Palladium-catalyzed cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane

PdCl2(CH3CN)2 catalyzed the cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of SiMe3Cl to form 2-carboalkoxycyclohexanones in good yield with excellent regioselectivity.     

Direct carbon-carbon bond formation via chemoselective soft enolization of thioesters: a remarkably simple and versatile crossed-Claisen reaction applied to the synthesis of LY294002

Thioesters undergo chemoselective soft enolization and acylation by N-acylbenzotriazoles on treatment with MgBr2 x OEt2 and i-Pr2NEt to give beta-keto thioesters. Prior enolate formation is not required, and the reaction is conducted using untreated CH2Cl2 open to the air. The coupled products are stable synthetic equivalents of beta-keto acids and can be converted directly into beta-keto esters, beta-keto amides, and beta-diketones under mild conditions. The utility of this carbon-carbon bond-forming method is shown through the synthesis of the PI3-K inhibitor LY294002.     

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative alkylation of unactivated olefins

Reaction of 5,5-dimethyl-8-nonene-2,4-dione catalyzed by PdCl2(CH3CN)2 (5 mol %) in the presence of CuCl2 (2.5 equiv) at room temperature for 3 h formed 2-acetyl-3,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexenone in 96% isolated yield. Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative alkylation tolerated a range of substitution and was applicable to the synthesis of spirobicyclic compounds and to the cyclization of zeta-alkenyl beta-keto esters.     

Mild alpha-halogenation reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds catalyzed by Lewis acids

Lewis acid Mg(ClO4)2, combined with NBS, in CH3CN or EtOAc provided mild and fast bromination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. In particular, this protocol could be applied to the alpha-monobromination of alpha-unsubstituted beta-keto esters. Similar Lewis acid catalysis was also extended to the alpha-chlorination and iodination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with NCS and NIS, respectively.     

Novel intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction of unsaturated beta-keto esters

[reaction: see text] Fused cyclopropane beta-keto esters are versatile intermediates for the synthesis of many biologically active natural products. Here we report a new intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction of unsaturated beta-keto esters. In the presence of I(2), Et(3)N, and Lewis acids such as Mg(ClO(4))(2) and Yb(OTf)(3), beta-keto esters 1 bearing various olefin substituents were transformed to fused cyclopropanes 2 in a highly stereospecific manner with moderate to good yields. The mechanism of the reaction was also investigated.     

Zinc-mediated ring-expansion and chain-extension reactions of beta-keto esters

[Chemical reaction: see text] The reaction of cyclic beta-keto esters with CF3CO2ZnCH2I provided the corresponding ring-expanded products in moderate to good yields. Although alpha-substituted acyclic beta-keto esters reacted with much less efficient, chain-extension reaction of simple beta-keto esters also proceeded effectively to generate gamma-keto esters in high yields.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric mannich reactions of malonates and beta-keto esters

The first catalytic asymmetric direct Mannich reaction of malonates and beta-keto esters has been developed. Malonates react with an activated N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester catalyzed by chiral tert-butyl-bisoxazoline/Cu(OTf)(2) to give the Mannich adducts in high yields and with up to 96% ee. These reactions create a chiral quaternary carbon center and it is demonstrated that this new direct Mannich reactions provides for example a new synthetic procedure for the formation of optically active beta-carboxylic ester alpha-amino acid derivatives. A series of different beta-keto esters with various ester substituents has been screened as substrates for the catalytic asymmetric direct Mannich reaction and it was found that the best results in terms of yield, diastereo- and enantioselectivity were obtained when tert-butyl esters of beta-keto esters were used as the substrate. The reaction of different beta-keto tert-butyl esters with the N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester gave the Mannich adducts in high yields, diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) in the presence of chiral tert-butyl-bisoxazoline/Cu(OTf)(2) as the catalyst. To expand the synthetic utility of this direct Mannich reaction a diastereoselective decarboxylation reaction was developed for the Mannich adducts leading to a new synthetic approach to attractive optically active beta-keto alpha-amino acid derivatives. Based on the stereochemical outcome of the reactions, various approaches of the N-tosyl-alpha-imino ester to the chiral bisoxazoline/Cu(II)-substrate intermediate are discussed.     

Lanthanide triflate-promoted palladium-catalyzed cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides

[reaction: see text] Lanthanide triflates were found to promote the palladium-catalyzed cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides. In the presence of catalytic amounts of PdCl(2)(MeCN)(2) and Ln(OTf)(3), various alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides underwent regioselective cyclization reactions to give six-, seven-, or eight-membered-ring carbocycles in moderate to excellent yields.     

Efficient and reusable PdCl2(MeCN)2/CuCl2/PEG-400 system for cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides

PEG-400 [poly(ethylene glycol-400)] was found as an effective medium for the PdCl(2)(MeCN)(2)-catalyzed hydroalkylation cyclization of alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides. In PEG-400, no additives such as Me(3)SiCl and Ln(OTf)(3) were required for the complete conversion of alkenyl beta-keto esters. The results also showed that CuCl(2) could promote the reaction. In the presence of PdCl(2)(MeCN)(2), CuCl(2), and PEG-400, various alkenyl beta-keto esters and amides underwent a selective cyclization reaction to give good to excellent yields of the desired six-membered-ring carbocycles. Furthermore, the PdCl(2)(MeCN)(2)/CuCl(2)/PEG-400 system could be recycled and reused five times without any loss of catalytic activity.     

Manganese-catalyzed construction of tetrasubstituted benzenes from 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and terminal acetylenes

Treatment of beta-keto esters with terminal acetylenes in the presence of a catalytic amount of a manganese complex, MnBr(CO)5, and molecular sieves, gave multisubstituted aromatic compounds in good to excellent yields. This reaction employs [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of beta-keto esters and 2 equiv of terminal acetylenes with dehydration. In the case of a 1,3-diketone, the corresponding acetophenone derivative and its deacylated compound can be synthesized selectively.     

Asymmetric synthesis of alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acids using (S,S)-cyclohexane-1,2-diol as a chiral auxiliary

Diastereoselective alkylation of ethyl 2-methyl- and/or 2-ethylacetoacetates using the (S,S)-cyclohexane-1,2-diol as an acetal chiral auxiliary afforded enol ethers (2a-f and 5a-f) of 92->95% de in 31-70% yields. Removal of the cyclohexane-1,2-diol with BF(3)-OEt(2) afforded beta-keto esters (3 and 6) bearing a chiral quaternary carbon. The beta-keto esters could be easily converted into optically active alpha-methylated and/or alpha-ethylated alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids (12 and 13) in 21-99% yields using Schmidt rearrangement.     

Catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction of beta-keto esters: effects of the linker heteroatom in linked-BINOL

We describe the development of a general catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction of acyclic beta-keto esters to cyclic enones, in which asymmetric induction occurs at the beta-position of the acceptors. Among the various asymmetric catalyst systems examined, the newly developed La-NR-linked-BINOL complexes (R = H or Me) afforded the best results in terms of reactivity and selectivity. In general, the NMe ligand 2 was suitable for the combination of small enones and small beta-keto esters, and the NH ligand 1 was suitable for bulkier substrates (steric tuning of the catalyst). Using the La-NMe-linked-BINOL complex, the Michael reaction of methyl acetoacetate (8a) to 2-cyclohexen-1-one (7b) gave the corresponding Michael adduct 9ba in 82% yield and 92% ee. The linker heteroatom in linked-BINOL is crucial for achieving high reactivity and selectivity in the Michael reaction of beta-keto esters. The amine moiety in the NR-linked-BINOL can also tune the Lewis acidity of the central metal (electronic tuning of the catalyst), which was supported by density functional studies and experimental results. Another advantage of the NR-linked-BINOL ligand as compared with O-linked-BINOL is the ease of modifying a substituent on the amine moiety, making it possible to synthesize a variety of NR-linked-BINOL ligands for further improvement or development of new asymmetric catalyses by introducing additional functionality on the linker with the amine moiety. The efficiency of the present asymmetric catalysis was demonstrated by the synthesis of the key intermediate of (-)-tubifolidine and (-)-19,20-dihydroakuammicine in only five steps compared to the nine steps required by the original process from the Michael product of malonate. This strategy is much more atom economical. On the basis of the results of mechanistic studies, we propose that a beta-keto ester serves as a ligand as well as a substrate and at least one beta-keto ester should be included in the active catalyst complex. Further improvement of the reaction by maintaining an appropriate ratio of the La-NMe-linked-BINOL complex and beta-keto esters is also described.     

NaOH-catalyzed crossed Claisen condensation between ketene silyl acetals and methyl esters

We have developed a practical crossed Claisen condensation between ketene silyl acetals and methyl esters using catalytic NaOH to obtain alpha-monoalkylated beta-keto esters and inaccessible alpha,alpha-dialkylated beta-keto esters.     

Formation of a quaternary carbon center through the Pd(0)/PhCOOH-catalyzed allylation of cyclic beta-keto esters and 1,3-diketones with alkynes

Formation of a quaternary carbon center through the allylation of beta-keto esters and 1,3-diketones with alkynes is accomplished by the use of Pd(0)/benzoic acid catalyst. Reactions of various cyclic beta-keto esters and 1,3-diketones with alkynes in the presence of Pd(2)dba(3).CHCl(3) (5 mol %), PPh(3) (40 mol %), and PhCOOH (10 mol %) proceeded at 100 degrees C in toluene (5 M) to give the corresponding allylation products in high yields in a regio- and stereoselective manner. The possibility of asymmetric allylation is also discussed.     

Preparation of complex bridged bicyclic ring systems from 3,3-diacetoxy-2-phenylsulfonylpropene and beta-keto esters

The reaction of beta-keto esters with 3,3-diacetoxy-2-phenylsulfonylpropene affords bicyclic keto esters in good yields.     

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular oxidative alkylation of 4-pentenyl beta-dicarbonyl compounds

Reaction of 8-nonene-2,4-dione with a catalytic amount of [PdCl2(CH3CN)2] (2; 5 mol %) and a stoichiometric amount of CuCl2 (2.5 equiv) at room temperature for 3 h led to oxidative alkylation and formation of 2-acetyl-3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone in 80 % isolated yield. The oxidative alkylation of 4-pentenyl beta-diketones tolerated a number of terminal acyl groups and substitution at the C1 and C3 carbon atoms of the 4-pentenyl chain. Likewise, 4-pentenyl beta-keto esters that possessed geminal disubstitution at the C1, C2, or C3 carbon atom of the 4-pentenyl chain cyclized to form 2-carboalkoxy-2-cyclohexenones in moderate to good yield as the exclusive cyclized product. Deuterium-labeling experiments provided information regarding the mechanism of the palladium-catalyzed oxidative alkylation of 4-pentenyl beta-dicarbonyl compounds.     

Copper(I)-catalyzed chlorine atom transfer radical cyclization reactions of unsaturated alpha-chloro beta-keto esters

Copper(I) chloride catalyzed chlorine atom transfer radical cyclization reactions of a series of olefinic alpha-chloro beta-keto esters were investigated. It was found that alpha-dichlorinated beta-keto esters were suitable substrates; the chlorine transfer mono or tandem radical cyclization reactions catalyzed by CuCl complex with bis(oxazoline) or bipyridine proceeded smoothly in dichloroethane at room temperature or 80 degrees C, providing cyclic and bicyclic compounds in moderate to high yield. [reaction: see text]     

Decarboxylative aldol reactions of allyl beta-keto esters via heterobimetallic catalysis

Mild and selective heterobimetallic-catalyzed decarboxylative aldol reactions involving allyl beta-keto esters have been developed. The reaction is promoted by Pd(0)- and Yb(III)-DIOP complexes at room temperature and involves the in situ formation of a ketone enolate from allyl beta-keto esters followed by addition of the enolate to aldehydes. The reaction is a new example of heterobimetallic catalysis in which the optimized reaction conditions require the addition of both metals.     

Mild and efficient pentafluorophenylammonium triflate (PFPAT)-catalyzed C-acylations of enol silyl ethers or ketene silyl (Thio)acetals with acid chlorides

A pentafluorophenylammonium triflate (PFPAT) catalyst (5 mol %) successfully promoted C-acylation of enol silyl ethers with acid chloride to produce various beta-diketones (12 examples; 62-92% yield). Similarly, C-acylation of ketene silyl acetals or ketene silyl thioacetals (i.e., crossed Claisen condensation) proceeded smoothly to provide not only alpha-monoalkylated beta-keto (thio)esters but also thermodynamically unfavorable (less accessible) alpha,alpha-dialkylated beta-keto (thio)esters in good to excellent yield (38 examples; 60-92% yield).     

Reactions of N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of anthranilic acids with anions of beta-keto esters. A new route to 4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid derivatives

A new approach for the synthesis of 4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid derivatives is described. This methodology involves the C-acylation of the anions of appropriate beta-keto esters with novel N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of anthranilic acids. The intermediate C-acylation products 3 are spontaneously cyclized to afford 3-ethoxycarbonyl-4-oxoquinoline derivatives 4. The introduction of a variety of substituents at positions 1 and 2 of the quinoline ring is feasible with the selection of suitable anthranilic acids and beta-keto esters. The structure of the obtained 2-substituted 3-ethoxycarbonyl-4-oxoquinolines was confirmed by IR and NMR spectral data.