Asymmetric hydrogenation of alpha-chloro aromatic ketones catalyzed by eta6-arene/TsDPEN-ruthenium(II) complexes

Asymmetric hydrogenation of various alpha-chloro aromatic ketones with Ru(OTf)(TsDPEN)(eta6-arene) (TsDPEN = N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine) produces the chiral chlorohydrins in up to 98% ee. This reaction can be conducted even on a 206-g scale. The hydrogenation of an alpha-chloro ketone with a phenol moiety has been utilized for the synthesis of (R)-norphenylephrine without protection-deprotection operations. [reaction: see text].     

Asymmetric synthesis of cyclopropylamines starting from N-sulfinyl alpha-chloro ketimines

Treatment of novel chiral N-sulfinyl alpha-chloro ketimines with Grignard reagents resulted in the synthesis of chiral N-(1-substituted cyclopropyl)-tert-butanesulfinamides in acceptable to good yields and diastereoselectivity via 1,3-dehydrohalogenation and subsequent addition of the Grignard reagent to the intermediate cyclopropylideneamine. Only in the case of allylmagnesium chloride did the reaction lead to aziridines in high yield. Further deprotection toward N-unprotected 1-substituted cyclopropylamines was established, and the absolute configuration was determined. [reaction: see text].     

Enantioselective protonation of catalytically generated chiral enolates as an approach to the synthesis of alpha-chloroesters

Treatment of alpha,alpha-dichloroaldehydes with various phenols in the presence of chiral triazolium salt catalysts and excess base results in the synthesis of alpha-chloro aryl esters in good yield and enantioselectivity. The reaction is tolerant of various functionality on the aldehyde as well as several electronically diverse phenols. The product chloroesters were further transformed into chloroacid, chlorohydrin, and azidoesters with nearly complete retention of enantioselectivity.     

Determination of the enantiomeric excess of ferroelectric liquid crystals derived from three natural amino acids

The synthesis and 1H NMR spectra are presented for diastereoisomeric esters based on chiral alpha-chloro acids which are derived from natural available alpha-amino acids (L-valine, L-leucine and L-isoleucine) and commonly employed for the synthesis of ferroelectric liquid crystals possessing a high spontaneous polarization. Partial racemization is established as occurring within the formation of the chiral alpha-chloro acids and their esterification procedure. The enantiomeric excess exceeds 90% for L-isoleucine and L-valine derivatives, whereas an enantiomeric excess of 60% is found for L-leucine derivatives. On the basis of existing data in the literature, the differences in the spontaneous polarization of these derivatives is discussed with regard to the determined enantiomeric excess and their conformational freedom affecting the average lateral dipole moment of a single molecule.     

Direct organocatalytic asymmetric alpha-chlorination of aldehydes

The direct organocatalytic enantioselective alpha-chlorination of aldehydes has been developed. The reaction proceeds for a series of different aldehydes with NCS as the chlorine source using easily available catalysts such as l-proline amide and (2R,5R)-diphenylpyrrolidine. The alpha-chloro aldehydes are obtained in up to 99% yield and up to 95% ee. The synthetic utility of the enantioselective alpha-chlorination of aldehydes is demonstrated by transformation of the alpha-chloro aldehydes to the corresponding alpha-chloro alcohols (>90% yield) by standard reduction and further transformation to both a terminal epoxide and amino alcohol, both obtained without loss of optical purity. Oxidation of the alpha-chloro aldehydes followed by esterification gave optically active alpha-chloro esters without loss of optical purity. It is demonstrated that these optically active alpha-chloro esters can be converted into nonproteinogenic amino acids in overall high yields, maintaining the enantiomeric excess obtained in the catalytic enantioselective alpha-chlorination step.     

Chiral dopant induced twist grain boundary phases

A diarylethane alpha-chloro ester was mixed with a chiral dopant of high helical twisting power at variable concentration to study its capability for induction of twist grain boundary phases. With increasing concentration of the chiral dopant, TGBA* and TGBC* phases were observed with a rather broad region of existence. In contrast to homeotropic alignment, planar boundary conditions seem to enhance the phase stability of the TGB phases, resulting in metastable TGB states and phase coexistence with the respective smectic phases. The phase growth of SmA*/SmC* out of the TGBA*/TGBC* state was studied under isothermal conditions as a function of temperature and concentration of the chiral dopant.     

Chiral dopant induced twist grain boundary phases

A diarylethane alpha-chloro ester was mixed with a chiral dopant of high helical twisting power at variable concentration to study its capability for induction of twist grain boundary phases. With increasing concentration of the chiral dopant, TGBA* and TGBC* phases were observed with a rather broad region of existence. In contrast to homeotropic alignment, planar boundary conditions seem to enhance the phase stability of the TGB phases, resulting in metastable TGB states and phase coexistence with the respective smectic phases. The phase growth of SmA*/SmC* out of the TGBA*/TGBC* state was studied under isothermal conditions as a function of temperature and concentration of the chiral dopant.     

Chemoenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of beta-halo alcohols. An efficient route to chiral epoxides

Enzymatic resolution of beta-chloro alcohols in combination with ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol isomerization led to a successful dynamic kinetic resolution (conversion up to 99% and ee up to 97%). The efficiency of the DKR is dramatically reduced when beta-bromo alcohols are used. The presence of the bromo substituent causes decomposition of the ruthenium catalysts, which triggers the progressive deactivation of the enzyme. The synthetic utility of this procedure has been illustrated by the practical synthesis of different chiral epoxides.     

Ritter-type reactions of N-chlorosaccharin: a method for the electrophilic diamination of alkenes

[reaction: see text] N-Chlorosaccharin has been shown to undergo electrophilic Ritter-type reactions with alkenes in acetonitrile. The resulting labile beta-chloro sulfonylamidines can be ring-opened and cyclized to imidazolines. Overall this provides a one pot method for the electrophilic diamination of alkenes. Competing aziridine formation as well as allylic chlorination are also observed depending on the nature of the alkene used.     

Direct and enantioselective organocatalytic alpha-chlorination of aldehydes

The first direct enantioselective catalytic alpha-chlorination of aldehydes has been accomplished. The use of enamine catalysis has provided a new organocatalytic strategy for the enantioselective chlorination of aldehydes to generate alpha-chloro aldehydes, an important chiral synthon for chemical and medicinal agent synthesis. The use of imidazolidinone 3 as the asymmetric catalyst has been found to mediate the halogenation of a large variety of aldehyde substrates with the perchlorinated quinone 1 serving as the electrophilic chlorinating reagent. A diverse spectrum of aldehyde substrates can also be accommodated in this new organocatalytic transformation. The capacity of catalyst 3 to override the inherent bias of resident stereogenicity in the chlorination of enantiopure beta-chiral aldehydes is also described. Catalyst quantities of 5 mol % were generally employed in this study.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-triptolide, (-)-triptonide, (+)-triptophenolide, and (+)-triptoquinonide

The first enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-triptolide (1), (-)-triptonide (2), (+)-triptophenolide (3), and (+)-triptoquinonide (4) was completed. The key step involves lanthanide triflate-catalyzed oxidative radical cyclization of (+)-8-phenylmenthyl ester 30 mediated by Mn(OAc)3, providing intermediate 31 with good chemical yield (77%) and excellent diastereoselectivity (dr 38:1). (+)-Triptophenolide methyl ether (5) was then prepared in > 99% enantiomeric excess (> 99% ee), and readily converted to natural products 1-4. In addition, transition state models were proposed to explain the opposite chiral induction observed in the oxidative radical cyclization reactions of chiral beta-keto esters 17 (without an alpha-substituent) and 17a (with an alpha-chloro substituent).     

Highly sulfurated heterocycles via dithiiranes and trithietanes as key intermediates

2,2,4,4-Tetramethyl-3-thioxocyclobutanone (8b) easily reacts with gaseous chlorine to yield the stable alpha-chloro sulfenyl chloride 10. The same product was obtained when 8b was treated either with phosphorus pentachloride (PCl(5)) or sulfuryl chloride (SO(2)Cl(2)) in CCl(4) solution. Sulfur dichloride (SCl(2)) reacts with 8b to give the alpha-chloro thiosulfenyl chloride 12 along with an almost equimolar amount of the trisulfide 13b. The less reactive disulfur dichloride (S(2)Cl(2)) was shown to react slowly with 8b and the symmetrical tetrasulfide 15 was found as the exclusive product. The pure thiosulfenyl chloride 12 added to adamantanethione (8c) yielded the unsymmetrical trisulfide 13c. When 12 was treated with thioacetic acid, the acetylated trisulfide 17 was formed in high yield. "Unzipping" reactions with the acetylated disulfide 16 and trisulfide 17 with morpholine in THF at -40 degrees C led to the formation of mixtures of two sulfur-rich heterocycles identified as the pentathiepane 6b and the hexathiepane 7b. A mixture of analogous products was obtained when alpha-chloro sulfenyl chloride 10 was treated with sodium sulfide in anhydrous THF at -40 degrees C. The formation of 6b and 7b is believed to occur via the intermediate dithiirane 1b and/or the isomeric thiosulfine 2b. In the case of 17 the reaction starts probably with the formation of a nonisolable tetrathiane 18b as presented in Scheme 5.     

Concise synthesis of 3,7-dioxa-9-aza-bicyclo[3,3,1]-nonane

[reaction: see text] The basicity of an amine has a great impact on physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics. To attenuate the basicity of morpholine, a bicyclic amine was designed and synthesized with the introduction of an additional beta-oxygen. A transannular cyclization and reduction of a bridgehead alpha-chloro amine functionality produces the topographically unusual amine (pKa = 6.7) in good yield.     

Efficient copper-catalyzed benzylic amidation with anhydrous chloramine-T

Benzylic hydrocarbons are selectively converted to the corresponding sulfonamides by the [Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)]PF(6)-catalyzed reaction with anhydrous TolSO(2)NNaCl (chloramine-T). Under the same conditions, representative ethers are also alpha-amidated; olefins produce allyl sulfonamides, aziridines, and/or beta-chloro sulfonamides.     

Synthesis of steroidal thiadiazoles from steroidal ketones

Syntheses of steroidal heterocycles containing a five-membered N,S- heterocycle attached at the 6,7 positions of the B ring are reported. 5Alpha-cholestane-6-one (1), its 3beta-acetoxy- (2) and 3beta-chloro- (3) analogues reacted with semicarbazide and aqueous sodium acetate in refluxing ethanol to yield 5alpha-cholestan-6-one-semicarbazone 1a and its 3-beta-acetoxy and 3beta-chloro derivatives 2a and 3a, respectively. The reactions of 1a, 2a and 3a with thionyl chloride in dichloromethane at low temperature afforded the cyclized thiadiazole 4 and its 3beta-acetoxy- and 3beta-chloro analogues 5 and 6 in good yields.     

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]     

Theoretical study on the lithium-halogen exchange reaction of 1,1-dihaloalkenes with methyllithium and the nucleophilic substitution reaction of the resulting alpha-halo alkenyllithiums

Transition structures for the lithium-bromine exchange reaction of 1,1-dibromoalkenes with methyllithium have been located by both the B3LYP and the MP2 levels of theory with the 6-31+G basis set. The reaction with methyllithium dimer gave similar results with lower activation energies. These calculations predict both the kinetic and the thermodynamic stereoselectivity correctly. That is, the sterically more constrained bromine atom of 1,1-dibromoalkenes was predominantly reacted with alkyllithium (dimer) in the kinetic condition. The intramolecular substitution reaction of 4,4-dibromo-3-methyl-3-pentenol in the presence of methyllithium has been investigated. After deprotonation of the alcohol and the lithium-bromine exchange reaction, the intramolecular substitution reaction occurs to give dihydrofuran in a concerted manner. The intermolecular substitution of alpha-chloro alkenyllithium with methyllithium was also studied for comparison. The formation of the indene derivative from 3-(o-bromophenyl)-1,1-dibromo-1-propene in the presence of methyllithium occurs in a similar manner. The lithium-bromine exchange reaction of bromobenzene with methyllithium occurs in an S(N)2 mechanism and the solvent plays an important role.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-(2-pyridyl)aziridines from 2-pyridineimines bearing stereogenic N-alkyl substituents and regioselective opening of the aziridine ring

The addition of chloromethyllithium to the imine derived from 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde and (S)-valinol, protected as its O-trimethylsilyl ether, gave the 1,2-disubstituted aziridine with good yield and diastereoselectivity. The analogous reaction performed on the imine derived from (S)-valine methyl ester gave the product containing the aziridine ring and the alpha-chloro ketone group coming from the attack of chloromethyllithium to the ester function. Other stereogenic alkyl substituents at nitrogen gave less satisfactory results. Moreover, the aziridination protocol did not work on other aromatic imines which were not capable of bidentate chelation, e.g., 3- and 4-pyridineimine and benzaldimine. Preliminary studies showed the possibility to carry out regio- and stereospecific opening reactions of 2-(2-pyridyl)aziridines by attack of internally generated or external nucleophiles.     

Diastereoselective Ugi reaction without chiral amines: the synthesis of chiral pyrroloketopiperazines

The three-component Ugi reaction with chiral 2-(2-formyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)acetic acids prepared from natural l-aminoacids was investigated. The reaction opens a new route to chiral substituted pyrroloketopiperazines. One of the first examples of an asymmetric Ugi reaction without chiral amines is described. The reaction proceeds with moderate diastereoselectivity to give the target compounds in good yields. The scope and limitation of the approach are discussed.     

色满衍生物的不对称合成

含有色满环(2H-1-苯骈吡喃-3,4-二氢)结构的天然产物有抗氧化,抗病毒,免疫,强壮神经等功能。合成这类中间体结构,很早就为人们所关注。早期根据生源合成理论,将异戊二烯和酚反应,在路易斯酸存在下合成出色满衍生物。此后在这方面作过许多工作。