Chemoselective and stereoselective synthesis of gem-difluoro-β-aminoesters or gem-difluoro-β-lactams from ethylbromodifluoroacetate and imines during Reformatsky reaction

The chemoselective and stereoselective synthesis of gem-difluoro-β-aminoesters or gem-difluoro-β-lactams was investigated from ethylbromodifluoroacetate and imines during Reformatsky reaction. Influence of various reaction parameters, such as nature of the amine part, nature of the chiral auxiliary, was evaluated. High levels of stereoselectivity (up to 98%) were obtained for gem-difluoro-β-aminoesters and gem-difluoro-β-lactams using either (R)-phenylglycinol or (R)-methoxyphenylglycinol.     

Synthesis of monofluorinated isofagomine analogues and evaluation as glycosidase inhibitors

The straightforward synthesis of monofluorinated isofagomine analogues 1-3 was described. The synthetic strategy featured that the chiral carbon center bearing fluorine atom was constructed stereoselectively via silicon-induced Reformatskii-Claisen rearrangement of allyl bromofluoroacetate. These compounds were tested for inhibition of five glycosidases. The 3S,4R,5R isomer 3 has been found to be a potent inhibitor against β-glucosidase from almonds with K_i value of 11.9 μM.     

Features of catalyzed hydration of 2-(dichloromethyl)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-[(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>)-1-phenylethyl)]cyclopent-3-ene-1-carboxamides

The hydration of gem-dichloromethyl group in 2-(dichloromethyl)-N-[(1R)-1-phenylethyl)]cyclopent-3-ene-1-carboxamides in aqueous acetonitrile catalyzed by AgNO₃, FeCl₃·6H₂O, PdCl₂, and BaO was investigated. The optimum results were obtained at the use of BaO. It was demonstrated, that Pd-catalyzed reactions initiated intermolecular ether formation from the primary hydration products, bicyclic amides.     

Reactions of dicobalt octacarbonyl and related compounds with gem-dihalides

Dicobalt octacarbonyl and some of its derivatives (NaCo(CO)₄, Co₄(CO)₁₂, Hg[Co(CO)₄]₂, [Co(CO)₃PPh₃]₂, NaCo(CO)₃PPh₃) react with activated gem-dihalides, R₂CX₂, such as dichlorodiphenylmethane, 9,9-dihalofluorenes and dimethyl dibromomalonate, to give the ‘dimer’ olefin, R₂CCR₂. The course of this conversion involves formation of the coupling product, R₂XCCXR₂, followed by dehalogenation of the latter. These separate steps have been confirmed for activated monohalides (bromodiphenylmethane, 9-bromofluorene, dimethyl bromomalonate) which were readily coupled by cobalt carbonyls, and for activated vicinal dihalides (D,L and meso-dibromostilbene, 9,9′-dichlorobisfluorenyl) which cobalt carbonyls readily dehalogenated. A radical mechanism is favored for these processes, and indirect evidence in its favor is presented.     

gem-Difluoromethylation of α- and γ-ketoesters: preparation of gem-difluorinated α-hydroxyesters and γ-butyrolactones

PhSCF₂SiMe₃ has been demonstrated as difluoromethyl carbanion synthon (⁻CF₂H). It reacts chemoselectively with α- and γ-ketoesters at the keto group in the presence of a catalytic amount of TBAF in THF to give the corresponding α-hydroxy ester adducts as well as γ-gem-difluorophenylsulfanylmethylated-γ-butyrolactones in good yields. Reductive cleavage of the phenylsulfanyl group of these products employing Bu₃SnH/AIBN gives the corresponding gem-difluoromethylated α-hydroxyesters and γ-butyrolactones in good yields.     

Practical synthesis of gem-difluorides from cyclohexanone: Synthesis of gem-bistrifluoroacetates and their reactions with fluoride nucleophiles

Formation of ketone acylals bearing trihaloacetoxy groups and their nucleophilic geminal disubstitution by fluoride ions were investigated. Cyclohexanone reacted with trifluoroacetic anhydride without catalyst to give gem-bistrifluoroacetates via a concerted bimolecular reaction. Treatment with hydrogen fluoride under mild conditions efficiently yielded the corresponding gem-difluorides. In this reaction process, trifluoroacetic acid was recovered and converted to trifluoroacetic anhydride using P₂O₅. Since gem-difluorides were derived from ketones, HF and P₂O₅, this constitutes a practical synthesis of gem-difluorides.     

Synthesis and chiroptical property of C2-symmetric cyclohexapyrrole

Condensation reaction of gem-dimethyldipyrrylmethane-5,5′-dicarbinol and 4,4′-dimethyl-3,3′-di-iso-butyl-2,2′-bipyrrole under the catalysis by trifluoroacetic acid gave a hexapyrrolic macrocycle 6 in 15% yield after DDQ oxidation. X-ray crystallography of 6 shows that three parts of highly planar dipyrrylmethene unit are assembled by two sp³ hybridized gem-dimethyl carbon bridges and one direct linking at the pyrrole α-positions, leading to C₂ molecular symmetry. The complexation of 6 with (S)-(+)- and (R)-(−)-mandelic acid induced a CD Cotton effect at 461 and 650 nm.     

A novel type of donor–acceptor cyclopropane with fluorine as the donor: (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with carbonyls

gem-Difluorocyclopropane diester is disclosed as a new type of donor–acceptor cyclopropane, which smoothly participates in (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with various aldehydes and ketones. This work represents the first application of gem-difluorine substituents as an unconventional donor group for activating cyclopropane substrates in catalytic cycloaddition reactions. With this method, a wide variety of densely functionalized gem-difluorotetrahydrofuran skeletons, which are otherwise difficult to prepare, could be readily assembled in high yields under mild reaction conditions. Computational studies show that the cleavage of the C–C bond between the difluorine and diester moieties occurs upon a S_N2-type attack of the carbonyl oxygen.

A new type of donor–acceptor cyclopropane with gem-difluorine as an unconventional donor group undergoes (3 + 2)-cycloadditions with various aldehydes/ketones, affording densely functionalized gem-difluorotetrahydrofurans.     

Amino-substitutedgem-diphosphonic acids: Dissociation mechanism and the structure of species in aqueous solutions

The mechanism of dissociation of amino-substitutedgem-diphosphonic acids R₂N(CH₂) _n CR'(PO₃H₂)₂ with different lengths of the alkylidene chain and different substituents at the N atom was studied by vibrational (IR, Raman) and NMR (¹H,¹⁴N,³¹P) spectroscopy using data of conformational analysis (molecular mechanical) data. The important role of intramolecular H-bonds and cyclic solvates for the stabilization of various conformations and tautomeric forms of ions was demonstrated. The spectral data that allow one to consider thegem-diphosphonate group as a single acidic center were found. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1051–1064, June, 2000.     

gem-Dihalocyclopropane formation by iron/copper activation of tetrahalomethanes in the presence of nucleophilic olefins. Evidence for a carbene pathway

The activation of CBr₄ and CCl₄ by a bimetallic iron/copper couple in acetonitrile is a new, inexpensive, nontoxic and efficient procedure for gem-dibromo- and gem-dichloromethylenation of nucleophilic alkenes. This new route to gem-dihalocyclopropanes involves dihalocarbene species.     

gem-Difluoroallyllithium: Preparation by the transmetalation procedure and some reactions

3,3-Difluoroallyltrimethyltin has been prepared by the reaction of β-trimethylstannylethylidenetriphenylphosphorane with chlorodifluoromethane. This tin compound reacts with n-butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran at -95°C to generate gem-difluoroallyllithium. The latter, however, is not stable in solution at that temperature. If generated in situ in the presence of a triorganochlorosilane, products of the type R₃SiCF₂CHCH₂ are obtained in good yield. Addition to the CO bond of 3-pentanone to give (C₂H₅)₂C(OH)CF₂CHCH₂ was achieved by the method of alternate, incremental additions.     

A new synthetic approach to 5-dethia-4-methyl-5-oxacephems

Starting from (l)-ethyl lactate and 4-vinyloxy-azetidin-2-one the diastereomeric (4S,6R)- and (4S,6S)-4-methyl-5-oxa-3-methylene and 3-oxo-cephams were obtained. The formation of the cepham skeleton proceeds with a diastereomeric excess up to 80%, depending on catalyst and reaction conditions. For comparison, the corresponding racemic cephams lacking a methyl at C-4 or with a gem-dimethyl group at C-4 were synthesized.     

Exploring benzylic gem-C(sp3)–boron–silicon and boron–tin centers as a synthetic platform

A stepwise build-up of multi-substituted C_sp³ carbon centers is an attractive, conceptually simple, but often synthetically challenging type of disconnection. To this end, this report describes how gem-α,α-dimetalloid-substituted benzylic reagents bearing boron/silicon or boron/tin substituent sets are an excellent stepping stone towards diverse substitution patterns. These gem-dimetalloids were readily accessed, either by known carbenoid insertion into C–B bonds or by the newly developed scalable deprotonation/metallation approach. Highly chemoselective transformations of either the C–Si (or C–Sn) or the C–B bonds in the newly formed gem-C_sp³ centers have been achieved through a set of approaches, with a particular focus on exploiting the synthetically versatile polarity reversal in organometalloids by λ³-aryliodanes. Of particular note is the metal-free arylation of the C–Si (or C–Sn) bonds in such gem-dimetalloids via the iodane-guided C–H coupling approach. DFT calculations show that this transfer of the (α-Bpin)benzyl group proceeds via unusual [5,5]-sigmatropic rearrangement and is driven by the high-energy iodine(iii) center. As a complementary tool, the gem-dimetalloid C–B bond is shown to undergo a potent and chemoselective Suzuki–Miyaura arylation with diverse Ar–Cl, thanks to the development of the reactive gem-α,α-silyl/BF₃K building blocks.

This work explores divergent reactivity of the benzylic gem-boron–silicon and boron–tin double nucleophiles, including the arylation of the C–B bond with Ar–Cl, along with a complementary oxidative λ³-iodane-guided arylation of the C–Si/Sn moiety.     

A rapid and convenient synthesis of gem-bis(dithiocarbamate) derivatives from primary aliphatic amines,carbon disulfide,and aromatic aldehydes using boron trifluoride-diethyl etherate

An efficient route for the synthesis of gem-bis(dithiocarbamate) derivatives is developed using dithiocarbamic acid salts generated from primary aliphatic amines and CS₂. The method offers high yields, employs mild reaction conditions, and demonstrates excellent functional group compatibility. The structures of the products were confirmed spectroscopically and by X-ray analysis.     

Stereochemistry in enzyme inhibition: synthesis and evaluation of enantiomerically pure 2-benzyl-3-formylpropanoic acids as inhibitors of carboxypeptidase A

Both enantiomers of 2-benzyl-3-formylpropanoic acid were synthesized in five steps starting with hydrocinnamic acid and each enantiomer assayed for inhibitory activity against carboxypeptidase A to find that the (R)-form is 674-fold more potent than its enantiomer. The finding that the (R)-form which belongs to the l-series is mostly responsible for the inhibitory activity accords with the explanation that the present inhibitor is a transition state analog inhibitor because, as such, its stereochemistry should belong to the same series as that of the substrate, i.e., the l-series. The gem-diol form of the inhibitor generated in situ mimics the transition state in the catalytic process.     

Highly efficient copper/palladium-catalyzed tandem Ullman reaction/arylation of azoles via C-H activation: synthesis of benzofuranyl and indolyl azoles from 2-(gem-dibromovinyl)phenols(anilines) with azoles

In this paper, a novel and highly efficient copper/palladium-catalyzed tandem intramolecular Ullman-type C-O(N) coupling reaction of 2-(gem-dibromovinyl)phenols(anilines) followed by an intermolecular arylation of azoles through C-H activation has been developed. In the presence of CuBr with Pd(PPh₃)₂Cl₂ used as co-catalyst, and LiO^tBu as a base, the one-pot reactions of 2-(gem-dibromovinyl)phenols and 2-(gem-dibromovinyl)anilines with a variety of azoles, including oxazoles, imidazoles, thiazoles, and oxadiazoles underwent smoothly in toluene at 100 °C to generate the corresponding biheteroaryl products in high yields. A tentative mechanism of copper/palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction was described.     

Highly regio- and stereocontrolled SN2′ reactions of gem-difluorinated vinyloxiranes with monoalkylcopper reagents

Reaction of gem-difluorinated vinyloxiranes with RCu(X)Li allowed us to introduce the R group regioselectively at the fluorine-attached terminal carbon atom in an S_N2′ manner to afford (E)-allylic alcohols exclusively, while homoallylic alcohols with anti stereochemical relationship were found to be obtained selectively from higher-ordered cuprates derived from CuCl and RMgBr in a ratio of 1:3.     

Synthesis of novel gem-difluorinatedcyclopropane hybrids: Applications for DNA cleavage agents switched by photo irradiation

A strong DNA cleavage property switched by photo irradiation was found for 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid substituted gem-difluorocyclopropane derivatives; in particular, a clear contrast in the activity was observed between the enantiomers of (S,S)- and (R,R)-3-aminomethyl-2,2-difluorocyclopropylmethyl 9-anthracenecarboxylate.     

Synthesis and resolution of β2,2-HBin,the first enantiomerically stable β-amino acid with chirality only due to axial dissymmetry

The first gem-disubstituted β^2,2-amino acid possessing only axial chirality, was synthesized by bis-alkylation of methyl or ethyl cyanoacetate with both racemic and enantiomerically pure (R)-2,2′-bis-(bromomethyl)-1,1′-binaphthyl, followed by NaBH₄/CoCl₂ reduction of the cyano group, treatment of the resulting amino esters with Boc₂O and finally saponification of the ester function, to afford the C- and/or N-protected derivatives of 2′,1′:1,2;1′′,2′′:3,4-dinaphthcyclohepta-1,3-diene-6-aminomethyl-6-carboxylic acid: (RS)- and (R)-X-β^2,2-HBin-OR (X=Boc; H) (R=Me, Et or H). For the medium-scale resolution of β^2,2-HBin, the racemic amino esters (RS)-H-β^2,2-HBin-OR (R=Me, Et) were treated with benzoic anhydride and the resulting derivatives (RS)-Bz-β^2,2-HBin-OR were saponified. The obtained (RS)-Bz-β^2,2-HBin-OH was coupled with l-phenylalanine cyclohexylamide by the EDC/HOBt method to afford the dipeptide diastereoisomers Bz-(R)-Bin-l-Phe-NH-C₆H₁₁ and Bz-(S)-Bin-l-Phe-NH-C₆H₁₁, which were separated by chromatography. Complete hydrolysis under acidic conditions, followed by esterification of the resulting free amino acid enantiomers, N-protection and saponification, led to the enantiomerically pure derivatives (R)- and (S)-X-β^2,2-HBin-OR (X=Boc; H) (R=Me, H).