A green chemistry approach to a more efficient asymmetric catalyst: solvent-free and highly concentrated alkyl additions to ketones

There is a great demand for development of catalyst systems that are not only efficient and highly enantioselective but are also environmentally benign. Herein we report investigations into the catalytic asymmetric addition of alkyl and functionalized alkyl groups to ketones under highly concentrated and solvent-free conditions. In comparison with standard reaction conditions employing toluene and hexanes, the solvent-free and highly concentrated conditions permit reduction in catalyst loading by a factor of 2- to 40-fold. These new conditions are general and applicable to a variety of ketones and dialkylzinc reagents to provide diverse tertiary alcohols with high enantioselectivities. Using cyclic conjugated enones, we have performed a tandem asymmetric addition/diastereoselective epoxidation using the solvent-free addition conditions followed by introduction of a 5.5 M decane solution of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) to generate epoxy alcohols. This one-pot procedure allows access to syn epoxy alcohols with three contiguous stereocenters with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities and high yields. Both the solvent-free asymmetric additions and asymmetric addition/diastereoselective epoxidation reactions have been conducted on larger scale (5 g substrate) with 0.5 mol % catalyst loadings. In these procedures, enantioselectivities equal to or better than 92% were obtained with isolated yields of 90%. The solvent-free and highly concentrated conditions are a significant improvement over previous solvent-based protocols. Further, this chemistry represents a rare example of a catalytic asymmetric reaction that is highly enantioselective under more environmentally friendly solvent-free conditions.     

Catalytic asymmetric cyanosilylation of ketones with chiral Lewis base

The development of broadly applicable and practical catalytic approaches for the enantioselective creation of quaternary stereocenters remains a highly desirable yet challenging goal. In this Communication, we describe a highly enantioselective cyanosilylation of acetal ketones (alpha,alpha-dialkoxy ketones) catalyzed by modified cinchona alkaloids. This reaction is the first highly enantioselective cyanosilylation of ketones catalyzed by an organic chiral Lewis base and is found to be highly efficient with acetal ketones bearing a broad range of alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, and alkynyl substituents. This new catalytic asymmetric reaction, coupled with the versatility of the acetal functionality, provides a broadly useful synthetic method for chiral building blocks bearing quaternary stereocenters. Acetal ketones, readily accessible but previously unexplored in asymmetric synthesis, demonstrate unusual reactivity and selectivity toward the nucleophilic cyanosilylation, thereby suggesting that they may be interesting substrates for other catalytic enantioselective reactions.     

One-pot asymmetric synthesis of acyclic chiral epoxy alcohols via tandem vinylation-epoxidation with dioxygen

[reaction: see text] We have developed a one-pot procedure for the asymmetric synthesis of a synthetically challenging class of acylic secondary epoxy alcohols with three contiguous stereocenters from simple achiral starting materials. The epoxy alcohols are synthesized via a tandem catalytic asymmetric vinylation of an aldehyde coupled with a diastereoselective epoxidation reaction. A vinylzinc reagent generated in situ undergoes enantioselective addition to an aldehyde in the presence of a zinc catalyst to provide an allylic zinc alkoxide. This species is then epoxidized by addition of dioxygen and a titanium tartrate catalyst to give epoxy alcohols with excellent enantioselectivities, in most cases, and with diastereoselectivities up to 4.5:1 in favor of the threo-diastereomer. The system described herein represents a significant advance in terms of synthetic efficiency and selectivity.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of lycopodine

The first enantioselective total synthesis of lycopodine has been completed. Key steps include a highly diastereoselective organocatalyzed cyclization of a keto sulfone to establish the key C7 and C8 stereocenters and a tandem 1,3-sulfonyl shift/intramolecular Mannich cyclization to form the tricyclic core.     

Concise Total Synthesis of (−)-Quinocarcin Enabled by Catalytic Enantioselective Reductive 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Secondary Amides

A concise asymmetric total synthesis of (−)-quinocarcin has been accomplished with high step economy from commercially available starting materials. A catalytic enantioselective reductive 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of N-heteroaryl secondary amides with reactive dipolarophiles using iridium/copper relay catalysis was developed to prepare the key chiral pyrrolidine intermediate with three stereocenters. This protocol features excellent regio-, exo- and enantioselectivities, broad substrate scope, and good functional group tolerance. The high efficiency was also ensured by a Rh^III-catalyzed C−H activation/cyclization and a tandem diastereoselective hydrogenation/cyclization to construct the tetrahydroisoquinoline-pyrrolidine tetracyclic core unit of quinocarcin.     

Gram‐Scale Enantioselective Formal Synthesis of Morphine through an ortho–para Oxidative Phenolic Coupling Strategy

A gram‐scale catalytic enantioselective formal synthesis of morphine is described. The key steps of the synthesis involve an ortho–para oxidative phenolic coupling and a highly diastereoselective “desymmetrization” of the resulting cyclohexadienone that generates three of the four morphinan ring junction stereocenters in one step. The stereochemistry is controlled from a single carbinol center installed through catalytic enantioselective hydrogenation. These transformations enabled the preparation of large quantities of key intermediates and could support a practical and scalable synthesis of morphine and related derivatives.     

Highly enantio- and diastereoselective one-pot synthesis of acyclic epoxy alcohols with three contiguous stereocenters

Two highly enantio- and diastereoselective one-pot procedures for the synthesis of epoxy alcohols with up to three contiguous stereocenters are reported. Route one involves asymmetric addition of an alkylzinc reagent to an enal followed by diastereoselective epoxidation. Route two entails asymmetric vinylation of an aldehyde with divinylzinc reagents and subsequent diastereoselective epoxidation. The oxidant for the epoxidation is generated by exposure of the allylic alkoxide intermediate and the remaining organozinc reagent to dioxygen. Upon addition of catalytic titanium tetraisopropoxide, the directed epoxidation yields the epoxy alcohols with good to excellent yields.     

Highly enantioselective amination of alpha-substituted alpha-cyanoacetates with chiral catalysts accessible from both quinine and quinidine

[Reaction: see text] The catalytic construction of nitrogen-substituted quaternary stereocenters is an important and challenging task in asymmetric synthesis. In this paper, we describe the use of 6'-OH-modified cinchona alkaloids that are accessible from either quinine or quinidine for the development of a highly enantioselective amination of alpha,alpha-disubstituted carbonyl compounds that is suitable for the creation of nitrogen-substituted quaternary stereocenters in either the R or S configuration.     

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (−)‐Terengganensine A

A seven‐step enantioselective total synthesis of (?)‐terengganensine A, a complex heptacyclic monoterpene indole alkaloid, was accomplished. Key steps included: a) Noyori's catalytic enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of the iminium salt to set up the absolute configuration at the C21 position; b) a highly diastereoselective C7 benzoyloxylation with dibenzoyl peroxide under mild conditions; and c) an integrated one‐pot oxidative cleavage of cyclopentene/triple cyclization/hydrolysis sequence for the construction of the dioxa azaadamantane motif with complete control of four newly generated stereocenters.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of (-)-prostaglandin E1 methyl ester based on a tandem 1,4-addition-aldol reaction

Catalytic enantioselective 1,4-additions and tandem 1,4-addition-aldol reactions of dialkylzinc reagents to cyclopentene-3,5-dione monoacetals in the presence of an in situ generated Cu(OTf)(2)/chiral phosphoramidite catalyst result in highly functionalized cyclopentane building blocks with ee's up to 97%. A new synthesis of cyclopentene-3,5-dione monoacetals is presented as well as its use in a tandem 1,4-addition-aldol protocol for the catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-PGE(1) methyl ester. This synthesis represents a new approach to this class of natural products. By using only 3 mol % of an enantiomerically pure catalyst in the key step, the absolute configurations at three stereocenters of the basic structure of the PGE(1) are established at once.     

Recent developments in asymmetric multicomponent reactions

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) receive increasing attention because they address both diversity and complexity in organic synthesis. Thus, in principle diverse sets of relatively complex structures can be generated from simple starting materials in a single reaction step. The ever increasing need for optically pure compounds for pharmaceutical and agricultural applications as well as for catalysis promotes the development of asymmetric multicomponent reactions. In recent years, asymmetric multicomponent reactions have been applied to the total synthesis of various enantiopure natural products and commercial drugs, reducing the number of required reaction steps significantly. Although many developments in diastereoselective MCRs have been reported, the field of catalytic enantioselective MCRs has just started to blossom. This critical review describes developments in both diastereoselective and catalytic enantioselective multicomponent reactions since 2004. Significantly broadened scopes, new techniques, more environmentally benign methods and entirely novel MCRs reflect the increasingly inventive paths that synthetic chemist follow in this field. Until recently, enantioselective transition metal-catalyzed MCRs represented the majority of catalytic enantioselective MCRs. However, metal contamination is highly undesirable for drug synthesis. The emergence of organocatalysis greatly influences the quest for new asymmetric MCRs.     

Enantioselective cyanocarbonation of ketones with chiral base

A highly enantioselective cyanocarbonation of dialkyl ketones catalyzed by commercially available and easily recyclable cinchona alkaloid derivatives has been developed. The reaction provides a useful approach for the enantioselective construction of tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters. Mechanistic studies have been carried out to shed light on the origin of the catalytic activity of the cinchona alkaloid and the asymmetric induction step.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Nazarov Cyclization: Construction of Vicinal All‐Carbon‐Atom Quaternary Stereocenters

The diastereoselective asymmetric synthesis of vicinal all‐carbon‐atom quaternary stereocenters is a challenging problem in organic synthesis for which only few solutions have been described. A catalytic asymmetric Nazarov cyclization of fully substituted dienones that provides cyclopentenone derivatives with vicinal quaternary stereocenters in high optical purity and as single diastereoisomers is now reported.     

Enantio‐ and Diastereoselective Access to Distant Stereocenters Embedded within Tetrahydroxanthenes: Utilizing ortho‐Quinone Methides as Reactive Intermediates in Asymmetric Brønsted Acid Catalysis

A protocol for the highly enantioselective synthesis of 9‐substituted tetrahydroxanthenones by means of asymmetric Brønsted acid catalysis has been developed. A chiral binol‐based N‐triflyphosphoramide was found to promote the in situ generation of ortho‐quinone methides and their subsequent reaction with 1,3‐cyclohexanedione to provide the desired products with excellent enantioselectivities. In addition, a highly enantio‐ and diastereoselective Brønsted acid catalyzed desymmetrization of 5‐monosubstituted 1,3‐dicarbonyl substrates with ortho‐quinone methides gives rise to valuable tetrahydroxanthenes containing two distant stereocenters.     

Asymmetric Catalysis with CO2: The Direct α‐Allylation of Ketones

Quaternary stereocenters are found in numerous bioactive molecules. The Tsuji–Trost reaction has proven to be a powerful C?C bond forming process, and, at least in principle, should be well suited to access quaternary stereocenters via the α‐allylation of ketones. However, while indirect approaches are known, the direct, catalytic asymmetric α‐allylation of branched ketones has been elusive until today. By combining “enol catalysis” with the use of CO₂ as a formal catalyst for asymmetric catalysis, we have now developed a solution to this problem: we report a direct, highly enantioselective and highly atom‐economic Tsuji–Trost allylation of branched ketones with allylic alcohol. Our reaction delivers products bearing quaternary stereocenters with high enantioselectivity and water as the sole by‐product. We expect our methodology to be of utility in asymmetric catalysis and inspire the design of other highly atom‐economic transformations.     

Direct one-pot highly enantioselective assembly of polyketide and carbohydrate synthons

A short, direct, catalytic, enantioselective synthesis of polyketide segments and carbohydrates is presented. The novel, direct, one-pot, organocatalytic asymmetric tandem cross-aldol/Horner-Wittig-Emmons reactions assemble polyketide and carbohydrate derivatives in good yield with 93-98% ee. The one-pot catalytic asymmetric tandem reaction was applied to a highly enantioselective formal de novo synthesis of the rare carbohydrate, l-altrose.     

One-pot catalytic asymmetric cascade synthesis of cycloheptane derivatives

A regiospecific, highly chemo-, diastereo-, and enantioselective one-pot catalytic cascade synthesis of cycloheptane derivatives is presented. In this chiral-amine-catalyzed asymmetric process, six new bonds and five new stereocenters were formed with excellent stereocontrol (>25:1 d.r. and 98- >99 ee).     

Catalytic Asymmetric Assembly of Octahydroindolones: Divergent Synthesis of Lycorine‐type Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids (+)‐α‐Lycorane and (+)‐Lycorine

We report the first catalytic asymmetric approach to octahydroindolones and a divergent enantioselective synthesis of perhydroindole alkaloids, as exemplified by lycorine‐type Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (+)‐α‐lycorane and (+)‐lycorine, from a common intermediate by using a highly concise route. The assembly of octahydroindolones employs a catalytic enantioselective 1,4‐conjugate addition of nitro dienynes, followed by a TsOH‐catalyzed cascade synthesis of highly functionalized enones, and a diastereoselective intramolecular Michael addition.     

Asymmetric synthesis of (+)-iso-6-cassine via stereoselective intramolecular amidomercuration

The first asymmetric synthesis of (+)-iso-6-cassine is described. Lipase-catalyzed resolution, enantioselective Overman rearrangement, and diastereoselective intramolecular amidomercuration were used for the installation of the three stereocenters in (+)-iso-6-cassine, and cross-metathesis was employed for the attachment of the side-chain.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Tandem Hydroamination/Formal Aza‐Diels–Alder Reaction of Homopropargyl Amino Esters: A Combined Computational and Experimental Mechanistic Study

A tandem gold‐catalyzed hydroamination/formal aza‐Diels–Alder reaction is described. This process, which employs quaternary homopropargyl amino ester substrates, leads to the formation of an intrincate tetracyclic framework and involves the generation of four bonds and five stereocenters in a highly diastereoselective manner. Theoretical calculations have allowed us to propose a suitable mechanistic rationalization for the tandem protocol. Additionally, by studying the influence of the ligands on the rate of the gold‐catalyzed reactions, it was possible to establish optimum conditions in which to perform the process with a variety of substituents on the amino ester substrates. Notably, the asymmetric version of the tandem reaction was also evaluated.