 2-enoylpyridine 1-oxides catalyzed by chiral pyridine 2,6-bis(5',5'-diphenyloxazoline)-Cu(II) complexes

The catalytic enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with 2-enoylpyridine 1-oxides has been studied in the presence of chiral pyridine 2,6-bis(5',5'-diphenyloxazoline)-Cu(II) complexes. The reaction furnished alkylated indoles in excellent yields (up to 97%) and enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).     

Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with nitroalkenes catalyzed by a bis(oxazoline)-Cu(II) complex

The catalytic enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indole with trans-β-nitrostyrene is reported in the presence of copper triflate-bisoxazoline complexes. The reaction furnished nitroalkylated indoles in excellent yields (up to 95%) and high enantioselectivities up to an 86% ee.     

Enantioselective hydrosilylation of prochiral ketones catalyzed by chiral BINAP-copper(I) complexes

The CuCl/NaOt-Bu/BINAP system was found to efficiently catalyze the hydrosilylation of aryl alkyl ketones with excellent enantioselectivities by using phenyl methyl silane as a stoichiometric hydride source. High enantiomeric excesses (up to 97%) and excellent yields (up to 99%) were obtained.     

Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with nitroalkenes catalyzed by bifunctional tridentate bis(oxazoline)-Zn(II) complex

[reaction: see text] A more practical and efficient catalytic asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with nitroalkenes using bifunctional tridentate bis(oxazoline)-Zn(OTf)(2) as catalyst has been developed. Various types of the nitroalkylated indoles were obtained in excellent yields (85-99%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).     

Modified asymmetric strecker reaction of aldehyde with secondary amine: a protocol for the synthesis of s-clopidogrel (an antiplatelet agent)

A first approach for catalytic asymmetric Strecker reaction of aldehydes with a secondary amine in the presence of sodium fluoride using hydroquinine as chiral catalyst was developed. The catalytic system gave α-aminonitriles in excellent yields (up to 95%) and high enantioselectivities (er up to 94:6). The efficacy of the chiral product was successfully fulfilled in the improved synthesis of (S)-clopidogrel (an antiplatelet agent).     

Catalytic enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction via a chiral indium(III) complex

[reaction: see text] A chiral indium complex has been developed to effect high enantioselectivities in catalyzing enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction. The cycloaddition of a variety of cyclic and open-chained dienes to 2-methacrolein and 2-bromoacrolein resulted in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).     

Direct, catalytic enantioselective nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of trifluoromethyl ketones: an asymmetric entry to alpha-trifluoromethyl-substituted quaternary carbons

Herein we describe the first direct, catalytic enantioselective nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of simple alpha-trifluoromethyl ketones with nitromethane using a chiral monometallic lanthanum(III) triflate salt complex, namely [(Delta,S,S,S)-Binolam]3.La(OTf)3, as enantioselective catalyst. The resulting alpha-trifluoromethyl tertiary nitroaldols were obtained in moderate to high yields (up to 93%) and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). These adducts are versatile chiral building blocks and may be reduced (NiCl2/NaBH4) to their beta-amino-alpha-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols without loss of enantiomeric purity.     

Nickel(II)-catalyzed highly enantioselective hydrophosphination of methacrylonitrile

The dicationic Ni(II) complex [Ni(Pigiphos)(THF)](ClO4)2, [1](ClO4)2 ((R)-(S)-Pigiphos = bis-{(R)-1-[(S)-2-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenyl]ethyl}cyclohexylphosphine), catalyzes the addition of bulky aliphatic secondary phosphines to methaacrylonitrile. This hydrophosphination reaction reaches TON = 900 and enantioselectivities up to 94%. A catalytic cycle involving 1,4-conjugate addition of R2PH to methacrylonitrile is supported by the isolation and characterization of a catalytically active N-coordinated, methacrylonitrile Ni complex.     

Highly enantioselective allylation of alpha-ketoesters catalyzed by N,N'-dioxide-In(III) complexes

An efficient asymmetric allylation of alpha-ketoesters was catalyzed by the N,N'-dioxide-In(III) complex in excellent yields (up to 99%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee) for a variety of substrates under mild reaction conditions. On the basis of experimental results, a possible catalytic cycle including a transition state has been proposed to explain the origin of the reactivity and asymmetric inductivity, and a bifunctional catalysis was described with Lewis base N-oxide activating tetraallylstannane and Lewis acid indium activating alpha-ketoester.     

The development of scalemic multidentate niobium complexes as catalysts for the highly stereoselective ring opening of meso-epoxides and meso-aziridines

The discovery and development of a new Lewis acid system based on a complex formed from niobium(V) methoxide and (R)-3,3'-bis(2-hydroxy-3-isopropylbenzyl)-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-diol, a novel tetradentate BINOL derivative, is presented. The system was shown to be extremely effective in promoting the desymmetrative ring opening of linear and cyclic meso-epoxides using anilines as nucelophiles, delivering the corresponding (R,R) anti-amino alcohols in good to excellent yields (up to quantitative) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee). Furthermore, the catalyst system displays a remarkable sensitivity to steric bulk at the beta-carbon of the epoxide, selectively facilitating ring opening of smaller epoxides in the presence of more sterically hindered epoxides. This property was confirmed by a series of competition reactions using a mixture of meso-2-butene oxide and another aliphatic meso-epoxide, with the result that the former, less encumbered epoxide reacted preferentially with up to 98% chemical selectivity. While it was found to be most convenient to conduct the reactions with 10 mol % catalyst loading at 0.16 M, at higher overall concentration the reaction still proceeded efficiently with as little as 0.25 mol % catalyst to give the desired products with no significant reduction in yields or enantioselectivities. In addition, the current catalyst system was also found to mediate the asymmetric ring opening of nonsymmetrical cis-2-alkene oxides with anilines to give preferentially the corresponding (2R,3R)-2-amino-3-ols arising from ring opening at the methyl terminus, in excellent yields (up to quantitative) and good to excellent regio- and enantioselectivities (up to 18:1 and >99% ee, respectively). Intriguingly, it was discovered that the same catalyst system also promoted the ring-opening desymmetrization of aziridines with aniline nucleophiles to give the corresponding (S,S) vicinal diamines in good to excellent yields and enantioselectivity (up to 95% and 84% ee [>99% ee following a single recrystallization]). Catalyst systems that promote closely related reactions with opposite stereochemical outcomes in high selectivity such as the current niobium system are extremely unusual. To the best of our knowledge, this report constitutes not only the first example of the catalytic desymmetrization of both meso-epoxides and meso-aziridines but also a rare example of such complementary stereoselectivity in a catalytic reaction.     

Camphor-derived C(1)-symmetric chiral diamine organocatalysts for asymmetric Michael addition of nitroalkanes to enones

A series of stable C(1)-symmetric chiral diamines () were conveniently synthesized by condensing exo-(-)-bornylamine or (+)-(1S,2S,5R)-menthylamine with various commercially available Cbz-protected amino acids. Among them, can efficiently promote the Michael addition of nitroalkanes to a broad scope of enones with high yields (up to 96%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98%) under mild conditions.     

Catalytic asymmetric addition of arylboronic acids to isatins using C2-symmetric cationic N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) Pd2+ diaqua complexes as catalysts

A catalytic asymmetric addition of arylboronic acids to isatins has been achieved by using chiral cationic C(2)-symmetric N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) Pd(2+) diaqua complexes as the catalysts. The reaction can be performed under convenient conditions to give the corresponding adducts in good to high yields (79-94%) and moderate to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee) in the presence of LiOAr as the promoter which was generated in situ.     

Enantioselective Addition of Cyclic Enol Silyl Ethers to 2-Alkenoyl-Pyridine-N-Oxides Catalysed by Cu(II) -Bis(oxazoline) Complexes

Asymmetric reactions involving (E)-3-aryl-1-(pyridin-2-yl-N-oxide)prop-2-en-1-ones and cyclic enol silyl ethers show good yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99.9?% ee) when catalysed by bis(oxazoline)-Cu(II) complexes. Different reaction pathways can be followed by different enol silyl ethers: with 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)furan, a Mukaiyama-Michael adduct is obtained, whereas a hetero Diels-Alder cycloadduct was formed by using (1,2-dihydronaphthalen-4-yloxy)trimethylsilane. In the latter reaction, the absolute configuration of the product is consistent with a reagent approach to the less hindered Re face of the coordinated substrate in the reactive complex.     

A new copper(I)-tetrahydrosalen-catalyzed asymmetric Henry reaction and its extension to the synthesis of (S)-norphenylephrine

A new chiral hydrogenated salen catalyst has been developed for the asymmetric Henry reaction which produces the expected products in moderate to high yields (up to 98 %) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96 % ee). A variety of aromatic, heteroaromatic, enal, and aliphatic aldehydes were found to be suitable substrates in the presence of hydrogenated salen 1 f (10 mol %), (CuOTf)(2)C(7)H(8) (5 mol %), and 4 A molecular sieves. This process is air-tolerant and easily manipulated with readily available reagents, and has been successfully extended to the synthesis of (S)-norphenylephrine in 67 % overall yield, starting from commercially available m-hydroxybenzaldehyde. Based on experimental investigations and MM+ calculations, a possible catalytic cycle including a transition state (8 or A) has been proposed to explain the origin of reactivity and asymmetric inductivity.     

New types of soluble polymer-supported bisphosphine ligands with a cyclobutane backbone for Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allylic substitution reactions

A highly efficient and practical optical resolution of anti head-to-head racemic coumarin dimer 7 has been achieved by molecular complexation with TADDOL, (-)-8, through a hydrogen bonding interaction to afford the corresponding two enantiomers, (-)- and (+)-7, in 70 and 75 % yields, respectively, with >99 % ee. Starting from enantiopure (-)-7, a new type of C2-symmetric bisphosphine ligand (S,S,S,S)-3 with a cyclobutane backbone has been synthesized in good yield by facile transformations. The asymmetric induction efficiency of these chiral bisphosphine ligands in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions was evaluated. Under the experimental conditions, the allylic substitution products could be obtained in excellent yields (up to 99 %) and enantioselectivities (up to 98.9 % ee). By taking advantage of the high enantioselectivity of this catalytic reaction and the easily derivable carboxylate groups on the cyclobutane backbone of ligand (S,S,S,S)-3, a new type of analogous ligand (S,S,S,S)-4 as well as the MeO-PEG-supported soluble ligand (S,S,S,S)-5 (PEG=polyethylene glycol) have also been synthesized and utilized in asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. In particular, the MeO-PEG supported (S,S,S,S)-5 b had a synergistic effect on the enantioselectivity of the reaction compared with its nonsupported precursor (S,S,S,S)-4 c, affording the corresponding allylation products 14 a and 14 b with excellent enantioselectivities (94.6 and 97.2 % ee, respectively). Moreover, the Pd complex of (S,S,S,S)-5 b could easily be recovered and recycled several times without significant loss of enantioselectivity and activity in the allylic substitution reactions.     

Highly enantioselective nitro-Mannich reaction catalyzed by cinchona alkaloids and N-benzotriazole derived ammonium salts

The catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective nitro-Mannich reaction of α-amido sulfones in the mixed solvent of toluene/H(2)O has been realized using a phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) derived from cinchona alkaloids and N-benzotriazole. It performed well over a wide range of substrates to give the desired products in good yields (up to 94%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) and diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1).