Enantioselective Intramolecular [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reactions of 4‐Substituted Coumarins Catalyzed by a Chiral Lewis Acid

Eight coumarins, which carry a terminal alkene tethered by a CH₂XCH₂ group to their 4‐position (X=CH₂, CMe₂, O, S, NBoc, NZ, NTs, NBn), were synthesized in overall yields of 51–80 %. Starting materials for the syntheses were either commercially available 4‐hydroxycoumarin or 4‐formylcoumarin. The intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of these coumarins gave diastereoselectively products with a tetracyclic 3,3a,4,4a‐tetrahydro‐1H‐cyclopenta[2,3]cyclobuta[1,2‐c]chromen‐5(2H)‐one skeleton. Direct irradiation at λ=300 nm in dichloromethane (c=10 mM ) led to product formation in good yields for most substrates, presumably via a singlet excited state intermediate. Due to the low coumarin absorption at λ >350 nm the photocycloaddition was slow upon irradiation at λ=366 nm. Addition of a chiral oxazaborolidine‐based Lewis acid (50 mol %) increased the reaction rate at λ=366 nm and induced a significant enantioselectivity in the [2+2] photocycloaddition. Six out of eight coumarin substrates (X=CH₂, CMe₂, O, NBoc, NZ, NTs) gave the respective products in yields of 72–96 % and with 74–90 % enantiomeric excess (ee) upon irradiation in dichloromethane (c=20 mM ) at ?75 °C. The Lewis acid presumably acts by coordination to the coumarin carbonyl oxygen atom, which leads to a bathochromic shift (redshift) of the UV absorption and which increases the singlet state lifetime. A second electrostatic interaction of the hydrogen atom at C3 with the oxygen atom of the oxazaborolidine is likely.     

Intramolecular [2+2] Photocycloaddition of Cyclic Enones: Selectivity Control by Lewis Acids and Mechanistic Implications

The intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of 3-alkenyl-2-cycloalkenones was performed in an enantioselective fashion (nine representative examples, 54–86 % yield, 76–96 % ee) upon irradiation at λ=366 nm in the presence of an AlBr₃-activated oxazaborolidine as the Lewis acid. An extensive screening of proline-derived oxazaborolidines showed that the enantioface differentiation depends strongly on the nature of the aryl group at the 3-position of the heterocycle. DFT calculations of the Lewis acid–substrate complex indicate that attractive dispersion forces may be responsible for a change of the binding mode. The catalytic [2+2] photocycloaddition was shown to proceed on the triplet hypersurface with a quantum yield of 0.05. The positive effect of Lewis acids on the outcome of a given intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition was illustrated by optimizing the key step in a concise total synthesis of the sesquiterpene (±)-italicene.     

[2+2] Photocycloaddition of 3‐Alkenyloxy‐2‐cycloalkenones: Enantioselective Lewis Acid Catalysis and Ring Expansion

By application of substoichiometric amounts (50 mol %) of a chiral Lewis acid, the intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of the title compounds was achieved with high enantioselectivity (up to 94 % ee). Upon cleavage of the cyclobutane ring the resulting tricyclic products underwent ring‐expansion reactions under acidic conditions and formed anellated seven‐ or eight‐membered‐ring systems without racemization. The ring expansion could be combined with a diastereoselective reduction (triethylsilane) or allylation (allyltrimethylsilane) upon BF₃ catalysis (48–87 % yield).     

A Chiral Thioxanthone as an Organocatalyst for Enantioselective [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reactions Induced by Visible Light

Thioxanthone 1 , which was synthesized in a concise fashion from methyl thiosalicylate, exhibits a significant absorption in the visible light region. It allows for an efficient enantioselective catalysis of intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions presumably by triplet energy transfer.     

Triplet Energy Transfer from Ruthenium Complexes to Chiral Eniminium Ions: Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclobutanecarbaldehydes by [2+2] Photocycloaddition

Chiral eniminium salts, prepared from α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes and a chiral proline derived secondary amine, underwent, upon irradiation with visible light, a ruthenium‐catalyzed (2.5 mol %) intermolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition to olefins, which after hydrolysis led to chiral cyclobutanecarbaldehydes (17 examples, 49–74 % yield), with high diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities. Ru(bpz)₃(PF₆)₂ was utilized as the ruthenium catalyst and laser flash photolysis studies show that the catalyst operates exclusively by triplet‐energy transfer (sensitization). A catalytic system was devised with a chiral secondary amine co‐catalyst. In the catalytic reactions, Ru(bpy)₃(PF₆)₂ was employed, and laser flash photolysis experiments suggest it undergoes both electron and energy transfer. However, experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that energy transfer is the only productive quenching mechanism. Control experiments using Ir(ppy)₃ showed no catalysis for the intermolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition of an eniminium ion.     

Highly Enantioselective [3+2] Coupling of Indoles with Quinone Monoimines Promoted by a Chiral Phosphoric Acid

Highly enantioselective [3+2] coupling of 3‐substituted indoles with quinone monoimines promoted by a chiral phosphoric acid has been reported. A large variety of benzofuroindolines were prepared in moderate to good yields (up to 98 %) with generally excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee).     

Chiral Silver Amides as Effective Catalysts for Enantioselective [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions

Asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition of α‐aminoester Schiff bases with substituted olefins is one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of chiral pyrrolidine derivatives in optically pure form. In spite of its potential utility, applicable substrates for this method have been limited to Schiff bases that bear relatively acidic α‐hydrogen atoms. Here we report a chiral silver amide complex for asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition reactions. A silver complex prepared from silver bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (AgHMDS) and (R)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS worked well in asymmetric [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of α‐aminoester Schiff bases with several olefins to afford the corresponding pyrrolidine derivatives in high yields with remarkable exo‐ and enantioselectivities. Furthermore, α‐aminophosphonate Schiff bases, which have less acidic α‐hydrogen atoms, also reacted with olefins with high exo‐ and enantioselectivities. The stereoselectivities of the [3+2] cycloadditions with maleate and fumarate suggested that the reaction proceeded by means of a concerted mechanism. An NMR spectroscopic study indicated that complexation of AgHMDS with the bisphosphine ligand was not complete, and that free AgHMDS, which did not show any significant catalytic activity, existed in the catalyst solution. This means that significant ligand acceleration occurred in the current reaction system.     

Understanding the nature of the molecular mechanisms associated with the competitive Lewis acid catalyzed [4+2] and [4+3] cycloadditions between arylidenoxazolone systems and cyclopentadiene: a DFT analysis

The molecular mechanisms of the reactions between aryliden-5(4H)-oxazolone 1, and cyclopentadiene (Cp), in presence of Lewis acid (LA) catalyst to obtain the corresponding [4+2] and [4+3] cycloadducts are examined through density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G* level. The activation effect of LA catalyst can be reached by two ways, that is, interaction of LA either with carbonyl or carboxyl oxygen atoms of 1 to render [4+2] or [4+3] cycloadducts. The endo and exo [4+2] cycloadducts are formed through a highly asynchronous concerted mechanism associated to a Michael-type addition of Cp to the beta-conjugated position of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl framework of 1. Coordination of LA catalyst to the carboxyl oxygen yields a highly functionalized compound, 3, through a domino reaction. For this process, the first reaction is a stepwise [4+3] cycloaddition which is initiated by a Friedel-Crafts-type addition of the electrophilically activated carbonyl group of 1 to Cp and subsequent cyclization of the corresponding zwitterionic intermediate to yield the corresponding [4+3] cycloadduct. The next rearrangement is the nucleophilic trapping of this cycloadduct by a second molecule of Cp to yield the final adduct 3. A new reaction pathway for the [4+3] cycloadditions emerges from the present study.     

Enantioselective Catalysis of the Intermolecular [2+2] Photocycloaddition between 2‐Pyridones and Acetylenedicarboxylates

Intermolecular [2+2] photocycloadditions represent the most versatile and widely applicable of photochemical reactions. For the first time, such intermolecular reactions have been carried out in a catalytic fashion using a chiral triplet sensitizer, with high enantioselectivity (up to 92 % ee). The low catalyst loading (2.5–5 mol %) underlines the high efficiency of the process both in terms of reaction acceleration and differentiation of the enantiotopic faces of the substrate. The substrate is anchored to the chiral catalyst through noncovalent interactions (hydrogen bonds), thus providing a chiral environment in which the enantioselective photocycloaddition proceeds. The densely functionalized products present numerous possibilities for further synthetic transformations.     

Enantioselective Dearomative [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of Benzothiazoles

A highly enantioselective dearomative [3+2] cycloaddition of benzothiazole has been successfully developed. A wide range of benzothiazoles and cyclopropane‐1,1‐dicarboxylates are suitable substrates for this reaction. The desired hydropyrrolo[2,1‐b]thiazole compounds were obtained in excellent enantioselectivity and yields (up to 97 % ee and 97 % yield). With the same catalytic system, a highly efficient kinetic resolution of 2‐substituted cyclopropane‐1,1‐dicarboxylates was also realized.     

Theoretical study of the [2+3] cycloaddition of nitrones to nitriles-influence of nitrile substituent,solvent and Lewis acid coordination

The [2+3] cycloaddition of nitrone PhCHdoublebondN(Me)O to nitriles RCtriplebondN (R=Me, Ph, CF(3)) was studied using quantum chemical calculations at the HF/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. With MeCN and PhCN, the reaction occurs through a concerted mechanism and leads selectively to Delta(4)-1,2,4-oxadiazolines rather than Delta(2)-1,2,5-oxadiazolines. Electron withdrawing substituents such as CF(3) at the nitrile provoke a non-synchronous bond formation, with the C-O bond being established on an earlier stage than the C-N bond. Additionally, the reaction becomes thermodynamically and kinetically more favourable. In the reaction of adducts of MeCN with BH(3) or BF(3) as model Lewis acids, the mechanism was found to change from fully concerted in the case of free MeCN towards a two-step reaction in the presence of BF(3), in which C-O bond formation occurs first. The BH(3)-mediated reaction occupies an intermediate stage where ring formation occurs in one-step but non-simultaneously, similar to the reaction of CF(3)CN. Interaction of the Lewis acid with the nitrile in the course of the reaction facilitates the cycloaddition by stabilizing transition states, intermediate and product rather than by activating the nitrile. The solvent influences the organic reaction mainly by lowering the energy of the reagents, thus leading to a higher activation barrier in a more polar solvent. In the Lewis acid mediated reaction, in contrast, the intermediate is strongly stabilised by a polar solvent and with that the synchronicity of the reaction changes in favour of a two-step mechanism.     

Construction of Polyheterocyclic Compounds by Lewis Acid Mediated Intramolecular [3+2] Cycloaddition Reaction

An efficient domino approach has been developed for the synthesis of polyheterocyclic derivatives constituting pyrrole moiety. Lewis acid catalyzed reaction of 2-substituted-2-hydroxy-indane-1,3-diones and 1,4-benzoxazinone derivatives resulted in the formation of polyheterocyclic compounds under metal-free and mild conditions in good to excellent yield. The reaction is highly regioselective for C−C and C−N bond construction proceeded via intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition reaction. The protocol is highly efficient, obviates column chromatography and the products are obtained by simple filtration followed by washing with solvent.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of [9]‐ and [11]Helicene‐like Molecules: Double Intramolecular [2+2+2] Cycloaddition

The enantioselective synthesis of completely ortho‐fused [9]‐ and [11]helicene‐like molecules has been achieved through a rhodium‐mediated, intramolecular, double [2+2+2] cycloaddition of phenol‐ or 2‐naphthol‐linked hexaynes. Crystal structures and photophysical properties of these [9]‐ and [11]helicene‐like molecules have also been disclosed.     

Highly Enantioselective Intermolecular Cross Rauhut–Currier Reaction Catalyzed by a Multifunctional Lewis Base Catalyst

The highly enantioselective intermolecular cross Rauhut–Currier reaction of different active olefins catalyzed by a multifunctional chiral Lewis base was reported. The RC products were obtained in excellent yields (up to 98 %), high chemo‐ and enantioselectivity (up to 96 % ee). The reaction could be performed on a gram scale using 1 mol % of the multifunctional phosphine catalyst.