Direct asymmetric aldol reactions in brine using novel sulfonamide catalyst

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions of aldehydes with ketones in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfonamide 4 and trifluoroacetic acid afforded the corresponding anti-aldol products in moderate to excellent yields with 85-93% ee.     

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.     

AZT-prolinamide: the nucleoside derived pyrrolidine catalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions using water as solvent

New pyrrolidine catalysts based on a nucleoside and proline, AZT-prolinamides, were synthesized and successfully employed for the enantioselective direct aldol reaction of aldehydes with ketones. These catalysts proved to be effective in promoting the reaction, in additive free water media with 15 mol % loading. The products, β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds were obtained in high yields and stereoselectivities.     

Asymmetric glycolate aldol reactions using cinchonium phase-transfer catalysts

Cinchona phase-transfer catalysts (PTC) were developed for glycolate aldol reactions to give differentially protected 1,2-diol products. Silyl enol ether 9 reacted to generate benzhydryl-protected products. O-Allyl trifluorobenzyl cinchonium hydrofluoride CN-4 (20 mol %) catalyzed the addition of 9 to benzaldehyde to give 8 as a single syn-product in 76% yield and 80% ee. Recrystallization enriched the product to 95% ee, and a Baeyer-Villiger reaction transformed the product into useful ester intermediates. [reaction: see text]     

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.     

Class I fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases as catalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions

The activity of two commercially available bacterial class I fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolases (FruA) towards a number of aldehydes has been compared with rabbit muscle aldolase (RAMA), which is the most widely used enzyme for aldol reactions with dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The kinetic properties of the three aldolases are very similar, but the bacterial aldolases were much more stable than RAMA. Reaction of butanal and dihydroxyacetone phosphate catalyzed by FruA from Staphylococcus carnosus was performed on a 5 mmol scale in 53% isolated yield. Enantiomeric and diastereomeric purity of the major reaction product [90% (3S,4R)] was determined by chiral gas chromatography.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by nanocrystalline copper(II) oxide

The direct asymmetric aldol reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes with acetone to afford chiral β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds in good yields and good to moderate enantioselectivities are realized using nanocrystalline copper(II) oxide in the presence of (1S,2S)-(−)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine at −30 °C. The catalyst can be reused for four cycles with consistent activity and enantioselectivity.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by a siloxy serine organocatalyst in water

A siloxy-l-serine organocatalyst has been developed to catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions in the presence of water, furnishing the β-hydroxy carbonyl scaffold in high enantio- and diastereoselectivities. The direct aldol reaction between a selection of aromatic aldehydes and cyclohexanone resulted in good yields and high enantioselectivities.     

Direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides

In nature there are at least nineteen different acyclic amino acids that act as the building blocks of polypeptides and proteins with different functions. Here we report that alpha-amino acids, beta-amino acids, and chiral amines containing primary amine functions catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities. Moreover, the amino acids can be combined into highly modular natural and unusual small peptides that also catalyze direct asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions with high stereoselectivities, to furnish the corresponding aldol products with up to >99 % ee. Simple amino acids and small peptides can thus catalyze asymmetric aldol reactions with stereoselectivities matching those of natural enzymes that have evolved over billions of years. A small amount of water accelerates the asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by amino acids and small peptides, and also increases their stereoselectivities. Notably, small peptides and amino acid tetrazoles were able to catalyze direct asymmetric aldol reactions with high enantioselectivities in water, while the parent amino acids, in stark contrast, furnished nearly racemic products. These results suggest that the prebiotic oligomerization of amino acids to peptides may plausibly have been a link in the evolution of the homochirality of sugars. The mechanism and stereochemistry of the reactions are also discussed.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction in aqueous media using polymer-supported peptide

PEG-PS resin-supported tripeptide/zinc chloride catalyst system has been developed for use in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with aldehydes in aqueous media. The peptide catalyst could be separated from the reaction mixture by filtration, and was reusable at least five times without significant change in its activity and selectivity.     

Direct asymmetric aldol condensation catalyzed by aziridine semicarbazide zinc(II) complexes

Previously obtained semicarbazides derived from N-triphenylmethyl-aziridine-2-carbohydrazide were explored as ligands in Zn(II) catalyzed diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions. Complexes of aziridine-semicarbazides with Zn(II) were efficient catalysts in reactions of acetone and hydroxyacetone with NO₂-substituted aromatic aldehydes in the presence of water.     

Noncovalently supported heterogeneous chiral amine catalysts for asymmetric direct aldol and Michael addition reactions

A new strategy for the immobilization of asymmetric organocatalysts by combining polystyrene (PS)/sulfonic acids and chiral amines in situ through acid-base interactions is presented. The PS/sulfonic acids play a dual role as catalyst anchors and modulators for activity and stereoselectivity. Different types of polymeric sulfonic acids were examined and 1% divinylbenzene (DVB) cross-linked PS/sulfonic acid 1 e with a medium loading of sulfonic acid moieties was found to be the optimal support. Furthermore, the noncovalency of this system allows combinatorial screening of optimal catalysts for the targeted reactions. In this regard, highly efficient and enantioselective heterogeneous catalysts were identified for the asymmetric direct aldol and Michael addition reactions. The catalysts could be easily recovered by filtration and reused for six cycles with similar stereoselectivity but slightly decreased activity. Significantly, the deactivated catalysts could be regenerated following an acidic washing/amine recharging procedure.     

Direct asymmetric aldol reaction using MBHA resin-supported peptide containing L-proline unit

MBHA resin-supported tripeptide catalyst system containing L-proline unit has been developed for use in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone and aldehydes,which afford the corresponding products with satisfactory isolated yields and enantiomeric excesses.     

Organocatalytic direct asymmetric aldol reactions in water

We have developed direct asymmetric cross-aldol reactions that can be performed in water without addition of organic solvents. A bifunctional catalyst with a long hydrophobic alkyl chain efficiently catalyzed the reactions and afforded the desired aldol products in excellent yield with high enantiomeric excess, even when only an equal molar ratio of the donor and acceptor was used. These results reveal an effective design strategy for the development of aqueous organocatalytic systems.     

Catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous media

Nature has perfected the stereospecific aldol reaction by using aldolase enzymes. While virtually all the biochemical aldol reactions use unmodified donor and acceptor carbonyls and take place under catalytic control in an aqueous environment, the chemical domain of the aldol addition has mostly relied on prior transformation of carbonyl substrates, and the whole process traditionally is carried out in anhydrous solvents. The area of aqua-asymmetric aldol reactions has received much attention recently in light of the perception both of its green chemistry advantages and its analogy to eon-perfected enzyme catalysis. Both chiral metal complexes and small chiral organic molecules have been recently reported to catalyze aldol reactions with relatively high chemical and stereochemical efficiency. This tutorial review describes recent developments in this area.     

手性金属催化剂在不对称环丙烷化反应中的应用进展

手性金属催化剂在不对称环丙烷化反应中的应用一直是不对称合成领域的一个热点。对三十多年来的这一领域的手性金属催化剂的发展作了详细的归纳和评述。     

Dipeptide-catalyzed asymmetric aldol condensation of acetone with (N-alkylated) isatins

[reaction: see text] The aldol condensation of acetone with several isatins is described. The desired compound was obtained in quantitative yield and with good enantioselectivities up to 77%. The best results were obtained with 10 mol % H-D-Pro-L-beta3-hPhg-OBn as a catalyst, resulting in the preferential formation of the (R)-enantiomer. The absolute configuration of the newly formed chiral center has been assigned by an X-ray diffraction study and CD spectra analysis of the molecules.     

Novel chiral gallium Lewis acid catalysts with semi-crown ligands for aqueous asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reactions

Asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reactions in aqueous media (water-ethanol = 9:1) were catalyzed by chiral gallium catalysts with semi-crown ligands to give aldol products with good yields, syn-diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.     

Recent applications of organocatalysts in asymmetric aldol reactions

The asymmetric aldol reaction is one of the most powerful synthetic tools for carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions. This method provides a beneficial route to access chiral β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds, which are versatile synthetic motifs found in biologically active natural products and pharmaceutically attractive intermediates. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the many contributions and recent advances in the field of organocatalytic asymmetric aldol reactions.     

l-Proline catalysed asymmetric aldol reactions in PEG-400 as recyclable medium and transfer aldol reactions

l-Proline-catalysed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with various aldehydes in PEG-400 is described. Recycling of the catalyst and solvent (PEG) was possible up to ten runs without loss of catalyst activity. l-Proline was also found to be an efficient catalyst for the asymmetric transfer aldol reaction between various aldehydes and diacetone alcohol for the first time. Good yields and enantioselectivities were observed with both methods.