Nonradical zinc-Barbier reaction for diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols

A new protocol for the synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols is described. The method employs a Barbier-type reaction between an imine and 3-benzoyloxyallyl bromide in the presence of zinc metal. The addition products are debenzoylated to afford amino alcohols in good yields and with diastereomeric ratios greater than 85:15 in favor of the anti isomer. A Hammett study has been performed which strongly indicates that the allylation does not follow a radical mechanism, but instead an organometallic reagent is formed which subsequently reacts with the imine. A computational study based on this mechanism reproduces the observed diastereoselectivity with high accuracy, but only when a sufficiently large portion of the substrate is included.     

Palladium-catalyzed vicinal difunctionalization of internal alkenes: diastereoselective synthesis of diamines

Internal affairs: the first general palladium-catalyzed intermolecular diamination of internal alkenes employs different nitrogen sources, which add to the alkene in a regio- and diastereoselective fashion. The resulting diamination products can be converted directly into a known ligand motif.     

Highly diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal quaternary and tertiary stereocenters using the iodo-aldol cyclization

The intramolecular iodo-aldol cyclization of alpha-substituted enoate aldehydes and ketones is described. Using prochiral starting materials, the reaction produces hetero- and carbocycles containing quaternary centers adjacent to secondary or tertiary centers. The reactions occur in good yields and are highly selective for the trans-products, having the hydroxyl and iodomethyl groups on opposite faces of the ring system.     

A ketal-tethered RCM strategy toward the synthesis of spiroketal related natural products

An unconventional approach to construct spiroketals and spiroaminals via ring-closing metathesis [RCM] of cyclic ketals and aminals, respectively, is described here. This method possesses a good generality with no loss of stereochemical integrity at the spirocenter under the standard RCM conditions. This approach has been applied to the synthesis of an insect pheromone to demonstrate its synthetic potential, and also to the synthesis of the C11-epi-C22-C23 fragment in spirastrellolide A. Both are proof-of-concept applications to feature a ketal-tethered RCM as an alternative strategy for construction of spiroketals.     

Highly regio- and diastereoselective halohydroxylation of olefins: a facile synthesis of vicinal halohydrins

An efficient method for the synthesis of vicinal chlorohydrin or bromohydrin derivatives has been developed on the basis of direct halohydroxylation of various olefins with electrondonating or withdrawing substituent. The reactions were carried out under mild conditions in the presence of N-tosyl-l-threonine (NTsLT) as an acidic additive using chloramine T trihydrate, 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DCDMH) or N-bromoacetamide (AcNHBr) as the halogen source, respectively, affording the corresponding vicinal halohydrins in good to high yields with excellent regio- and stereoselectivities.     

Synthesis of protected chiral vicinal diaminoalcohols by diastereoselective intramolecular benzylic substitution from bistrichloroacetimidates

An efficient synthesis of chiral dihydrooxazines (2) from 1-aryl-2-amino-propane-1,3-diols (1) via the corresponding bistrichloroacetimidate intermediates has been developed. In this transformation, one trichloroacetimidate acts as a leaving group and the other acts as a nucleophile. The cyclization proceeds through an SN1 mechanism to provide trans-dihydrooxazines with complete diastereoselectivity irrespective of the absolute configuration of the benzylic alcohol. The transformation of 2 into other selectively protected aminodiols is also documented. [reaction: see text].     

Enyne versus diene RCM in the synthesis of cyclopentene derivatives toward the A ring of FR182877

The A ring of FR182877, exemplified by ent-4-b,c, has been synthesized, involving an enyne RCM as the key step. A systematic comparison of enyne vs diene RCM for the formation of cyclopentene derivatives showed that the latter metathesis proceeds much more easily even for this ring size.     

Proline catalyzed direct diastereoselective 6-enolexo aldolization: toward the synthesis of the imino sugar DNJ

A l-proline catalyzed direct diastereoselective 6-enolexo aldolization reaction of differentiating dialdehydes derived from tartaric acid is presented. This organocatalytic approach provides high levels of syn-selectivity (dr >10:1) with the stereocontrolled C–C bond formation between C4 and C5 intramolecularly, which can serve to synthesize imino-sugar skeleton quickly.     

Catalytic diastereoselective synthesis of diquinanes from acyclic precursors

Upon exposure of up to 10 mol % tributylphosphine, electron-deficient 1,7-enynes undergo [3 + 2] cycloaddition to afford bicyclo[3:3:0] ring systems. In all but one case, products were obtained in >95:5 de, as determined by 1H NMR. This methodology enables concise and diastereoselective access to diquinane ring systems, whereby three contiguous stereogenic centers are set in a single manipulation.     

Quinone approaches toward the synthesis of aflatoxin B(2)

[reaction: see text] Quinones bearing electron-withdrawing groups can serve as useful precursors to furobenzofuran ring systems through their reaction with 2,3-dihydrofuran. Formal racemic and stereoselective syntheses of the fungal metabolite aflatoxin B(2) are described that utilize this approach to construct the tricyclic ABC-ring core of the molecule.     

Highly diastereoselective and enantioselective synthesis of enantiopure C2-Symmetrical vicinal diamines by reductive homocoupling of chiral N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines

[reaction: see text] An efficient and straightforward method for the preparation of highly enantiomerically enriched C2-symmetrical vicinal diamines by the reductive homocoupling of aromatic N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines in the presence of SmI2 and HMPA was developed. It gives access to a variety of enantiopure C2-symmetrical 1,2-diamines in a very mild and practical way.     

Highly diastereoselective Claisen rearrangement leading to vicinal quaternary carbons construction of oxindoles

An efficient approach to spirocyclic oxindole architecture with vicinal quaternary carbon centers is described. The reaction of 2-allyloxyindolin-3-ones with cyanomethylphosphonate at low reaction temperature proceeds smoothly with consecutive olefination, isomerization, deacylation, and anion-accelerated Claisen rearrangement to give the 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles with vicinal quaternary all-carbon centers in high yield and diastereoselectivity. The oxindoles are readily converted into more synthetically advanced spiro-products.     

Biocatalytic approaches toward the synthesis of both enantiomers of trans-cyclopentane-1,2-diamine

[reaction: see text] A lipase-catalyzed double monoaminolysis of dimethyl malonate by (+/-)-trans-cyclopentane-1,2-diamine allows the sequential resolution of the latter compound, affording an enantiopure bis(amidoester), which is subsequently transformed into an optically active polyamine. As an alternative, both enantiomers of the diamine can be obtained from enantiopure (+)- or (-)-2-aminocyclopentanol, prepared by enzymatic resolution.     

Two complementary approaches toward 2-alkoxy carboxylic acid synthesis from 1,3-dioxolan-4-ones

Two complementary approaches to prepare 2-alkoxy carboxylic acids have been developed. Reductive ring opening of various 1,3-dioxolan-4-ones using TiCl(4)/Et(3)SiH or (t)BuMgCl affords the desired 2-alkoxy carboxylic acid in moderate to excellent chemical yield without loss of optical purity.     

Highly diastereoselective synthesis of anti-gamma-N-benzylamino-beta-hydroxyphosphonates

The reduction of gamma-N-benzylamino-beta-ketophosphonates derived from readily available amino acids can be carried out stereoselectively with Zn(BH(4))(2) at -78 degrees C to produce the anti-gamma-amino-beta-hydroxyphosphonates.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols

The vicinal amino alcohol is a common motif in natural products and pharmaceuticals. Amino acids constitute a natural, inexpensive, and enantiopure choice of starting material for the synthesis of such functionalities. However, the matters concerning diastereoselectivity are not obvious. This Perspective takes a look in the field of diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols starting from amino acids using various methods.     

Synthetic approaches toward the reserpine

Reserpine is an indole alkaloid, antipsychotic, and antihypertensive drug that has been used for the control of high blood pressure and for the relief of psychotic symptoms. It was first isolated in 1952 from the dried root of Rauwolfia serpentina whose molecular structure was established in 1953 and natural configuration was published in 1955. The first total synthesis of reserpine was reported by Woodward in 1958. This review article updates current multistep synthetic approaches toward the reserpine natural product and its analogues.     

One-pot synthesis of substituted styrenes from vicinal dibromoalkanes and arylboronic acids

Dehydrobromination of vicinal dibromoalkanes in systems comprising 1,2-dimethoxy-ethane, N-butyl-N′-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (or tetrabutylammonium bromide), and a base with subsequent palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of the thus formed bromoalkenes with arylboronic acids furnished substituted styrenes. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 116–123, January, 2007.     

Three-component diastereoselective cascade synthesis of thiohydantoins

A new three-component cascade reaction for the synthesis of thiohydantoins is reported. The reaction between α-amino esters, nitrostyrenes, and aromatic isothiocyanates is efficiently promoted by organic bases to afford highly substituted thiohydantoins in moderate to good yields and diastereoselectivities.     

New approaches toward the synthesis of (D-homo) steroid skeletons using Mukaiyama reactions

New, short, and flexible procedures have been developed for syntheses of steroid and D-homo steroid skeletons. A Mukaiyama reaction between the silyl enol ether of 6-methoxytetralone and 2-methyl-2-cyclopentenone or carvone, with transfer of the silyl group to the receiving enone, gave a second silyl enol ether. Addition of a carbocation, generated under Lewis acid conditions from 3-methoxy-2-butenol, 3-ethoxy-3-phenyl-2-propenol or 3-methoxy-2-propenol to this second silyl enol ether gave adducts, which could not be cyclized by aldol condensation to (D-homo) steroid skeletons. The Mukaiyama-Michael reaction of the silyl enol ether of 6-methoxy tetralone with 2-methyl-2-cylopentenone gave a second silyl enol ether, which reacted in high yield with a carbocation generated from 3-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propene. Ozonolysis of the double bond in this adduct gave a tricarbonyl compound (Zieglers triketone), which has been used before in the synthesis of 9,11-dehydroestrone methyl ether. A second synthesis of C17 substituted CD-trans coupled (D-homo) steroid skeletons has been developed via addition of a carbocation, generated with ZnBr₂ from a Torgov reagent, to a silyl enol ether containing ring D precursor. The obtained seco steroids have been cyclized under formation of the 8-14 bond by treatment with acid. The double bonds in one of the cyclized products have been reduced to a C17-substituted all trans steroid skeleton.