A new pyrrolidine-derived atropisomeric amino alcohol as a highly efficient chiral ligand for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

A highly efficient pyrrolidine-derived atropisomeric amino alcohol, (S_a)-1-[2-diphenylhydroxymethyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-(1-pyrrolido)methyl-1H-pyrrole, has been synthesized as a chiral ligand for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to some prochiral aldehydes to afford (S)-alcohols. The conversion rates were close to quantitative with good to excellent enantiomeric excesses (up to 95% ee).     

Chiral lithium amido sulfide ligands for asymmetric addition reactions of alkyllithium reagents to aldehydes

Six chiral amino sulfides have been synthesised from the amino acids phenylalanine, phenylglycine and valine. These amino sulfides were used as chiral ligands in the asymmetric addition of n-butyllithium and metyllithium to various aldehydes at low temperatures. The highest stereoselectivities were obtained with benzaldehyde, resulting in 1-phenyl-1-pentanol and 1-phenyl-1-ethanol in enantiomeric excesses of >98.5 and 95%, respectively. These stereoselectivities were significantly higher than those induced by the ether analogues.     

Modular ligands derived from amino acids for the enantioselective addition of organozinc reagents to aldehydes

A new series of modular chiral ligands that are derived from amino acids were prepared and tested for their ability to catalyze the asymmetric addition of alkylzinc reagents to aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. The ligands contain a tertiary amine, an amino acid side chain, and a carbamate or amide functional group. One ligand, which was synthesized from Ile, catalyzes the addition of diethylzinc to cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde in 99% ee.     

Chiral N-acylethylenediamines as new modular ligands for the catalytic asymmetric addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes

Chiral N-acylethylenediamines represent a new class of modular ligands for the catalytic asymmetric addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes. The N-acylethylenediamine moiety serves as a metal binding site, while attached amino acids provide the source of chirality. Three sites of diversity on the ligands were optimized to enhance the enantioselectivity of the catalysts using an iterative optimization procedure. The most effective ligand, 4k, was synthesized in a single reaction step from inexpensive and commercially available starting materials. This ligand (10 mol %) catalyzed the addition of Me2Zn to 2-naphthaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and 4-chlorobenzaldehyde to give the corresponding alcohol products in 86%, 84% and 81% ee, respectively.     

Modular amino acid amide chiral ligands for enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aromatic aldehydes

Enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to a series of aromatic aldehydes was developed using a modular amino acid amide chiral ligand (2S)‐3‐phenyl‐N‐((R)‐1‐phenyl‐ethyl)‐2‐(tosylamino)propanamide without using titanium complex. The catalytic system employing 10 mol% of 1g was found to promote the addition of diethylzinc (ZnEt₂) to a wide range of aromatic aldehydes with electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing substituents, giving up to 82% ee of the corresponding secondary alcohol under mild conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An amino alcohol ligand for highly enantioselective addition of organozinc reagents to aldehydes: serendipity rules

[reaction: see text] Amino alcohol 4 (or its enantiomer) is prepared in two simple steps. Commercial (1R,2S)-2-amino-1,2-diphenylethanol is dialkylated with bis(2-bromoethyl) ether. Subsequent hydrogenation over 5% Rh on alumina in the presence of morpholine unexpectedly stops at the hexahydro derivative 4. Amino alcohol 4 promotes the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes at room temperature in up to 99% enantiomeric excess.     

Enantioselective addition of vinylzinc reagents to aldehydes catalyzed by modular ligands derived from amino acids

[reaction: see text] A series of N-acylethylenediamine-based ligands were synthesized from Boc-protected amino acids. The ligands were screened for the ability to catalyze the asymmetric addition of vinylzinc reagents to aldehydes. Three sites of diversity on the ligands were optimized for this reaction using a positional scanning approach. The optimized ligand 3d was found to catalyze the formation of 15 different (E)-allylic alcohols with enantioselectivities that ranged from 52 to 91% ee and yields that ranged from 40 to 90%. This ligand was especially effective for the reaction of aromatic aldehydes with vinylzinc reagents derived from bulky terminal alkynes. Ligand 3d catalyzed the addition of (E)-(3,3-dimethylbut-1-enyl)(ethyl)zinc to 2-naphthaldehyde to give (R,E)-4,4-dimethyl-1-(naphthalene-1-yl)pent-2-en-1-ol in 89% ee. The ee of this product could be increased to 97% through a single recrystallization.     

Fructose derived pyridyl alcohol ligands: synthesis and application in the asymmetric diethylzinc addition to aldehydes

Easily available chiral ketones were employed for the synthesis of optically active pyridyl alcohols, which were applied in the asymmetric diethylzinc addition to aldehydes, up to 89.4% e. e. was obtained using D-fructose-derived pyridyl alcohol.     

Nickel salt-catalyzed addition reaction of arylboronic acids to aromatic aldehydes

Arylation reaction of aromatic aldehydes with arylboronic acids proceeded smoothly in the presence of a base and catalytic amount of a nickel salt, Ni(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O, in toluene/IPA = 5:1 or IPA to afford corresponding diarylmethanols in good to excellent yields.     

Enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes in the presence of chiral hydrazone and imine ligands

Optically active hydrazone and imine were found to act as effective ligands for enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. This reaction provided optically active secondary alcohols with ee up to 71%.     

Chiral phosphorus ligands for the asymmetric conjugate addition of organocopper reagents

The asymmetric conjugate addition of medium order alkyl cuprate reagents. R₅Cu₃Li₂, to 2-cyclohexen-1-one. 2-cyclopenten-1-one and 2-cyctohepten-1-one, with the help of phosphorus ligand B^*, is described. 3-Alkyl substituted cyclohexanones are obtained in essentially optically pure form. The same chiral ligand, associated with CuI, in catalylic amount (10%), allows the asymmetric conjugate addition of Et₂Zn to 2-cyclohexen-1-one.     

An efficient catalytic asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes at room temperature

The BINOL-salen compound (S)-5c in combination with Ti(OⁱPr)₄ is found to catalyze the addition of TMSCN to aldehydes to form chiral cyanohydrins with very good enantioselectivity (75-85% ee). The reactions are carried out in one-pot at room temperature without the need to isolate the chiral Lewis acid catalyst.     

Solid-phase synthesis of chiral N-acylethylenediamines and their use as ligands for the asymmetric addition of alkylzinc and alkenylzinc reagents to aldehydes

A solid-phase procedure has been developed for the synthesis of chiral N-acylethylenediamine ligands. The ligands are obtained in good yield and purity, without the need for chromatography or other purification methods. Several new and previously reported ligands were prepared using this procedure. These compounds were examined as catalysts for the enantioselective addition of alkylzinc reagents to aldehydes. In all cases, the crude ligands from the solid-phase syntheses catalyzed the reactions with similar yields and stereoselectivities when compared to reactions using ligands that had been purified by standard methods. Preliminary studies were also performed with ligands 3a and 3f as catalysts for the addition of alkenylzinc reagents to aldehydes to give chiral allylic alcohols. Ligand 3f was found to catalyze this addition reaction in up to 76% ee.     

Noncovalently supported heterogeneous chiral amine catalysts for asymmetric direct aldol and Michael addition reactions

A new strategy for the immobilization of asymmetric organocatalysts by combining polystyrene (PS)/sulfonic acids and chiral amines in situ through acid-base interactions is presented. The PS/sulfonic acids play a dual role as catalyst anchors and modulators for activity and stereoselectivity. Different types of polymeric sulfonic acids were examined and 1% divinylbenzene (DVB) cross-linked PS/sulfonic acid 1 e with a medium loading of sulfonic acid moieties was found to be the optimal support. Furthermore, the noncovalency of this system allows combinatorial screening of optimal catalysts for the targeted reactions. In this regard, highly efficient and enantioselective heterogeneous catalysts were identified for the asymmetric direct aldol and Michael addition reactions. The catalysts could be easily recovered by filtration and reused for six cycles with similar stereoselectivity but slightly decreased activity. Significantly, the deactivated catalysts could be regenerated following an acidic washing/amine recharging procedure.     

Chiral bis(amino alcohol)oxalamides as ligands for asymmetric catalysis. Ti(IV) catalyzed enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

Several chiral bis(aminoalcohol)oxalamides with C₂-symmetry have been prepared and used as ligands for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. The reaction proceeds in the presence of titanium isopropoxide to give the corresponding (S)-alcohols with ee up to 78%. In the absence of Ti(IV), the alcohols with the opposite configuration are obtained.     

Chiral amidophosphane-copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to nitroalkenes

The copper-amidophosphane-catalyzed asymmetric addition reaction of dialkylzinc reagents with β-aryl and β-alkylnitroalkenes afforded the corresponding nitroalkanes with moderate to good enantioselectivities (54-80% ee). The performance was highly dependent on the reaction procedure where the addition of nitroalkene to the mixture of copper-amidophosphane and dialkylzinc gave higher ee than the addition of dialkylzinc to a mixture of copper-amidophosphane and nitroalkene.     

New bis-steroidal axially chiral diols as ligands for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

New axially chiral steroidal binaphthols, prepared from estrone, were applied in the form of their Ti-alkoxides as catalysts for the addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. The addition reactions proceeded with high yields and enantioselectivities up to 86%.     

Effect of microwave heating in the asymmetric addition of dimethylzinc to aldehydes

Microwave-heated enantioselective additions of dimethylzinc to various aldehydes are reported. Dramatically reduced reaction times and lower catalyst loadings (5%), compared with conventionally used conditions, can be achieved, with excellent yields and just small loss of enantioselectivity (up to 83% enantioselectivity is achieved). In the reaction with aliphatic aldehydes the same enantioselectivity has been achieved for microwave-heated and conventional room temperature conditions.