Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of β-trifluoromethyl pyrrolines

Enantioselective synthesis of β-trifluoromethylated pyrrolines has been developed by the organocatalyzed-conjugated addition of nitromethane to β-trifluoromethylated enones, followed by a nitro-reduction/cyclization/dehydration sequence in a one-pot procedure with 97-98% ees.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of chiral γ-butyrolactones

A tandem catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction/cyclization of β,γ-didehydro-γ-lactones with aldehydes was achieved using chiral tin dibromide as a chiral precatalyst and sodium alkoxide as a base precatalyst. Optically active trans-β,γ-disubstituted γ-butyrolactones were selectively obtained in moderate to high yields with up to 99% ee from γ-aryl-substituted β,γ-didehydro-γ-butyrolactones and bulky aliphatic aldehydes.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of 1,1-disubstituted tetrahydro-β-carbolines by phase-transfer catalyzed alkylations

Efficient catalytic asymmetric synthesis of 1,1-disubstituted tetrahydro-β-carbolines has been achieved via asymmetric alkylation of 1-cyanotetrahydro-β-carbolines using a binaphthyl-modified N-spiro-type chiral phase-transfer catalyst. This is a valuable example of hitherto difficult highly enantioselective alkylations at α-carbon of the cyano group under phase-transfer conditions.     

Catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of α-acetoxy amides

Non-racemic cyanohydrin acetates are readily available from aldehydes and potassium cyanide/acetic anhydride by use of bimetallic titanium (salen) catalyst 1. Treatment of the cyanohydrin acetates with a platinum(II) phosphinito catalyst 3 under neutral conditions results in chemoselective hydrolysis to the corresponding α-acetoxy amides in a racemization free process.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of γ-substituted vinyl sulfones

A fast new entry for the stereoselective construction of γ-substituted vinyl sulfones is presented. The key for success is the use of a readily available chiral secondary amine catalyst that allows the use of base-sensitive β-nitroethyl sulfones as masked β-sulfonyl vinyl anions in conjugate additions. The method performed in a three-step one-pot operation gives access to a great variety of vinyl sulfones in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities. The method has also been extended to other relatively base-sensitive β-electron-withdrawing-substituted nitroalkanes to afford products with manifold functionality, providing a quick entry to very attractive synthetic intermediates for organic synthesis.     

Catalytic asymmetric one-pot synthesis of α-methylene-γ-lactams

An organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of α-methylene-γ-lactams has been developed. The reaction between protected 2-aminomalonates and Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates is catalyzed by chiral Lewis bases to afford the corresponding lactams in excellent yields and moderate to good enantioselectivities, after work-up.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the docetaxel (Taxotere) side chain: organocatalytic highly enantioselective synthesis of esterification-ready α-hydroxy-β-amino acids

A highly enantioselective catalytic route to protected β-amino-α-hydroxy acids, such as the side chain of Taxotere, is presented. The organocatalytic asymmetric reactions between unmodified protected α-oxyaldehydes and N-Boc-protected aryl imines give the corresponding compound with up to >19:1 dr and 99-99% ee.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of β-amino alcohols by nitrene insertion

Chiral β-amino alcohols are important building blocks for the synthesis of drugs, natural products, chiral auxiliaries, chiral ligands and chiral organocatalysts. The catalytic asymmetric β-amination of alcohols offers a direct strategy to access this class of molecules. Herein, we report a general intramolecular C(sp³)–H nitrene insertion method for the synthesis of chiral oxazolidin-2-ones as precursors of chiral β-amino alcohols. Specifically, the ring-closing C(sp³)–H amination of N-benzoyloxycarbamates with 2 mol% of a chiral ruthenium catalyst provides cyclic carbamates in up to 99% yield and with up to 99% ee.The method is applicable to benzylic, allylic, and propargylic C–H bonds and can even be applied to completely non-activated C(sp³)–H bonds, although with somewhat reduced yields and stereoselectivities. The obtained cyclic carbamates can subsequently be hydrolyzed to obtain chiral β-amino alcohols. The method is very practical as the catalyst can be easily synthesized on a gram scale and can be recycled after the reaction for further use. The synthetic value of the new method is demonstrated with the asymmetric synthesis of a chiral oxazolidin-2-one as intermediate for the synthesis of the natural product aurantioclavine and chiral β-amino alcohols that are intermediates for the synthesis of chiral amino acids, indane-derived chiral Box-ligands, and the natural products dihydrohamacanthin A and dragmacidin A.     

β-Lactones through Catalytic Asymmetric Heterodimerization of Ketenes

Simple, but effective: The asymmetric heterodimerization of two different ketenes has been developed 65?years after the first seminal studies on ketene dimerization. The key to sufficiently suppressing the competing homodimerization of the monosubstituted ketene donor (shown in blue) is its slow addition to the disubstituted acceptor (shown in red).     

Catalytic synthesis of higher pyrrole and pyrrolidine homologs from α-furylalkylamines

Summary The vapor-phase hydrogenation of 1-furyl-3-aminoheptane and 1-furyl-3-aminononane over Pt-asbestos leads to the hydrogenolysis of the furan ring with the subsequent formation of a new nitrogen heterocycle by ring-closure. At 220°, 2-n-propyl-5-n-butyl- and 2-n-propyl-5-n-hexylpyrrolidines are formed with yields of 90% of theoretical, and at 300° the corresponding pyrroles with yields of 85%.     

Catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of α,α-disubstituted amino acids

Copper(salen) complex 1 has been found to catalyse the asymmetric alkylation of enolates derived from a variety of amino acids. There is a clear relationship between the size of the side chain in the substrate and the enantioselectivity of the process, so that the enantioselectivity decreases in the order alanine>aminobutyric acid>allylglycine>leucine>phenylalanine>valine. A transition state model which accounts for the influence of the size of the side chain on the enantioselectivity of the reactions is presented.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of 6-amino-β-cyclodextrins

A general microwave-assisted procedure for the synthesis of 6-amino-β-cyclodextrins is reported. Mono-tosyl-β-cyclodextrin was used as the starting material in a one-pot route employing a solvent-free microwave-assisted reaction with a liquid amine. Shorter reaction times were observed for the formation of 6-amino-β-cyclodextrins using this novel microwave approach compared to the thermal procedure.     

Catalytic asymmetric aziridination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

The development, scope, and application of the highly enantioselective organocatalytic aziridination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is presented. The aminocatalytic azirdination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes enables the asymmetric formation of β-formyl aziridines with up to >19:1 d.r. and 99% ee. The aminocatalytic aziridination of α-monosubstituted enals gives access to terminal α-substituted-α-formyl aziridines in high yields and up to 99% ee. In the case of the organocatalytic aziridination of disubstituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, the transformations were highly diastereo- and enantioselective and give nearly enantiomerically pure β-formyl-functionalized aziridine products (99% ee). A highly enantioselective one-pot cascade sequence based on the combination of asymmetric amine and N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis (AHCC) is also disclosed. This one-pot three-component co-catalytic transformation between α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, hydroxylamine derivatives, and alcohols gives the corresponding N-tert-butoxycarbonyl and N-carbobenzyloxy-protected β-amino acid esters with ee values ranging from 92-99%. The mechanisms and stereochemistry of all these catalytic transformations are also discussed.     

Catalytic, enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of γ-butyrolactones incorporating quaternary stereocentres

A new, highly enantio- and diastereoselective catalytic asymmetric formal cycloaddition of aryl succinic anhydrides and aldehydes which generates paraconic acid (γ-butyrolactone) derivatives is reported.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of stereoisomers of 1-C-n-butyl-LABs for the SAR study of α-glucosidase inhibition

We achieved synthesis of seven stereoisomers of 1-C-n-butyl-L-iminofuranose derivatives using catalytic asymmetric alkylation and Negishi coupling as key reactions. The synthetic strategy based on these key reactions was quite useful, since both α- and β-iminofuranoses could be obtained by switching the chirality of the ligand employed for the AAA reaction. The common intermediates for α- and β-isomers were subjected to further manipulations to install a diol unit at C2 and C3 to give the desired stereoisomers of L-iminofuranose derivatives. We achieved the preparation of all stereoisomers of 1-C-n-butyl-L-iminofuranose derivatives, with the exception of β-lyxo type iminofuranose. It is noteworthy that a synthetic route for many stereoisomers of iminofuranose derivatives was developed. Unfortunately, none of the L-iminofuranoses obtained showed inhibitory activity against the α-glycosidases examined—e.g., maltase, sucrase, and isomaltase.     

A facile synthesis of 1-trifluoromethyl-β-carboline

The two-step synthesis of the title compound has been achieved by Mannich-type condensation of tryptamine with trifluoroacetaldehyde, followed by dehydrogenation with selenium dioxide; the overall yield was 79.3%.     

Stereoselective synthesis of constrained norbornane-derived spiro-β-lactams

New enantiopure polycyclic norbornane-derived spiro-β-lactams were synthesized by means of a Staudinger ketene–imine reaction between unsymmetrical bicyclic chiral ketenes, generated from differently substituted norbornane carboxylic acids, and (E)-N-benzyl-N-(phenylmethylene)amine, with high yields and moderate to good stereoselectivities. The diastereoisomeric results were rationalized taking into account the increasing steric encumbrance present on the norbornane skeleton and the stability of the products. The configurations of the newly formed stereocenters of spiro-β-lactams were assigned on the basis of 2D NMR experiments and X-ray analysis. Spiro-β-lactams were subjected to acid hydrolysis obtaining the corresponding norbornane-derived β-amino acids.     

A simple synthesis of α-methylene-β-hydroxyalkanones

Reaction of methyl vinyl ketone with a variety of aldehydes, catalyzed by 1,4-diazabicyclo (2.2.2)octane (DABCO) in tetrahydrofuran, conveniently provides the corresponding α-methylene-β-hydroxyalkanones in good yields.     

Asymmetric synthesis of erythro-β-hydroxyasparagine

erythro-Hydroxyasparagine (eHyAsn, 1) occurs in a number of naturally occurring peptides and proteins. Previous syntheses have relied on enzyme-catalyzed reactions to produce relevant, optically active intermediates. We report herein a completely chemical synthesis that intercepts Boger’s synthesis of the diastereomer (tHyAsn, 4), utilizing a Sharpless asymmetric aminohydroxylation reaction to introduce the two stereocenters. Boc-HyAsn(OTBS)-OH (10) was coupled effectively with phenylalanine methyl ester using EDC/HOBt.