Sulfonamides of homoproline and dipeptides as organocatalysts for Michael and aldol reactions

Sulfonamides of the non-natural amino acid homoproline and the dipeptide Pro-Phe were synthesised and evaluated for their catalytic activity in Michael and aldol reactions. Sulfonamides of homoproline outperform proline and Pro-Phe in the Michael reaction, whereas sulfonamides of Pro-Phe lead to better results in the aldol reaction. The results of the present study show that the conversion of the carboxylic group of either homoproline or dipeptide Pro-Phe to the bioisosteric acyl sulfonamide group lead to improved organocatalysts.     

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.     

Proline-based dipeptides with two amide units as organocatalyst for the asymmetric aldol reaction of cyclohexanone with aldehydes

A series of proline-based dipeptide organocatalysts with two amide units (1-16) have been developed and evaluated in the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of aldehydes with cyclohexanone. These catalysts showed good solubility in organic solvents compared with their corresponding carboxyl terminal dipeptides. The robust amide bond formation allowed structural modifications and fine tuning of catalyst properties by varying the stereo and electronic effects of the terminal amide to affect the ability of hydrogen bonding formation between the catalysts and the substrates. The reactions proceeded smoothly in high yields (up to 99%), enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) and anti-diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) in the presence of bifunctional organocatalyst 4 under the optimal reaction conditions.     

Enantiopure azetidine-2-carboxamides as organocatalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous and organic media

A family of enantiopure azetidine-2-caboxamides was asymmetrically synthesized, and was examined as organocatalyst in direct aldol reactions. A well chosen chiral azetidine-2-caboxamide was found to smoothly catalyze the direct aldol reaction of various benzaldehydes with acetone in brine, and β-hydroxy ketones were produced with enantiomeric excess up to 96%. The reaction of benzaldehydes with cyclic ketones also led to the formation of anti-products in diastereomeric ratio up to 99:1 and enantiomeric excess up to 99%.     

(S)-Pyrrolidine sulfonamide catalyzed asymmetric direct aldol reactions of aryl methyl ketones with aryl aldehydes

A (S)-pyrrolidine sulfonamide catalyzed asymmetric direct aldol reaction of aryl methyl ketones with aromatic aldehydes has been developed with moderate to good enantioselectivities. The study considerably broadens the substrate scope of chiral amines promoted aldol processes.     

Construction of anti-1,2-diols bearing chiral tertiary alcohol moiety using free hydroxyacetone as aldol donor by imidazole-based prolineamide catalyst

A direct aldol reaction of free hydroxyacetone and activated ketone has been firstly achieved with a newly developed imidazole-based prolineamide catalyst. The adducts anti-1,2-diols bearing a chiral tertiary alcohol moiety were obtained in high yield (up to 92%) and stereoselectivity (up to 15:1 dr and 90% ee).     

Organocatalytic asymmetric direct aldol reactions of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with aromatic methyl ketones

The organocatalytic asymmetric direct aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with aromatic methyl ketones in the presence of a catalytic amount of (S)-5-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1H-tetrazole in dichloroethane at 40 °C proceeds smoothly to produce (R)-4,4,4-trifluoro-1-aryl-3-hydroxy-1-butanones in high yields with up to 90% ee.     

Inherently chiral calix[4]arene-based bifunctional organocatalysts for enantioselective aldol reactions

Two optical pure m-dimethylamino substituted inherently chiral calix[4]arene derivatives 8a and 8b bearing an l-prolinamido group have been synthesized by two routes, and structurally studied by the usual spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallographic analysis. It was found that both of 8a and 8b could be utilized as bifunctional organocatalysts to efficiently promote the aldol reactions between aromatic aldehydes and ketones in the presence of acetic acid. Especially, with 8a as the catalyst, the reaction between 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and cyclopentanone at −20 °C gave the anti-aldol product up to 94% ee, while the anti-aldol product in up to 94:6 dr and 79% ee was obtained when 4-cyanobenzaldehyde was used as the aldol donor. Moreover, it was also demonstrated that the inherently chiral calixarene skeleton with (cS)-conformation in 8a was identified as the matched configuration of the stereogenic elements, and the inherently chiral moiety might play an important role in helping to stereocontrol the reaction.     

Direct, pyrrolidine sulfonamide promoted enantioselective aldol reactions of α,α-dialkyl aldehydes: synthesis of quaternary carbon-containing β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds

A procedure has been developed for direct, asymmetric aldol reactions of α,α-dialkyl aldehydes with aromatic aldehydes, which produces quaternary carbon-containing β-hydroxy carbonyl compounds. The processes, promoted by the organocatalyst (S) pyrrolidine sulfonamide, take place in high yields with exceptionally high levels of enantioselectivities.     

Application of high pressure, induced by water freezing, to the direct asymmetric aldol reaction

High pressure, induced by water freezing, has been successfully applied to the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction, in which higher yield and better enantioselectivity can be realized than in the reaction at room temperature under 0.1 MPa.     

Dipeptide-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions in the presence of water

The l-proline-based dipeptide has been discovered and developed as an efficient catalyst for the direct asymmetric aldol reactions of unmodified ketones with various aldehydes including aromatic, aliphatic, heteroaromatic, and unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of water at 0 °C. The resulted methodology and optimal conditions led to the corresponding aldol products with high yields (up to 94%) and good enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).     

A DFT study of the origins of the stereoselectivity in the aldol reaction of bicyclic amino ketones in the presence of water

Experimental diastereoselectivities of the direct solvent-less (neat) aldol reactions of tropinone (8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-3-one) and granatanone (pseudopelletierine, 9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-3-one) in the presence of catalytic amounts of water are most accurately reproduced by thermodynamic distributions of isomeric products calculated in the gas phase at the B3LYP/6-31g(d) level of theory. Less than 30% systematic errors, on average, exist in the predicted anti/syn-diastereomeric ratio (dr) for the solvent-less reaction of tropinone with several aromatic aldehydes. The CPCM-B3LYP/6-31g(d) method reproduces the anti/syn-diastereomeric ratio of the aqueous aldol reaction of tropinone with several aromatic aldehydes with reasonable deviation (0-88%), excellent (0-10)% agreement was found for the reactions of tropinone and granatanone with benzaldehyde. Qualitatively satisfactory agreement was also found for dr values in different solvents (DMF, THF, and Et₃N). The density functional theory (DFT) results support the notion of the thermodynamic control of the reaction.     

Synthesis of a biphenyl-based axially chiral amino acid as a highly efficient catalyst for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction

A biphenyl-based axially chiral amino acid (S)-2 has been designed and synthesized. The new amino acid (S)-2 has been found to be a more efficient catalyst than (S)-1 in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone with aldehydes. For instance, the use of only 0.1 mol % of (S)-2 was sufficient to complete the reaction between acetone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, giving the corresponding aldol adduct in good yield with an excellent enantioselectivity.     

Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with ketones

l-Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of trifluoroacetaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal with unmodified ketones smoothly occurred at ambient temperature to produce β-hydroxy-β-trifluoromethylated ketones with good to excellent diastereo (up to 96% de) and enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee).     

The role of noninnocent solvent molecules in organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael addition reactions

A proline-catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition between ketones and trans-beta-nitrostyrene was studied by using the density-functional theory with mPW1PW91 and B3LYP functionals. Improved insight into the enantio- and diastereoselective formation of gamma-nitroketones/-aldehydes is obtained through transition-state analysis. Consideration of the activation parameters obtained from gas-phase calculations and continuum solvation models failed to reproduce the reported experimental stereoselectivities for the reaction between cyclohexanone and 3-pentanone with trans-beta-nitrostyrene. The correct diastereo- and enantioselectivites were obtained only upon explicit inclusion of solvent molecules in the diastereomeric transition states that pertain to the C--C bond formation. Among the several transition-state models that were examined, the one that exhibits cooperative hydrogen-bonding interactions with two molecules of methanol could explain the correct stereochemical outcome of the Michael reaction. The change in differential stabilization that arises as a result of electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions in the key transition states is identified as the contributing factor toward obtaining the correct diastereomer. This study establishes the importance of including explicit solvent molecules in situations in which the gas-phase and continuum models are inadequate in obtaining meaningful insight regarding experimental stereoselectivities.     

Direct aldol and tandem Mannich reactions in room temperature ammonia solutions

An economical, simple, and efficient direct aldol reaction via the double activation of both aldehydes and ketones by ammonia has been developed. An unprecedented tandem Mannich reaction was observed when hydroxybenzaldehydes, pyrrole-2-carboxyaldehyde, and indole-3-carboxyaldehyde were employed to afford 2,2-dimethyl-6-aryl-4-pyrilidinones in moderate to good yields.     

New and effective proline-based catalysts for asymmetric aldol reaction in water

New proline diamide organocatalysts with Pro-Phe peptide bonds were synthesized and their catalytic activities in asymmetric direct aldol reactions of aliphatic ketones with aromatic aldehydes were investigated. Catalyst 6a showed good enantioselectivity at 0?°C in the presence of p-nitrobenzoic acid as cocatalyst in water.     

Functional ionic liquid from biorenewable materials: synthesis and application as a catalyst in direct aldol reactions

A new room temperature ionic liquid (IL) (2-hydroxyethyl)-trimethyl-ammonium (S)-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid salt ([Choline][Pro]) has been synthesized from biorenewable and nontoxic raw materials (choline chloride and l(−)-proline) in a simple and relative green route. The IL has been demonstrated to be the efficient catalyst of the direct aldol reactions between ketones and aromatic aldehydes in water at room temperature. The aldol products can be obtained with good yields and the IL in aqueous phase can be separated easily and reused.