The 2-(N,N-Dimethylamino)phenylsulfinyl group as an efficient chiral auxiliary in intramolecular heck reactions

The synthesis, reactivity, and stereochemical behavior of differently substituted iodoalkenyl alpha,beta-unsaturated sulfoxides in intramolecular Heck reaction is described. Particularly, the 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenylsulfinyl group is demonstrated to be an effective chiral auxiliary for the intramolecular Heck reaction of 2-iodo-1,6-(or 1,7)dienes. A desulfinylation sequence removes the auxiliary and yields cyclic compounds of high enantiopurity.     

Diastereoselective intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions of chiral cyclopropenes

In this Letter, it is demonstrated that the unusual reactivity of cyclopropenes can increase the scope and utility of intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions. The well-defined chiral environment of cyclopropenes has a powerful influence on the diastereoselectivity of the reactions and leads to the production of a single cyclopentenone in each of the described cases. The cyclopropane ring strongly influences the stereochemistry of reactions at the enone, and the three-membered ring can subsequently be cleaved under mild conditions. [reaction: see text]     

Asymmetric Pauson-Khand reactions using camphor-derived chelating thiols as chiral controllers

A convenient procedure for the preparation of enantiopure 10-(R-thio)-2-exo-bornanethiols from (1S)-camphor-10-thiol has been developed. The ethynyl derivatives of these thiols gave excellent diastereoselectivities (up to 98:2) in Pauson-Khand reactions with norbornene and norbornadiene through the intermediacy of a chelated dicobalt pentacarbonyl complex. Thermal reaction conditions starting from the preformed chelated complex gave better results than N-oxide-promoted runs with in situ generation of the chelated intermediate. The corresponding adducts have been elaborated through a protocol consisting of conjugate addition, samarium iodide-promoted cleavage of the chiral auxiliary, and retro-Diels-Alder reaction to afford 4-substituted 2-cyclopentenones in high enantiomeric purity.     

Asymmetric aldol reactions using chiral CF3-Oxazolidines (Fox) as chiral auxiliary

The aldol reactions of amide enolates derived from a trifluoromethylated oxazolidine (Fox) chiral auxiliary occur in good yields with a moderate anti diastereoselectivity (Li and Na enolates) to a high syn diastereoselectivity (boron enolate). After removal, the Fox chiral auxiliary is very conveniently and efficiently recovered in basic conditions.     

Asymmetric synthesis of sulfinamides using (-)-quinine as chiral auxiliary

A process has been designed and demonstrated for the asymmetric synthesis of sulfinamides using quinine as auxiliary. A variety of chiral sulfinamides including N-alkyl sulfinamides with diverse structure were prepared in good yields and excellent enantioselectivity starting from easily available and inexpensive reagents. The auxiliary quinine could be recovered and recycled.     

PuPHOS: a synthetically useful chiral bidentate ligand for the intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction

Here we describe the synthesis and use of the Pulegone-derived bidentate P,S ligands PuPHOS and CyPuPHOS in the intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction. Ligand exchange reaction of hexacarbonyldicobalt-alkyne complexes with PuPHOS provides a diasteromeric mixture of complexes (up to 4.5:1) from which the major isomers can be conveniently separated by simple crystallization. An isomerization-crystallization sequence of the original mixture results in a dynamic resolution that allows the preparation of the pure major Co(2)(mu-TMSC(2)H)(CO)(4)-PuPHOS (15a) in a multigram scale. Pauson-Khand reaction of 15a with norbornadiene provided, for the first time, the corresponding enone 18 with up to 93% yield and 97% ee. The use of (+)-18 as a surrogate of chiral cyclopentadienone is also demonstrated. Copper-catalyzed Michael addition of a Grignard reagent followed by removal of the TMS group with TBAF were the most reliable methods to transform (+)-18 into valuable starting materials 20a-e for the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopentenoid systems.     

(−)-8-Amino menthol-derived perhydrobenzoxazines as chiral templates and masked aldehydes in the diastereoselective intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction

Perhydro-1,3-benzoxazines derived from (−)-8-amino menthol behave as masked aldehydes and chiral templates in diastereoselective intramolecular Pauson-Khand reactions with norbornene and norbornadiene. The regioselectivity is excellent for unsubstituted or methyl-substituted acetylenes and moderate with phenyl-substituted alkynes. The stereoselection is very poor or moderate depending also on the substitution pattern of both the triple bond and the perhydrobenzoxazine nucleus. The hydrolysis of the cycloadducts leads to 2- or 3-formyl-cyclopentenone derivatives.     

Cyclosulfamide as a chiral auxiliary: application to efficient asymmetric synthesis (alkylation/aldolization)

The chiral cyclosulfamide (S)-2-benzyl-4-isopropyl-1,2,5-thiadiazolidine 1,1-dioxide was designed as a chimera of Evans and Oppolzer chiral auxiliaries. The N-propionyl derivative appeared to be very powerful for the stereocontrolled synthesis of chiral building blocks through asymmetric aldolization and alkylation reactions.     

Synthesis of a new (1R)-(-)-myrtenal-derived dioxadithiadodecacycle and its use as an efficient chiral auxiliary

[reaction: see text] The new macrocycle 9 (>70% yield from hydroxythiol 10) was treated with several nucleophilic reagents (RMgX, RLi, and LiAlH4) affording carbinols 12a-j (80-96% yield, >99:1 dr). Oxidative hydrolysis of 12a,c,e, followed by LiAlH4 reduction of the resulting mixture, gave 16a,c,e in >95% ee,16c being a key precursor for the preparation of fungicide 17. The absolute configuration of 9 and 12j (Nu = H) was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and chemical correlation.     

Vinyl sulfoxides as stereochemical controllers in intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions: applications to the enantioselective synthesis of natural cyclopentanoids

The use of sulfoxides as chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions is described. After screening a wide variety of substituents on the sulfur atom in alpha,beta-unsaturated sulfoxides, the readily available o-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl vinyl sulfoxide (1 i) has proved to be highly reactive with substituted terminal alkynes under N-oxide-promoted conditions (CH3CN, 0 degrees C). In addition, these Pauson-Khand reactions occurred with complete regioselectivity and very high diastereoselectivity (de=86->96 %, (S,R(S)) diastereomer). Experimental studies suggest that the high reactivity exhibited by the vinyl sulfoxide 1 i relies on the ability of the amine group to act as a soft ligand on the alkyne dicobalt complex prior to the generation of the cobaltacycle intermediate. On the other hand, both theoretical and experimental studies show that the high stereoselectivity of the process is due to the easy thermodynamic epimerization at the C5 center in the resulting 5-sulfinyl-2-cyclopentenone adducts. When it is taken into account that the known asymmetric intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions are limited to the use of highly reactive bicyclic alkenes, mainly norbornene and norbornadiene, this novel procedure constitutes the first asymmetric version with unstrained acyclic alkenes. As a demonstration of the synthetic interest of this sulfoxide-based methodology in the enantioselective preparation of stereochemically complex cyclopentanoids, we have developed very short and efficient syntheses of the antibiotic (-)-pentenomycin I and the (-)-aminocyclopentitol moiety of a hopane triterpenoid.     

Asymmetric aziridination by reaction of chiral N-sulfinylimines with sulfur ylides: Stereoselectivity improvement by use of tert-butylsulfinyl group as chiral auxiliary

Chiral tert-butylsulfinyl group has been shown to be the chiral auxiliary of choice for the asymmetric aziridination of N-sulfinyliminas. Moreover, the sense of the asymmetric induction can be tuned in two ways: the chirality at the tert-butylsulfinyl Sulfur, or the nature of the methylene transfer reagent used. Thus, both aziridines 10(S_s,S) and 10(R_s,R), epimeric at C-2, were obtained in enantiomerically pure form by a single crystallisation (75% yield).     

Design and synthesis of a new polymer-supported Evans-type oxazolidinone: an efficient chiral auxiliary in the solid-phase asymmetric alkylation reactions

Wang resin-supported Evans' chiral auxiliary (23) was designed based on a novel polymer-anchoring strategy, which utilizes the 5-position of the oxazolidinone ring, and its new synthetic route applicable to multi-gram preparation in just a day was developed. Solid-phase Evans' asymmetric alkylation on 23-derived N-acylimide resin and following lithium hydroperoxide-mediated chemoselective hydrolysis afforded the corresponding α-branched carboxylic acids in desired high stereoselectivities (up to 97% ee) and moderate to good overall yield (up to 70%, for 3 steps), which were comparable to those of the conventional solution-phase methods. Furthermore, recovery and recycling of the polymer-supported chiral auxiliary were successfully achieved without decreasing the stereoselectivity of the product. Therefore, this is the first successful example that the solid-phase Evans' asymmetric enolate-alkylation was efficiently performed on the solid-support, and it is concluded that the connection to the solid-support via the 5-position of the oxazolidinone ring is an ideal strategy in the solid-phase Evans' chiral auxiliary.     

(S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine as chiral auxiliary in asymmetric acetate aldol reactions

The asymmetric acetate-type aldol reaction using (S,S)-(+)-pseudoephedrine has been studied in detail. Experimental variables like the nature of the metal counterion of the enolate, the presence of additives and the structure of the aldehyde have been examined in order to reach to the highest possible yields and diastereoselectivities.     

A sulfur-containing diselenide as an efficient chiral reagent in asymmetric selenocyclization reactions

Treatment of the di-2-[(1S)-1-(methylthio)ethyl]phenyl diselenide with bromine and silver triflate afforded the corresponding selenyl triflate which was used in situ as a strongly electrophilic selenium reagent to effect the asymmetric synthesis of oxygen- or nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Cyclic ethers, lactones, lactams or N-protected pyrrolidines have been prepared in good yield with complete regioselectivity and high diastereoselectivity.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of (20S)-Camptothecin using a chiral auxiliary strategy

An asymmetric eight-step total synthesis of (20S)-camptothecin, starting from the known compound tert-butyl (2-chloroquinolin-3-yl)methylcarbamate, is described. A Heck reaction followed by an intramolecular Michael addition to form the C-ring provides the first key step in this synthesis. The construction of the 20(S) chiral center relies on a chiral auxiliary-mediated Michael addition using (2R,5R)-2-tert-butyl-5-ethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one as the auxiliary.     

Quencher as leaving group: efficient detection of DNA-joining reactions

We describe a new fluorescence reporting strategy in which dabsyl, a well-known quencher, activates a hydroxyl group in a probe to convert it to a leaving group. When a nucleophilic phosphorothioate probe binds adjacent to a dabsyl quenched probe, autoligation occurs, releasing the quencher, and lighting up the probes, This signal change can be used to detect single nucleotide differences in DNA without enzymes or reagents.     

Stereoselective synthesis of activated cyclopropanes with an α-pyridinium acetamide bearing an 8-phenylmenthyl group as the chiral auxiliary

The reaction between an α-pyridinium acetamide bearing an 8-phenylmenthyl group as the chiral auxiliary and β-substituted methylidenemalononitriles gave rise to trans-cyclopropanes with diastereomeric ratios of up to 98:2. For most of the reactions, the absolute stereochemistry of the major product was found to be opposite of that of the major products of the reaction of the corresponding ester series, which also utilized the 8-phenylmenthyl group.     

Pseudoephedrine as a chiral auxiliary for asymmetric Michael reactions: synthesis of 3-aryl-delta-lactones

[reaction: see text] The asymmetric Michael reaction of pseudoephedrine amides is reported. The 1,5-dicarbonyl products are converted to 3-aryl-delta-lactones in a two-step reduction/lactonization sequence. This method provides access to enantiomerically enriched trans-3,4-disubstituted delta-lactones.