The crystallographic structure of a Lewis acid-assisted chiral Brønsted acid as an enantioselective protonation reagent for silyl enol ethers

It is difficult to control the enantioselectivity in the protonation of silyl enol ethers with simple chiral Br?nsted acids, mainly due to bond flexibility between the proton and its chiral counterion, the orientational flexibility of the proton, and the fact that the proton sources available are limited to acidic compounds such as chiral carboxylic acids. To overcome these difficulties, we have developed a Lewis acid-assisted chiral Br?nsted acid (LBA) system. The coordination of Lewis acids with Br?nsted acids restricts the orientation of protons and increases their acidity. Optically active binaphthol (BINOL) derivative.SnCl4 complexes are very effective as enantioselective protonation reagents for silyl enol ethers. However, their exact structures have not yet been determined. We describe here optically active 1,2-diarylethane-1,2-diol derivative.SnCl4 as a new type of LBA for the enantioselective protonation as well as its crystallographic structure. A variety of optically active 1,2-diarylethane-1,2-diols could be readily prepared by asymmetric syn-dihydroxylation. This is a great advantage over BINOL for the flexible design of a new LBA. The most significant finding is that we were able to specify the conformational direction of the H-O bond of LBA, which has some asymmetric inductivity, by X-ray diffraction analysis. The stereochemical course in the enantioselective protonation of silyl enol ethers using LBA would be controlled by a linear OH/pi interaction with an initial step. The absolute stereopreference in enantioselective reactions using BINOL.SnCl4 can also be explained in terms of this uniformly mechanistic interpretation.     

Asymmetric Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions catalyzed by chiral Brønsted acids

Chiral BINOL-derived Br?nsted acids catalyze the enantioselective asymmetric Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction of cyclohexenone with aldehydes. The asymmetric MBH reaction requires 2-20 mol % of the chiral Br?nsted acid 2e or 2f and triethylphosphine as the nucleophilic promoter. The reaction products are obtained in good yields (39-88%) and high enantioselectivities (67-96% ee). The Br?nsted-acid-catalyzed reaction is the first example of a highly enantioselective asymmetric MBH reaction of cyclohexenone with aldehydes.     

Chiral Brønsted acid catalysis for enantioselective Hosomi-Sakurai reaction of imines with allyltrimethylsilane

The chiral Br?nsted acid (1b or 1c) has been shown to initiate the Hosomi-Sakurai reaction of imines with excellent enantioselectivities. The combined Br?nsted acid system has been developed to offer a new class of chiral Br?nsted acid catalysis. The present system proceeds through regeneration of the chiral Br?nsted acid by proton transfer from additional Br?nsted acid to silylated chiral Br?nsted acid, a newly elucidated mechanism for the role of the additional Br?nsted acid.     

Chiral Lewis base-assisted Brønsted acid (LBBA)-catalyzed enantioselective cyclization of 2-geranylphenols

Chiral Lewis base-assisted Br?nsted acids (Chiral LBBAs) have been designed as new organocatalysts for biomimetic enantioselective cyclization. A salt of a chiral phosphonous acid diester with FSO(3)H catalyzes the enantioselective cyclization of 2-geranylphenols to give the desired trans-fused cyclized products with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 98:2 dr and 93% ee).     

A novel and general alpha-regioselective and highly enantioselective prenylation of aldehydes

This communication describes a novel and general method for the alpha-regioselective prenylation of carbonyl compounds. This method which employs chiral gamma-prenyl-1,5 diol as the prenyl source using a catalytic amount of Lewis or Br?nsted acid affords the products in excellent enantioselectivies (up to 98% ee) and good yields (up to 95% yield). Furthermore, the reaction is highly chemoselective, reacting selectively with the aldehyde without affecting the enone and the alpha,beta-unsaturated ester functionalities. Detailed mechanistic studies disclose the facile epimerization of aromatic alcohol in dichloromethane in the presence of In(OTf)3. The use of non-polar solvents such as hexane in the presence of In(OTf)3 or TfOH effectively suppresses this epimerization.     

Achiral counterion control of enantioselectivity in a Brønsted acid-catalyzed iodolactonization

Highly enantioselective halolactonizations have been developed that employ a chiral proton catalyst-N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) reagent system in which the Br?nsted acid is used at catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol %. An approach that modulates the achiral counterion (equimolar to the neutral chiral ligand-proton complex present at low catalyst loadings) to optimize the enantioselection is documented for the first time in this transformation. In this way, unsaturated carboxylic acids are converted to γ-lactones in high yields (up to 98% ee) using commercially available NIS.     

Chiral Brønsted acid catalyzed enantioselective propargylation of aldehydes with allenylboronate

A highly enantioselective chiral Br?nsted acid catalyzed propargylation of aldehydes with allenylboronate is described. The reaction is shown to be practical and quite general with a broad substrate scope covering aryl, polyaryl, heteroaryl, α,β-unsaturated, and aliphatic aldehydes.     

A new family of cinchona-derived amino phosphine precatalysts: application to the highly enantio- and diastereoselective silver-catalyzed isocyanoacetate aldol reaction

A new class of readily accessible chiral amino-phosphine precatalysts derived from 9-amino(9-deoxy) epicinchona alkaloids has been developed. In combination with Ag(I) salts, these amino-phosphines performed as effective cooperative Br?nsted base/Lewis acid catalysts in the asymmetric aldol reaction of isocyanoacetate nucleophiles. Under optimal conditions, high diastereoselectivities (up to 98%) and enantioselectivities (up to 98%) were obtained.     

Enantioselective pinacol coupling of aryl aldehydes catalyzed by chiral Salan-Mo(IV) complexes

Reported herein is the asymmetric pinacol coupling of aromatic aldehydes with chiral Salan-Mo(VI) dioxo complex as an effective precatalyst. Chiral diols were obtained with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity up to 92/8 and 95%, respectively. The possible mechanism of the pinacol coupling reaction with the catalytic system was investigated. The X-ray crystal structure of the precatalyst Mo(L3)O2 was determined and the oxidation state of the intermediate C was confirmed as +4 with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. The proposed mechanism speculated the stereochemical outcome of the reaction, and a working model for the radical coupling of E was proposed, which explained the absolute configuration of the favored (S,S)-enantiomer of the dl isomer.     

Design of Brønsted acid-assisted chiral Brønsted acid catalyst bearing a bis(triflyl)methyl group for a Mannich-type reaction

[Structure: see text] A new Br?nsted acid-assisted chiral Br?nsted (chiral BBA) acid catalyst (1) was developed by substituting a hydroxy group of optically active 1,1'-bi(2-naphthol) with a stronger Br?nsted acidic group such as a bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)methyl group. The enantioselective Mannich-type reaction of ketene silyl acetals with aldimines catalyzed by (R)-1 in the presence of stoichiometric achiral proton sources gave (S)-beta-amino esters in high yield with moderate to good enantiomeric excesses.     

A Brønsted acid catalyst for the enantioselective protonation reaction

A highly reactive and robust chiral Br?nsted acid catalyst, chiral N-triflyl thiophosphoramide, was developed. The first metal-free Br?nsted acid catalyzed enantioselective protonation reaction of silyl enol ethers was demonstrated using this chiral Br?nsted acid catalyst. The catalyst loading could be reduced to 0.05 mol % without any deleterious effect on the enantioselectivity.     

Chiral Brønsted acid from a cationic gold(I) complex: catalytic enantioselective protonation of silyl enol ethers of ketones

A chiral Br?nsted acid has been developed from a cationic gold(I) disphosphine complex in the presence of alcoholic solvent and applied to the enantioselective protonation reaction of silyl enol ethers of ketones. Various optically active cyclic ketones were obtained in excellent yields and high enantioselectivities, including cyclic ketones bearing aliphatic substrates at the α-position. Furthermore, the application of this Br?nsted acid was extended to the first Br?nsted acid-catalyzed enantioselective protonation reaction of silyl enol ethers of acyclic substrates, regardless of their E/Z ratio.     

Novel multichiral diols and diamines by highly stereoselective pinacol coupling of planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophane derivatives

The TiCl4/Zn-mediated intermolecular pinacol coupling of the planar chiral carbonyl compounds [2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehyde, 4-acetyl[2.2]paracyclophane (ketone) and the four regioisomeric 5-, 7-, 12- and 13-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehydes as well as the pTosOH-Zn/Cu-promoted coupling of their N-substituted imines is described. Coupling of the enantiomerically pure substrates (most of carbonyl compounds and all imines) occurs stereoselectively giving rise to diastereomerically pure 1,2-diols and 1,2-diamines. Racemic aldehydes and ketone react with different degrees of stereoselectivity (depending on the substituents in certain positions) and produce one to three diastereomers. 7-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehyde undergoes a tandem pinacol coupling-pinacol rearrangement to yield bis-(7-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-yl)acetaldehyde. Coupling of the racemic imines produces a mixture of single racemic D,L-diamine and single meso-diamine in each case. The stereoselective formation of the asymmetric centres is governed by the planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanyl moiety. The techniques elaborated are extended to the intramolecular coupling of [2.2]paracyclophane-4,13-dicarbaldehyde and its bis-N-phenylimine, resulting in stereoselective formation of the chiral triply-bridged diol and exclusive formation of the meso-diamine. X-Ray investigations of several diols and diamines have been carried out and the structural features of these derivatives are discussed.     

Direct catalytic asymmetric aminoallylation of aldehydes: synergism of chiral and nonchiral Brønsted acids

The development of a catalytic asymmetric method for the direct aminoallylation of aldehydes is described that gives high asymmetric inductions for a broad range of substrates including both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. This method allows for direct isolation of unprotected analytically pure homoallylic amines without chromatography. The unique catalyst system developed for this process involves the synergistic interaction between a chiral and a nonchiral Br?nsted acid.     

Catalytic, highly enantio- and diastereoselective pinacol coupling reaction with a new tethered bis(8-quinolinolato) ligand

A new class of chiral ligand, tethered bis(8-quinolinol) (TBOxH), is developed. Its chromium complex, TBOxCrCl (3 mol %), effectively catalyzes the pinacol coupling reaction of aromatic aldehydes at room temperature with high yield (up to 94%), high diastereoselectivity (up to dl:meso = 98:2), and high enantioselectivity (up to 98%). The scope of the present method turns out not to be limited to aromatic aldehyde derivatives, as cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde undergoes pinacolization as well (44% yield, dl:meso = 93:7, 84% ee). The method provides an efficient access to enantioenriched 1,2-diols.     

Design of chiral N-triflyl phosphoramide as a strong chiral Brønsted acid and its application to asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction

A highly reactive and acidic chiral Br?nsted acid catalyst, chiral N-triflyl phosphoramide, was developed. Highly enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone with silyloxydiene was demonstrated using this chiral Br?nsted acid catalyst.     

Bronsted acid catalysis of achiral enamine for regio- and enantioselective nitroso aldol synthesis

Two types of chiral Br?nsted acid catalysts have been shown to catalyze regio- and enantioselective nitroso aldol synthesis between nitrosobenzene and achiral enamine. The combination of Br?nsted acidity and amine moiety of enamine realizes complete regioselectivity with high enantioselectivity. After a survey of Br?nsted acid catalysts, 1-naphthyl glycolic acid is found to be optimal in the O-nitroso aldol pathway, while 1-naphthyl TADDOL is the best catalyst for the N-nitroso aldol pathway. This is based on our finding on the control of regioselectivity by changing the amine moiety of enamine and the choice of Br?nsted acidity.     

Enantio- and diastereoselective stepwise cyclization of polyprenoids induced by chiral and achiral LBAs. A new entry to (-)-ambrox, (+)-podocarpa-8,11,13-triene diterpenoids, and (-)-tetracyclic polyprenoid of sedimentary origin

An enantio- and diastereoselective stepwise cyclization of polyprenoids induced by Lewis acid-assisted chiral Br?nsted acids (chiral LBAs) and achiral LBAs is described. In particular, the absolute stereocontrol in the initial cyclization of polyprenoids to form an A-ring induced by chiral LBAs and the importance of the nucleophilicity of the internal terminator in polyprenoids for the relative stereocontrol in subsequent cyclization are demonstrated. (-)-Ambrox was synthesized via the enantioselective cyclization of (E,E)-homofarnesyl triethylsilyl ether with tin(IV) chloride-coordinated (R)-2-(o-fluorobenzyloxy)-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-binaphthyl ((R)-BINOL-o-FBn) and subsequent diastereoselective cyclization with CF(3)CO(2)H.SnCl(4) as key steps. Protection of (E,E)-homofarnesol by a triethylsilyl group increased the enantioselectivity of chiral LBA-induced cyclization and both the chemical yield and diastereoselectivity in the subsequent cyclization. The enantioselective cyclization of homo(polyprenyl)arenes possessing an aryl group was also induced by (R)-BINOL-o-FBn.SnCl(4). Several optically active podocarpa-8,11,13-triene diterpenoids and (-)-tetracyclic polyprenoid of sedimentary origin were synthesized (75-80% ee) by the enantioselective cyclization of homo(polyprenyl)benzene derivatives induced by (R)-BINOL-o-FBn.SnCl(4) and subsequent diastereoselective cyclization induced by BF(3).Et(2)O/EtNO(2) or CF(3)CO(2)H .SnCl(4).     

A combined theoretical-experimental study on the acidity of WO(x)-ZrO(2) systems

This work provides a chemical approach to the relationship between structure and electronic behavior of the active surface of the WO(x)-ZrO(2) system as a function of W loads. This study shows that the electronic hardness (eta), the Lewis and Br?nsted acidity are functions of the local coordination and of the polymerization degree of the WO(x) domain. From theoretical calculations the observed behavior in the WO(x)-ZrO(2) system is explained: the Br?nsted acidity increases while the Lewis acidity decreases as the W centers go from tetrahedral to octahedral coordination and as the condensation degree of the WO(x) domain increases. Our results also indicate that not all the Br?nsted sites in the WO(x) domains are equally acid, and that as the W load increases the most acid sites decrease in number due to the condensation process. This finding also means a decrease on the average acidity per H site. Additionally, our results suggest that for surface densities in the 4-7 W nm(-2) range, mainly dimeric-tungstate species are present. A maximum in Br?nsted acidity was observed for a W surface density about 7 W nm(-2).     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of both enantiomers of 4‑substituted 1,4-dihydropyridines with the use of bifunctional thiourea-ammonium salts bearing different counterions

Organoammonium salts composed of a Br?nsted acid and an anilinothiourea promoted the Michael addition of ?-keto esters and α,?-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of primary amines to give functionalized 1,4-dihydropyridines enantioselectively. With the use of the different Br?nsted acids such as DFA and HBF(4) with the same bifunctional thiourea, both enantiomers of 4-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine were synthesized from the same starting materials.