Carbohydrate-based organocatalysts in direct asymmetric aqueous aldol reaction

Aldol reaction involving chiral amines as organocatalysts through enamine formation, like class-I aldolases, is one of the thriving areas of general interest and widely applicable asymmetric reactions. There are many natural and synthetic chiral templates known to work as efficient organocatalysts, but using carbohydrate templates for chiral induction in asymmetric aldol reactions is a relatively new area developed in the recent years. This review focuses on carbohydrates alone or their conjugates with previously known chiral moieties as organocatalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions.     

Current applications of organocatalysts in asymmetric aldol reactions: An update

The aldol reaction is one of the most important carbon–carbon bond formations in synthetic organic chemistry. An enantioselective aldol reaction should provide an enantioenriched product. The organocatalytic asymmetric aldol reaction via an in situ generated enamine intermediate is one of the most powerful synthetic tools to achieve enantiomerically pure products. This approach is often used to obtain chiral β-hydroxycarbonyl compounds with excellent enantioselectivity. In this report, we update our previous review regarding the applications of organocatalysts in asymmetric aldol reactions leading to chiral β-hydroxycarbonyl compounds as versatile synthetic motifs frequently found in pharmaceutically desired intermediates and biologically active naturally occurring compounds.     

Current progress in the asymmetric aldol addition reaction

Control of stereochemistry during aldol addition reactions has attracted considerable interest over the years as the aldol reaction is one of the most fundamental tools for the construction of new carbon-carbon bonds. Several strategies have been implemented whereby eventually any single possible stereoisomeric aldol product can be accessed by choosing the appropriate procedure. With earlier methods, stoichiometric quantities of chiral reagents were required for efficient asymmetric induction, with the auxiliary most often attached covalently to the substrate carbonyl. Lewis acid catalyzed addition reactions of silyl enolates to aldehydes (Mukaiyama reaction) later opened the way for catalytic asymmetric induction. In the last few years, both chiral metal complexes and small chiral organic molecules have been found to catalyse the direct aldol addition of unmodified ketones to aldehydes with relatively high chemical and stereochemical efficiency. These techniques along with the more recent developments in the area are discussed in this tutorial review.     

Amino oxazolines as a new class of organocatalyst for the direct intermolecular asymmetric aldol reaction between acetone and aromatic aldehydes

A series of chiral amino oxazolines were synthesized and screened as organocatalysts for asymmetric intermolecular aldol reactions between acetone and aromatic aldehydes. The reaction works well with a range of aromatic aldehydes showing good to high selectivity. The present new system of the organocatalyst was effective for the asymmetric aldol reaction for a wide range of aromatic aldehydes and isatin to carry out an asymmetric carbon–carbon bond forming reaction with a high enantioselectivity of up to 91%.     

Asymmetric aldol reactions catalyzed by new spiro diamine derivatives

Two new organocatalysts derived from l-proline and a novel chiral spiro diamine bearing a C₂ symmetric backbone, were introduced for an asymmetric aldol reaction in moderate to good asymmetric induction in up to 76% ee and high yields.     

手性胺催化不对称水相aldol反应研究进展

Aldol反应作为最重要的碳碳键形成反应之一,在有机合成中有着重要作用,本文综述了手性伯胺,仲胺催化剂催化的水相aldol反应的最新研究进展。     

有机小分子催化的不对称Strecker反应研究进展

有机小分子催化的不对称合成反应是目前研究最为活跃的领域之一. 不对称Strecker反应是合成光学活性α-氨基酸衍生物的有效手段. 目前报道的催化不对称Strecker反应的有机催化剂主要有手性胍类、手性(硫)脲衍生物、氮-氧偶极化合物、手性Brønsted酸等, 取得了良好的催化活性和对映选择性. 对各类有机小分子催化剂在有机催化不对称Strecker反应中的应用研究进展, 以及催化剂结构与反应条件对催化活性和不对称诱导作用的影响进行了简要评述.     

Synthesis of [6]helicene-based sulfonic acid,sulfonamide, and disulfonimides

The synthesis of helically chiral [6]helicene-based sulfonic acid and sulfonamide from enantiomerically pure 1-acetylthio-5,6,9,10-tetrahydro[6]helicene is reported. The first helically chiral disulfonimides were developed as a synthetic application of [6]helicene-based sulfonamide. This new class of organocatalysts was tested in an asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction to obtain up to quantitative yields and enantioselectivities up to 24%.     

有机催化不对称Michael加成反应

有机催化的不对称合成反应是目前研究最为活跃的领域之一. 不对称Michael加成反应是合成众多重要的手性合成子和药物中间体的有效手段. 目前报道的催化Michael加成反应的有机催化剂主要有脯氨酸及其衍生物、手性咪唑啉酮、手性(硫)脲、金鸡纳碱衍生物等. 对各类有机催化剂在有机催化不对称Michael加成反应中的应用, 以及不对称诱导反应的机理、催化剂分子结构及反应条件对其催化活性和不对称诱导作用的影响进行了评述.     

Synthesis of chiral organocatalysts derived from aziridines: application in asymmetric aldol reaction

We report the synthesis of a new series of highly efficient chiral organocatalysts derived via the regio- and stereoselective ring opening of chiral aziridines with azide anions. The catalysts have proved to be very efficient for a direct asymmetric aldol reaction, both with cyclic as well as acyclic ketones in brine with 2 mol % of catalyst loading, and afforded the products in excellent yields (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to >99%). The chiral aldol adduct obtained has further been converted to a chiral azetidine ring via a convenient pathway.     

Small organic molecule catalyzed enantioselective direct aldol reaction in water

Protonated pyrrolidine based small organic molecules have been designed and evaluated for the asymmetric direct aldol reaction in water. The designed organocatalysts are multifunctional in nature and exploit the combined effect of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions for enantioselective catalysis in water. As a result a unique direct asymmetric aldol reaction in water catalyzed by a small organic molecule having an amide linkage has been developed. The developed catalyst affords chiral β-hydroxyketones in good yields (93%) and enantioselectivities (upto 62%) in water.     

Recyclable chiral diamine-polyoxometalate (POM) acids catalyzed asymmetric direct aldol reaction of aromatic aldehydes with long-chain aliphatic ketones

In this Letter, we studied the asymmetric direct aldol reaction of long-chain aliphatic ketones with aromatic aldehydes, using chiral diamine-polyoxometalate acid combined organocatalysts. High yields (up to 90%) and enantioselectivities (up to 90% ee) were obtained under solvent-free conditions with the optimized catalyst. Furthermore, such organocatalysts could be easily recycled and reused for four times without significant loss of reactivity and enantioselectivity.     

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.     

Chiral Imidazolium Prolinate Salts as Efficient Synzymatic Organocatalysts for the Asymmetric Aldol Reaction

Chiral imidazolium l-prolinate salts, providing a complex network of supramolecular interaction in a chiral environment, have been studied as synzymatic catalytic systems. They are demonstrated to be green and efficient chiral organocatalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions at room temperature. The corresponding aldol products were obtained with moderate to good enantioselectivities. The influence of the presence of chirality in both the imidazolium cation and the prolinate anion on the transfer of chirality from the organocatalyst to the aldol product has been studied. Moreover, interesting match/mismatch situations have been observed regarding configuration of chirality of the two components through the analysis of results for organocatalysts derived from both enantiomers of prolinate (R/S) and the trans/cis isomers for the chiral fragment of the cation. This is associated with differences in the corresponding reaction rates but also to the different tendencies for the formation of aggregates, as evidenced by nonlinear effects studies (NLE). Excellent activities, selectivities, and enantioselectivities could be achieved by an appropriate selection of the structural elements at the cation and anion.     

手性胺-质子酸催化剂在有机催化不对称合成中的应用

手性胺-质子酸是近年来发展起来的新型高效、高对映选择性的有机催化体系, 已成功应用于催化不对称Aldol反应、Michael加成反应、Diels-Alder反应和Strecker反应等许多重要的有机合成反应. 价廉易得的质子酸的引入不仅可促进活性中间体烯胺的生成, 并可通过形成的氢键稳定反应的过渡态, 从而显著提高该催化体系的催化活性和立体选择性. 对各类手性胺-质子酸催化剂在有机催化不对称合成反应中的应用、不对称诱导反应的机理、手性胺和质子酸的分子结构对其催化活性和不对称诱导活性的影响进行了评述.     

Development of an N-sulfinyl prolinamide for the asymmetric aldol reaction

A new class of organocatalysts is reported that incorporates an N-sulfinyl amide in place of the carboxylic acid of proline to serve as a hydrogen bond donor, chiral directing group, and solubilizing element. The successful application of this type of catalyst to the asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone and aryl aldehydes, for which proline performs poorly, is also described.     

Recent applications of mechanochemistry in enantioselective synthesis

In recent years, sustainable organocatalysis has become a relevant target in asymmetric organic synthesis. Among the most successful strategies to achieve “greener” organocatalyzed processes are (1) the elimination of solvent from reaction media, and (2) the use of alternative activation energies such as solvent-free mechanochemistry in high speed ball mills. In recent years we have stepped up efforts in the pursuit of organocatalysts and biocatalysts that allow reactions to take place in the absence of solvent and under mechanochemical activation. In this article we present the application of small dipeptides as chiral organocatalysts under solvent-free and high-speed ball milling conditions, with focus on the asymmetric aldol addition reaction. Finally, we report on recent results using supported enzymes for the resolution of racemic β-amino acids and amines, under mechanochemical conditions.     

Chiral Dawson‐Type Hybrid Polyoxometalate Catalyzes Enantioselective Diels–Alder Reactions

Can achiral organocatalysts linked to chiral polyanionic metal oxide clusters provide good selectivity in enantioselective C?C bond formations? The answer to this question is investigated by developing a new active hybrid polyoxometalate‐based catalyst for asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction. Chirality transfer from the chiral anionic polyoxometalate to the covalently linked achiral imidazolidinone allows Diels–Alder cycloaddition products to be obtained with good yields and high enantioselectivities when using cyclopentadiene and acrylaldehydes as partners.     

Advances on asymmetric organocatalytic 1,4-conjugate addition reactions in aqueous and semi-aqueous media

Asymmetric Michael addition reactions or 1,4-conjugate addition reactions are considered to be the fundamental C–C bond-forming reaction for the construction of chiral β-nitro, β-carbonyl and several other important structural motifs in organic synthesis. After the development of many chiral metal complexes as catalysts, a tremendous growth in the design and applications of variety of new chiral organocatalysts for asymmetric 1,4-conjugate addition reactions has been witnessed over the last two decades. Initially, asymmetric organocatalysis has been performed in organic solvents, but gradually performing the same catalysis in aqueous and semi-aqueous media became a necessity due to environmental aspects as well as to achieve better reactivity and selectivity. The structural and functional diversity of the chiral organocatalysts derived from natural and synthetic sources utilized differently the water either as the sole solvent, co-solvent or additive for optimising their best performances. In the present review, we discuss a detailed and comprehensive report on the advancement in the field of asymmetric organocatalytic 1,4-conjugate addition reactions in aqueous and semi-aqueous media.     

Highly Enantioselective Direct Asymmetric Aldol Reaction Catalyzed by 4,5‐Methano‐L‐proline

The 4,5‐methano‐L‐proline was used as chiral organocatalysts in direct asymmetric aldol reactions. Under the optimal conditions, excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) were obtained with high chemical yields (up to 95%) for a series of aldehydes using only 5 mol% catalyst loading. To show the practicality of the method, the reaction was tested at a large scale. The reaction was complete in 16 h, and the aldol product was obtained in 86% yield and 93% ee.