Examination of homo-[3 + 2]-dipolar cycloaddition: mechanistic insight into regio- and diastereoselectivity

The reaction of 2,3-disubstituted-1,1-cyclopropanediesters with nitrones under Lewis acid conditions produces tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines in which the cis/trans relationship of the cyclopropanes is not conserved. Reacting nitrones with 2,3-cis-disubstituted cyclopropanes lead to 5,6-trans-oxazines, and 2,3-trans-disubstituted cyclopropanes lead to 5,6-cis-oxazines. This observed stereochemical inversion provides evidence for a stepwise annulation mechanism in the preparation of tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines.     

Ring Opening of Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes with the Azide Ion: A Tool for Construction of N‐Heterocycles

A general method for ring opening of various donor–acceptor cyclopropanes with the azide ion through an S_N2‐like reaction has been developed. This highly regioselective and stereospecific process proceeds through nucleophilic attack on the more‐substituted C2 atom of a cyclopropane with complete inversion of configuration at this center. Results of DFT calculations support the S_N2 mechanism and demonstrate good qualitative correlation between the relative experimental reactivity of cyclopropanes and the calculated energy barriers. The reaction provides a straightforward approach to a variety of polyfunctional azides in up to 91 % yield. The high synthetic utility of these azides and the possibilities of their involvement in diversity‐oriented synthesis were demonstrated by the developed multipath strategy of their transformations into five‐, six‐, and seven‐membered N‐heterocycles, as well as complex annulated compounds, including natural products and medicines such as (?)‐nicotine and atorvastatin.     

Novel intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction of unsaturated beta-keto esters

[reaction: see text] Fused cyclopropane beta-keto esters are versatile intermediates for the synthesis of many biologically active natural products. Here we report a new intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction of unsaturated beta-keto esters. In the presence of I(2), Et(3)N, and Lewis acids such as Mg(ClO(4))(2) and Yb(OTf)(3), beta-keto esters 1 bearing various olefin substituents were transformed to fused cyclopropanes 2 in a highly stereospecific manner with moderate to good yields. The mechanism of the reaction was also investigated.     

Three‐Component Gallium(III)‐Promoted Addition of Halide Anions and Acetylenes to Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes

A new strategy for the three‐component addition of halide anions and acetylenes to donor–acceptor cyclopropanes (DACs) is presented. This reaction, which occurs with high E selectivity, is promoted by gallium(III) salts and based on the 1,2‐zwitterionic reactivity of DACs. It opens up a new group of processes involving DACs. The reaction occurs readily with a broad range of substrates and is tolerant of various functional groups. This methodology makes it possible to assemble highly functionalized vinyl halides, which are very convenient building blocks in organic synthesis. A possible mechanism of this reaction and its stereochemical aspects are discussed in detail.     

Directing the Activation of Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes Towards Stereoselective 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions by Brønsted Base Catalysis

The first stereoselective organocatalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of donor‐acceptor cyclopropanes is presented. It is demonstrated that by applying an optically active bifunctional Brønsted base catalyst, racemic di‐cyano cyclopropylketones can be activated to undergo a stereoselective 1,3‐dipolar reaction with mono‐ and polysubstituted nitroolefins. The reaction affords functionalized cyclopentanes with three consecutive stereocenters in high yield and stereoselectivity. Based on the stereochemical outcome, a mechanism in which the organocatalyst activates both the donor‐acceptor cyclopropane and nitroolefin is proposed. Finally, chemoselective transformations of the cycloaddition products are demonstrated.     

Asymmetric cyclopropane synthesis via phosphine oxide mediated cascade reactions

A silyloxy-THF has been converted into a cyclopropane containing three stereocentres as mixture of diastereoisomers. The mechanism of the reaction has been established and the source of stereochemical leakage proposed. An alternative stereospecific cascade reaction has been discovered.     

Asymmetric Cyclopropanation of Optically Active Vinyl Sulfoxides: A New Synthetic Approach to Biologically Active Compounds

Abstract

The influence of adjacent substituents on stereochemical course of cyclopropanation of vinyl sulfoxides with stabilized and nonstabilized ylides, as well as dependence on reaction conditions, was investigated. Application of optically active cyclopropanes obtained in the synthesis of conformationally constrained analogs of L-glutamic acid, the useful pharmacological tools in investigation of excitatory amino acid receptors, is presented.     

Regiospecific,enantiospecific total synthesis of the alkoxy-substituted indole bases, 16-epi-N(a)-methylgardneral, 11-methoxyaffinisine,and 11-methoxymacroline as well as the indole alkaloids alstophylline and macralstonine

A regiospecific, enantiospecific approach to the synthesis of ring-A-substituted indole alkaloids was developed via a doubly convergent strategy. The asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction and enolate-driven palladium cross-coupling processes were both executed in stereospecific fashion and served as the stereochemical basis of this approach. The synthesis of 16-epi-N(a)-methylgardneral (15), 11-methoxyaffinisine (16), and 11-methoxymacroline (22) has been accomplished in high yield and in enantiospecific fashion. Moreover, the key C-19 ketosarpagine system (borane adducts) 19a,b employed for the construction of 11-methoxymacroline (22) was also transformed into alstophylline 25, which resulted in completion of the total synthesis of the bisindole macralstonine (1). [reaction: see text]     

Recent advances of intermolecular Diels–Alder reaction in bio-inspired synthesis of natural products

The Diels–Alder(D–A)reaction is one of the most powerful reactions in organic synthesis.The intermolecular D–A reaction attracts much less attentions than its intramolecular counterpart in natural product synthesis,possibly due to the issues of reactivity and selectivity.In the past decade,the intermolecular D–A reaction has been increasingly utilized in the total synthesis of structurally complex natural products.In this article,we present a few examples for the elegant applications of the intermolecular D–A reaction that are inspired by biosynthetic hypotheses of the target natural products.These examples demonstrate that D–A reaction is not only useful for preparing building blocks but also powerful for coupling structurally complicated and sterically demanding segments in a highly chemo-and stereo-controlled fashion,which may inspire further developments of intermolecular D–A reaction from both strategy and methodology perspectives.     

The stereochemical course of bromoetherification of enynes

Enynes undergo stereoselective syn intramolecular bromoetherification; the stereochemical course of the reaction was elucidated by X-ray crystallographic studies and by stereospecific synthesis of authentic bromoallenes.     

Réactions de cyclopropanation par double addition de Michael.

The addition of nucleophiles to alkyl α bromoacrylates in aprotic media leads to the stereospecific formation of cyclopropanes by a double Michael addition reaction.     

Stereospecific nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl ethers: enantioselective synthesis of diarylethanes

Secondary benzylic ethers undergo stereospecific substitution reactions with Grignard reagents in the presence of nickel catalysts. Reactions proceed with inversion of configuration and high stereochemical fidelity. This reaction allows for facile enantioselective synthesis of biologically active diarylethanes from readily available optically enriched carbinols.     

Total Synthesis and Structural Reassignment of Lyngbyaloside C Highlighted by Intermolecular Ketene Esterification

Lyngbyaloside C, a classic macrolide, isolated from Lyngbya bouilloni, has shown moderate anticancer activity against several cancer cell lines. Here, we report the first total synthesis and stereochemical configuration reassignment of lyngbyaloside C. The synthesis highlights a one‐pot intermolecular ketene esterification reaction to form the crucial tertiary ester and tetrahydropyran. In addition, a novel and concise synthetic pathway towards the 1,3‐syn secondary, tertiary diol fragment is described using a regio‐ and stereospecific electrophilic ether transfer reaction.     

Theoretical study for pyridinium-based ionic liquid 1-ethylpyridinium trifluoroacetate: synthesis mechanism, electronic structure, and catalytic reactivity

By performing density functional theory calculations, we have studied the synthesis mechanism, electronic structure, and catalytic reactivity of a pyridinium-based ionic liquid, 1-ethylpyridinium trifluoroacetate ([epy](+)[CF(3)COO](-)). It is found that the synthesis of the pyridinium salt follows a S(N)2 mechanism. The electronic structural analyses show that multiple H bonds are generally involved in the pyridinium-based ionic liquid, which may play a decisive role for stabilizing the ionic liquid. The cation-anion interaction mainly involves electron transfer between the lone pair of the oxygen atom in the anion and the antibonding orbital of the C*-H bond (C* denotes the carbon atom at the ortho-position of nitrogen atom in the cation). This present work has also given clearly the catalytic mechanism of [epy](+)[CF(3)COO](-) toward to the Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction of acrylonitrile with 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene. Both the cation and anion are shown to play important roles in promoting the D-A reaction. The cation [epy](+), as a Lewis acid, associates the C≡N group by C≡N···H H bond to increase the polarity of the C═C double bond in acrylonitrile, while the anion CF(3)COO(-) links with the methyl group in 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene by C-H···O H bond, which weakens the electron-donating capability of methyl and thereby lowers the energy barrier of the D-A reaction. The present results are expected to provide valuable information for the design and application of pyridinium-based ionic liquids.     

Taming Chiral Quaternary Stereocenters via Remote H-Bonding Stereoinduction in Palladium-Catalyzed (3+2) Cycloadditions

Ring-opening transformations of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes enable the rapid assembly of complex molecules. However, the enantioselective formation of chiral quaternary stereocenters using substrates bearing two different acceptors remains a challenge. Herein, we describe the first palladium-catalyzed highly diastereo- and enantioselective (3+2) cycloaddition of vinyl cyclopropanes bearing two different electron-withdrawing groups, a subset of D-A cyclopropanes. The key to the success of this reaction is the remote stereoinduction through hydrogen bond from chiral ligands, which thereby addressed the aforementioned challenge. A variety of chiral five-membered heterocycles were produced in good yields and with high stereoselectivity (up to 99 % yields, 99 : 1 er and >19 : 1 dr). In-depth mechanistic investigations, including control experiments and theoretical calculations, revealed the origin of the stereoselectivity and the importance of H-bonding in stereocontrol.     

Asymmetric synthesis of a (2Z,7E)-cyclononadiene by an intramolecular cycloalkylation and insight to its conformational properties

Here, we report a novel synthesis of a monosubstituted, enantio- and diastereomerically enriched trans-cyclononadienol. The reaction consists of an enantioselective (-)-sparteine-mediated allylic lithiation of an achiral 7-chlorononadienyl carbamate and a subsequent stereospecific intramolecular allyllithium-allyl chloride coupling. The stereochemical course of the cyclization has been determined, and the high configurative stability of the chiral nine-membered carbocycle has been investigated by kinetic measurements and rationalized by computational calculations.     

Total synthesis of absinthin

(+)-Absinthin, a structurally unique triterpene, has been efficiently constructed in nine reaction steps and in 18.6% overall yield from O-acetylisophotosantonic lactone. The synthesis features Mitsunobu arylselenylation, oxidative elimination of allylic arylselenides, biomimetic dimerization via regio- and stereospecific Diels-Alder reaction, and a four-step stereochemical inversion of a highly sterically congested tertiary alcohol. This approach has not only tackled the formidable synthetic challenges in assembling structurally complex (+)-absinthin but also paved an efficient synthetic route to a series of medicinally attractive absinthin analogues.     

Rhodium(II)-catalyzed olefin cyclopropanation with the phenyliodonium ylide derived from Meldrum's acid

The phenyliodonium ylide 3a derived from Meldrum's acid reacts with olefins in the presence of Rh(II) carboxylate catalysts to afford cyclopropanes. The reaction is stereospecific. Enantioselectivities of up to 63% have been observed for the cyclopropanation of pent-1-ene. No 1,3-cycloadducts are formed between 3a and polarized olefins such as furan or 2,3-dihydrofuran.     

Stereochemical analysis of isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase type II from Staphylococcus aureus using chemically synthesized (S)- and (R)-[2-2H]isopentenyl diphosphates

[chemical reaction: see text]. To study the catalysis of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) isomerase type II from Staphylococcus aureus, which is a flavoprotein catalyzing the interconversion of IPP and dimethylallyl diphosphate, we have chemically synthesized (S)- and (R)-[2-2H]IPP and carried out stereochemical analysis of the reaction. Our results show that the C-2 deprotonation of IPP by this enzyme is pro-R stereospecific, suggesting a similar stereochemical course as the type I enzyme.