Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reaction under solvent-free conditions

An efficient, solvent-free protocol for the asymmetric aldol reaction between aldehydes and ketones using prolinamides 1–4 as organocatalysts is reported. Catalysts 2–4, in the presence of TFA (the ratio of catalyst and TFA = 1/1.5), proved to be excellent catalysts, giving the aldol products between aromatic aldehydes and ketones with nearly perfect diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >99:1 dr and >99% ee). This catalytic system can also be applied in the cross-aldol reaction of isatin with ketones and the Michael reaction between cyclohexane and nitroalkenes. A mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of the major enantiomer in this reaction.     

l-Proline amides catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions of aldehydes with methylthioacetone and fluoroacetone

Direct aldol reactions of aldehydes with methylthio- and fluoroacetone catalyzed by proline amides have been investigated. l-Prolinamide 5e was found to be the best catalyst. Under the optimized reaction conditions, a series of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes reacted smoothly with methylthioacetone, to generate 1-methylthio-4-hydroxyketones 3 in good yields and with high regio- and enantioselectivities. Excellent enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee were observed for aromatic aldehydes and even higher enantioselectivities of >99% ee were observed for aliphatic aldehydes. Asymmetric direct aldol reactions of fluoroacetone with aldehydes in the presence of 20 mol % of 5e preferentially occurred at the fluoromethyl group, yielding products with high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).     

Highly chemo- and enantioselective vinylogous aldol/cyclization cascade reaction to construct chiral 5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones

An organocatalytic chemo- and enantioselective vinylogous aldol/cyclization cascade reaction between β,γ-unsaturated amides and β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters was developed. With 5?mol% of chiral tertiary amine-thiourea catalyst C3, highly functionalized 5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones with a quaternary stereocenter were constructed in a straightforward manner with high yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).     

A stereoselective aldol reaction via diisopinocampheyl boron-enolate in preparation of chromane carboxylate with quaternary carbon

A highly stereoselective aldol reaction was observed on chromane carboxylate ester 1 via the corresponding diisopinocampheyl boron-enolate using commercially available (−)-DIP-Cl reagent. The aldol product 2c was obtained in 89% yield with 48 dr and 92% ee. Further studies indicate that stereoselective formation of the enolate and proper chiral ligand on boron are responsible for the exceptional diastereo- and enantioselectivity in the aldol reaction.     

The cooperative effect of a hydroxyl and carboxyl group on the catalytic ability of novel β-homoproline derivatives on direct asymmetric aldol reactions

Novel β-homoproline derivatives, 2-hydroxy-2-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)acetic acids (R,S)- and (S,S)-1a-d, were synthesized. All of the prepared compounds were used as organocatalysts in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with several ketones. Among these catalysts, (R)-2-hydroxy-2-((S)-pyrrolidin-2-yl)acetic acid (R,S)-1a showed good catalytic ability in the formation of aldol product 13 (up to 69% ee, 95% yield), which was similar to the results catalyzed by l-proline (71% ee, 96% yield). Relatively low yields and low enantioselectivities were observed in aldol reactions catalyzed by (S,S)-1a, for example, 13 was obtained in 55% yield and 13% ee. The aldol reaction catalyzed by the methyl-protected carboxylic acid 1b and esters 1c,d produced much lower chemical yields and enantioselectivities during the formation of 13. The cooperative effect of the (R)-configured hydroxyl group and the carboxyl group was found to play an important role in inducing enantioselectivity in the aldol reaction. Relatively high diastereoselectivities (anti:syn = 85:15) and enantioselectivity (anti, 83% ee) were observed in the aldol reactions of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with cyclohexanone, which was catalyzed by (R,S)-1a.     

Simple amphiphilic isosteviol–proline conjugates as chiral catalysts for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction in the presence of water

Two novel amphiphilic catalysts 3 and 4 were synthesized by the condensation of isosteviol with l-proline in a one-pot process. With only 1 mol % loading, the catalyst 3 showed excellent activity (up to >99% yield) and stereoselectivity (up to 99:1 dr, >99% ee) for the direct aldol reaction of cyclohexanone and substituted benzaldehydes at room temperature in the presence of water. In addition, solvent effects, catalyst loading, substrate scope, temperature, and the influence of water on the reactions were investigated. These results demonstrate that the catalysts with a chiral concave and hydrophobic substituent in the 4-position of l-proline furnished high activity and stereoselectivity for the reaction.     

Thiazolidine-based organocatalysts for a highly enantioselective direct aldol reaction

A set of enantiopure thiazolidine-based organocatalysts have been synthesized from l-cysteine, in a straightforward manner allowing numerous structural variations. In particular, organocatalyst 3a exhibits the highest catalytic performance working in an aqueous medium. It catalyzed the direct catalytic asymmetric intermolecular aldol reaction between unmodified ketones and an aldehyde with excellent stereocontrol and furnished the corresponding aldol products in up to 99% ee. Compound 3a also showed excellent asymmetric catalytic activity in the asymmetric Michael reaction (up to 99% ee).     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction co-catalyzed by l-proline and isothiouronium salts

An efficient, simple, and highly selective protocol for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction between cyclohexanone and aromatic aldehydes using l-proline as a chiral catalyst is reported. Catalytic amounts of achiral isothiouronium iodide salt 1d have been used for the first time as a co-catalyst for this reaction, which proved to be an excellent catalyst, producing good to excellent yields (up to 93%) with good stereoselectivities (up to 93:7 dr and 99% ee). These aldols are formed under solvent-free catalytic system, inside a standard laboratory refrigerator, and without stirring.     

Inherently chiral calix[4]arene-based bifunctional organocatalysts for enantioselective aldol reactions

Two optical pure m-dimethylamino substituted inherently chiral calix[4]arene derivatives 8a and 8b bearing an l-prolinamido group have been synthesized by two routes, and structurally studied by the usual spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallographic analysis. It was found that both of 8a and 8b could be utilized as bifunctional organocatalysts to efficiently promote the aldol reactions between aromatic aldehydes and ketones in the presence of acetic acid. Especially, with 8a as the catalyst, the reaction between 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and cyclopentanone at −20 °C gave the anti-aldol product up to 94% ee, while the anti-aldol product in up to 94:6 dr and 79% ee was obtained when 4-cyanobenzaldehyde was used as the aldol donor. Moreover, it was also demonstrated that the inherently chiral calixarene skeleton with (cS)-conformation in 8a was identified as the matched configuration of the stereogenic elements, and the inherently chiral moiety might play an important role in helping to stereocontrol the reaction.     

Linear polystyrene anchored l-proline,new recyclable organocatalysts for the aldol reaction in the presence of water

Two l-proline-based linear polystyrene anchored catalysts 1a and 1b have been synthesized efficiently. The catalytic activities and stereoselectivity of these readily tunable and amphiphilic organocatalysts were evaluated in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of various aromatic aldehydes and ketones. By using 5 mol % of the catalysts, the corresponding products of the aldol reaction were obtained in good yields (up to 94%) and with excellent anti diastereoselectivities (up to 96:4) and enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) in DMF in the presence of water. The yields of these reactions in a ketone/water mixture were lower than those in wet DMF (up to 76%). However, the stereoselectivity was comparable (up to 93:7 anti/syn ratio and 95% ee, respectively). In addition, catalysts 1a and 1b could be recovered by a simple precipitation and filtration process. They could also be re-used for at least five times without obvious loss of catalytic efficiency.     

L-Proline catalyzed aldol reactions between acetone and aldehydes in supercritical fluids: An environmentally friendly reaction procedure

The direct asymmetric aldol reaction between various aldehydes and acetone catalyzed by l-proline catalyst was successfully carried out in supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a) fluids. The enantioselectivity of 84% ee to the targeted product was achieved under 20 MPa, 40 °C, and 15 mol% of the catalyst in supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) fluid. The effects of reaction parameters, such as temperature, pressure, catalyst loading and different substituted aldehydes on both enantioselectivity and aldol yield were discussed. The titled reaction was also performed in 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, and the obtained results were compared with those in scCO₂. This new reaction procedure provides an environmental asymmetric aldol reaction system as compared with that in organic solvents.     

New chiral bis(diphenylphospholane) ligands: design, synthesis, and application to catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction to ketones

New chiral bidentate diphenylphospholanes were designed targeting a catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction to ketones. Ligands 5l and 5m having cis-2-butenyl and cyclopropyl groups at the linker part, respectively, were identified as effective chiral ligands for a CuF-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction to ketones. Catalysts prepared from CuF·3PPh₃·2EtOH and these ligands produced ketone aldol products with up to 66% ee, which is promising particularly for this extremely difficult and important catalytic enantioselective carbon-carbon bond forming reaction. The enantioselectivity was strongly dependent on the linker structure. Construction of a deep chiral pocket around the copper metal with stable bidentate chelation is the key to meaningful enantioinduction.     

d-Mannitol-derived novel chiral thioureas: Synthesis and application in asymmetric Henry reactions

Five novel thioureas have been obtained through multi-step reactions from d-Mannitol as starting material and applied as catalysts in the asymmetric Henry reaction. Using catalyst 7a, (1S,2R)-2-nitro-1-phenylpropan-1-ol containing two chiral centers was obtained in high yield and with high selectivity (up to 95% yield, 87% ee, 91:9 dr). This catalyst also retained activity in the presence of water, affording a up to 93% yield, 88% ee, and 94:6 dr.     

Solvent-free asymmetric aldol reaction organocatalyzed by (S)-proline-containing thiodipeptides under ball-milling conditions

An efficient, solvent-free ball-milling protocol for the asymmetric aldol reaction between cyclohexanone and cyclopentanone with various aromatic aldehydes using a novel series of (S)-proline-containing dipeptides and thiodipeptides 1a–f as organocatalysts is reported. In general, (S)-proline-containing thiodipeptides proved to be better organocatalysts relative to their analogous amides. In particular, thiodipeptide (S,S)-1d catalyzed the stereoselective formation of the expected aldol products with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity (up to 98:2 anti/syn dr and up to 96% ee). This observation may be ascribed to the increased N–H acidity of the thioamide segment that leads to stronger H-bonding interaction with the aldehyde carbonyl at the transition state and thus higher stereoinduction. Furthermore, thiodipeptide 1f proved to be an efficient organocatalyst for the aldol reaction of acetone with isatin and isatin derivatives (ee 56–86%).     

New N-terminal prolyl-dipeptide derivatives as organocatalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reaction

A series of new N-terminal prolyl-dipeptide derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated as organocatalysts for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with electron-deficient aromatic aldehydes. At room temperature, the presence of 10 mol % of catalysts 2 and 5 efficiently catalyzes the direct asymmetric aldol reaction to give the aldol adducts with modest to excellent enantiomeric excesses (ee) values, which are up to 96%.     

C2对称性有机小分子催化的高对映选择性Aldol反应

以环己酮与4-硝基苯甲醛直接不对称Aldol缩合为模型反应, 对一系列具有C2对称性的有机小分子催化剂进行了考察, 其中(2S,5S)-吡咯烷-2,5-二羧酸的不对称催化效果最好. 在10 ℃下, 以DMSO为溶剂, 30%摩尔分数催化剂用量, 研究了多个取代芳香醛和环己酮的不对称催化Aldol反应, 对映选择性为87%～99% ee.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction of hydroxyacetone promoted by chiral tertiary amines

The tertiary amine-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of hydroxyacetone with a variety of aromatic aldehydes is developed. Using 5-10 mol % of quinidine as catalyst, the direct aldol condensation products were obtained in reasonable yields and with asymmetric induction (up to 47% ee). The present approach is extended to asymmetric organocatalytic strategies for the preparation of 1,2-diols.     

Biomimetic asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by proline derivatives attached to β-cyclodextrin in water

Two proline derivatives, (S)-2-aminomethylpyrrolidine and (R)-2-aminomethylpyrrolidine modified β-CD (CD-1, CD-2) were synthesized in the yields of 31% and 14%. Their self-inclusion conformations were characterized by ¹H ROESY NMR studies and quantum calculation. When CD-1 was applied to asymmetric aldol reactions, up to 94% ee was obtained. Substrate selectivity was also observed in these asymmetric aldol reactions.     

Construction of anti-1,2-diols bearing chiral tertiary alcohol moiety using free hydroxyacetone as aldol donor by imidazole-based prolineamide catalyst

A direct aldol reaction of free hydroxyacetone and activated ketone has been firstly achieved with a newly developed imidazole-based prolineamide catalyst. The adducts anti-1,2-diols bearing a chiral tertiary alcohol moiety were obtained in high yield (up to 92%) and stereoselectivity (up to 15:1 dr and 90% ee).     

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by l-proline-2,4,6-trinitroanilide

Direct aldol reactions of several aromatic aldehydes with ketones using l-proline-2,4,6-trinitroanilide catalyst 2d were conducted. Under optimized conditions, high enantioselectivity (99% ee), regioselectivity (up to 95:5), and diastereoselectivity (up to 98:2) were achieved.