Straightforward access to enantioenriched pyrazyl alcohols using chiral organomagnesiates

The clean iodine-metal exchange of iodopyrazine and subsequent enantioselective addition of the intermediate pyrazyl magnesiate to aldehydes using ((R,R)-TADDOLate)Bu₂MgLi₂ is reported. New chiral pyrazylalcohols were obtained in enantiomeric excesses of up to 90%.     

Stereoselective enzymatic synthesis of chiral alcohols with the use of a carbonyl reductase from Candida magnoliae with anti-Prelog enantioselectivity

In our effort to search for carbonyl reductases with anti-Prelog enantioselectivity, the activity and enantioselectivity of a carbonyl reductase from Candida magnoliae have been examined with various ketones of diverse structures. This carbonyl reductase catalyzed the reduction of a series of ketones, alpha- and beta-ketoesters, to anti-Prelog configurated alcohols in excellent optical purity. The usefulness of this carbonyl reductase has been demonstrated by synthesis of several chiral alcohol intermediates of pharmaceutical importance.     

Nickel-catalyzed enantioselective hydrovinylation of silyl-protected allylic alcohols: An efficient access to homoallylic alcohols with a chiral quaternary center

Asymmetric hydrovinylation of silyl-protected allylic alcohols catalyzed by nickel complexes of chiral spiro phosphoramidite ligands was developed. A series of homoallylic alcohols with a chiral quaternary center were produced in high yields (up to 97%) and high enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee). The reaction provides an efficient method for preparing bifunctional compounds with a chiral quaternary carbon center.     

Synthesis of bridged bicyclic amino alcohols as compact modules for medicinal chemistry

The efficient synthetic routes of three bridged bicyclic amino alcohols were reported. It is conceivable that these compounds could be readily used as compact modules in medicinal chemistry to fine-tune physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, in order to eventually improve the overall quality of small molecule drug candidates.     

Cyclopropanation of protected chiral,acyclic allylic alcohols: expedient access to the anti-cyclopropylcarbinol derivatives

The diastereoselective cyclopropanation of silyl-protected chiral allylic alcohols using Shi's carbenoid (TFA-Et(2)Zn-CH(2)I(2)) gave access to the anti-cyclopropylcarbinyl silyl ethers with excellent diastereocontrol. The level of stereocontrol was shown to depend on the sizes of the protective group and the allylic substituent. [reaction: see text]     

Expeditious oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds using iron(III) nitrate

An efficient and solvent-free protocol for the oxidation of alcohols to corresponding carbonyl compounds using iron(III) nitrate nonahydrate has been developed.     

Asymmetric synthesis of chiral geraniol-1-d and related terpenic alcohols

A convenient procedure for the synthesis of deuterium labeled terpenic alcohols of high optical purity is described.     

Catalytic enantioselective addition of terminal 1,3-diynes to aromatic ketones: facile access to chiral nonracemic tertiary alcohols

An efficient, catalytic, and enantioselective 1,2-addition of terminal 1,3-diynes to aromatic ketones was realized in the presence of 10 mol% of a Cu(OTf)(2)-hydroxycamphor-sulfonamide complex, affording chiral tertiary alcohols in up to 94% yield and 90% ee.     

Catalytic oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds with hydrogen peroxide using dinuclear iron complexes

Oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols has been studied in the presence of [Fe(ind)Cl]₂O (1) and [Fe₂(OMe)₂(PAP)Cl₄] (2) (indH = 1,3-bis(2′-pyridylimino)isoindoline; PAP = 1,4-di(2′-pyridyl)aminophthalazine) as catalysts using hydrogen peroxide as primary oxidant. The complexes were found to be suitable catalysts for the oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds in acetone as solvent. The reactivity of the alcohols is in the order primary < secondary < cyclic secondary < aromatic. The reaction mechanism in the case of 1 probable involves an iron-based oxidant, while in the case of 2 a free-radical mechanism is suggested.     

Ir/f-Ampha complex catalyzed asymmetric sequential hydrogenation of enones: a general access to chiral alcohols with two contiguous chiral centers

A general and highly efficient method for asymmetric sequential hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated ketones has been developed by using an iridium/f-Ampha complex as the catalyst, furnishing corresponding chiral alcohols with two contiguous stereocenters in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield, >20 : 1 dr and >99% ee). Control experiments indicated that the C C and C O bonds of the enones were hydrogenated sequentially, and the final stereoselectivities were determined by the dynamic kinetic resolution of ketones. Moreover, DFT calculations revealed that an outer sphere pathway was involved in both reduction of C C and C O bonds of enones. The synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by a gram-scale reaction with very low catalyst loading (S/C = 20 000) and a concise synthetic route to key chiral intermediates of the antiasthmatic drug CP-199,330.

A general and efficient method for asymmetric sequential hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated ketones has been developed. A dynamic kinetic resolution and an outer sphere pathway were involved in this transformation.     

Asymmetric diethylzinc addition and phenyl transfer to aldehydes using chiral cis-cyclopropane-based amino alcohols

A new series of amino alcohols with a chiral cyclopropane backbone have been developed and used in the catalytic asymmetric diethylzinc addition and phenyl transfer to various types of aldehydes. These cyclopropane-based chiral amino alcohols show high enantioselectivity in the addition of organozincs to aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. For diethylzinc addition to aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, up to 97% ee and 93% ee are obtained, respectively. For the phenyl transfer to aromatic aldehydes, the best enantioselectivity was 89% ee.     

Homogeneously catalysed isomerisation of allylic alcohols to carbonyl compounds

Isomerisation of allylic alcohols forms an elegant shortcut to carbonyl compounds in a completely atom-economical process that offers several useful applications in natural-product synthesis and in bulk chemical processes. This review focuses on the heart of isomerisation catalysis: the catalyst. Combinations of transition metals (from Group 4 to 10), ligands and reaction conditions are compared with respect to yield, turnovers, rate and selectivity. A selected number of clever solutions to synthetic problems are highlighted, such as the synthesis of enols and enolates, chiral carbonyl compounds and silyl substituted ketones. Furthermore, a general overview of the mechanisms proposed for the isomerisation of allylic alcohols is given while some catalyst systems are singled out to discuss mechanistic research.     

Direct access to 4-carboxy-1,8-naphthyridines and related compounds through Pfitzinger-type chemistry

The 4-carboxy-1,8-naphthyrid-2-yl moiety is a useful ligand component in that it promotes lower energy electronic absorption in its metal complexes and also provides a useful tether for anchoring the ligand to a semiconductor surface. The synthon [2-(pivaloylamino)pyrid-3-yl]oxoacetic acid ethyl ester can be easily obtained in two steps from 2-aminopyridine. The Pfitzinger-type condensation of this molecule with a 2-acetylazaaromatic species in ethanolic KOH, after acidification, directly provides bi- and tridentate ligands containing the 4-carboxy-1,8-naphthyrid-2-yl moiety.     

CuI-catalyzed tandem carbomagnesiation/carbonyl addition of Grignard reagents with acetylenic ketones: Convenient access to tetrasubstituted allylic alcohols

Highly functionalized tetrasubstituted allylic alcohols were prepared conveniently by CuI-catalyzed tandem carbomagnesiation/carbonyl addition of Grignard reagents with acetylenic ketones. The obtained allylic alcohols can be further transformed to polysubstituted indenes by intramolecular cyclization.     

Kinetic resolution of allylic alcohols using a chiral phosphine catalyst

[reaction: see text] The kinetic resolution of racemic allylic alcohols 3, 6, and 12--17 has been explored using the PBO catalyst 7 for activation of isobutyric anhydride. Trisubstituted allylic alcohols (12--15; 17) are the best substrates and react with an enantioselectivity of s = 32--82 at -40 degrees C.     

Diastereoselective schenck ene reaction of singlet oxygen with chiral allylic alcohols; access to enantiomerically enriched 1,2,4-trioxanes

A series of antimalarial chiral 1,2,4-trioxanes (1-8) were synthesised in high enantiomeric purities. Enantioselective addition of R₂Zn reagent to 3-methyl-2-butenal catalysed by (+)-MIB or (−)-MIB yielded both the enantiomers of the chiral allylic alcohols 9-11 (90-98% ee), which were subjected to diastereoselective photooxygenation in the presence of tetraphenylporphine (TPP) to obtain (R,R)-threo- or (S,S)-threo-β-hydroperoxy alcohols (12-14). Reaction of β-hydroperoxy alcohols (12-14) with different cyclic ketones produced optically active trioxanes 1-8.