New multifunctional chiral phosphines and BINOL derivatives co-catalyzed enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of 5,5-disubstituted cyclopent-2-enone and N-sulfonated imines

New multifunctional chiral phosphine (phosphine-amide type) and BINOL derivative co-catalyzed asymmetric aza-MBH reaction of 5,5-disubstituted cyclopent-2-enones with N-sulfonated imines afforded the corresponding optically active adducts in good to outstanding yields with moderate to good ee's under mild conditions. The steric hindrance environment of BINOL derivatives as well as the nucleophilicity of the phosphorus center and the acidity of free OH which could significantly affect the stereochemical and chemical outcomes had been discussed, indicating the co-catalyzed system is very important to this particular asymmetric aza-MBH reaction.     

N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of cyclic enones with N-tosylarylimines

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) prove to be efficient catalysts for the aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction of cyclopent-2-en-1-one or cyclohex-2-en-1-one with a variety of N-tosylarylimines to give the aza-MBH adduct in high yields. Crossover experiments show NHC can add to N-tosylarylimines in a reversible manner, which allows the addition of NHC to cyclic enones and thus catalyzes the aza-Mortia-Baylis-Hillman reaction.     

Asymmetric catalytic aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction using chiral bifunctional phosphine amides as catalysts

The asymmetric catalytic aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of N-sulfonated imines with α,β-unsaturated ketones has been successfully conducted by using chiral bifunctional phosphine amides as catalysts. A series of new chiral bifunctional phosphine amides were designed, synthesized, and systematically studied for this asymmetric reaction. The corresponding aza-MBH adducts were obtained in good yields (75-99%) and up to very good enantiomeric excesses (51-95% ee) under mild conditions.     

Novel one-pot synthesis of 3-amino-1-alkenylphophonates by addition of imines to alkynylphosphonate titanium(II) complexes

[reaction: see text] A new method of synthesis of 3-amino-1-alkenylphosphonates is described. It involves the addition of imines to the alkynylphosphonate titanium(II) complexes 2, which are prepared in situ from 1-alkynylphosphonates and Ti(O-i-Pr)(4)/2 equiv of i-PrMgCl. Compounds 4a-i were obtained regio- and stereoselectivily in high yields.     

Chiral bifunctional organocatalysts bearing a 1,3-propanediamine unit for the aza-MBH reaction

The introduction of a 1,3-propanediamine unit at the 3-position of (S)-BINOL using a methylene spacer led to the formation of a chiral bifunctional organocatalyst for the aza-Morita–Baylis–Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction. The organocatalyst 1k mediated aza-MBH transformations with high chemical yields and with up to 82% ee.     

Acid–base organocatalysts for the aza-Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction of nitroalkenes

A new class of acid–base chiral organocatalysts 1a and 2 for aza-Morita–Baylis–Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction of conjugated nitroalkenes is described. The acidic phenolic hydroxy groups and basic imidazole unit cooperatively activate nitroalkenes to promote the aza-MBH reaction in good yields with moderate enantioselectivities.     

Chiral bis-pi-allylpalladium complex catalyzed asymmetric allylation of imines: enhancement of the enantioselectivity and chemical yield in the presence of water

The chiral pi-allylpalladium complex 2a, prepared from exoethylidenenorpinane 7, catalyzed the allylation of diverse imines with allyltributylstannane in the presence of 1 equiv of water in good to high enantioselectivities. The catalyst prepared from a 1:1 mixture of (E)- and (Z)-7 was found to be consisting of two stereoisomers 2a and 2b in 1.3:1 ratio. On separation, 2a catalyzed the allylation of imines in much higher enantioselectivities than 2b, giving the same major enantiomer and thereby justifying the need to separate 2a free of 2b. We have achieved the highest separation ratio of >400:1 for 2a:2b by repeated recrystallizations. Isomerization of 2b to 2a during recovery of 2a from the filtrates was observed as more of 2a was recovered each time during recrystallization. Although dry THF was the best solvent, we tried various additives and found that addition of one equivalent of water gave the best results with respect to shorter reaction time, higher yields and enantioselectivities. Thus, we have developed a more general, reproducible, robust and a non-Lewis acid catalyzed procedure for catalytic asymmetric allylation of imines under essentially neutral conditions.     

Catalytic synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives using scandium(III) triflate

Scandium(III) triflate smoothly catalyzed the reaction of imines with ethyl propiolate (2.5 equiv) to produce the corresponding N-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridines in good yields in toluene or BTF under reflux conditions. It also catalyzed the reaction of aniline and ethyl propiolate (3.2 equiv) to give another 1,4-dihydropyridine bearing three ester groups in moderate yield under the same conditions.     

Negishi cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by an aminophosphine-based nickel system: a reliable and general applicable reaction protocol for the high-yielding synthesis of biaryls

Treatment of NMP solutions of NiCl(2) with 1,1',1'-(phosphanetriyl)tripiperidine (≈2.05 equiv), dissolved in THF, in air at 25 °C forms a highly active catalytic system for the cross-coupling of a large variety of electronically activated, non-activated, deactivated, and ortho-substituted, heterocyclic, and functionalized aryl bromides and aryl chlorides with diarylzinc reagents. Very high levels of conversion and yields were obtained within 2 h at 60 °C in the presence of only 0.1 mol% of catalyst (based on nickel) and thus at catalyst loadings far lower than typically reported for nickel-catalyzed versions of the Negishi reaction. Various aryl halides-which may contain trifluoromethyl groups, fluorides, or other functional groups such as acetals, ketones, ethers, esters, lactones, amides, imines, anilines, alkenes, pyridines, quinolines, and pyrimidines-were successfully converted into the corresponding biaryls. Electronic and steric variations are tolerated in both reaction partners. Experimental observations indicate that a molecular (Ni(I)/Ni(III)) mechanism is operative.     

Enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-(diphenylphosphinoyl)imines catalyzed by β-aminoalcohols with the prolinol skeleton

Several β-aminoalcohols with the prolinol framework are shown to be very efficient catalysts for the enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-(diphenylphosphinoyl)imines. The use of 0.5 equiv of the catalyst leads to the expected addition products in good yields and with ee up to 94% in a reaction time of only 4 h at room temperature. This ee is the highest value reported so far using 0.5 equiv of an aminoalcohol as a promoter. High enantioselectivities are obtained in the addition of dialkylzincs to both aromatic and aliphatic imines. The amount of the catalyst can be reduced to 0.25 equiv with a slight decrease in the ee. A very interesting effect of the addition rate and temperature on the enantioselectivity was also observed.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed dehydrogenation of ammonia boranes

The dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) and methylammonia borane (MeAB) is shown to be catalyzed by several Ru-amido complexes. Up to 1 equiv of H2 (1.0 system wt %) is released from AB by as little as 0.03 mol % Ru within 5 min, and up to 2 equiv of H2 (3.0 system wt %) are released from MeAB with 0.5 mol % Ru in under 10 min at room temperature, the first equivalent emerging within 10 s. Also, a mixture of AB/MeAB yields up to 3.6 system wt % H2 within 1 h with 0.1 mol % Ru. Computational studies were performed to elucidate the mechanism of dehydrogenation of AB. Finally, it was shown that alkylamine-boranes can serve as a source of H2 in the Ru-catalyzed reduction of ketones and imines.     

Bifunctional organocatalysts for enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

The efficient and novel bifunctional organocatalyst for the enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction has been established with (S)-3-(N-isopropyl-N-3-pyridinylaminomethyl)BINOL for the first time. The reaction proved to be deeply influenced by the position of the Lewis base attached to BINOL. The acid-base-mediated functionalities for the activation of the substrate and the fixing of conformation of the organocatalyst are harmoniously performed to promote the reaction with high enantiocontrol.     

Chiral bifunctional organocatalysts in asymmetric aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of ethyl (arylimino)acetates with methyl vinyl ketone and ethyl vinyl ketone

The bifunctional chiral phosphine Lewis base (R)-2'-diphenylphosphino-[1,1'-binaphthalene]-2-ol is an effective organocatalyst in the asymmetric aza-MBH reaction of ethyl (arylimino)acetates 1 with MVK and EVK to give the corresponding adducts in moderate to good yields and good to high enantiomeric excesses under mild conditions.     

Novel intramolecular reactivity of oximes: synthesis of cyclic and spiro-fused imines

Under conventional heat (135-145 degrees C) or microwave irradiation and 1 equiv of acetic anhydride, ortho-substituted aryl-oximes undergo a novel sp3 C-H activated cyclization to produce the corresponding isoindoles, and aliphatic oximes afford the corresponding dihydropyrroles. The cyclization occurs with various substrates in good yield (46-82%) leading to unique spiro-fused and cyclic imines. An initial mechanistic investigation suggests the reaction occurs via a nitrenium or vinyl nitrene intermediate. [reaction: see text]     

Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of ethyl (arylimino)acetate with methyl vinyl ketone and ethyl vinyl ketone

Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction of ethyl (arylimino)acetate with methyl vinyl ketone and ethyl vinyl ketone has been investigated. We found that aza-MBH adducts 1 could be formed in the presence of DABCO (30 mol %) and the corresponding adducts 2 could be obtained in the presence of PPh₃ (30 mol %) in moderate to good yields in acetonitrile under mild conditions, respectively.     

Conformational lock in a Brønsted acid–Lewis base organocatalyst for the aza-Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction

(S)-3-(N-Isopropyl-N-3-pyridinylaminomethyl)BINOL has been established as an efficient asymmetric bifunctional organocatalyst for the aza-MBH reaction. The acid–base functionalities cooperate in substrate activation and fixing of the organocatalyst conformation to promote the reaction with high enantiocontrol.     

Activated alkene dependent one-pot, three-component aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of ferrocenealdehyde: synthesis of highly functionalized diverse ferrocene derivatives

Activated alkene dependent one-pot, three-component aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction of ferrocenealdehyde afforded simple aza-MBH adduct of ferrocenealdehyde, unusual piperidine, β-amino acid residue, and γ-ketoester derivatives of ferrocene in good yield. The synthetic protocol with MVK has led to an unexpected ferrocenyl piperidine derivative in an excellent yield via diastereoselective domino aza-Michael/double Aldol pathway. Plausible mechanisms for the formation of unusual products and diastereoselectivity have also been described. The products can be used for the concise synthesis of ferrocenyl nitrogen heterocycles and bioconjugates.     

Why Do Catalytic Quantities of Lewis Acid Generally Yield More Product than 1.1 Equiv in the Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction with a Furan Diene? 2.(1) AM1 Calculations and Mathematical Simulation of the Equilibria

The results presented here provide additional support for our hypothesis based on the relative basicity of the reaction controlling functional group to rationalize experimental observations on intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions with a furan diene (IMDAF) regarding the quantity (0.1 or 1.1 equiv) of Lewis acid required to facilitate the reaction most effectively. Heats of formation, DeltaH(f), and heats of reaction, DeltaH(R), have been obtained using AM1 calculations for 26 IMDAF reactions. These DeltaH(R) are generally exothermic (indicating that these IMDAF reactions are favorable) and can be qualitatively correlated with experimental yields of adduct, thereby providing a means of predicting the feasibility of the IMDAF promoted by 0.1 equiv of Lewis acid. The equilibria involved in the Lewis acid-promoted IMDAF reaction have been qualitatively interpreted using reaction coordinate diagrams and quantitatively investigated by generating a mathematical simulation of the reaction scheme. This demonstrates that the experimental behavior of the IMDAF reaction is well represented by the relative basicity hypothesis and that the LA concentration-dependent behavior should also be observed for other Lewis acid-promoted organic reactions.     

N-Benzyl-l-prolinol: an efficient catalyst for the enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-(diphenylphosphinoyl)imines

Commercially available N-benzyl-l-prolinol has shown to be a very efficient catalyst for the enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to N-(diphenylphosphinoyl)imines. The use of 0.5 equiv of this β-aminoalcohol as a catalyst leads to the expected addition products in good yields and with ees up to 92% in a reaction time of only 4 h at room temperature. This ee is almost equal to the highest value reported so far using 0.5 equiv of an aminoalcohol as promoter, although the reaction time is much shorter in our case. The amount of the catalyst can be reduced to 0.25 equiv with a slight decrease in the ee. An interesting effect of the addition rate and temperature on the enantioselectivity has been observed.     

Investigations of glycosylation reactions with 2-N-acetyl-2N,3O-oxazolidinone-protected glucosamine donors

NIS/AgOTf-promoted glycosylations with ethyl 2,3-N,O-carbonyl-2-deoxy-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranoside donors can be performed with either alpha- or beta-selectivity by tuning the reaction conditions. Small amounts of AgOTf (0.1 equiv) and short reaction times give beta-selectivity, whereas 0.4 equiv of AgOTf and prolonged reaction times afford alpha-linked products. NMR-monitored glycosylation and anomerization experiments show initial formation of exclusively the beta-linkage, which anomerizes, through an intramolecular mechanism involving an endocyclic C-O bond cleavage, to the alpha-linkage.