The effect of hydrogen bond donors in asymmetric organocatalytic conjugate additions

A series of primary amine organocatalysts with various hydrogen bond donors were prepared and examined in the conjugate addition of isobutyraldehyde and acetone to trans-β-nitrostyrene and (E)-methyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbut-3-enoate. The effect of N–H acidity and hydrogen-bonding modes of the catalysts on the catalytic activity and enantioselectivity was studied. The experimental results did not support a general correlation of N–H acidity and hydrogen-bonding modes with catalytic activity and enantioselectivity. The catalysts with double hydrogen-bonding interactions provided better catalytic activities and enantioselectivities than the catalysts with single hydrogen-bonding interactions for the reaction of trans-β-nitrostyrene. The catalyst with the most acidic N–H bond showed the best catalytic activity and enantioselectivity for the reaction of (E)-methyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbut-3-enoate. These results suggest that the effect of hydrogen bond donors in organocatalytic reactions may be highly dependent on the substrates and the reaction conditions.     

Evaluation of bifunctional chiral phosphine oxide catalysts for the asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketimines

A series of bifunctional phosphine oxides have been prepared and evaluated as catalysts for the trichlorosilane mediated asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketimines. bis-Phosphine oxides, hydroxy-phosphine oxides, and biaryl phosphine oxides all demonstrated good catalytic activity, but poor to moderate enantioselectivity. A bis-P-chiral phosphine oxide displayed the highest enantioselectivity of 60%.     

Chiral 2-aminobenzimidazole bifunctional organocatalysts: effect of di-CF3 and TFA on catalytic mechanisms

(S,S)-trans-Cyclohexanediamine-5,7-di-CF₃-benzimidazole (3b) was developed as a new chiral bifunctional organocatalyst and successfully applied to Michael addition of diethyl malonate to nitroolefins (up to 99%, 98% ee) under neutral condition. Systematic investigation on the catalytic mechanism revealed that the role of the guanidine moiety and the dimethylamine moiety in catalysts might be reversed with respect to Brønsted/Lewis acidic or basic functionalities, depending on the reaction conditions (neutral or TFA co-catalyst). Generally, di-CF₃ group substituted 2-aminobenzimidazole catalysts in neutral condition and non-substituted 2-aminobenzimidazole catalysts in co-catalyst (TFA) condition give high chemical yield and enantioselectivity.     

A novel layered organic polymer-inorganic hybrid zinc poly (styrene-phenylvinylphosphonate)-phosphate immobilized chiral salen Mn(III) catalyst large-scale asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins

A novel layered organic polymer-inorganic hybrid zinc poly (styrene-phenylvinylphosphonate)-phosphate (ZnPS-PVPA) has been synthesized under mild conditions and diphenol-modified ZnPS-PVPA was used to successfully immobilize the chiral salen Mn(III) by axial coordination. The obtained heterogeneous chiral catalysts exhibited excellent activities and enantioselectivities using sodium periodate as an oxidant for asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins, especially for the epoxidation of α-methylstyrene (conversion: up to 97%; ee: exceed 99%). Moreover, these synthesized catalysts were relatively stable and could be expediently separated from the reaction system, and could be recycled at least ten times without obvious loss of activity and enantioselectivity. These novel catalysts could be efficiently used in large-scale reactions with the enantioselectivity being maintained at the same level, which offer a great possibility for application in industry.     

Asymmetric epoxidation of cis-β-methylstyrenes catalyzed by N-aryl substituted oxazolidinone-containing ketones. A beneficial substituent effect

Asymmetric epoxidation of substituted cis-β-methylstyrenes using N-aryl substituted oxazolidinone-containing ketones as catalysts shows that substituents on the phenyl group of the olefin have significant positive effects on the enantioselectivity of the epoxidation, indicating a beneficial interaction between the phenyl group of the olefin and the phenyl group of the ketone catalyst.     

N-Prolinylanthranilic acid derivatives as bifunctional organocatalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions

Several N-prolinylanthranilic acid derivatives were prepared and tested as bifunctional organocatalysts in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of cyclohexanone with p-nitrobenzaldehyde. It was found that methyl substitution ortho to the carboxylic acid improves enantioselectivity, but substitution ortho to the anilide group does not. The catalyst derived from 2-amino-6-methylbenzoic acid was tested over a range of direct asymmetric aldol reactions and its overall performance is equal to or better than many of the known prolinamide catalysts in terms of yield, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity.     

Chiral terpene auxiliaries IV: new monoterpene PHOX ligands and their application in the catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

New PHOX ligands, derived in three steps from (1R,2S,3R,5R)-3-amino-apopinan-2-ol 1 and (1R,2R,3S,5R)-3-amino-pinan-2-ol 2 were applied as chiral ligands for the formation of ruthenium catalysts. The catalysts were used in asymmetric transfer hydrogenations of prochiral ketones producing the corresponding alcohols in moderate to high yields and enantioselectivity.     

Catalytic enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions of furans and 1,1,1-trifluoroethyl acrylate

Catalytic enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions of furans and 1,1,1-trifluoroethyl acrylate in the presence of oxazaborolidium catalysts 2 or 3 provide 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-enes with high endo-selectivity and excellent enantioselectivity.     

Steric tuning of C2-symmetric chiral N-heterocyclic carbene in gold-catalyzed asymmetric cyclization of 1,6-enynes

Steric tuning of C₂-symmetric chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) was performed in Au(I)-catalyzed asymmetric cyclization of 1,6-enyne. Higher enantioselectivity was realized when chiral NHC–AuCl/AgSbF₆ catalysts whose N-substituent on the NHC overlays the Au–Cl bond was utilized.     

N-Salicyl-β-aminoalcohols as a new class of ligand for catalytic asymmetric Strecker reactions

An enantioselective Strecker synthesis employing novel chiral titanium complex catalysts derived from structurally simple chiral N-salicyl-β-amino alcohols is described. Reactions of N-benzylidenebenzylamine with trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of the catalyst (10 mol%) gave the corresponding α-aminonitrile in good to excellent yields, along with relatively high enantioselectivity (up to 86% ee). Similar reactions with various imines derived from aromatic aldehydes resulted in moderate to good enantioselectivity (44-81% ee).     

Enantioselective trimethylsilylcyanation of aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by titanium alkoxide–chiral o-hydroxyarylphosphine oxides complexes

A series of new chiral titanium alkoxide–o-hydroxyarylphosphine oxides complexes has been used as catalysts in the asymmetric trimethylsilylcyanation of aromatic aldehydes. The corresponding cyanohydrins have been obtained in high chemical yields with good to excellent enantiomeric excesses up to 98%. The influence of the structural features of the catalysts on the enantioselectivity has been investigated.     

Preparation and use of MeO-PEG-supported chiral diphosphine ligands: soluble polymer-supported catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation

Two new chiral MeO-PEG-supported (R)-BINAP and (3R,4R)-Pyrphos ligands were synthesized and employed in the Ru(II)- and Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-(6′-methoxy-2′-naphthyl)propenoic acid 5 and prochiral enamides 10. The results showed that these new soluble polymeric catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity. Enantiomeric excesses (e.e.s) in the ranges 90–96% and 86–96% were achieved in the hydrogenation of 5 and 10, respectively. Furthermore, these catalysts could be recovered easily and the recycled catalysts were shown to maintain their efficiency in subsequent reactions.     

Supraphos: A supramolecular strategy to prepare bidentate ligands

Herein, we report a new strategy for the preparation of chelating bidentate ligands, which involves the mixing of two mondentate ligands functionalized with complementary binding sites. The assembly process is based on selective metal-ligand interactions employing phosphite zinc(II) porphyrins 1-6 and the nitrogen-containing phosphorus ligands b-i (Scheme 1). Only 14 monodentate ligands were utilized to generate a library of 48 palladium catalysts based on supraphos-type bidentate ligands. The characterization of rhodium complexes based on representative Supramolecular bidentate ligands and the comparison of their performance in the hydroformylation of styrene will be presented. The current library of catalysts was tested in the asymmetric palladium-catalyzed alkylation of rac-1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate, which resulted in a large variety in the observed enantioselectivity for the different catalysts. Importantly, small variations in the supraphos building blocks, lead to large differences in the enantioselectivity imposed by the catalyst, the most selective catalyst producing 97% ee.     

Screening of chiral phosphines as catalysts for the enantioselective [3+2] annulations of N-tosylimines with allenic esters

The use of chiral, binaphthyl-based phosphepines as catalysts improves previous results for the enantioselective [3+2] cyclisation reactions between allenic esters and N-tosylimines, both in terms of conversion rate and enantioselectivity. Pyrrolines bearing 1-naphthyl, phenyl, o-tolyl and p-MeO-phenyl substituents on the stereogenic alpha-carbon have been obtained with enantiomeric excesses up to 64-80%.     

Henry reaction catalyzed by recoverable enantioselective catalysts based on copper(II) complexes of α-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-glutamic acid) and imidazolidine-4-one ligands

Herein we describe the preparation and characterization of a recoverable catalyst for a Henry reaction based on a Cu(II) complex of block copolymer α-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-glutamic acid) with (2R,5S)- or (2S,5R)-5-isopropyl-5-methyl-2-(pyridine-2-yl)imidazolidine-4-one. The reactions of substituted aldehydes with nitromethane catalyzed by these catalysts proceed with high chemical yield (70–98%) and with high enantioselectivity (61–92% ee). The reaction mixture is in the form of a colloid system and is formed by self-organized aggregates of the catalysts with average hydrodynamic particle size of 189 ± 3 nm (DLS). After sevenfold recycling, the catalyst exhibited no decrease in the enantioselectivity and only a slight decrease (ca. 18%) in the yield for the Henry reaction of nitromethane with 2-methoxybenzaldehyde.     

Toward a rational design of the assembly structure of polymetallic asymmetric catalysts: design, synthesis, and evaluation of new chiral ligands for catalytic asymmetric cyanation reactions

New chiral ligands (4 and 5) for polymetallic asymmetric catalysts were designed based on the hypothesis that the assembled structure should be stable when made from a stable module 8. A metal-ligand=5:6+μ-oxo+OH complex was generated from Gd(OⁱPr)₃ and 4 or 5, and this complex was an improved asymmetric catalyst for the desymmetrization of meso-aziridines with TMSCN and conjugate addition of TMSCN to α,β-unsaturated N-acylpyrroles, compared to the previously reported catalysts derived from 1-3. These two groups of catalysts produced opposing enantioselectivity even though the ligands had the same chirality. The functional difference in the asymmetric catalysts is derived from differences in the higher-order structure of the polymetallic catalysts.     

Kinetic resolution of vic-amino alcohols catalyzed by a chiral Cu(II) complex

Kinetic resolution of N-benzoylated vic-amino alcohols was achieved by benzoylation in the presence of copper triflate and (R,R)-Ph-BOX as catalysts. The observed enantioselectivity was moderate to high. The method was applied to a kinetic resolution of racemic prolinol and piperidinemethanol derivatives as well as an asymmetric desymmetrization of 2-amino-1,3-diol derivatives.     

Asymmetric epoxidation using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant: bio-inspired construction of pentacoordinated Mn-salen complexes and their catalysis

Pentacoordinated Mn-salen complexes 1 and 5 possessing an internal pyridine or N-methylimidazole ligand, respectively, were found to be efficient catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation of conjugated Z-olefins using aqueous hydrogen peroxide. In particular, the epoxidation of chromene derivatives proceeded with high enantioselectivity greater than or equal to 97% ee.     

Application of Polyamines and Amino Acid Derivatives Based on 2-Azabicycloalkane Backbone in Enantioselective Aldol Reaction

Carbon–carbon bond forming reactions, such as aldol reaction and condensation, belong to extremely desired transformations as manifested by >25,000 entries in SciFinder. Their stereoselective variant requires the use of an appropriate catalyst with a strictly defined structure. Hence, chiral 2-azabicycloalkane-based catalysts were designed, synthesized and tested in a stereoselective aldol reaction between cyclic/acyclic ketone and p-nitrobenzaldehyde both in organic and aqueous media. Among catalysts containing a chiral bicyclic backbone, amide based on 2-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane and pyrrolidine units showed the best catalytic activity and afforded aldol product in excellent chemical yields (up to 95%) and good diastereo- and enantioselectivity (dr 22:78, ee up to 63%).     

Self-supported BINOL-Zn catalysts for heterogeneous enantioselective epoxidation of (E)-α,β-unsaturated ketones

A class of chiral self-supported catalysts prepared from bis-BINOL ligands and diethyl zinc were successfully applied in the hetereogeneous enantioselective epoxidation of a range of (E)-α,β-unsaturated ketones, affording the corresponding epoxy ketones in high enantioselectivity. The self-supported catalysts were easily recovered from the reaction mixture and were reusable for several consecutive runs.