Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition with Grignard reagents and SimplePhos ligands

Herein we report the copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to cyclic and acyclic enones, with SimplePhos as chiral ligands. A variety of Grignard reagents can be added to a range of cyclic and acyclic enones, with moderate to good enantioselectivities (ee’s up to 86%).     

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of grignard reagents to acyclic enones

A highly enantioselective Cu-catalyzed addition of Grignard reagents to acyclic aliphatic enones is described. In the presence of 5 mol % of CuBr.SMe2 and 6 mol % of JosiPhos diphosphine aliphatic enones react with Grignard reagents to provide beta-substituted linear ketones with high yields, regio-, and enantioselectivities.     

Cyclic vinylogous triflate hemiacetals as new surrogates for alkynyl aldehydes

Cyclic vinylogous triflate hemiacetals can serve as ‘synthetic equivalents’ for alkynyl aldehydes: treatment of a vinylogous triflate hemiacetal with excess amounts of Grignard reagents produces acyclic alkynyl alcohols in good to high yields. This transformation likely involves the Grob-type C-C bond cleaving fragmentation to form the alkynyl aldehyde in situ. Subsequent nucleophilic attack of the Grignard reagent furnishes secondary alkynols. Vinylogous triflate hemiacetals are easily prepared by DIBALH reduction of vinylogous acyl triflates, which are derived from cyclic 1,3-diketones.     

An unprecedented iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of primary and secondary alkyl Grignard reagents with non-activated aryl chlorides

The use of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in the iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkyl Grignards has allowed, for the first time, coupling of non-activated, electron rich aryl chlorides. Surprisingly, the tetrahydrate of FeCl₂ was found to be a better pre-catalyst than anhydrous FeCl₂. Primary Grignard reagents coupled in excellent yields while secondary Grignard reagents coupled in modest yields. The use of acyclic secondary Grignard reagents resulted in the formation of isomers in addition to the desired product. These isomeric products were formed via reversible β-hydrogen elimination, indicating that the cross-coupling proceeds through an ionic pathway.     

A new method for the synthesis of chiral beta-branched alpha-amino acids

A new method for the synthesis of chiral beta-branched alpha-amino acids based on a copper-mediated directed allylic substitution reaction with Grignard reagents is reported. This is the first case in which a delta-stereogenic center is controlling the diastereoselectivity of an o-DPPB-directed allylic substitution. Depending on the alkene geometry of the starting material either diastereomer, anti or syn, is accessible with good levels of acyclic stereocontrol.     

Hydroxy alkenenitriles: diastereoselective conjugate addition-alkylations

Chelation-controlled conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to cyclic and acyclic gamma-hydroxyalkenenitriles stereoselectively generates beta-substituted hydroxynitriles. t-BuMgCl-induced deprotonation of gamma-hydroxyalkenenitriles followed by chloride-alkyl exchange from a second Grignard reagent, generates an alkylmagnesium alkoxide that triggers conjugate addition. Alkylation of the resulting magnesiated nitrile with alkyl halide and carbonyl electrophiles efficiently installs two new bonds and up to three stereocenters in a single synthetic operation.     

Double addition of grignard reagents to N-glycosyl nitrones: a new tool for the construction of enantiopure azaheterocycles

[Reaction: see text] C-Phenyl-N-erythrosylnitrone 3 behaves as a C1,C1' bis-electrophile, undergoing a double addition of Grignard reagents in a domino fashion to afford acyclic hydroxylamines 4. The reaction proceeds at 0 degrees C with variable degrees of diastereoselectivity, from moderate to good, mainly depending on the organomagnesium reagent used. The usefulness of compounds 4 has been exemplified with the synthesis of pyrroloazepine 12 through a ring closing metathesis key step.     

Copper(I) thiolate catalysts in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions

[structure: see text] Full conversion and enantioselectivities up to 83% have been obtained in the conjugate addition reactions of diethyl zinc to Michael acceptors catalyzed by well-defined (chiral) copper(I) aminoarenethiolates. Interesting differences between organozinc or Grignard reagents have been found: for cyclic enones R(2)Zn reagents afford better results, whereas earlier work showed that RMgX reagents react more selectively with acyclic enones.     

Novel Mg-organic reagents in organic synthesis. Cp2TiCl2 catalyzed intermolecular cyclomagnesiation of cyclic and acyclic 1,2-dienes using Grignard reagents

High-yield (>80%) catalytic intermolecular cyclomagnesiation of cyclic and acyclic allenes with the aid of Grignard reagents has been realized in the presence of Cp₂TiCl₂. The synthesized unsaturated bi- and tricyclic organomagnesium compounds (OMC) have been successfully converted in situ into thiophenes, unsaturated ketones, cyclic and acyclic hydrocarbons with high regio- and stereoselectivity.     

Reinvestigation of the grignard reactions with formic acid. A convenient method for preparation of aldehydes

Grignard reagents react with formic acid in tetrahydrofuran to produce aldehydes in relatively good yields Various aldehydes such as alkyl, aryl, allyl, benzyl and vinyl aldehydes were prepared from the corresponding Grignard reagents. The reaction with vinyl Grignard reagents proceeded with retention of configuration.     

Gamma-hydroxy-alpha,beta-alkenenitriles: chelation-controlled conjugate additions

Temporarily anchoring Grignard and organolithium reagents to gamma-hydroxy-alpha,beta-alkenenitriles promotes efficient conjugate additions to what are otherwise recalcitrant Michael acceptors. Sequential deprotonation and addition of a modest excess of a second Grignard reagent allows effective conjugate delivery of alkyl groups to cyclic and acyclic alkenenitriles. Mechanistically, conjugate additions proceed through alkylmagnesium alkoxide complexes for all but the more substituted alkenenitriles that require alkyl transfers from the more reactive ate complexes. Synthetically, chelation-controlled conjugate additions rapidly, and stereoselectively, assemble substituted nitriles, installing up to two new stereocenters in a single synthetic operation.     

Synthesis and transformations of metallacycles 41. Cyclomagnesiation of O-containing 1,2-dienes with Grignard reagents in the presence of Cp2TiCl2

A Cp₂TiCl₂-catalyzed intermolecular homocyclomagnesiation of O-containing 1,2-dienes and cross-cyclomagnesiation of O-containing 1,2-dienes with aliphatic 1,2-dienes of cyclic and acyclic structure have been accomplished using Grignard reagents, which led to mono- and bicyclic organomagnesium compounds in 61–94% yields.     

Reaction of octafluorocyclopentene with various carbon nucleophiles

The treatment of octafluorocyclopentene with organolithium reagents gave the corresponding symmetrical disubstituted perfluorocyclopentenes in good to high yields. The reaction with Grignard reagents led to the monosubstituted perfluorocyclopentenes, which were subjected to the further nucleophilic substitution reaction using another Grignard or aryllithium reagents, unsymmetrical disubstituted perfluorocyclopentenes being obtained in high yields.     

Added-metal-free catalytic nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents to ketones

On the basis of the investigation of the combinational effect of quaternary ammonium salts and organic bases, an added-metal-free catalytic system for nucleophilic addition reactions of a variety of Grignard reagents to diverse ketones in THF solvent has been developed to produce tertiary alcohols in good to excellent yields. By using tetrabutylammonium chloride (NBu(4)Cl) as a catalyst and diglyme (DGDE) as an additive, this system strongly enhances the efficiency of addition at the expense of enolization and reduction. NBu(4)Cl should help to shift the Schlenk equilibrium of Grignard reagents to the side of dimeric Grignard reagents to favor the additions of Grignard reagents to ketones via a favored six-membered transition state to form the desired tertiary alcohols, and DGDE should increase the nucleophilic reactivities of Grignard reagents by coordination. This catalytic system has been applied in the efficient synthesis of Citalopram, an effective U.S. FDA-approved antidepressant, and a recyclable version of this catalytic synthesis has also been devised.     

Highly versatile enantioselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters

Herein, we report efficient catalysts for the asymmetric copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters. MeMgBr adds to aromatic alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters with excellent enantioselectivities and moderate to good yields using Josiphos/CuBr and Tol-BINAP/CuI complexes. The use of bulky Grignard reagents leads to unprecedented enantioselectivities in the 1,4-addition to a broad range of aromatic and aliphatic alpha,beta-unsaturated thioesters using Tol-BINAP/CuI. The highest enantioselectivities reported so far for the addition of Grignard reagents to crowded beta-substituted aliphatic substrates are achieved with Tol-BINAP/CuI.     

CuCl-catalyzed stereoselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to 2,3-allenoates

CuCl was found to be an efficient catalyst for the conjugate addition of 2,3-allenoates with Grignard reagents to synthesize poly-substituted β,γ-unsaturated alkenoates with high stereoselectivity in good to excellent yields. Primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl, vinyl or phenyl Grignard reagents may all be used.     

Sequential One‐Pot Addition of Excess Aryl‐Grignard Reagents and Electrophiles to O‐Alkyl Thioformates

The sequential addition of aromatic Grignard reagents to O‐alkyl thioformates proceeded to completion within 30 s to give aryl benzylic sulfanes in good yields. This reaction may begin with the nucleophilic attack of the Grignard reagent onto the carbon atom of the O‐alkyl thioformates, followed by the elimination of ROMgBr to generate aromatic thioaldehydes, which then react with a second molecule of the Grignard reagent at the sulfur atom to form arylsulfanyl benzylic Grignard reagents. To confirm the generation of aromatic thioaldehydes, the reaction between O‐alkyl thioformates and phenyl Grignard reagent was carried out in the presence of cyclopentadiene. As a result, hetero‐Diels–Alder adducts of the thioaldehyde and the diene were formed. The treatment of a mixture of the thioformate and phenyl Grignard reagent with iodine gave 1,2‐bis(phenylsulfanyl)‐1,2‐diphenyl ethane as a product, which indicated the formation of arylsulfanyl benzylic Grignard reagents in the reaction mixture. When electrophiles were added to the Grignard reagents that were generated in situ, four‐component coupling products, that is, O‐alkyl thioformates, two molecules of Grignard reagents, and electrophiles, were obtained in moderate‐to‐good yields. The use of silyl chloride or allylic bromides gave the adducts within 5 min, whereas the reaction with benzylic halides required more than 30 min. The addition to carbonyl compounds was complete within 1 min and the use of lithium bromide as an additive enhanced the yields of the four‐component coupling products. Finally, oxiranes and imines also participated in the coupling reaction.     

Novel cross-coupling reactions between organotellurides and Grignard reagents employing a MnCl2/CuI catalytic system

We present a general protocol for the cross-coupling reaction of Grignard reagents and organic tellurides. Aryl Grignard reagents react stereospecifically with vinyl tellurides in the presence of a catalytic amount of manganese (II) chloride and copper (I) iodide to produce good yields of the corresponding cross-coupling products.     

Noncryogenic I/Br-Mg exchange of aromatic halides bearing sensitive functional groups using i-PrMgCl-bis[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl] ether complexes

[reaction: see text] Iodo- and bromoaromatics bearing sensitive carboxylic ester and cyano groups underwent a selective halide-magnesium exchange with isopropylmagnesium chloride at ambient temperature in the presence of bis[2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl] ether to afford the corresponding Grignard reagents. The newly formed reactive Grignard reagents were allowed to react with electrophiles such as trimethylborate to afford arylboronic acids in good to excellent yields.     

手性助剂控制的不对称Michael加成立体选择性研究

手性助剂控制的不对称反应是不对称合成的主要方法之一.采用不同空间位阻Evans手性助剂对呋喃基丙烯酸进行立体选择性控制,通过不同空间位阻的格氏试剂对Michael受体1进行不对称1,4-Michael加成反应研究,合成了一系列新的Michael加成产物2a～2h.研究结果表明手性助剂及格氏试剂的空间位阻是影响反应立体选择性的主要因素.当手性助剂及格氏试剂的取代基为芳基时,产物的de值都大于95%,而取代基为烷基、苄基及脂环基时,产物的de值则低于70%.