Highly enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions with 2-alkenoyl pyridine N-oxides catalyzed by Cu(II)-BOX complexes

Enantioselective nitrone cycloadditions with 2-alkenoyl pyridine N-oxides as dipolarophiles have been reported. The reaction is catalyzed by Cu(II)-BOX complexes to give the expected isoxazolidine products with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity.     

Copper(II)-bis(oxazoline) catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction with alpha'-arylsulfonyl enones as dienophiles

Alpha'-arylsulfonyl enones are efficient bidentate dienophiles for the Cu(II)-bis(oxazoline) catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction with a number of dienes, affording the corresponding products with good to high enantiomeric excesses. The resulting products can be alkylated and the sulfone removed, so alpha'-arylsulfonyl enones can be regarded as surrogates of simple monodentate enones, which are poor dienophiles with this catalytic system.     

Counterions of BINAP-Pt(II) and -Pd(II) complexes: novel catalysts for highly enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction

[formula: see text] Platinum and palladium chiral bisphosphine complexes and their counterion effects in asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions have been investigated. The reaction of cyclopentadiene and various bidentate dienophiles in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pt(II)- or Pd(II)-BINAP complex proceeds with excellent endo/exo selectivity as well as endo enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee).     

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).     

Oxaziridine-mediated enantioselective aminohydroxylation of styrenes catalyzed by copper(II) bis(oxazoline) complexes

We report an oxaziridine-mediated enantioselective aminohydroxylation of olefins catalyzed by a chiral copper(II) bis(oxazoline) complex. A variety of styrenic olefins undergo efficient aminohydroxylation with excellent regioselectivity and synthetically useful levels of enantioselectivity (up to 84% ee). The reaction can be conducted on multi-gram scale with as little as 2 mol % of the copper(II) catalyst. Hydrolysis of the resulting 1,3-oxazolines under acidic conditions produces N-sulfonyl amino alcohols that can be purified by recrystallization to afford very high levels of enantioselectivity.     

Structurally simple pyridine N-oxides as efficient organocatalysts for the enantioselective allylation of aromatic aldehydes

A series of structurally simple pyridine N-oxides have readily been assembled from inexpensive amino acids and tested as organocatalysts in the allylation of aldehydes with allyl(trichloro)silane to afford homoallylic alcohols. (S)-proline-based catalysts afforded the products derived from aromatic aldehydes in fair to good yields and in up to 84% enantiomeric excess (ee). The allylation of heteroaromatic, unsaturated, and aliphatic aldehydes was less satisfactory. By running the reaction in the presence of achiral and chiral additives and structurally different catalysts, we collected some insights into the relationship between the stereochemical outcome and the catalyst's structural features. Even if the ee's obtained are inferior to the best values observed with other catalysts, this work concurs to show that structurally simple pyridine N-oxides can also promote the allylation reaction with satisfactory stereocontrol.     

A new pyridine-2,6-bis(oxazoline) for efficient and flexible lanthanide-based catalysts of enantioselective reactions with 3-alkenoyl-2-oxazolidinones

A new pyridine-2,6-bis(oxazoline) (4) has been easily synthesised from the reaction of (1S,2S)-2-amino-1-phenylpropane-1,3-diol (1) and dimethyl pyridine-2,6-dicarboximidate (2), followed by TIPS (TIPS=triisopropylsilyl) protection of the 4'-CH2OH group. The catalysts derived from 4 and eight lanthanide(III) triflates have been tested over three reactions involving 3-acryloyl- and 3-crotonoyloxazolidinones (5 a,b): the Diels-Alder (DA) reaction with cyclopentadiene, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with diphenyl nitrone and the Mukaiyama-Michael reaction with 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran. Several reactions exhibit very good enantioselectivity (ee>90 %), and the opposite enantiomers can be easily obtained simply by changing the cation. This specific feature of the ligand can be appreciated in the DA reaction of 5 a, since the catalyst [Sc(III)4] gives the adduct (2'S)-9 a with 99 % ee, whereas the catalyst [Y(III)4] gives the opposite enantiomer with 95 % ee. A rationale of the enantioselectivity is proposed on the basis of the NMR spectra of La-based complexes involving 4 and 5 as ligands.     

Chiral bis(oxazoline)-copper complex catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction in ionic liquids: remarkable reactivity and selectivity enhancement, and efficient recycling of the catalyst

Ionic liquid was found to be an excellent medium for asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction catalyzed by chiral bis(oxazoline)-copper complex. The reactivity and selectivity of reactions were highly dependent upon the property of the ionic liquids. Reactions of β-substituted acryloyl dienophiles in [Bmim]SbF₆ at ambient temperature provided remarkably enhanced reactivity and stereoselectivity compared to homogeneous reactions in non-ionic liquid solvent at −78 °C. Due to the increased reactivity, the amount of metal catalyst could be reduced down to 0.6 mol % without any significant selectivity compromise. Additionally, recycling of the ligand-metal complex was achieved efficiently up to 18 times.     

A novel and efficient chiral palladium-phosphinooxazolidine catalyst for the enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction

An efficient ruthenium-catalyzed transfer dehydrogenation of amines to imines was acheived under mild conditions using 2,6-dimethoxy benzoquinone (2) or cat. 2/MnO2 as oxidant.     

A new copper acetate-bis(oxazoline)-catalyzed, enantioselective Henry reaction

A highly enantioselective, nitroaldol reaction catalyzed by a chiral Cu(II) bis(oxazoline) complex has been developed. The reaction scope includes both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes (15 examples) affording products in good yields and enantioselectivities (87-94% ee). An X-ray structure of the catalyst has been provided along with a rationalization of the sense of asymmetric induction.     

New chiral ruthenium(II) catalysts containing 2,6-bis(4'-(R)-phenyloxazolin-2'-yl)pyridine (Ph-pybox) ligands for highly enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Treatment of complex trans-[RuCl(2)(eta(2)-C(2)H(4))[kappa(3)-N,N,N-(R,R)-Ph-pybox]] [(R,R)-Ph-pybox = 2,6-bis[4'-(R)-phenyloxazolin-2'-yl]pyridine] with phosphines or phosphites in dichloromethane at 50 degrees C leads to the formation of novel ruthenium(II)-pybox complexes trans-[RuCl(2)(L)[kappa(3)-N,N,N-(R,R)-Ph-pybox]] [L = PPh(3) (1 a), PPh(2)Me (2 a), PPh(2)(C(3)H(5)) (3 a), PPh(2)(C(4)H(7)) (4 a), PMe(3) (5 a), PiPr(3) (6 a), P(OMe)(3) (7 a) and P(OPh)(3) (8 a)]. Likewise, reaction of trans-[RuCl(2)(eta(2)-C(2)H(4))[kappa(3)-N,N,N-(R,R)-Ph-pybox]] with PPh(3) or PiPr(3) in refluxing methanol leads to the complexes cis-[RuCl(2)(L)(kappa(3)-N,N,N-(R,R)-Ph-pybox] [L = PPh(3) (1 b), PiPr(3) (6 b)]. No trans-cis isomerisation of complexes 1 a-8 a has been observed. Complexes 1 a-8 a, 1 b, 6 b together with the analogous trans-[RuCl(2)[P(OMe)(3)][kappa(3)-N,N,N-(S,S)-iPr-pybox]] (10 a) and the previously reported trans- and cis-[RuCl(2)(PPh(3))[kappa(3)-N,N,N-(S,S)-iPr-pybox]] (9 a and 9 b, respectively) are active catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone in 2-propanol in the presence of NaOH (ketone/cat/NaOH 500:1:6). cis-Ph-pybox derivatives are the most active catalysts. In particular, cis complexes 1 b and 6 b led to almost quantitative conversions in less than 5 min with a high enantioselectivity (up to 95 %). A variety of aromatic ketones have also been reduced to the corresponding secondary alcohols with very high TOF and ee up to 94 %. The overall catalytic performance seems to be a subtle combination of the steric and/or electronic properties both the phosphines and the ketones. A high TOF (27 300 h(-1)) and excellent ee (94 %) have been found for the reduction of 3-bromoacetophenone with catalyst 6 b. Reductions of alkyl ketones also proceed with high and rapid conversions but low enantioselectivities are achieved.     

A reusable, insoluble polymer-bound bis(oxazoline) (IPB-box) for highly enantioselective heterogeneous cyclopropanation reactions

A reusable, insoluble polystyrene-supported bis(oxazoline) was developed, affording e.e.s > 90% in the heterogeneous enantioselective cyclopropanation of styrene and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes with ethyl diazoacetate.     

Chiral tris(oxazoline)/Cu(II) catalyzed coupling of terminal alkynes and nitrones

Novel chiral iPr-tris(oxazoline)/Cu(ClO4)2 x 6H2O catalyzed coupling of terminal acetylenes and nitrones to afford cis-disubstituted beta-lactams is described; the choice of base proves essential to both the diastereoselectivity and the enantioselectivity.     

Asymmetric Henry reaction catalyzed by oxazolinyl Cu(II) complexes

A novel family of oxazolinyl copper(II) catalysts have been developed and used as Lewis acid catalysts in the asymmetric Henry reaction of various aldehydes with nitromethane. The corresponding nitroalcohol products were obtained in moderate yields (40–80%) and with moderate enantioselectivity (10–40% ee).     

Optically active 1,2-bis(1-arylhydroxymethyl) ferrocene: a new, efficient chiral ligand for scandium-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction

[reaction: see text] The Sc(OTf)3/FERRODIOL (2) complex was prepared at -78 degrees C in CH2Cl2 in the presence of 2,6-lutidine and MS 4A. The chiral scandium Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene (3) with 3-acyloxazolidin-2-ones (4) effectively produced the adduct (5) in a high yield with good selectivity, i.e., endo/exo = 90:10 up to 91% ee (endo).     

3,3'-Br2-BINOL-Zn complex: a highly efficient catalyst for the enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reaction

[reaction: see text] A BINOLate-zinc complex prepared in situ from Et(2)Zn and 3,3'-dibromo-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (3,3'-Br(2)-BINOL) was found to be a highly efficient catalyst for the enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of Danishefsky's diene and aldehydes to give 2-substituted 2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-one in up to quantitative yield and 98% ee.     

Preparation of new bis(oxazoline) ligand bearing non-covalent interaction sites and an application in the highly asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction

New asymmetric bis(oxazoline) (Box) ligand bearing amide group at the oxazoline 4-position, (S,S)-2,2′-methylenebis(4-tert-butylcarbamoyl-2-oxazoline) (1S), was designed and synthesized for selective catalytic reaction. The crystal structure of the ternary copper complex, consisting of 1S and N-benzoyl-N-phenyl-hydroxylamine, demonstrated interligand interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and CH-π interaction. Catalytic performance of the copper complex with 1S was investigated for an asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction using benzylidene-2-acetylpyridine and 1,3-cyclohexadiene (CHD). The reaction product was enantio-pure endo-(pyridin-2-yl)(3-phenylbicyclo[2,2,2]oct-5-ene-2-yl)methanone (BPCD), of which crystal structure was analyzed by the X-ray method. No stereo- and enantio-isomer of BPCD was detected by chiral HPLC analysis. Introduction of hydrogen bonding site into 1S can promote the Diels-Alder reaction even though using poor reactive CHD. Without 1S, this reaction did not give any product. Addition of 2-propanol to this reaction system inhibited the formation of BPCD, indicating that the designed interligand interaction sites, especially hydrogen bonding, play an important role for catalytic performance.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction of dienes with alpha-(N,N-Diacylamino)acroleins

Catalytic and highly enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction of cyclic and acyclic dienes with alpha-phthalimidoacroleins provides cyclic alpha-quaternary alpha-amino acid precursors. The conformationally flexible chiral ammonium salt of H-L-Phe-L-Leu-N(CH(2)CH(2)) 2-reduced triamine with pentafluorobenzensulfonic acid is very effective as an asymmetric catalyst for the Diels-Alder reaction.     

Role of aurone ligands in microwave enhanced Mn (II) and Co (II) catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling reaction: An efficient ligand for the synthesis of quinoline,pyridine, and pyrrole

The role of new series of phosphine-free aurone ligands have been investigated in microwave-enhanced Mn (II) and Co (II) dehydrogenative coupling reactions. Various heterocyclic compounds such as Quinoline, pyridine, and pyrrole have been synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized ligands ( L1 – L4 ) with Mn(II) and Co (II) salt showed excellent catalytic activity and proved to be very effective for the dehydrogenative coupling reaction. This synthetic method involves the in-situ formation of a metal ligand complex that was analyzed by mass spectrometry. A broad range of substrates including aliphatic ketone, heterocycles, and sterically hindered Ketone coupling partners are well tolerated in the developed protocol.