Highly enantioselective michael addition of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones

[reaction: see text] The highly enantioselective Michael addition of 1,3-cyclic dicarbonyl compounds to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones was reported to be catalyzed by an organic primary amine derived from quinine. A chiral anticoagulant drug, (S)-warfarin, was directly prepared in 96% ee, and other related important adducts were also obtained in excellent enantioselectivity (89-99% ee).     

Highly enantioselective approach to geminal bisphosphonates by organocatalyzed Michael-type addition of beta-ketoesters

A valuable organocatalyzed protocol has been developed for the asymmetric synthesis of bisphosphonate derivatives, a class of pharmaceutically important molecules. Cheap and commercially available dihydroquinine effectively catalyzed conjugate additions of cyclic beta-ketoesters to ethylidenebisphosphonate esters, leading to optically active geminal bisphosphonates, bearing an all-carbon substituted quaternary stereocenter, in high yields and enantioselectivities of up to 99 % ee. Further elaborations of Michael adducts to the corresponding bisphosphonic acids or vinyl phosphonates have also been successfully performed, with conservation of optical purity.     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of ketones to nitroolefins catalyzed by (S)-pyrrolidine arenesulfonamide

A new type of catalyst for the asymmetric Michael addition reaction has been designed and synthesized. This catalyst, (S)-pyrrolidine arenesulfonamide 1, resulted in high yields (up to 93%), excellent diastereoselectivities (syn/anti ratio up to 99/1), and excellent enantioselectivities (ee up to 99%) for various cyclic ketones and nitroolefins.     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of cyclic ketones to chalcones catalyzed by pyrrolidine-based imides

An efficient procedure for asymmetric Michael addition reaction of cyclic ketones with low activated chalcones catalyzed by pyrrolidine-based phthalimide and 1,8-Naphthalimide catalysts was developed. The corresponding products were obtained in high yields with high diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1 dr) and high enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) under mild conditions.     

Highly enantioselective and regioselective copper-catalyzed 1,4 addition of grignard reagents to cyclic enynones

In this letter we describe an unusual result in terms of regioselectivity with respect to copper-catalyzed conjugate additions of various Grignard reagents to cyclic enynones. The use of Cu(OTf)(2) and NHC ligand L1 as the catalyst combination in CH(2)Cl(2) led to the unique formation of the 1,4 adduct. This selectivity does not follow the general trend previously observed in the literature using extended Michael acceptors. Moreover these reactions allowed for the creation of a quarternary stereogenic center with enantioselectivities up to 97% ee.     

Highly enantioselective addition of dimethylzinc to arylaldehydes catalyzed by (2S)-1-ferrocenyl-methylaziridin-2-yl(diphenyl)methanol

Asymmetric addition of dimethylzinc to a wide variety of aromatic aldehydes is described in the presence of a catalytic amount of chiral β-amino alcohol [(2S)-1-ferrocenyl- methylaziridin-2-yl(diphenyl)methanol], and a reaction enantioselectivity of up to 97.5% ee was achieved in this transformation in the absence of additional metals such as Ti or Ni. The results showed that this particular addition reaction, characterized by the lower reactivity of dimethylzinc with aldehydes, was more sensitive to structural variations in substrate aldehydes than the corresponding diethylzinc addition. A possible transition state for the catalytic asymmetric addition has been proposed on the basis of previous studies.     

Highly enantioselective addition of Me2Zn to aldehydes catalyzed by ClCr(Salen)

High enantiomeric excesses are obtained in the addition of Me2Zn catalyzed by commercially available ClCr(Salen). Broad scope, simple procedure, room temperature, low catalyst loading are the characteristics of this new enantioselective process, which uses the rather unreactive Me2Zn. Enantiomeric excesses in the range of 71-99% are obtained with all the aldehydes tested.     

Highly enantioselective phenylacetylene additions to ketones catalyzed by (S)-BINOL-Ti complex

The readily available and inexpensive (S)-BINOL ligand in combination with Ti(O(i)Pr)(4) is an effective chiral catalyst for the catalytic asymmetric addition of alkynylzinc to unactivated simple ketones. Good to excellent enantioselectivities were achieved. No previous case has been reported successfully using BINOL to catalyze the addition of phenylacetylene to unactivated ketones, and thus the utility of BINOL in asymmetric catalysis is expanded.     

Intramolecular michael addition reaction to chiral vinylic sulfoxides. An enantioselective synthesis of (R)- and (S)-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane

(R)- and (S)-1,7-Dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane ((R)-1 and (S)-1), sex pheromone of an olive fly, was each stereoselectively synthesized using an intramolecular Michael addition of hydroxyl group to a chiral vinylic sulfoxide moiety as an asymmetric induction step.     

Ni(II) Tol-BINAP-catalyzed enantioselective Michael reactions of beta-ketoesters and unsaturated N-acylthiazolidinethiones

The enantioselective addition of beta-ketoesters to unsaturated N-acylthiazolidinethiones catalyzed by Ni(II) Tol-BINAP Lewis acid complexes is reported. Notable features of this reaction are its operation simplicity, the obviated need for the addition of an external base, and the ease with which the adducts are converted into a range of potentially useful derivatives. In particular, the dihydropyrone adducts are versatile scaffolds for further stereoselective elaboration.     

Highly enantioselective reductive amination of simple aryl ketones catalyzed by Ir-f-Binaphane in the presence of titanium(IV) isopropoxide and iodine

Using an Ir-f-Binaphane complex as the catalyst, complete conversions and high enantioselectivies (up to 96% ee) were achieved in the asymmetric reductive amination of aryl ketones in the presence of Ti(O(i)()Pr)(4) and I(2). A simple and efficient method of synthesizing chiral primary amines has been realized.     

Highly practical and enantioselective cu-catalyzed conjugate addition of alkylzinc reagents to cyclic enones at ambient temperature

[reaction: see text] A new ligand for Cu-catalyzed enantioselective additions of dialkylzincs to cyclic enones has been developed. In addition to providing good to excellent enantioselectivities with a range of cyclic enones and dialkylzincs, the ligand has several notworthy features: it can be readily prepared in just two steps, is an air-stable crystalline solid, and provides optimal performance at ambient temperature.     

Gas-phase electrophilic addition promoted by CH(3)S(+)=CH(2) ions on aromatic systems

The gas-phase methylenation reaction between CH(3)S(+)=CH(2) and alkylbenzenes, aniline, phenol and alkyl phenyl ethers, which yields [M + CH](+) and CH(3)SH, has been studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) techniques and computational chemistry at the DFT level. The methylthiomethyl cation is less reactive than methoxymethyl and, unlike the latter, is unreactive toward benzene. The calculations suggest that reaction with toluene should proceed primarily by addition at the para and ortho positions resulting in a benzyl-type ion. Reaction with aniline-2,3,4,5,6-d(5) reveals that elimination of CH(3)SD is kinetically favored by a factor of 5 over elimination of CH(3)SH. Experiments with C(6)H(6)ND(2) and theoretical calculations suggest that methylenation at the nitrogen atom is energetically favorable and likely, but the observed results may reflect some H/D scrambling, which occurs after attack at a ring position. By comparison, reaction with phenol-2,3,4,5,6-d(5) reveals that methylenation followed by elimination of CH(3)SD is kinetically favored by a factor of 3.8 over elimination of CH(3)SH. For phenol, the theoretical calculations suggest that attack by CH(3)S(+)=CH(2) at the para or ortho position is the only low-energy pathway for methylenation. However, a low-energy pathway for hydrogen scrambling is predicted by the calculations originating from the exit complex, [CH(3)SH(...) CH(2)=C(6)H(4)=OH](+), of reaction at a ring position.     

Highly enantioselective michael addition of silyl nitronates to alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by designer chiral ammonium bifluorides: efficient access to optically active gamma-nitro aldehydes and their enol silyl ethers

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of silyl nitronates to alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes has been accomplished by the utilization of designer N-spiro C2-symmetric chiral quaternary ammonium bifluoride 1 as an efficient catalyst, providing direct access to both optically active gamma-nitro aldehydes, a very useful precursor to various complex organic molecules including aminocarbonyls, and their enol silyl ethers, a Mukaiyama donor of potential synthetic utility for further selective transformations. For instance, the reaction of trimethylsilyl nitronate 2 (R1 = Me) with trans-cinnamaldehyde (R2 = Ph, R3 = H) in toluene in the presence of (R,R)-1 (2 mol %) proceeded smoothly at -78 degrees C to give the desired enol silyl ether 3 (R1 = Me, R2 = Ph, R3 = H) in 90% isolated yield (anti/syn = 83:17) with 97% ee (anti isomer), and simple treatment of 3 thus obtained with 1 N HCl in THF at 0 degrees C afforded the corresponding gamma-nitro aldehyde 4 quantitatively without loss of diastereo- and enantioselectivity.     

Highly enantioselective michael additions of indole to benzylidene malonate using simple bis(oxazoline) ligands: importance of metal/ligand ratio

[Structure: see text] Simple bis(oxazoline) ligands, especially azabis(oxazolines), can catalyze the copper-catalyzed addition of indoles to benzylidene malonates in up to >99% ee, provided that excess of chiral ligand is avoided. The paradigm followed in many asymmetric catalyses that an excess of chiral ligand with respect to the metal should improve enantioselectivity because a background reaction by free metal is suppressed, is not applicable here, which might call for revisiting some of the many copper(II)-bis(oxazoline)-catalyzed processes known.     

Highly enantioselective aldehyde-nitroolefin Michael addition reactions catalyzed by recyclable fluorous (S) diphenylpyrrolinol silyl ether

A recyclable and reusable (S) diphenylpyrrolinol silyl ether I organocatalyst bearing a n-C₈F₁₇ fluorous tag has been demonstrated for promoting the asymmetric Michael addition reactions of a wide range of aldehydes with both aryl and alkyl-substituted nitroolefins and excellent levels of enantio- and diastereoselectivities are achieved. The catalyst I can be conveniently recovered by fluorous solid-phase extraction and subsequently reused (up to eight cycles) without significant loss of its catalytic activity and stereoselectivity for the process.     

Strain and reactivity: electrophilic addition of bromine and tribromide salts to cyclic allenes

The kinetics and the products of the bromination of several cyclic allenes, from C(9) to C(13) (1 a-e), with tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TBAT) and Br(2) have been investigated in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and methanol. The first product of the interaction between the allene and Br(2) is a 1:1 pi complex. The stability constant of this complex, determined at 25 degrees C for allene 1 a, is 7.4 M(-1). The comparison of this value with those reported for several alkenes and alkynes further support the hypothesis of the existence of sizeable structural effects on the stability of these complexes. The negative values of the apparent activation energy for the reaction of allenes 1 a-e with Br(2) in DCE demonstrate the involvement of these complexes as essential intermediates along the reaction coordinate. Different stereochemical behavior was observed in the bromine addition on going from the strained 1,2-cyclononadiene to the larger compounds. Furthermore, a solvent-dependent stereochemistry has been observed for each compound. The kinetic and product distribution data have been interpreted in terms of the influence of the strain on the nature of the intermediate and by considering the competition between pre-association and ion-pair pathways on going from aprotic to nuclophilic solvents or when nucleophilic bromide ions are added. Ab initio (MP2/6-311+G**) and density functional (B3LYP/6-311+G**) computations of 1:1 Br(2) complexes showed that the association energies of allene x Br(2) and ethene x Br(2) complexes are nearly the same but are greater than that of acetylene x Br(2) complexes. Allene x 2 Br(2) complexes are more stable than their ethene x 2 Br(2) counterparts. Br(2) x allene x Br(2) structures, in which the bromine molecules interact either with a single allene double bond or individually with both double bonds, are not preferred significantly over alternatives with Br(2)...Br(2) interactions. As a result of the entropy, the association of bromine with unsaturated hydrocarbons is usually unfavorable in the gas phase (except at extremely low temperatures); complexes are observed in solution (under ambient conditions), since the entropy loss is reduced as a result of restricted translation and rotation and possible association to the solvent. The 1,2-cycloheptadiene x Br(2) > 1,2-cyclononadiene x Br(2) > 1,3-dimethylallene x Br(2) association energies increase with ring strain.