Asymmetric Friedel-crafts reaction of indoles with imines by an organic catalyst

In this communication, we report an asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines catalyzed by a bifunctional cinchona alkaloid catalyst. This is the first efficient organocatalytic asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines. This reaction is operationally simple and, unprecedentedly, affords high enantioselectivity for a wide range of indoles and both aryl and alkyl imines. This establishes a direct, convergent, and versatile approach to optically active 3-indolyl methanamines, a structural motif embedded in numerous indole alkaloids and synthetic indole derivatives.     

Asymmetric Mannich reactions of beta-keto esters with acyl imines catalyzed by cinchona alkaloids

Cinchona alkaloids catalyze the enantioselective Mannich reaction of beta-keto esters with acyl aryl imines. The reaction requires 10 mol % of cinchonine or cinchonidine. The reaction products are obtained in good yields (81-99%), high enantioselectivities (80-96% ee), and in diastereoselectivities that range from 1:1 to >95:5. The cinchonine-catalyzed reaction provides access to highly functionalized building blocks used in the asymmetric synthesis of a dihydropyrimidone and beta-amino alcohol.     

Direct-type catalytic Mannich reactions of amides with imines

Direct-type catalytic Mannich reactions of amides with imines proceeded smoothly using barium phenoxide as a catalyst to afford the desired adducts in high yields with high anti selectivities.     

Highly enantioselective Mannich reactions of imines with tert-butyl acetoacetate catalyzed by squaramide organocatalyst

Highly enantioselective Mannich reactions of imines bearing a benzothiazole moiety with tert-butyl acetoacetate, catalyzed by a cinchona-based squaramide organocatalyst have been developed. The corresponding benzothiazole β-keto ester derivatives were obtained in high yields (up to 99%) and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).     

Highly diastereoselective asymmetric Mannich reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyls with acyl imines

[reaction: see text] The cinchona alkaloids catalyze direct asymmetric Mannich reactions of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with acyl imines to afford alpha-quaternary carbon-bearing reaction products in yields of up to 98%, a diastereomeric excess of 90% or greater, and enantioselectivities up to 99% ee. A model is proposed that accounts for both the observed diastereoselectivities and the enantioselectivities for the reactions.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic imines with an ionic Cp*Rh(III) catalyst

When associated with a noncoordinating bulky counteranion, a cationic Cp*Rh(III)-diamine catalyst displayed excellent enantioselectivities in asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic imines, affording bioactive tetrahydroisoquinolines and tetrahydro-beta-carbolines frequently with 99% ee's.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 3-amino-2-hydroxyalkanoates by Mannich reaction of menthyl acetate with imines and subsequent oxidation

Lithium amide-assisted Mannich-type reaction of menthyl acetate-derived lithium enolate with PMP-arylaldimines and subsequent in situ oxidation with oxaziridine gave syn-3-amino-3-aryl-2-hydroxypropanoates with high syn-selectivity and diastereoselectivity (with respect to menthyl moiety) in a one-pot procedure. Propargyl aldehyde-derived imines were also stereoselectively converted to the Mannich-oxidation products by a stepwise procedure.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of imines with a recyclable chiral frustrated Lewis pair catalyst

A camphor based chiral phosphonium hydrido borate zwitterion was synthesised and successfully applied in the enantioselective hydrogenation of imines with selectivities up to 76% ee. The high stability of the novel chiral FLP-system enables effective recycling of the metal-free catalyst.     

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of imines and iminiums catalyzed by a water-soluble catalyst in water

The first asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of cyclic imines and iminiums in water was successfully performed in high yields and enantioselectivities with sodium formate as the hydrogen source and CTAB as an additive catalyzed by a water-soluble and recyclable ruthenium(II) complex of the ligand (R,R)-2.     

Asymmetric aza Diels-Alder reactions of amino acid ester imines with Brassard's diene

Imines 1 obtained from aromatic, aliphatic or functionalized aldehydes and valine tert-butyl ester undergo Lewis acid catalyzed hetero Diels-Alder reactions with Brassard's diene 2. The cycloadducts are formed in good to high yields and with diastereomer ratios of 92:8 – 97:3. For the removal of the chiral auxiliary group a new method was developed whose principle consists in the conversion of the amino acid -C-atom into an acetalic center employing a Curtius rearrangement as the key step.     

Asymmetric catalytic Mannich reactions catalyzed by urea derivatives: enantioselective synthesis of beta-aryl-beta-amino acids

Highly enantioselective addition reactions between silyl ketene acetals and N-Boc aldimines are catalyzed by the thiourea-based catalyst 1c. Extraordinary scope is observed in this methodology with regard to the imine substrate, with aryl and heteroaromatic derivatives generally affording nearly quantitative yields of beta-amino ester product in up to 98% enantioselectivity.     

Asymmetric catalysis of Diels-Alder reactions with in situ generated heterocyclic ortho-quinodimethanes

The Diels-Alder reaction is probably the most powerful technology in the synthetic repertoire for single-step constructions of complex chiral molecules. The synthetic power of this fundamental pericyclic transformation has greatly increased with the emergence of asymmetric catalytic variants, and research aimed at further expanding its potential is still exciting and fascinating the chemical community. Here, we document the first asymmetric catalytic Diels-Alder reaction of in situ generated heterocyclic ortho-quinodimethanes (oQDMs), reactive diene species that have never before succumbed to a catalytic approach. Asymmetric aminocatalysis, that uses chiral amines as catalysts, is the enabling strategy to induce the transient generation of indole-, pyrrole- or furan-based oQDMs from simple starting materials, while directing the pericyclic reactions with nitroolefins and methyleneindolinones toward a highly stereoselective pathway. The approach provides straightforward access to polycyclic heteroaromatic compounds, which would be difficult to synthesize by other catalytic methods, and should open new synthetic pathways to complex chiral molecules using nontraditional disconnections.     

FeCl3: an efficient catalyst for reactions of electron-rich arenes with imines or aziridines

Iron(III) chloride was discovered highly effective as catalyst in the Friedel-Crafts reactions of electron-rich arenes with imines or aziridines. It was found that reactions of imines were highly substrate-dependent, which generated mono- or double-addition products, while arenes reacted with aziridines regioselectively leading to the formation of desired ring-opening products in 2 min with moderate to good yields.     

Asymmetric Mannich reactions catalyzed by proline and 4-hydroxyproline derived organocatalysts in the presence of water

The ability of amphiphilic catalysts based on proline and 4-hydroxyproline to catalyze the Mannich reaction in aqueous media is reported. With a 4-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-substituted organocatalyst derived from N-prolylsulfonamide, the reaction of cyclohexanone with iminoglyoxylate proceeds with high enantioselectivity (>99% ee for the syn-diastereomer). This catalyst was also successfully applied in a reaction of an iminoglyoxylate with an aqueous tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2,6-diol to give the corresponding 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydropyridine with up to 95:5 dr and 98% ee.     

Asymmetric vinylogous Mannich reactions: a versatile approach to functionalized heterocycles

Asymmetric vinylogous Mannich reaction (VMR) of 2-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)furan (TBSOF, 1) with (R(S))- or (S(S))-t-BS-imines (3) furnished 5-aminoalkylbutenolides 7a-k in 75-87% yields with anti/syn ratios ranging from 75:25 to 97:3. Butenolides 7a-f,k were readily converted into substituted lactones 8 and 5 and 6-substituted 5-hydroxypiperidin-2-ones 11a-g, which are, in turn, key intermediates for the synthesis of many bioactive compounds.     

Asymmetric synthesis of beta-substituted alpha-methyl-beta-amino esters by Mannich reaction of (S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine acetamide derived enolate with imines

[reaction: see text]. The reaction of an (S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine acetamide based enolate with several imines afforded smoothly and with full stereochemical control a series of beta-substituted alpha-methyl-beta-aminoamides that upon hydrolysis/esterification afforded the corresponding beta-aminoester derivatives in good yields and in almost enantiomerically pure form.     

Diastereoselective vinylogous Mannich reaction of perfluoroalkylated cyclic imines with 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran

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