Rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition of arylindium reagents to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

A novel rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition of indium reagents to electron deficient olefins is reported. The reaction takes place in THF/MeOH at 110 °C using arylindium dichlorides, a rhodium(I)-binap complex as catalyst, and α,β-unsaturated ketones and lactones in good yields (45–94%). The addition of MeOH is crucial for an efficient transformation and NMR studies seem to indicate that promotes the catalytic cycle leaving the indium organometallic unaltered. The use of chiral non-racemic ligands allows performing the reaction with moderate enantioselectivities.     

Indium/copper-mediated conjugate addition of unactivated alkyl iodides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in water

An efficient method for the conjugate addition of unactivated alkyl iodides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using indium/copper in water is described. The reactions proceed more efficiently in water than in organic solvents. In, CuI, and InCl₃ are all essential for efficient reaction. Formation of a symmetrical vic-diarylalkane is observed when an aryl-substituted alkene is used as substrate.     

Visible-light-mediated addition of α-aminoalkyl radicals generated from α-silylamines to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

Visible-light-mediated addition of α-aminoalkyl radicals generated from α-silylamines to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using a photoredox catalyst is developed. We also succeeded in the isolation of a silyl enol ether as a primary product of the photochemical reaction.     

Cobalt-catalyzed conjugate addition of silylacetylenes to α,β-unsaturated ketones

Catalytic addition of silylacetylenes to α,β-unsaturated ketones proceeded in the presence of a cobalt complex coordinated with a bisphosphine ligand to give high yields of β-alkynylketones.     

Palladium-catalyzed desulfitative addition of sodium sulfinates with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

A palladium-catalyzed desulfitative conjugate addition of sodium sulfinates with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is described. The reaction showed very good selectivity and tolerated a wide range of functionalities under an atmosphere of argon.     

Copper(II)-catalyzed silyl conjugate addition to α,β-unsaturated conjugated compounds: Brønsted base-assisted activation of Si-B bond in water

A mild method for the installation of the dimethylphenylsilyl group on the β-carbon of electron-deficient olefins is reported. In the presence of a catalytic amount of copper(II) (1 mol %) and amine base (5 mol %) at rt, the transformation proceeds efficiently in water within 1.5-5 h to afford β-silylated products in yields of up to 90%.     

Regio- and diastereoselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to aryl substituted α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds derived from Oppolzer's sultam

Asymmetric conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to aryl substituted α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (1) has been achieved with great regioselectivity (>20:1) and good to excellent diastereoselectivity (de up to 98%). The nucleophilicity and stereospecific blockade of the Grignard reagents play a key role in controlling the regioselectivities and diastereoselectivities of the conjugate addition reaction.     

Catalytic asymmetric construction of tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters by conjugate addition of dialkyl phosphine oxides to β,β-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

The catalytic asymmetric phospha-Michael reaction of dialkyl phosphine oxides with β,β-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds was achieved. The products bearing tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee).     

Diastereoselective addition of nitro compounds to α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactones

Herein, we report our results on the diastereoselective addition of nitro compounds to α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactones, which afforded the corresponding Michael adducts 9-17 in moderate to good yields and good to excellent diastereoisomeric ratio. A one-pot conversion of α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactones 7 and 8 to the corresponding trisubstituted keto-γ-butyrolactones 24 and 25 via a tandem Michael-Nef protocol is also described.     

Catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of indoles to simple α,β-unsaturated ketones

Chiral [Al(salen)Cl] complex (10 mol%) in the presence of 2,6-lutidine (10 mol%) was found to be effective in catalysing the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts-type conjugate addition of indoles (3) to (E)-arylcrotyl ketones (2), furnishing the corresponding β-indolyl ketones in excellent yield and high enantioselectivity (ee up to 89%).     

Enantioselective organocatalytic conjugate addition of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones in water

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition reaction of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones promoted by chiral bifunctional organocatalysts is described. The treatment of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones under aqueous-phase reaction conditions afforded the corresponding Michael adducts with high enantioselectivity. The conjugate addition adducts are easily converted to chiral δ-keto nitroalkanes and δ-keto esters.     

Copper catalysed 1,4-addition of organozinc reagents to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds: a mechanistic investigation

A mechanistic study of the 1,4-addition of diethylzinc to 2-cyclohexenone catalysed by copper complexes of the Schiff base ligand H₂L1 was performed. The kinetic law of this system was determined and the nature of the different copper complexes involved in the reaction was investigated. The experimental results indicate a first-order dependence of the reaction rate on 2-cyclohexenone concentration, a zero-order on diethylzinc concentration, and a first-order dependence with respect to the concentration of a 1:1.2 mixture of Cu(OTf)₂ and H₂L1. A sharp change in the kinetics of the reaction was observed at catalyst concentrations higher than 9 mM, indicating the possible formation of catalytically inactive species. An aggregate copper complex, with the molecular formula [(CuL1)₂ · Cu(OTf)₂](TfOH)_1/3 (1), is formed upon mixing Cu(OTf)₂ and ligand H₂L1 in toluene. Complex 1 is reduced in situ to a catalytically active copper(I) species by addition of 12 equivalents of Et₂Zn. This species is able to perform the conjugate addition to 2-cyclohexenone under stoichiometric conditions and resumes its catalytic activity in the presence of 2-cyclohexenone and Et₂Zn.     

Promiscuous enzyme-catalyzed regioselective Michael addition of purine derivatives to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in organic solvent

Regioselective Michael addition of purine derivatives to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds could be catalyzed by d-aminoacylase amano (DA) in DMSO. The influence of reaction conditions on the Michael addition, including solvent, temperature, and enzyme concentration was systematically investigated. Then we extended this methodology to six structurally diverse purine derivatives and a variety of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. 21 Michael adducts were selectively synthesized in moderate to high yields. It is the first report on enzyme-catalyzed Michael addition for the preparation of purine derivatives.     

Enantioselective conjugate addition of nitro compounds to α,β-unsaturated ketones: an experimental and computational study

A series of chiral thioureas derived from easily available diamines, prepared from α-amino acids, have been tested as catalysts in the enantioselective Michael additions of nitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated ketones. The best results are obtained with the bifunctional catalyst prepared from L-valine. This thiourea promotes the reaction with high enantioselectivities and chemical yields for aryl/vinyl ketones, but the enantiomeric ratio for alkyl/vinyl derivatives is very modest. The addition of substituted nitromethanes led to the corresponding adducts with excellent enantioselectivity but very poor diastereoselectivity. Evidence for the isomerization of the addition products has been obtained from the reaction of chalcone with [D(3)]nitromethane, which shows that the final addition products epimerize under the reaction conditions. The epimerization explains the low diastereoselectivity observed in the formation of adducts with two adjacent tertiary stereocenters. Density functional studies of the transition structures corresponding to two alternative activation modes of the nitroalkanes and α,β-unsaturated ketones by the bifunctional organocatalyst have been carried out at the B3LYP/3-21G* level. The computations are consistent with a reaction model involving the Michael addition of the thiourea-activated nitronate to the ketone activated by the protonated amine of the organocatalyst. The enantioselectivities predicted by the computations are consistent with the experimental values obtained for aryl- and alkyl-substituted α,β-unsaturated ketones.     

Phosphorous acid promoted isomerization of propargyl alcohols to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

A metal-free and two-phase protocol for the Meyer-Schuster isomerization of propargyl alcohols to the corresponding α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds has been achieved in the presence of stoichiometric phosphorous acid aqueous solution, which produces the desired products in high yields with excellent stereoselectivity. Compared with the traditional methods, the procedure features broad scope of the substrates, mild conditions, and easy separation, providing an appealing alternative to the Meyer-Schuster reaction.     

Unusual conjugate addition of organolithium reagent to α, β-unsaturated ketone

The conjugate addition of organolithium reagent to α, β-unsaturated ketone has been accomplished with methylaluminum bis(2, 6-di-tert-butyl-4-alkylphenoxide) (MAD and MAT). Here combination of alkyllithium and MAD (or MAT) constitutes an amphiphilic system that allows to exhibit unusual selectivity in the alkylation of enones with alkyllithium.