Biphenol-based phosphoramidite ligands for the enantioselective copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of diethylzinc

Phosphoramidite ligands, based on ortho-substituted biphenols and a chiral amine, induce high enantioselectivities (ee's up to 99%) in the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to a variety of Michael acceptors. Particularly, the best reported ee's were obtained for acyclic nitroolefins.     

Dynamic kinetic asymmetric cycloadditions of isocyanates to vinylaziridines

The first examples of the use of racemic vinylaziridines in a Pd-catalyzed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation have been examined. Optimization studies of the Pd-catalyzed addition of vinylaziridines to isocyanates revealed that the chiral ligand between trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and 2-diphenylphosphino-1-naphthoic acid is superior to that involving 2-diphenylphosphino benzoic acid. Surprisingly, high ee's required the use of an acid whose pKa was about 4.7 +/- 0.1 as a cocatalyst. Both acetic acid and hydroxybenzotriazole meet this requirement. Less electrophilic isocyanates (e.g., benzyl, p-methoxyphenyl) gave higher ee's than more electrophilic ones (phenyl or benzoyl). Both N-benzyl and N-arylaziridines react well to give good yields and ee's, whereas N-tosylaziridines gave lower ee's. A 1,1-disubstituted aziridine led to the formation of a tertiary C-N bond with ee's comparable to the formation of the secondary C-N bond. The products were easily reduced almost quantitatively to the sensitive imidazolidines which can be readily hydrolyzed to the vicinal diamines. The reactivity pattern is consistent with a Curtin-Hammett situation wherein the enantiodiscriminating event is the cyclization of a rapidly equilibrating dynamic pi-allyl palladium intermediate.     

Synthesis and application of P-stereogenic phosphines as superior reagents in the asymmetric aza-Wittig reaction

A wide variety of P-stereogenic aryldialkylphosphines were prepared in enantioenriched form by a systematic diversification of the (-)-sparteine-mediated dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic lithiophosphine-boranes reported by Livinghouse. Excellent asymmetric induction was observed provided that the intermediate lithiophosphine/sparteine complex precipitated from solution; more soluble derivatives returned poor ee's or racemic material. The resulting phosphine-boranes were deprotected and used as reagents in the desymmetrizing asymmetric aza-Wittig reaction of 2-alkyl-2-(3-azidopropyl)cyclohexane-1,3-diones, delivering the highest ee's yet observed in this process (up to 84% ee). Phosphines bearing bulky substituents required heating for the aza-Wittig reaction to proceed to completion, which 31P NMR studies showed to be due to interception of the reaction by the formation of unreactive (E)-phosphazides. This was circumvented by use of methyltrioxorhenium to catalyze the formation of iminophosphoranes from the azide and phosphine, allowing reactions to take place at ambient temperature, although the ee's of the asymmetric reactions were reduced in these examples.     

Cu(I)-catalyzed asymmetric diamination of conjugated dienes

A Cu(I)-catalyzed asymmetric diamination for a variety of conjugated dienes and a triene with encouraging ee's has been effectively achieved using (R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS as a chiral ligand and di- tert-butyldiaziridinone as the nitrogen source.     

Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of indoles and pyrroles by chiral alkene-phosphine ligands

A variety of chiral binaphthyl-based terminal-alkene-phosphine hybrid ligands were synthesized in four steps with (S)-BINOL as a starting material and utilized for the Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylations of indoles and pyrroles to afford the desired products in high yields with good to excellent ee's.     

PegPhos: a monodentate phosphoramidite ligand for enantioselective rhodium-catalysed hydrogenation in water

A BICOL derived monodentate phosphoramidite ligand gives ee's up to 89% in the enantioselective Rh-catalysed hydrogenation of N-acyl dehydroalanine using water as the solvent.     

Vicinal-diamine-based chiral chain dienes as ligands for rhodium(I)-catalyzed highly enantioselective conjugated additions

A variety of readily accessible vicinal-diamine-based chiral chain dienes were successfully synthesized and utilized as steering ligands for rhodium-catalyzed conjugated additions of organoboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to afford the desired adducts in good to excellent yields and ee's.     

An enantioselective approach toward 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin through the bromocyclization of styrene-type carboxylic acids

A facile and enantioselective approach toward 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin was developed. The method involved an amino-thiocarbamate catalyzed enantioselective bromocyclization of styrene-type carboxylic acids, yielding 3-bromo-3,4-dihydroisocoumarins with good yields and ee's. 3-Bromo-3,4-dihydroisocoumarins are versatile building blocks for various dihydroisocoumarin derivatives in which the Br group can readily be modified to achieve biologically important 4-O-type and 4-N-type 3,4-dihydroisocoumarin systems. In addition, studies indicated that, by refining some parameters, the synthetically useful 5-exo phthalide products could be achieved with good yields and ee's.     

2-alkenoyl pyridine N-oxides, highly efficient dienophiles for the enantioselective Cu(II)-bis(oxazoline) catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction

2-Alkenoyl pyridine N-oxides are introduced as a new kind of efficient dienophiles for the Cu(II)-bis(oxazoline) (BOX) catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction affording higher reactivity and enantioselectivity (ee's up to 96%) than the corresponding nonoxidized 2-alkenoyl pyridines.     

Chiral sulfinamide/achiral sulfonic acid cocatalyzed enantioselective protonation of enol silanes

The application of chiral sulfinamides and achiral sulfonic acids as a cocatalyst system for enantioselective protonation reactions is described. Structurally simple, easily accessible sulfinamides were found to induce moderate-to-high ee's in the formation of 2-aryl-substituted cycloalkanones from the corresponding trimethylsilyl enol ethers.     

Conformational preferences and enantiodiscrimination of phosphino-4-(1-hydroxyalkyl)oxazoline-metal-olefin complexes resulting from an OH-metal hydrogen bond

[reaction: see text] Phosphinooxazolines carrying (1-hydroxy-1-phenyl)methyl and (1-methoxy-1-phenyl)methyl substituents in the 4 position of the oxazoline ring exhibit contrasting behavior in Pd- and Ir-catalyzed allylic alkylations. Whereas catalysts with the methoxy-containing ligand generally provide products with high ee's, use of catalysts prepared from the hydroxy-containing ligand results in products with low ee's or even racemates. DFT calculations suggest the presence of a hydrogen bond with Pd(0) as the proton acceptor in the hydroxy-containing olefin-Pd(0) complexes, which induces a conformational change in the ligand, leading to different stereoselectivity.     

Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,2-addition to α-diketones with chiral sulfur-alkene hybrid ligands

This paper describes a Rh(I)-catalyzed highly efficient and enantioselective 1,2-addition of arylboronic acids to α-diketones with the use of a simple sulfur-alkene hybrid ligand. With as low as a 0.1 mol % catalyst loading, a variety of optically active α-hydroxyketones can be furnished in high yields with excellent ee's.     

高分子负载的羟基脯氨酸催化丙酮与邻-和对-硝基苯甲醛的不对称直接Aldol加成反应

以4(R)-羟基脯氨酸为原料，合成了高分子负载的脯氨酸衍生物，并用来催化丙酮对邻-和对-硝基苯甲醛的直接不对称Aldol加成反应，ee值最高可达80％，催化剂至少可以重复利用三次．     

Functionalized iminium salt systems for catalytic asymmetric epoxidation

A range of dihydroisoquinolinium salts containing alcohol, ether, and acetal functionalities in the nitrogen substituent has been prepared and tested as asymmetric epoxidation catalysts, providing ee's of up to ca. 60%.     

A trifunctional catalyst for one-pot synthesis of chiral diols via Heck coupling-N-oxidation-asymmetric dihydroxylation: application for the synthesis of diltiazem and taxol side chain

A heterogeneous bifunctional catalyst composed of OsO4(2-)-WO4(2-) and a trifunctional catalyst comprising PdCl4(2-)-OsO4(2-)-WO4(2-), designed and prepared by an ion-exchange technique using layered double hydroxides (LDH) as an ion-exchanger and their homogeneous bifunctional analogue, K2OsO4-Na2WO4 and trifunctional analogue, Na2PdCl4-K2OsO4-Na2WO4, devised for the first time are evaluated for the synthesis of chiral vicinal diols. These bifunctional and trifunctional catalysts perform asymmetric dihydroxylation-N-oxidation and Heck-asymmetric dihydroxylation-N-oxidation, respectively, in the presence of Sharpless chiral ligand, (DHQD)2PHAL in a single pot using H2O2 as a terminal oxidant to provide N-methylmorpholine oxide (NMO) in situ by the oxidation of N-methylmorpholine (NMM). The heterogeneous bifunctional catalyst supported on LDH (LDH-OsW) displays superior activity to afford diols with higher yields over the other heterogeneous catalysts developed by the ion exchange on quaternary ammonium salts covalently bound to resin (resin-OsW) and silica (silica-OsW) or homogeneous catalysts in the achiral dihydroxylation reactions. The LDH-OsW and its homogeneous analogue are found to be very efficient in performing a simultaneous asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD)-N-oxidation of a wide and varied range of aromatic, cyclic, and mono, di-, and trisubstituted olefins to obtain chiral vicinal diols with higher yields and ee's using H2O2. Further, the use of OsO4(2-)-WO4(2-) catalysts as such or in the supported form offers a simplified procedure for catalyst recycling, which shows consistent activity for a number of cycles. In this process, Os(VI) is recycled to Os(VIII) by a coupled electron transfer-mediator (ETM) system based on NMO-WO4(2-) using H2O2, leading to a mild and selective electron transfer. The one-pot biomimic synthesis of chiral diols is mediated by a recyclable trifunctional heterogeneous catalyst (LDH-PdOsW) consisting of active palladium, tungsten, and osmium species embedded in a single matrix. This protocol, which provides prochiral olefins and NMO in situ by Heck coupling and N-oxidation of NMM, respectively, required for the AD, unfolds a low cost process. We extended the present method to the one-pot synthesis of trisubstituted chiral vicinal diols with moderate to excellent ee's by AD of trisubstituted olefins that are obtained by in situ Heck arylation of disubstituted olefins. The heterogeneous trifunctional catalysts offers chiral diols with unprecedented ee's and excellent yields in the AD of prochiral cinnamates, which are obtained in situ from acrylates and halobenzenes for the first time. The new variants such as LDH support and Et3N*HX inherently composed in the heterogeneous multicomponent system and slow addition of H2O2 facilitates the hydrolysis of osmium monogylcolate ester to subdue the formation of bisglycolate ester to achieve higher ee's. Without resorting to recrystallization, the chiral diols of cinnamates thus synthesized with 99% ee's and devoid of osmium contamination are directly put to use in the synthesis of diltiazem and Taxol side chain with an overall improved yield to demonstrate the synthetic utility of the trifunctional heterogeneous catalyst. The high binding ability of the heterogeneous osmium catalyst enables the use of equimolar ratio of ligand to osmium to give excellent ee's in AD in contrast to the homogeneous osmium system in which the excess molar quantities of the expensive chiral ligand to osmium are invariably used. Further, the XRD, FT-IR, UV-vis DRS, and XPS studies indicate the retention of the coordination geometries of the specific divalent anions anchored to LDH matrix in their monomeric form during the ion exchange and after the reaction.     

Desymmetrization of cyclohexadienones via asymmetric Michael reaction catalyzed by cinchonine-derived urea

Desymmetrization of cyclohexadienones bearing a bisphenylsulfonyl methylene group via asymmetric Michael reaction catalyzed by cinchonine-derived urea was realized to afford a series of highly enantioenriched polycyclic cyclohexenones in high yields and ee's.     

Asymmetric synthesis of α-alkyl α-selenocarbonyl compounds catalyzed by bifunctional organocatalysts

A new organocatalytic approach for the synthesis of a variety of α-alkyl, α-phenylselenyl ketones as well as their corresponding esters and amides, by the addition of α-selenocarbonyl derivatives to nitroalkenes catalyzed by thiourea or squaramide cinchona catalysts, is presented. This catalytic system allows the preparation in high yields of enantiomerically enriched selenocarbonyl derivatives bearing two chiral centers with excellent ee's and dr's by using catalytic loadings of 3 mol%.     

Geminal dicarboxylates as carbonyl surrogates for asymmetric synthesis. Part II. Scope and applications.

An enantioselective synthesis of allylic esters has been achieved by a novel asymmetric alkylation of allylic gem-dicarboxylates. The catalyst derived from palladium(0) and R,R-1,2-di(2'-diphenylphosphinobenzamido)cyclohexene efficiently induced the alkylation process with a variety of nucleophiles to provide allylic esters as products in good yield. High regio- and enantioselectivities were observed in the alkylation with most nucleophiles derived from malonate, whereas a modest level of ee's was obtained in the reactions with less reactive nucleophiles such as bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethane. In the latter case, a slow addition procedure proved effective, leading to significantly improved ee's. The utility of the alkylation products was demonstrated by several synthetically useful transformations including allylic isomerizations, allylic alkylations, and Claisen rearrangements. Using these reactions, the chirality of the initial allylic carbon-oxygen bond could be transferred to new carbon-oxygen, carbon-carbon, or carbon-nitrogen bonds in a predictable fashion with high stereochemical fidelity. The conversion of gem-diesters to chiral esters by the substitution reaction is the equivalent of an asymmetric carbonyl addition by stabilized nucleophiles. In conjunction with the subsequent reactions that occur with high stereospecificity, allylic gem-dicarboxylates serve as synthons for a double allylic transformation.     

Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate additions of boronic acids using monodentate phosphoramidite ligands

Monodentate phosphoramidites have been used for the first time as chiral ligands in the Rh-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to enones, unsaturated esters, lactones, and nitro alkenes. High reaction rates and ee's up to 89% have been obtained.     

Asymmetric autocatalysis and the origin of chiral homogeneity in organic compounds

The discovery and development of asymmetric autocatalysis, in which the structures of the chiral catalyst and the chiral product are the same, are described. Chiral 5-pyrimidyl, 3-quinolyl, and 5-carbamoyl-3-pyridyl alkanols act as highly enantioselective asymmetric autocatalysts in the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to the corresponding aldehydes, such as pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde. 2-Alkynyl-5-pyrimidyl alkanol with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of >99.5% automultiplies practically perfectly as an asymmetric autocatalyst in a yield of >99% and >99.5% ee. Asymmetric autocatalysis with an amplification of ee has thus been realized. Consecutive asymmetric autocatalysis starting with chiral 2-alkynylpyrimidyl alkanol of only 0.6% ee amplifies its ee significantly, and yields itself as the product with >99.5% ee. The reaction of pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde and diisopropylzinc in the presence of chiral initiators with low ee's, such as secondary alcohol, amine, carboxylic acid, mono-substituted [2.2]paracyclophane, and chiral primary alcohols due to deuterium substitution, regulates the absolute configuration of the resulting pyrimidyl alkanols, and the ee of the resulting pyrimidyl alkanol is much higher than that of the chiral initiator. Leucine and [6]helicene with very low ee's, which are known to be induced by circularly polarized light (CPL), also serve as chiral initiators to produce pyrimidyl alkanol with higher ee's. Overall, the process represents the first correlation between the chirality of CPL and an organic compound with very high ee. Chiral inorganic crystals, such as quartz and sodium chlorate, act as chiral inducers in the asymmetric autocatalysis of pyrimidyl alkanol. The process correlates for the first time ever the chirality of inorganic crystals with an organic compound with very high ee.