BINAM-prolinamides as recoverable catalysts in the direct aldol condensation

New BINAM-prolinamides were developed and tested as organocatalysts in the direct aldol condensation between aldehydes and several aliphatic ketones. C₂-symmetrical (Sa)-BINAM-l-prolinamide gives the best enantioselectivities for this transformation, being recovered and reused after the reaction by simple extractive techniques. The reaction was performed in DMF/H₂O at 0 °C to give the aldol products in up to 95% ee for acetone. For 2-butanone, the corresponding iso-regioisomers were regioselectively obtained in up to 96% ee working in DMF at rt. In the case of cyclohexanone, dr up to 10:1 in favour of the anti products, which were obtained in 90–93% ee, was achieved.     

Chiral base-catalyzed aldol reaction of trimethoxysilyl enol ethers: effect of water as an additive on stereoselectivities

An aldol reaction of trimethoxysilyl enol ether catalyzed by lithium binaphtholate is described. The aldol reaction of trimethoxysilyl enol ether derived from cyclohexanone under anhydrous conditions predominantly afforded the anti-aldol adduct with moderate enantioselectivity, whereas the reaction under aqueous conditions predominantly resulted in the syn-adduct and the enantioselectivity of the syn-adduct was considerably improved. The best enantioselectivity was obtained in the reaction of trimethoxysilyl enol ether derived from 1-indanone with cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde (97% ee (syn)). This is the first example of an aldol reaction of trimethoxysilyl enol ether catalyzed by a chiral base.     

High acceleration of the direct aldol reaction cocatalyzed by BINAM-prolinamides and benzoic acid in aqueous media

The enantioselective direct aldol reaction, organocatalyzed by recoverable BINAM-prolinamide derivatives can be highly accelerated by a catalytic amount of a carboxylic acid without a detrimental of the obtained enantioselectivities. From the study of suitable acids and reaction conditions, benzoic acid in aqueous DMF or in water was shown to give the best results with high yields and enantioselectivities. Thus, the reaction between p-nitrobenzaldehyde and acetone catalyzed by (S_a)-BINAM-l-Pro and benzoic acid can be carried out at −20 °C in only 8.5 h to give the expected product with 86% ee. In the case of butan-2-one, the iso- and the anti-isomers are obtained in a 1:1 isomer ratio up to 99% ee. Cyclohexanone gives the anti-aldol in up to 99% dr and 97% ee in only 2 h. The opposite diastereoselectivity is obtained in the case of cyclopentanone with lower ee up to 65% for the syn and 85% for the anti-isomer.     

Chiral 1,2-diaminocyclohexane as organocatalyst for enantioselective aldol reaction

A simple and commercially available chiral 1,2-diaminocyclohexane as catalyst, hexanedioic acid as co-catalyst could efficiently catalyze the asymmetric aldol reaction in MeOH-H₂O. Cyclic ketones as aldol substrates gave the anti-β-hydroxyketone products with moderate to good yields, diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity (up to 78% yield, >20:1 anti/syn, 94% ee). Hydroxyacetone as aldol substrate afforded the syn-α, β-dihydroxyketones as major products in up to 85% yield with good enantioselectivity (up to >20:1 syn/anti, 93% ee).     

Highly enantioselective aldol reactions using a tropos dibenz[c,e]azepine organocatalyst

The four-step synthesis of a chiral primary tertiary diamine salt, possessing a tropos dibenz[c,e]azepine ring is described. It is shown that 3.5-5 mol % of this salt is capable of promoting highly enantioselective crossed-aldol reactions between cyclohexanone and a series of aromatic aldehydes. In all cases, the aldol reactions proceed with high diastereoselectivity for the anti-aldol product. The outcome of crossed-aldol reactions involving other cyclic ketones and acyclic ketones are also described. All examples involving cyclic ketones result in selectivity for the anti-aldol products, whereas acyclic ketones were found to favour the syn-aldol products. A discussion on the role of the chiral primary tertiary diamine salt in the catalysis of the aldol reactions is also presented.     

Enantioselective aldol reactions with aqueous 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde organocatalyzed by binam-prolinamides under solvent-free conditions

Aqueous 2,2-dimethoxyacetaldehyde (60% wt solution) is used as an acceptor in aldol reactions, with cyclic and acyclic ketones and aldehydes as donors, organocatalyzed by 10 mol % of N-tosyl-(S_a)-binam-l-prolinamide [(S_a)-binam-sulfo-l-Pro] at rt under solvent-free conditions. The corresponding monoprotected 2-hydroxy-1,4-dicarbonyl compounds are obtained in good yields and with high levels of diastereo- and enantioselectivity mainly as anti-aldols. In the case of 4-substituted cyclohexanones a desymmetrization process takes place to mainly afford the anti,anti-aldols. 2,2-Dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one allows the synthesis of a useful intermediate for the preparation of carbohydrates in higher yield, de and ee than with l-Pro as the organocatalyst.     

Linear polystyrene anchored l-proline,new recyclable organocatalysts for the aldol reaction in the presence of water

Two l-proline-based linear polystyrene anchored catalysts 1a and 1b have been synthesized efficiently. The catalytic activities and stereoselectivity of these readily tunable and amphiphilic organocatalysts were evaluated in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of various aromatic aldehydes and ketones. By using 5 mol % of the catalysts, the corresponding products of the aldol reaction were obtained in good yields (up to 94%) and with excellent anti diastereoselectivities (up to 96:4) and enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) in DMF in the presence of water. The yields of these reactions in a ketone/water mixture were lower than those in wet DMF (up to 76%). However, the stereoselectivity was comparable (up to 93:7 anti/syn ratio and 95% ee, respectively). In addition, catalysts 1a and 1b could be recovered by a simple precipitation and filtration process. They could also be re-used for at least five times without obvious loss of catalytic efficiency.     

Synthetic utility of bowl-shaped tris(2,6-diphenyl-benzyl)silyl glyoxylate as a stable glyoxylate: application to highly diastereoselective aldol reactions

A stable glyoxylate can be successfully applied to both syn- and anti-selective aldol reactions by using two different kinds of ordinary Lewis acids. Thus, treatment of bowl-shaped tris(2,6-diphenylbenzyl)silyl glyoxylate 1 with enol silyl ether under the influence of BF₃·OEt₂ gave syn-aldol product, while the use of TiCl₄ afforded anti-aldol product with >97% selectivity.     

α-Chloroacetone as a donor in the BINAM-l-prolinamide organocatalyzed aldol reaction: application to the enantioselective synthesis of α,β-epoxy ketones

Recoverable (S_a)-BINAM-l-prolinamide in combination with benzoic acid catalyzed the direct aldol reaction between α-chloroacetone and several aldehydes in different solvents, including water. It is possible to obtain mainly one of the isomers with good regio-, diastero-, and enantioselectivity by choosing the appropriate solvent and reaction conditions. Thus, α-chloroacetone mainly gives the anti-aldol isomer in DMF/H₂O with up to 97% ee. The crude α-chloro-β-hydroxy ketones obtained are transformed stereospecifically into the corresponding enantioenriched trans-α,β-epoxy ketones derivatives with up to 97% ee through an S_N2 displacement reaction by treatment with Et₃N.     

l-Proline amide-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of aldehydes with chloroacetone

l-Proline amides were evaluated for catalyzing the direct aldol reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with chloroacetone. The presence of 30 mol% (S)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid (2,4,6-trimethyl-phenyl)-amide catalyzed the direct aldol reactions of a range of aldehydes with chloroacetone to give anti-α-chloro-β-hydroxyketones with high regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivity.     

Conformational preferences of the aldol adducts of oxadiazinones. H NMR spectroscopy and computational studies of N4-methyl and N4-isopropyloxadiazinones

The conformational properties of the aldol adducts of some N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinones have been investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and computational studies. An earlier study of the syn-aldol adducts of N₄-methyl-oxadiazinone 2 led to the conclusion that the solution and solid state conformation of these compounds involve syn-parallel arrangement of the C₂- and N₃-carbonyls of the oxadiazinones. However, the synthesis and asymmetric aldol reactions of an N₃-hydrocinnamoyl-N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinone 4 has yielded aldol adducts 5a-e in which the orientation of the C₂- and N₃-carbonyls are most likely in the anti-parallel arrangement. These aldol adducts have been studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the shielding aspect observed clearly suggests the presence of the anti-parallel arrangement. The installment of a N₄-d₆-isopropyl group further confirmed this assertion. Computational studies support the conclusion that solution state conformation of the N₄-methyl and N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinones involves anti-parallel carbonyls in contrast to the solid state evidence of the X-ray crystallographic data of oxadiazinone 2.     

Photocleavage of dimers of coumarin and 6-alkylcoumarins

The cleavage of four coumarin dimers, the syn-head-to-tail (ht) dimer of parent coumarin (syn-ht-CC1), the anti- and syn-hh dimers of 6-methylcoumarin (anti-hh-CC2 and syn-hh-CC2, respectively) and the anti-hh dimer of 6-dodecylcoumarin (anti-hh-CC3), was studied by UV–vis and IR spectroscopy and HPLC upon direct 254 nm irradiation as well as sensitized excitation. The quantum yield of dimer splitting is Φ_sp = 0.1–0.3 in various solvents and the effects of structure and solvent polarity are small. In certain solvents some of the dimers produced CO₂ along with the monomers in the splitting reaction. Electron transfer from dimers to the triplet state of sensitizers, such as benzophenone or 9,10-anthraquinone, was observed in acetonitrile.     

A new type of amino amide organocatalyzed enantioselective crossed aldol reaction of ketones with aromatic aldehydes

A new type of amino amide organocatalysts was designed and synthesized from commercially available amino acids in easy steps. Their catalytic activities were examined in enantioselective crossed aldol reaction of various acyclic and cyclic ketones with aromatic aldehydes to afford the corresponding chiral anti-aldol adducts with good to excellent chemical yields, diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities (up to 99%, up to syn:anti?=?1:99, up to 97% ee).     

Highly enantioselective synthesis of syn- and anti-propionate aldols without diastereoselection in the chiral oxazaborolidinone-promoted aldol reaction with a silyl ketene acetal derived from ethyl 2-(methylthio)propionate

A mixture of syn- and anti-aldol products containing an α-methylthio group were obtained in good yields with high enantioselectivities in the chiral oxazaborolidinone-promoted aldol reactions of a novel silyl ketene acetal, derived from ethyl 2-(methylthio)propionate, with aldehydes. Subsequent desulfurization resulted in an effective preparation of essentially enantiopure syn- and anti-propionate aldols which were separable.     

Primary amine catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction assisted by water

l-Valine was found to be an active catalyst in the asymmetric direct aldol reaction. The aldol reaction of a variety of aromatic aldehydes with acetone was catalyzed by 20 mol % of l-valine at 35 °C with the aldol products obtained in moderate to good yields (48–83%) and enantiomeric excesses (42–72%). The reaction was more efficient catalytically with best results observed in the presence of 1 mol equiv of water, with respect to the aldehyde, in either DMSO or DMF as solvent. The effect of water concentration on the reaction rate and enantioselectivity was also investigated. Thus, with increasing water concentration in DMSO there was decreasing enantioselectivity. However, the reaction in the presence of l-phenylalanine showed a lower level of reactivity and enantioselectivity to afford the aldol in 25% with 31% ee. In marked contrast, reaction with l-phenylglycine resulted in the negligible formation of the aldol (<5%). Our results, suggest a new strategy in the design of new bioorganic catalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions.     

A chiral primary-tertiary-1,2-diamine as an efficient catalyst in asymmetric aldehyde–ketone or ketone–ketone aldol reactions

A novel chiral 1,2-diaminocyclohexane derivative, (1R,2R)-N¹-n-pentyl, N¹-benzyl-1,2-cyclohexanediamine, was designed, synthesized and applied as a catalyst in a number of aldol reactions between ketones and aryl aldehydes. Reactions between acetone and aryl aldehydes gave aldol products with moderate to good yields and with excellent enantioselectivity (up to yield 85%, ee 98%), while reactions between cyclohexanone and aryl aldehydes provided anti-β-hydroxyketone products with excellent yields, diastereoselectivity and with enantioselectivity (up to 82% yield, anti/syn ratio 99:1, ee 99%). The aldol reactions between acetone and isatins were investigated, which afforded excellent yields and enantioselectivity (up to 95% yield, 98% ee). The (R)- and (S)-isomers of convolutamydine A were obtained with 95% yield and 96% ee, and 95% yield and 94% ee, respectively.     

Membrane structure control of BTDA-TDI/MDI (P84) co-polyimide asymmetric membranes by wet-phase inversion process

The formation process and morphology of BTDA-TDI/MDI co-polyimide (P84, CAS#: 58698-66-1) asymmetric flat sheet membranes have been studied. Experimental results indicated that the weight ratio of H₂O and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP, CAS#: 872-50-4) at cloud point curve (above critical point) was a constant (7.66/92.34 (w/w)) for the P84/NMP/H₂O system. For two different casting solutions (21 wt.% P84 in pure NMP; 15 wt.% P84 in H₂O/NMP: 6.0/94.0 (w/w)), the approaching ratio α strongly dominated the formation of finger-like structure rather than the viscosity of casting solution. The formation of finger-like structure in P84 co-polyimide asymmetric membranes was due to the hydrodynamically unstable viscous fingering developed when the casting solution was displaced by a polymer-lean phase. Three types of membrane morphologies, finger-like structure, transition structure and sponge-like structure can be expected with various approaching ratio α of casting solutions. The critical approaching ratio α^* was initially defined to describe the sharp change of membrane morphology from finger-like to sponge-like structure. The casting temperature also influenced the membrane morphology. For some casting solutions (e.g. 15 wt.% P84 in H₂O/NMP: 6.4/93.6 (w/w)), the membrane morphology changed from sponge-like to finger-like structure with an increase in casting temperature. Meanwhile, the critical approaching ratio α^* also increased with an increase in casting temperature.     

[2 + 2] Photodimerization of the acenaphthylene ruthenium complex [(C5Me4CH2OMe)Ru(η6-C12H8)]+

The [2 + 2] photodimerization of the complex [(C₅Me₄CH₂OMe)Ru(η⁶-C₁₂H₈)]⁺ under visible-light irradiation leads to a mixture of the head-to-head heptacyclene products [(μ-η⁶: η⁶-C₂₄H₁₆)Ru₂(C₅Me₄CH₂OMe)₂]²⁺ (syn- and anti-) with the predominant formation of the syn-isomer; the structures of both isomers were established by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Highly stereoselective anti-aldol reactions catalyzed by simple chiral diamines and their unique application in configuration switch of aldol products

Chiral derivatives of trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane with different N,N-dialkyl groups in well-defined orientations have been synthesized, and applied as catalysts for the asymmetric aldol reaction between a variety of aldehydes and ketones. Enantiomeric catalyst 1j catalyzed the reaction in ethanol and provided excellent diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. Significantly, simple replacement of organic solvents with water switched the products of the aldol reactions from anti to syn configuration. Such catalytic reactions led to the products with anti to syn diastereoselectivity up to 99:1 in ethanol, while in water gave the products with syn to anti diastereoselectivity up to 99:1.     

Catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide and a tetracopper(II) complex in an ionic liquid

The catalytic peroxidative oxidation (with H₂O₂) of cyclohexane in an ionic liquid (IL) using the tetracopper(II) complex [(CuL)₂(μ₄-O,O′,O′′,O′′′-CDC)]₂·2H₂O [HL = 2-(2-pyridylmethyleneamino)benzenesulfonic acid, CDC = cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylate] as a catalyst is reported. Significant improvements on the catalytic performance, in terms of product yield (up to 36%), TON (up to 529), reaction time, selectivity towards cyclohexanone and easy recycling (negligible loss in activity after three consecutive runs), are observed using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as the chosen IL instead of a molecular organic solvent including the commonly used acetonitrile. The catalytic behaviors in the IL and in different molecular solvents are discussed.