Tandem asymmetric conjugate addition-enolacetates formation of enantiomerically enriched zinc and aluminium enolates

The metal enolates, resulting from the copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of organometallic reagents (Et₂Zn or R₃Al) to cyclic and acyclic enones are quantitatively trapped as enolacetates with acetic anhydride.     

One-pot asymmetric conjugate addition-trapping of zinc enolates by activated electrophiles

The copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkyl zinc leads to homochiral zinc enolates. These intermediates were trapped in situ with activated allylic electrophiles, without the need of additional palladium catalysis. High trans selectivity (85/15 to 100/0) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99%) could be attained. The functionalized nature of the electrophiles makes the new synthons potential candidates for further elaboration.     

Catalytic asymmetric approaches towards enantiomerically enriched diarylmethanols and diarylmethylamines

Enantiopure diarylmethanols and diarylmethylamines are important intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant products with antihistaminic, antiarrhythmic, diuretic, antidepressive, laxative, local-anesthetic and anticholinergic properties. Furthermore, they have been used as precursors for 1,1-diarylalkyl moieties, which occur in other antidepressants as well as in antimuscarinics and endothelin antagonists. In this critical review catalytic strategies towards enantioenriched diarylmethanols and diarylmethylamines are discussed, including methods for asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formations by aryl transfer reactions to aldehydes and arylimines, respectively, and enantioselective reductions of diarylketones.     

Tandem conjugate addition-α-alkylation of unsaturated amides. Synthetic methodology.

1,4-Addition of RLi, RMgX, and (RS) ₂CHLi reagents to unsaturated amides 2a-c followed by α-alkylation is shown to constitute a general and efficient synthetic procedure for the formation of two CC bonds in a single step.     

Carbocyclisation of zinc enolates onto unactivated double bonds: a mechanistic point of view

The recent results concerning the carbocyclisation reaction of zinc enolates onto an unactivated double bond are summarized, particularly on the stereochemical point of view. The implications of the observed stereochemistries on the mechanism of the reaction (O-centred zinc enolate vs C-centred zinc enolate) are discussed. Some new results leading stereoselectively to 1-amino-1-carbomethoxy-2-methyl cyclopentanes are reported, as well as the consequences of the observed stereochemistry as a strong evidence for a C-centred zinc enolate intermediate. To cite this article: É. Sliwinski et al., C. R. Chimie 6 (2003) 000–000.     

trans-2,5-Dialkylpyrrolidinyl-containing phosphinamines. Synthetic and mechanistic studies in Pd-catalysed asymmetric allylic alkylation

The preparation of new phosphinamine ligands possessing an enantiopure trans-2,5-dialkylpyrrolidinyl unit linked by a rigid o-phenylene bridge to a diphenylphosphine is described. Only that route forming the trans-2,5-dialkylpyrrolidine in the final step from (2-aminophenyl)diphenylphosphine proved successful. The cyclocondensation proceeded in 48% and 27% yields, respectively, for the dimethyl- and diethyl-analogues. Their palladium complexes were prepared and applied to the test of enantioselective alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate in high chemical yields but with moderate enantioselectivities of up to 34% ee.¹H NMR spectra of the η³-allyl Pd complexes of four trans-2,5-dialkylpyrrolidine-containing ligands were analysed in an attempt to explain the results obtained. In the cases of the 1,3-diphenylallyl complexes, two diastereomers were observed for all four ligands and their configurations were assigned with the aid of COSY and NOESY experiments. The catalytic results obtained are best interpreted by the reaction proceeding with nucleophilic attack on the allyl trans to the phosphorus donor atom of the major diastereomer.     

Direct access to enantiomerically enriched alpha-amino phosphonic acid derivatives by organocatalytic asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of imines

A simple and efficient organocatalytic enantioselective hydrophosphonylation of imines to enantiomerically enriched alpha-amino phosphonates is reported. By using 10 mol % of quinine as the catalyst in the enantioselective addition of diethyl phosphite to N-Boc protected imines, alpha-amino phosphonates are obtained in moderate to good yields and with up to 94% ee.     

Enantioselective alkylations of tributyltin enolates catalyzed by Cr(salen)Cl: access to enantiomerically enriched all-carbon quaternary centers

The catalytic asymmetric alpha-alkylation of tributyltin enolates with a range of primary alkyl halides is catalyzed by a chiral Cr(salen) complex. The reaction constitutes the first transition-metal-catalyzed system for alpha-alkylation of carbonyl substrates with this important class of electrophiles, providing access to five-, six-, and seven-membered ring ketone products bearing alpha-quaternary stereocenters in high enantioselectivity and synthetically useful yields.     

Double asymmetric induction as a mechanistic probe: conjugate addition for the asymmetric synthesis of a pseudotripeptide

Double asymmetric induction as a mechanistic probe indicates that, for the conjugate addition of (R)- and (S)-lithium N-benzyl-N--alpha-methylbenzylamide to (S)-3'-phenylprop-2'-enoyl-4-benzyloxazolidinone, the reactive conformation of the N-acyl oxazolidinone is the anti-s-cis form, facilitating the asymmetric synthesis of a pseudotripeptide.     

Direct organocatalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of alpha-amino aldehydes: expedient syntheses of highly enantiomerically enriched anti-beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acids

[reaction: see text] A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of highly enantiomerically enriched beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid derivatives has been developed. Direct asymmetric aldol reactions of a glycine aldehyde (aminoacetaldehyde) derivative have been performed under organocatalysis using l-proline or (S)-5-pyrrolidine-2-yl-1H-tetrazole. The reactions afforded anti-beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino aldehydes in good yield with high diastereoselectivity (dr up to >100:1) and high enantioselectivity (up to >99.5% ee), which were easily transformed into beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid derivatives.     

A concise synthesis of highly enantiomerically enriched 2-alkylparaconic acid esters via ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of acylsuccinates

The catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of acylsuccinates using RuCl₃ as a precatalyst and atropisomeric diphosphines as chiral auxiliaries allows the synthesis of optically active 2-alkylparaconic acid esters in preparative yields with enantioselectivities up to 99.5% ee.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of enantiomerically enriched aminoalkenols and glycosides thereof

1-t-Butoxycarbonylamido-3-pentene-1-ol 3 and 2-azido-4-phenyl-3-butene-1-ol 4 were enantiomerically enriched by enzymatic acetylation using various lipases and esterases (CHIRAZYM) to give acetylated compounds 5 and 7, respectively. Compound 3 gave the best results (E=94) with Candida antarctica A lipase (CHIRAZYM L-5), whereas 4 could not be separated into the enantiomers with satisfactory E values. The absolute configurations were proven for both compounds via independently prepared derivatives. Both enantiomers of 5, as well as racemic 7, were N-deblocked and condensed with octonic acid derivatives 14 to give the corresponding C-glycosides 17 and 22 after deprotection of the intermediates in good overall yield. Compound 4 was similarly condensed with glucose imidate 11 to give the diastereomeric O-glycosides 13 after deprotection. The latter glycosides were prepared as precursors for the generation of the corresponding aldehydes as substrates for aldolase catalyzed reactions.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched secondary and tertiary phenylthio- and phenoxy-aldols

α-Phenoxy- and phenylthio-ketones have been explored as donors and acceptors in organocatalytic aldol reactions. Our studies have revealed effective methodologies for accessing structurally varied and enantiomerically enriched secondary and tertiary phenylthio- and phenoxy-aldols, expanding the scope and potential synthetic utility of organocatalytic direct aldol reactions.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of halo-F-methylphosphonates

The synthesis of a variety of new halo-F-methylphosphonates has been achieved by a Michaelis-Arbuzov type reaction between a halo-F-methane and a trialkyl phosphite. This synthesis has proved to be of wide scope and utility for the high yield preparation of a number of heretofore unknown compounds. The ¹H, ¹⁹F, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectroscopic properties are reported in detail. The mechanism for the formation of bromodifluoromethylphosphonates has been shown to proceed through the intermediacy of difluorocarbene:CF₂. The phosphonate products have been shown to react with a wide variety of reagents. Fluoride and alkoxide ions react by attack at phosphorus with cleavage of the carbon-phosphorus bond and formation of [:CF₂] from the bromodifluoromethylphosphonates and the CFBr₂⁻ anion from the dibromofluoromethylphosphonates. Iodide ion and tertiary phosphines react by attack at the ester carbon to give stable phosphonate salts. Hydrolysis of the phosphonate esters with 50% aqueous HCl gives the expected phosphonic acids. Trimethylsilyl bromide attacks phosphoryl oxygen to afford the bis(trimethylsilyl) esters.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched atrolactic acid and other α-hydroxy acids

The α-anions of 2-substituted 1,3-dioxolan-4-ones derived from chiral mandelic and lactic acid ($\text{2a}$, $\text{2b}$; $\text{3a}$; $\text{10a}$, $\text{10b}$) were alkylated with high stereoselectivity. The products formed were hydrolysed to α-hydroxy acids with 65–85% e.e. ((S)(+)-$\text{5}$,$\text{7}$,$\text{9}$, (R)(–)-$\text{13}$).     

Synthetic and mechanistic studies on asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using a titanium(salen) bimetallic catalyst

A bimetallic titanium(salen) complex 1 was found to catalyse the asymmetric addition of ethyl cyanoformate to aldehydes. Best results were obtained using 5 mol% of the catalyst at −40 °C and under these conditions, both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes were converted into cyanohydrin carbonates with up to 99% enantiomeric excess. The same catalyst could also be used to catalyse the asymmetric addition of potassium cyanide to aldehydes in the presence of propionic anhydride, leading to cyanohydrin esters. Mechanistic studies showed that the enantiomeric excess of the product increased during the early stages of this reaction. However, by adding a ‘sacrificial aldehyde’ this effect could be eliminated. The structure of the catalyst in solution was investigated using variable concentration, variable temperature and variable solvent NMR studies. These experiments showed that the catalyst exists as a mixture of monometallic 4 and bimetallic 1 species, a result which is consistent with previous mechanistic studies on the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes and ketones catalysed by the same catalyst. A mechanistic rationale for all of these observations is reported.