The enantioselective high-pressure Diels-Alder reaction of 1-methoxybuta-1,3-diene with tert-butyldimethylsilyloxyacetaldehyde catalyzed by (salen)Co(II) and (salen)Cr(III)Cl complexes

The high-pressure (10-11 kbar) reaction of 1-methoxybuta-1,3-diene (1) with tert-butyldimethylsilyloxyacetaldehyde (2), catalyzed by the chiral (salen)Co(II) 4 or (salen)Cr(III)Cl 5 complexes, has been studied. We found that the reaction afforded, in good yield (up to 90%) and both with very good diastereoselectivity (up to 92%) and enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee), the [4 + 2]cycloadducts 3, which are compounds of significant synthetic interest.     

A consecutive one-pot two-step approach to novel trifluoromethyl-substituted bis(indolyl)methane derivatives promoted by Sc(OTf)3 and p-TSA

A one-pot two-step reaction of 3-(trifluoroacetyl)coumarin and indole afforded trifluoromethyl-substituted bis(indolyl)methane compounds containing coumarin skeleton. The atomic economic and simply manipulative reaction involved premier treatment of reaction mixtures with Sc(OTf)₃, followed by p-TSA in one-pot process. The reaction proceeded to give the title compounds in high yields (up to 95% yield).     

Diastereoselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction of (N-alkyl) isatins with 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)furan by using lanthanum triflate

An efficient vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction (VMAR) of 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)furan with various (N-alkyl)isatins is described in the presence of lanthanum(III) triflates (5 mol %). The reaction proceeds rapidly and affords the corresponding 3-hydroxy-(5-oxo-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-yl)indolin-2-one in high yields with good diastereoselectivities (threo:erythro ratio up to ≤95:5).     

Cu(I)-catalyzed asymmetric oxidative cross-coupling of 2-naphthol derivatives

The asymmetric oxidative coupling reaction between 2-naphthol or binaphthol derivatives and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoate derivatives with the copper(I)-(S)-(−)-isopropylidenebis(4-phenyl-2-oxazoline) catalyst was carried out. The reaction proceeded in a highly cross-coupling selective manner (≤99.7%) to produce the binaphthyl or quaternaphthyl derivative in good yield (≤92%) with enantioselectivity of up to 74%.     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of ketones to nitroolefins catalyzed by (S)-pyrrolidine arenesulfonamide

A new type of catalyst for the asymmetric Michael addition reaction has been designed and synthesized. This catalyst, (S)-pyrrolidine arenesulfonamide 1, resulted in high yields (up to 93%), excellent diastereoselectivities (syn/anti ratio up to 99/1), and excellent enantioselectivities (ee up to 99%) for various cyclic ketones and nitroolefins.     

Platinum(II) complex-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reaction with ketene silyl acetals in DMF at room temperature

[{(R)-binap}Pt(μ-OH)]₂2X is a weak Lewis acid, which can catalyze the enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with ketene silyl acetals in DMF at room temperature. The platinum(II) complex-catalyzed the enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-methoxy-2-methyl-(1-trimethylsilyloxy)propene gave the corresponding aldols in high yields with enantioselectivity up to 92%. With 5 mol % loading of the complexes, the enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with 1-benzyloxy-1-(trimethylsilyloxy)propene smoothly proceeded in DMF containing 10% HMPA as to predominantly give anti-propionates with enantioselectivity up to 89%, irrespective of the silyl nucleophile geometry.     

Asymmetric syntheses of diarylheptanoid natural products (−)-centrolobine and (−)-de-O-methylcentrolobine via hetero-Diels-Alder reaction catalyzed by dirhodium(II) tetrakis[(R)-3-(benzene-fused-phthalimido)-2-piperidinonate]

Catalytic asymmetric syntheses of (−)-centrolobine and (−)-de-O-methylcentrolobine have been achieved, incorporating a hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) reaction between 4-aryl-2-silyloxy-1,3-butadienes and phenylpropargyl aldehyde derivatives as a key step. The HDA reaction using dirhodium(II) tetrakis[(R)-3-(benzene-fused-phthalimido)-2-piperidinonate], Rh₂(R-BPTPI)₄, as a chiral Lewis acid catalyst provides exclusively cis-2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran-4-ones in up to 93% ee.     

Triphenylphosphine as an effective catalyst for ketoximes addition to acylacetylenes: regio- and stereospecific synthesis of (E)-(O)-2-(acyl)vinylketoximes

Triphenylphosphine catalyzes the regio- and stereospecific addition of ketoximes to acylacetylenes, whereas classical conditions using acetylene (KOH/DMSO, 70 °C) are unsuitable for this purpose. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions (CH₂Cl₂, rt, 7 h) to afford (E)-(O)-2-(acyl)vinylketoximes (92-98% stereoselectivity) in a yield of up to 85%. The (E)-adducts obtained are energetically less favorable than the corresponding (Z)-isomers and are gradually enriched with (Z)-isomers, thus indicating the kinetic control of (E)-stereoselectivity of the reaction.     

Oxidation of (E,E,Z)-1,5,9-cyclododecatriene catalysed by palladium(II) acetate in the presence of copper(II) acetate and air: A kinetic study

The oxidation of (E,E,Z)-1,5,9-cyclododecatriene catalysed by Pd(OAc)₂/Cu(OAc)₂ was studied in methyl alcohol solutions at 2.5 MPa air pressure and temperature range of 358 to 383 K. The selectivity of ketones and ethers at conversion of cyclododecatriene up to 32.7% ranged within 87.5–96.0%. The reaction network and kinetic equations proposed suggested a significant inhibition effect of the ketones and ethers and gave the best agreement with the experimental data.     

Enzyme-catalysed improved resolution of (RS)-4-cyano-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-isopropyl-1-butanol

Resolutions of (RS)-4-cyano-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-isopropyl-1-butanol 1 using various enzymes were performed. Among them, Pseudomonas fluorescens resolved it with moderate stereoselectivity (E=13) and reacted faster with the (S)-enantiomer. To optimize enzyme-catalysed reaction conditions for the resolution, the effect of solvents and additives was studied. In n-hexane:ethyl acetate (9:1), both reaction rate and selectivity were high. When pyridine, potassium carbonate and molecular sieves were used as additives, the enantiomeric excess of the (R)-enantiomer was 99, 99 and 98% at 52–60% conversion, respectively. However, in diisopropyl ether, the enantiomeric excess of unreacted alcohol (R)-1 was up to 99% at 70% conversion without additives.     

Diastereo- and enantioselective aldol reaction of granatanone (pseudopelletierine)

Granatanone (granatan-3-one, 9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-3-one, pseudopelletierine or pseudopelletrierin) undergoes deprotonation with lithium amides giving a lithium enolate, which reacts with aldehydes diastereoselectively giving exclusively exo isomers and anti/syn selectivity up to 98:2. Granatanone can be enantioselectively lithiated by chiral lithium amides and the resulting non-racemic enolate can be reacted with aldehydes giving aldols with enantiomeric excess up to 93% (99% ee after recrystallization). The absolute and relative configuration of the aldol products was determined by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis.Granatanone; aldol reaction; asymmetric synthesis; enantioselective deprotonation; chiral lithium amide.     

Enantioselective diethylzinc addition to aldehydes catalyzed by Ti(IV) complex of unsymmetrical chiral bis(sulfonamide) ligands of trans-cyclohexane 1,2-diamine

Titanium(IV) complexes of bidentate trans-cyclohexane 1,2-diamine-based unsymmetrical chiral bis(sulfonamide) ligands were evaluated as catalysts for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. The reaction provided secondary alcohols in quantitative yields and very good enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee).     

Selective synthesis of (E)-triethyl(2-arylethenyl)silane derivatives by reaction of aryl bromides with triethyl vinylsilane catalysed by a palladium-tetraphosphine complex

Cis, cis, cis-1,2,3,4-tetrakis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)cyclopentane / 0.5 [PdCl(C₃H₅)]₂ system catalyses the Heck reaction of vinylsilane derivatives with a range of aryl bromides with high ratio substrate/catalyst in good yields. The formation of mixtures of styrene, (E)-triethyl(2-arylethenyl)silane and triethyl(1-arylethenyl)silane derivatives was observed in some cases. Very high selectivities (up to 100%) in favour of the formation of (E)-triethyl(2-arylethenyl)silane derivatives were obtained in the presence of sodium acetate as base. With other bases such as potassium carbonate, the formation of large amounts of styrene derivatives was observed. The reaction tolerates several functions such as fluoro, trifluoromethyl, methoxy, dimethylamino, acetyl, formyl, benzoyl, carboxylate, nitro or nitrile. Moreover, turnover numbers up to 10,000 can be obtained for this reaction.     

Desymmetrization of meso-methylenecyclopropanes by a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening bis(alkoxycarbonylation) reaction

Desymmetrization of various meso-methylenecyclopropanes was accomplished by a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening bis(alkoxycarbonylation) reaction employing a chiral bioxazoline ligand. The reaction proceeded smoothly in the presence of copper(I) triflate under carbon monoxide and oxygen at ambient pressure to give the corresponding optically active α-methyleneglutarates with up to 60% ee. Desymmetrization of protected meso-(3-methylenecyclopropane-1,2-diyl)dimethanols was also carried out to give enantioenriched highly oxygen-functionalized α-methyleneglutarates.     

Enantioselective aza-Diels-Alder reaction of Brassard’s diene with aldimines catalyzed by chiral N,N′-dioxide-Yb(OTf)3 complex

The chiral N,N′-dioxide-Yb(OTf)₃ complex-catalyzed enantioselective aza-Diels-Alder reaction of Brassard’s diene with aldimines has been developed, giving the corresponding α,β-unsaturated δ-lactam derivatives in moderate yields with good enantioselectivities (up to 81% ee and up to 99% ee by single recrystallization) under mild conditions. Isolation of the reaction intermediate indicates that this asymmetric aza-Diels-Alder reaction proceeds through a stepwise Mannich-type pathway.     

Chiral bis(amino alcohol)oxalamides as ligands for asymmetric catalysis. Ti(IV) catalyzed enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

Several chiral bis(aminoalcohol)oxalamides with C₂-symmetry have been prepared and used as ligands for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. The reaction proceeds in the presence of titanium isopropoxide to give the corresponding (S)-alcohols with ee up to 78%. In the absence of Ti(IV), the alcohols with the opposite configuration are obtained.     

Highly enantioselective aldol reaction of acetaldehyde and isatins only with 4-hydroxydiarylprolinol as catalyst: concise stereoselective synthesis of (R)-convolutamydines B and E, (−)-donaxaridine and (R)-chimonamidine

A highly enantioselective aldol reaction of acetaldehyde and a wide scope of isatins has been presented only using readily available 4-hydroxydiarylprolinol as catalyst, affording various desired 3-substituted 3-hydroxyindolin-2-one adducts with moderate to high yield (up to 95%) and good enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). This method not only represents an example of concise stereoselective synthesis of enantiopure (R)-convolutamydines B and E, but also firstly exhibits expedient asymmetric synthesis optically active (−)-donaxaridine and (R)-chimonamidine.     

Highly selective oxidative cross-coupling of 2-naphthol derivatives with chiral copper(I)-bisoxazoline catalysts

The asymmetric oxidative coupling reaction of 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoate and 2-naphthol derivatives with the CuCl-(S)-(−)-2,2′-isopropylidenebis(4-phenyl-2-oxazoline) catalyst under an O₂ atmosphere was carried out. The reaction proceeded in a highly cross-coupling selective manner (?99.7%) with a moderate enantioselectivity of up to 65%.     

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.     

Highly enantioselective (OC)Ru(salen)-catalyzed sulfimidation using N-alkoxycarbonyl azide as nitrene precursor

Enantioselective imidation of alkyl aryl sulfides with N-alkoxycarbonyl azide as a nitrene precursor was effected by using (OC)Ru(salen) complex 1 as catalyst. The steric and electronic nature of the N-alkoxycarbonyl group was found to strongly affect the enantioselectivity and the reaction rate, and high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) and good chemical yields were achieved by using 2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-dimethylethoxycarbonyl azide as the nitrene precursor at room temperature.