Copper‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Allyl–Allyl Coupling between Allylic Boronates and Phosphates with a Phenol/N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Chiral Ligand

Copper‐catalyzed enantioselective allyl–allyl coupling between allylboronates and either Z‐acyclic or cyclic allylic phosphates using a new chiral N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand, bearing a phenolic hydroxy, is reported. This reaction occurs with exceptional S_N2′‐type regioselectivities and high enantioselectivities to deliver chiral 1,5‐diene derivatives with a tertiary stereogenic center at the allylic/homoallylic position.     

Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Acylboration of 1,3-Butadienylboronate with Acyl Fluorides

We report herein a Cu-catalyzed regio-, diastereo- and enantioselective acylboration of 1,3-butadienylboronate with acyl fluorides. Under the developed conditions, the reactions provide (Z)-β,γ-unsaturated ketones bearing an α-tertiary stereocenter with high Z-selectivity and excellent enantioselectivities. While direct access to highly enantioenriched E-isomers was not successful, we showed that such molecules can be synthesized with excellent E-selectivity and optical purities via Pd-catalyzed alkene isomerization from the corresponding Z-isomers. The orthogonal chemical reactivities of the functional groups embedded in the ketone products allow for diverse chemoselective transformations, which provides a valuable platform for further derivatization.     

Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed anti-Arylmetallative Cyclizations onto Acyclic Ketones

Domino reactions involving nickel-catalyzed additions of (hetero)arylboronic acids to alkynes, followed by cyclization of the alkenylnickel intermediates onto tethered acyclic ketones to give chiral tertiary-alcohol-containing products in high enantioselectivities, are described. The reversible E/Z isomerization of the alkenylnickel intermediates enables overall anti-arylmetallative cyclization to occur. The ring system of the products are substructures of certain diarylindolizidine alkaloids.     

Cobalt-Catalyzed Efficient Convergent Asymmetric Hydrogenation of E/Z-Enamides

Using the diphosphine-cobalt-zinc catalytic system, an efficient asymmetric hydrogenation of internal simple enamides has been realized. In particular, the Ph-BPE ligand can achieve convergent asymmetric hydrogenation of E/Z-substrates. High yields and excellent enantioselectivities were obtained for both acyclic and cyclic enamides bearing α-alkyl-β-aryl, α-aryl-β-aryl, and α-aryl-β-alkyl substituents. Hydrogenated products can be applied for the synthesis of useful chiral drugs such as Arfromoterol, Rotigotine, and Norsertraline. In addition, reasonable catalytic mechanism and stereocontrol mode are proposed based on DFT calculations.     

Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyzed by Mesoporous MCM‐41‐Supported Chiral Ru‐Complex

Chiral N‐sulfonyldiamine was successfully anchored on mesoporous MCM‐41 silica. The MCM‐41‐supported chiral N‐sulfonyldiamine was used as an efficient heterogeneous chiral ligand in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones. This heterogeneous system offered satisfactory enantioselectivities up to 94 % with excellent conversions.     

Chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective arylation of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones

The interesting examples of chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective arylation of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones were reported. The reaction proceeded well and the desired products were obtained in good yields (up to 99%) with moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 88% ee). Several desired products were obtained with excellent optical purities after a single recrystallization. Subsequent reduction of enantiopure products with NaBH₄ afforded two diastereomers of chiral trifluoromethyl-substituted secondary alcohols with high enantioselectivities (98% ee).     

Adaptative Biaryl Phosphite–Oxazole and Phosphite–Thiazole Ligands for Asymmetric Ir‐Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Alkenes

A library of readily available phosphite–oxazole/thiazole ligands ( L1 a – g – L7 a – g ) was applied in the Ir‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of several largely unfunctionalized E‐ and Z‐trisubstituted and 1,1‐disubstituted terminal alkenes. The ability of the catalysts to transfer chiral information to the product could be tuned by choosing suitable ligand components (bridge length, the substituents in the heterocyclic ring and the alkyl backbone chain, the configuration of the ligand backbone, and the substituents/configurations in the biaryl phosphite moiety), so that enantioselectivities could be maximized for each substrate as required. Enantioselectivities were therefore excellent (enantiomeric excess (ee) values up to >99 %) for a wide range of E‐ and Z‐trisubstituted and 1,1‐disubstituted terminal alkenes. The biaryl phosphite moiety was a very advantageous ligand component in terms of substrate versatility.     

The first square‐planar copper(II) 1:2 complex with differently coordinated 2‐hydroxybenzaldehyde 4‐allylthiosemicarbazone ligands

The title compound, [(Z)‐4‐allyl‐2‐(2‐hydroxybenzylidene)thiosemicarbazide‐κS][(E)‐4‐allyl‐1‐(2‐oxidobenzylidene)thiosemicarbazidato‐κ³O,N¹,S]copper(II) monohydrate, [Cu(C₁₁H₁₁N₃OS)(C₁₁H₁₃N₃OS)]·H₂O, crystallized as a rotational twin in the monoclinic crystal system (space group Cc) with two formula unit (Z′ = 2) in the asymmetric unit, one of which contains an allyl substituent disordered over two positions. The Cu^II atom exhibits a distorted square‐planar geometry involving two differently coordinated thiosemicarbazone ligands. One ligand is bonded to the Cu^II atom in a tridentate manner via the phenolate O, azomethine N and thioamide S atoms, while the other coordinates in a monodentate manner via the S atom only. The complex is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond, which creates a six‐membered pseudo‐chelate metalla‐ring. The structure analysis indicates the presence of the E isomer for the tridentate ligand and the Z isomer for the monodentate ligand. The crystal structure contains a three‐dimensional network built from intermolecular O—H...O, N—H...O, O—H...N and N—H...S hydrogen bonds.     

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective [3+3] Annulations of Alkynyl Ketimines with α-Cyano Ketones: the Synthesis of Polysubstituted 4H-Pyran Derivatives with a CF3-Containing Quaternary Center

Regioselective [3+3] annulation of alkynyl ketimines with α-cyano ketones for the synthesis of polysubstituted 4H-pyran derivatives with a quaternary CF₃-containing center has been realized by using Cu(OAc)₂ as the catalyst. The novel strategy tolerates a wide range of α-CF₃ alkynyl ketimines and α-cyano ketones with both aryl and alkyl substitutents. A preliminary asymmetric synthesis of chiral product 3 has been attempted by using copper and chiral thiourea as the cocatalyst with excellent yields (86-99 %) and good enantioselectivities (71–78 % ee). Furthermore, product 3 aa could be obtained on a gram-scale reaction with 75 % yield and 99 % ee after recrystallization. Several products were also transformed readily. Control experiments indicate that the reaction involves a process with a base-catalyzed or chiral thiourea-catalyzed Mannich-type reaction followed by a highly regioselective copper-catalyzed ring-closing reaction on the alkynyl moiety in a 6-endo-dig fashion.     

Aromatic‐Amide‐Derived Olefins as a Springboard: Isomerization‐Initiated Palladium‐Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Olefins and Reductive Decarbonylation of Acyl Chlorides with Hydrosilane

A highly efficient catalytic protocol for the isomerization of substituted amide‐derived olefins is presented that successfully uses a hydride palladium catalyst system generated from [PdCl₂(PPh₃)₂] and HSi(OEt)₃. The Z to E isomerization was carried out smoothly and resulted in geometrically pure substituted olefins. Apart from the cis–trans isomerization of double bonds, the selective reduction of terminal olefins and activated alkenes was performed with excellent functional group tolerance in the presence of an amide‐derived olefin ligand, and the products were obtained in high isolated yields (up to >99 %). Furthermore, the palladium/hydrosilane system was able to promote the reductive decarbonylation of benzoyl chloride when a (Z)‐olefin with an aromatic amide moiety was used as a ligand.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of 2,3‐Dihydropyrroles by Ring‐Opening/Cyclization of Cyclopropyl Ketones Using Primary Amines

The asymmetric ring‐opening/cyclization of cyclopropyl ketones with primary amine nucleophiles was catalyzed by a chiral N,N′‐dioxide/scandium(III) complex through a kinetic resolution process. A broad range of cyclopropyl ketones and primary amines are suitable substrates of this reaction. The corresponding products were afforded in excellent enantioselectivities and yields (up to 97 % ee and 98 % yield) under mild reaction conditions. This method provides a promising access to chiral 2,3‐dihydropyrroles as well as an effective procedure for the kinetic resolution of 2‐substituted cyclopropyl ketones.     

THE BAYLIS—HILLMAN REACTION: TiCl4 MEDIATED COUPLING OF ALKYL VINYL KETONES WITH α-KETO ESTERS AND ALDEHYDES

TiCl₄ mediated coupling of alkyl vinyl ketones with α-keto esters and aldehydes provides respectively 2-aryl-2-hydroxy-3-methylene-4-oxoalkanoates and (Z)-keto allyl chlorides in 1 h time at room temperature. Similar coupling of trifluoromethyl phenyl ketone with methyl vinyl ketone produces 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-phenyl-3-methylenepentan-4-one.     

Highly enantioselective conjugate addition of 1-bromonitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by 9-amino-9-deoxyepiquinine

Asymmetric conjugate addition of 1-bromonitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated ketones was studied using chiral primary amines as the catalysts. 9-Amino-9-deoxyepiquinine was found to be highly efficient catalyst for the transformation. 4-Bromo-4-nitroketones were obtained with excellent enantioselectivities (97-99% ee) and good yields (61-99%) for a variety of alkyl vinyl ketones. The product could be further debrominated with Bu₃SnH/AIBN to provide chiral 4-nitroketones in good yield and without loss of the optical purity.     

Asymmetric Allylation of Ketones and Subsequent Tandem Reactions Catalyzed by a Novel Polymer‐Supported Titanium–BINOLate Complex

By using a novel, simple, and convenient synthetic route, enantiopure 6‐ethynyl‐BINOL (BINOL=1,1‐binaphthol) was synthesized and anchored to an azidomethylpolystyrene resin through a copper‐catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. The polystyrene (PS)‐supported BINOL ligand was converted into its diisopropoxytitanium derivative in situ and used as a heterogeneous catalyst in the asymmetric allylation of ketones. The catalyst showed good activity and excellent enantioselectivity, typically matching the results obtained in the corresponding homogeneous reaction. The allylation reaction mixture could be submitted to epoxidation by simple treatment with tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), and the tandem asymmetric allylation epoxidation process led to a highly enantioenriched epoxy alcohol with two adjacent quaternary centers as a single diastereomer. A tandem asymmetric allylation/Pauson–Khand reaction was also performed, involving simple treatment of the allylation reaction mixture with Co₂(CO)₈/N‐methyl morpholine N‐oxide. This cascade process resulted in the formation of two diastereomeric tricyclic enones in high yields and enantioselectivities.     

Highly Stereoselective Conjugate Addition and α‐Alkynylation Reaction with Electron‐Deficient Alkynes Catalyzed by Chiral Scandium(III) Complexes

The highly Z‐selective asymmetric conjugate addition of 3‐substituted oxindoles to alkynyl carbonyl compounds has been developed by using scandium complexes of chiral N,N′‐dioxides under mild conditions. The thermodynamically unstable Z‐olefin derivatives were obtained in excellent yields and high enantiomeric and geometric control. The catalyst was also found to be effective in the asymmetric acetylenic substitution reaction of 3‐substituted oxindoles, giving excellent enantioselectivities.     

An Allyl Uranium(IV) Sandwich Complex: Are ϕ Bonding Interactions Possible?

A method to explore head-to-head ϕ back-bonding from uranium f-orbitals into allyl π* orbitals has been pursued. Anionic allyl groups were coordinated to uranium with tethered anilide ligands, then the products were investigated by using NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal XRD, and theoretical methods. The (allyl)silylanilide ligand, N-((dimethyl)prop-2-enylsilyl)-2,6-diisopropylaniline (LH), was used as either the fully protonated, singly deprotonated, or doubly deprotonated form, thereby highlighting the stability and versatility of the silylanilide motif. A free, neutral allyl group was observed in UI₂(L1)₂ ( 1 ), which was synthesized by using the mono-deprotonated ligand [K][N-((dimethyl)prop-2-enyl)silyl)-2,6-diisopropylanilide] (L1). The desired homoleptic sandwich complex U[L2]₂ ( 2 ) was prepared from all three ligand precursors, but the most consistent results came from using the dipotassium salt of the doubly deprotonated ligand [K]₂[N-((dimethyl)propenidesilyl)-2,6-diisopropylanilide] (L2). This allyl-based sandwich complex was studied by using theoretical techniques with supporting experimental spectroscopy to investigate the potential for phi (ϕ) back-bonding. The bonding between U^IV and the allyl fragments is best described as ligand-to-metal electron donation from a two carbon fragment-localized electron density into empty f-orbitals.     

Chain Walking of Allylrhodium Species Towards Esters During Rhodium‐Catalyzed Nucleophilic Allylations of Imines

Allylrhodium species derived from δ‐trifluoroboryl β,γ‐unsaturated esters undergo chain walking towards the ester moiety. The resulting allylrhodium species react with imines to give products containing two new stereocenters and a Z‐alkene. By using a chiral diene ligand, products can be obtained with high enantioselectivities, where a pronounced matched/mismatched effect with the chirality of the allyltrifluoroborate is evident.     

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to α,β- and α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated ketones

An enantioselective Cu(II)-catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to α,β- or α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated ketones with chiral cyclohexane-based amidophosphine ligands was developed. With 2 mol% of Cu(OAc)₂·H₂O/L5, the conjugate addition of diethylzinc to α,β-unsaturated ketones was achieved in good-to-excellent yields (up to 98%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 92% ee). This catalytic system was shown to be efficient for the 1,4-conjugate addition of Et₂Zn to (2E,4E)-1,5-diphenylpenta-2,4-dien-1-one with 85% yield and 90% ee. Moreover, with 1 mol% of Cu(OTf)₂/L11, the conjugate addition of α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated ketones was accomplished with 1,4-regioselectivity, good yields (79–86%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).     

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric tandem double Michael reactions of diethylzinc to α,β-unsaturated ketones followed by trapping with nitroolefins

A copper catalyzed asymmetric tandem double Michael addition of diethylzinc to α,β-unsaturated ketones followed by trapping with nitroolefins has been developed using chiral P,N-ligands. The tandem products were obtained in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities with three contiguous stereocenters.     

Atroposelective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Styrenes by Platinum- Catalyzed Stereoselective Hydrosilylation of Internal Alkynes

Hydrofunctionalization of alkynes is one of the most efficient ways to access axially chiral styrenes with open-chained olefins. While great advances have been achieved for 1-alkynylnaphthalen-2-ols and analogues, atroposelective hydrofunctionalization of unactivated internal alkynes lags. Herein we reported a platinum-catalyzed atroposelective hydrosilylation of unactivated internal alkynes for the first time. With monodentate TADDOL-derived phosphonite L1 used as a chiral ligand, various axially chiral styrenes were achieved in excellent enantioselectivities with high E-selectivities. Control experiments showed that the NH-arylamide groups have significant effects on both the yields and enantioselectivities and could act as directing groups. The potential utilities of the products were shown by the transformations of the amide motifs of the products.