Catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of indoles to simple α,β-unsaturated ketones

Chiral [Al(salen)Cl] complex (10 mol%) in the presence of 2,6-lutidine (10 mol%) was found to be effective in catalysing the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts-type conjugate addition of indoles (3) to (E)-arylcrotyl ketones (2), furnishing the corresponding β-indolyl ketones in excellent yield and high enantioselectivity (ee up to 89%).     

Reaction of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with ethyl cyanoacetate

β-Aryl-substituted α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones react with ethyl cyanoacetate to give the corresponding Michael addition products, ethyl 3-aryl-2-cyano-6,6,6-trifluoro-5-oxohexanoates, which are formed as mixtures of two diastereoisomers. The reaction time and product yield depend on electron-donating properties of the substituent in the initial ketone. The reaction is not accompanied by intramolecular cyclization of the Michael adducts.     

Reaction of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with cyclic enamines

The reactions of ,-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones containing aromatic and heteroaromatic substituents with 1-morpholinocyclopentene, 1-morpholinocyclohexene, and 1-methyl-4-morpholino-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine were studied. The reactions proceeded stereospecifically to give the corresponding bicyclo[3.2.1]octane, bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane, and azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivatives.     

Recyclable graphite oxide catalyzed Friedel-Crafts addition of indoles to α,β-unsaturated ketones

The Friedel-Crafts addition of indoles to α,β-unsaturated ketones, and nitro styrenes was studied with graphite oxide as catalyst. Various indole derivatives were synthesized in good to excellent yields. The preparation of graphite oxide catalyst from simple and readily available starting materials makes this method more affordable. The heterogeneous graphite oxide can be easily recovered and recycled up to five cycles without loss of activity.     

Highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles and pyrrole with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters catalyzed by heteroarylidene-tethered bis(oxazoline) copper complexes

The simple and cheap chiral catalyst, heteroarylidene-tethered Ph-bis(oxazoline)-Cu(OTf)(2), can efficiently catalyze the asymmetric F-C alkylation of indoles and pyrrole with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters. The 3-indolyl adducts were obtained in up to >99% ee. Moreover, the 2-pyrrolyl adducts were achieved in up to 92% ee for the first time.     

Synthesis of trifluoromethyl derivatives of pyrrole. Reaction of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with sodium cyanide

An efficient preparative procedure was developed for the synthesis of 5-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-2-pyrrolidones by the reaction of ,-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with sodium cyanide. Dehydration of these reaction products under mild conditions afforded previously unknown 5-trifluoromethyl-3-pyrrolin-2-ones.     

Chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective arylation of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones

The interesting examples of chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective arylation of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones were reported. The reaction proceeded well and the desired products were obtained in good yields (up to 99%) with moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 88% ee). Several desired products were obtained with excellent optical purities after a single recrystallization. Subsequent reduction of enantiopure products with NaBH₄ afforded two diastereomers of chiral trifluoromethyl-substituted secondary alcohols with high enantioselectivities (98% ee).     

Microwave-assisted organocatalytic enantioselective intramolecular aza-Michael reaction with α,β-unsaturated ketones

An organocatalytic enantioselective intramolecular aza-Michael reaction of carbamates bearing conjugated ketones as Michael acceptors is described. By using 9-amino-9-deoxy-epi-hydroquinine as the catalyst and pentafluoropropionic acid as a co-catalyst, a series of piperidines, pyrrolidines, and the corresponding benzo-fused derivatives (indolines, isoindolines, tetrahydroquinolines, and tetrahydroisoquinolines) can be obtained in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. In addition, the use of microwave irradiation at 60 °C improves the efficiency of the process giving rise to the final products with comparable yields and enantiomeric excesses. Some mechanistic insights are also considered.     

Ammonium chiral borate salt catalyzed asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with α,β-disubstituted enals

In the presence of a catalytic amount of ammonium chiral borate salt, asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with α,β-disubstituted enals proceeded to give the corresponding 1,4-addition products with moderate enantioselectivities.     

Chiral Pd-catalyzed enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with γ,δ-unsaturated β-keto phosphonates

The catalytic enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction promoted by chiral palladium complexes is described. The treatment of indoles with γ,δ-unsaturated β-keto phosphonates under the mild reaction conditions afforded the corresponding Friedel-Crafts alkylation adducts with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).     

Highly enantioselective yttrium(III)-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation of β-trichloro(trifluoro)methyl aryl enones with indoles

An efficient yttrium(III)-catalyzed highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of β-trichloro(trifluoro)methyl aryl enones is described. The reaction delivered a series of functionalized indoles with a chiral tertiary carbon center bearing a trichloro(trifluoro)methyl group in excellent results (up to 96% ee and 99% yield) under mild conditions.     

Morpholine catalyzed direct C3 alkenylation of indoles with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Organocatalytic direct C3 alkenylation of indoles has been developed. Simple and readily available morpholine trifluoroacetic acid salt is employed as an efficient catalyst in this oxidative dehydrogenative reaction. Simplicity and practicality constitute the most attractive advantages of this reaction.     

Reaction of unsymmetrical α,β-unsaturated ketones with thiobarbituric acid

Carbocyclization of unsymmetrical 1,5-diarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones with thiobarbituric acid afforded previously unknown 7,11-diaryl-3-thioxo-2,4-diazaspiro[5.5]undecane-1,5,9-triones with high regio- and stereoselectivity. The same spiro compounds were also synthesized by three-component condensation of thiobarbituric acid with the corresponding aromatic aldehydes and 4-arylbut-3-en-2-ones.     

Oxidative cleavage of α-sulfonyl ketones to carboxylic acids with Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6

Tandem oxidative cleavage of α-sulfonyl arylketones 2 with the combination of Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆ and O₂ in MeCN afforded carboxylic acids 3 in moderate to good yields. The plausible reaction mechanism has been discussed.     

Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with nitroalkenes catalyzed by Cu(Ⅱ)-imine complex

A series of new ligands L₁-L₇ were readily prepared in one step.Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with nitroalkenes catalyzed by a novel Cu（Ⅱ）-L complex has been developed.The remarkable advantages of this reaction are mild reaction conditions,simple workup procedure,high yields of products and the use of ethanol as a green solvent.     

Sc(III)-catalyzed enantioselective addition of thiols to α,β-unsaturated ketones in neutral water

This report concerns Lewis acid catalyzed enantioselective sulfa-Michael addition in neutral water by using a very efficient Sc(OTf)(3)/bipyridine 1 catalytic system. It is noteworthy that the protocol presented employs water as a reaction medium and allows us to obtain very high stereoselectivity and satisfactory yields for β-keto sulphides deriving from aliphatic thiols. The recovery and reuse of both the aqueous medium and the catalytic system is also reported.     

Highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indole and pyrrole with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoester catalyzed by chiral dicationic palladium complex

The chiral dicationic Pd complexes, bearing sterically demanding diphosphine ligands as Lewis acid catalysts, are shown to catalyze the asymmetric Friedel-Crafts (F-C) alkylations of indoles and pyrroles with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters, to provide the F-C alkylation products with benzylic stereocenters in high yields and enantioselectivities. The reactive chelated structure, formed by the chiral dicationic Pd complex and the electrophile, would be important to gain a high level of asymmetric induction in the F-C alkylation. The F-C products can be readily functionalized to give α-hydroxy esters via catalytic asymmetric ene sequences.     

Catalytic enantioselective conjugate additions with α,β-unsaturated sulfones

We describe the development of a highly efficient catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition to α,β-unsaturated sulfones. Utilizing practical bifunctional organic catalysts and involving air- and moisture-tolerant conditions, conjugate additions of a wide range of Michael donors to α,β-unsaturated sulfones proceeded in excellent enantioselectivity/diastereoselectivity and high yield. This efficient and operationally simple new catalytic asymmetric reaction should provide a versatile approach for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral sulfones bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters.     

Enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indoles with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters catalyzed by new squaramide-linked bisoxazoline–Zn(OTf)2 complexes

Enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation reactions of indoles with β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters catalyzed by novel chiral C₂-symmetric squaramide-linked bisoxazoline–Zn(OTf)₂ complexes were investigated. The corresponding indole ketoesters were obtained in good to excellent yields (up to 98%) and with high enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee). This is the first report on the use of chiral squaramide-linked bisoxazoline SQBOX in a catalytic enanitioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction.