A direct catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction via a dinuclear zinc catalyst: synthesis of either anti- or syn-alpha-hydroxy-beta-amino ketones

The use of imines bearing a hydrolyzable nitrogen substituent in direct asymmetric Mannich reactions with alpha-hydroxyketones is developed. Previous work focused on the use of N-arylimines or nonenolizable imines, and the latter with only methoxy-substituted alpha-hydroxyacetophenones. Using a dinuclear catalyst devised from 2,6-di-(S)-2'-diphenylhydroxymethylpyrrolidino-N-methyl)-4-methylphenol and diethylzinc, a broad array of hydroxyacetylated aromatics, including phenyl, 2-furyl, 1-naphthyl, and 2-naphthyl, react well. In addition, the reactions focused on the use of enolizable imines. With the N-diphenylphosphinoyl, the reactions are anti selective with enantiomeric excesses ranging from 83 to 99%, except for the reaction of the 2-methoxy-2'-hydroxyacetylbenzene. With the N-Boc-imines, the reactions were syn selective with enantiomeric excesses from 90 to 94%. The dependence of the diastereoselectivity on the nature of the N-substituent presumably arises from the steric demands of the diphenylphosphinoyl group.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thioamides: a concise asymmetric synthesis of (R)-fluoxetine

A direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of aromatic aldehydes and thioamides is described. A soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalyst comprising (R,R)-Ph-BPE/[Cu(CH₃CN)₄]PF₆/Li(OC₆H₄-p-OMe) promoted the title reaction efficiently, triggered by in situ generation of the active thioamide enolate through a soft–soft interaction of Cu(I) and the thioamide. The aldol product was transformed into (R)-fluoxetine, an antidepressant agent.     

Direct catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective aldol reaction using a Zn-Zn-linked-BINOL complex: a practical synthesis of syn-1,2-diols

[reaction: see text] The direct catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective aldol reaction with 2-hydroxy-2'-methoxyacetophenone proceeded smoothly using as little as 1 mol % of a dinuclear zinc catalyst, Zn-Zn-linked-BINOL complex 2, to afford alpha,beta-dihydroxy ketones in a highly syn-selective manner (up to syn/anti 97/3) and in excellent yields (up to 95%) and ees (up to 99%). Efficient transformations of the alpha,beta-dihydroxy ketone into an alpha,beta-dihydroxy ester and an alpha,beta-dihydroxy amide via regioselective rearrangements are also described.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of aldehydes

The development of a direct catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes with activated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by chiral amines is presented and the potential demonstrated by the synthesis of optically active beta-hydroxycarboxylic acid derivatives.     

Dramatic ligand effect in catalytic asymmetric reductive aldol reaction of allenic esters to ketones

A general catalytic asymmetric reductive aldol reaction of allenic esters to ketones is described. Two distinct constitutional isomers were selectively produced depending on the reaction conditions. A combination of CuOAc/(R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS/PCy3 as the catalyst predominantly produced gamma-cis-products in high yield with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The reaction was applicable to both aromatic and aliphatic ketones, including unsaturated ketones. On the other hand, CuF-Taniaphos complexes produced alpha-aldol products with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (up to 84% ee). The new Taniaphos derivative L3, containing di(3,5-xylyl)phosphine and morpholine units, produced optimum results in the alpha-selective reaction. The products are versatile chiral building blocks in organic synthesis. Furthermore, the basic reaction pattern (i.e., conjugate addition-aldol reaction) was extended to a catalytic enantioselective alkylative aldol reaction to ketones using dialkylzinc reagents as the initiator.     

A catalytic asymmetric vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction

A vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, conducted using 10 mol % of a BITIP catalyst and B(OMe)3 as an additive, effects an enantioselective four-carbon chain extension to give versatile E-alpha,beta-unsaturated thiol esters.     

Regiospecific organocatalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of methyl ketones and alpha,beta-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones

[structure: see text]. The aldol reaction of methyl ketones and alpha,beta-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones occurred under mild conditions with the combination of proline-derived N-sulfonylamide and trifluoroacetic acid as the catalyst to give the corresponding unsaturated alpha-trifluoromethyl tertiary alcohols in high yields with good enatioselectivities.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction of hydroxyketone using a Et2Zn/linked-BINOL complex: synthesis of either anti- or syn-beta-amino alcohols

Full details of a direct catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction of a hydroxyketone using a Et2Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL complex are described. By choosing the proper protective groups on imine nitrogen, either anti- or syn-beta-amino alcohol was obtained in good diastereomeric ratio, yield, and excellent enantiomeric excess using the same zinc catalysis. N-Diphenylphosphinoyl (Dpp) imine 3 gave anti-beta-amino alcohols in anti/syn = up to >98/2, up to >99% yield, and up to >99.5% ee, while Boc-imine 4 gave syn-beta-amino alcohols in anti/syn = up to 5/95, up to >99% yield, and up to >99.5% ee. The high catalyst turnover number (TON) is also noteworthy. Catalyst loading was successfully reduced to 0.02 mol % (TON = up to 4920) for the anti-selective reaction and 0.05 mol % (TON = up to 1760) for the syn-selective reaction. The Et2Zn/(S,S)-linked-BINOL complex exhibited far better TON than in previous reports of catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions. Mechanistic studies to clarify the reason for the high catalyst efficiency as well as transformations of Mannich adducts are also described.     

Anti-selective direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thiolactams

An anti-selective direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thiolactam is described. A soft Lewis acid/hard Br?nsted base cooperative catalyst comprised of mesitylcopper/(R,R)-Ph-BPE exhibited high catalytic performance to produce an anti-aldol product with high stereoselectivity. The highly chemoselective nature of the present catalysis allows for the use of enolizable aldehydes as aldol acceptors. The diverse transformations of the thiolactam moiety highlight the synthetic utility of the present anti-aldol protocol.     

Concise enantioselective synthesis of duloxetine via direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thioamide

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thioamide offers a new entry to the concise enantioselective synthesis of duloxetine. The direct aldol protocol was scalable (>20 g) to afford the aldol product in 92% ee after LiAlH(4) reduction, and 84% of the chiral ligand was recovered after recrystallization. The following four steps of transformation delivered duloxetine.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol-Tishchenko reaction

A direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of propionate equivalent was achieved via the aldol-Tishchenko reaction. Coupling an irreversible Tishchenko reaction to a reversible aldol reaction overcame the retro-aldol reaction problem and thereby afforded the products in high enantio and diastereoselectivity using 10 mol % of the asymmetric catalyst. A variety of ketones and aldehydes, including propyl and butyl ketones, were coupled efficiently, yielding the corresponding aldol-Tishchenko products in up to 96% yield and 95% ee. Diastereoselectivity was generally below the detection limit of 1H NMR (>98:2). Preliminary studies performed to clarify the mechanism revealed that the aldol products were racemic with no diastereoselectivity. On the other hand, the Tishchenko products were obtained in a highly enantiocontrolled manner.     

Formal total synthesis of (+)-wortmannin using catalytic asymmetric intramolecular aldol condensation reaction

A catalytic process for the synthesis of optically active C4-substituted tetrahydroindandiones using an asymmetric intramolecular aldol condensation reaction was developed. When 30 mol% of phenylalanine and 50 mol% of pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate were used under highly concentrated conditions, a variety of C4-substituted tetrahydroindandiones and octahydronaphthalenediones were obtained in high yield (up to 89% yield) and high enantiomeric excess (up to 94% ee). One of the products was successfully transformed into the key intermediate for the synthesis of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, achieving formal total synthesis of (+)-wortmannin.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of pyruvates: scope and mechanism

The direct aldol reaction of 2-ketoesters catalyzed by chiral bisoxazoline copper(II) complexes has been investigated. First the direct homo-aldol reaction of ethyl pyruvate is reported which proceeds to give diethyl 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-oxoglutarate. This was isolated as the more stable optically active isotetronic acid in good yield and enantiomeric excess in the absence of bases such as amines. Detailed investigations of the use of different chiral Lewis acids as the catalyst, amines, ratios of chiral bisoxazoline copper(II) salts:amine, and solvents gave up to 96% ee of the isotetronic acid. Then the reaction was extended to a cross-aldol reaction of various 2-ketoesters with activated carbonyl compounds to give the cross-aldol adduct with excellent enantiomeric excess. Furthermore, the synthesis of the isotetronic acids was investigated from these cross-aldol adducts giving important information about the formation of the stereogenic centers during the aldol reaction. Based on the absolute configuration of the homo-aldol adduct the mechanism for the aldol reaction is discussed.     

Biocatalytic promiscuity: lipase-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of heterocyclic ketones with aldehydes

The new promiscuous activity of lipase from porcine pancreas, type II (PPL II), has been observed to catalyze the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of heterocyclic ketones with aromatic aldehydes. PPL II showed favorable catalytic activity and had a good adaptability to different substrates in the reaction. The enantioselectivities of up to 87% ee and diastereoselectivities of up to 83:17 (anti/syn) were achieved. It is interesting that PPL II possesses the function of aldolase in organic solvents.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction of aryl ketones with aryl aldehydes catalyzed by chiral BINOL-derived zincate catalyst

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction of aryl ketones with aryl aldehydes catalyzed by chiral metal complex is reported for the first time herein. Two novel semicrown chiral ligands 1a and 1b were synthesized from (S)- and (R)-BINOL, respectively, and then employed to catalyze the direct asymmetric aldol addition of aryl ketones to aryl aldehydes. Introduced with 2.0 equiv of diethylzinc, 1b had higher enantioselectivity than 1a. Up to 97% yield and up to 80% enantioselectivity were achieved.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalized (2-ethynylphenyl)alcohols via Barbas-List aldol reaction: scope and synthetic applications

A high-yielding asymmetric synthesis of functionalized (2-ethynylphenyl)alcohols 5/6 with good diastereo- and enantioselectivities was achieved by Barbas-List aldol (BLA) reaction of 2-alkynylbenzaldehydes 1 with various ketones 2 in the presence of trans-4-OH-L-proline or L-prolinamide derivative 3/4 as catalyst at the ambient temperature or -35 °C. This method also gives first time access to the novel double aldol addition compounds 6, which are of medicinal importance. Chiral functionalized (2-ethynylphenyl)alcohols 5/6 were transformed into acyclic and cyclic 1,4-triazoles 8/9 and cis-1,3-diols 10 in good yields with high selectivity through double click-reaction and Lewis acid-mediated NaBH(4) reduction respectively. Chiral products 8-10 may become good ligands and inhibitors in medicinal chemistry.     

Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with ketones

l-Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with unmodified ketones smoothly occurred at ambient temperature to produce β-hydroxy-β-trifluoromethylated ketones with good to excellent diastereo (up to 96% de) and enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee).     

Direct aldol condensation reaction of ethyl diazoacetate with trifluoromethyl ketones

An efficient and direct aldol-type condensation of ethyl diazoacetate with trifluoromethyl ketones was developed in the presence of dialkyl zinc. A series of trifluoromethylated products were obtained in good to excellent yields (60-95%). A preliminary extension to a catalytic enantioselective aldol reaction of ethyl diazoacetate to trifluoromethyl ketones (up to 72% ee) is also described.     

A new method for the catalytic aldol reaction to ketones

A new method for the catalytic aldol reaction to ketones, using CuF.3PPh3.2EtOH complex as the catalyst and (EtO)3SiF as the additive, is described. The reaction can be applied to a wide range of ketones and trimethylsilyl enolates. On the basis of mechanistic studies, a working hypothesis for the catalytic cycle is proposed, in which the dynamic ligand exchange mediated by copper silicates produces the active copper enolate. Moreover, the present reaction can be extended to the catalytic enantioselective reaction using tol-BINAP as a chiral ligand.