Efficient asymmetric protonation of enolates with readily accessible chiral α-sulfinyl alcohols

The efficient asymmetric protonation of lithium enolates of 2-alkylcycloalkanones (87–96% ee) with readily accessible chiral α-sulfinyl alcohols is described. Optimal stereoselection is achieved for each lithium enolate at a different reaction temperature in the range −40 to −100°C.     

Catalytic asymmetric protonation of lithium enolates using amino acid derivatives as chiral proton sources

[reaction: see text] Asymmetric protonation of lithium enolates was examined using commercially available amino acid derivatives as chiral proton sources. Among the amino acid derivatives tested, Nbeta-l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine methyl ester was found to cause significant asymmetric induction in the protonation of lithium enolates. The enantiomeric excess (up to 88% ee) of the products obtained in the presence of a catalytic amount of the chiral proton source was higher than those obtained in the stoichiometric reaction.     

High stereocontrol in aldol reaction with ketones: enantioselective synthesis of beta-hydroxy gamma-ketoesters by ester enolate aldol reactions with 2-acyl-2-alkyl-1,3-dithiane 1-oxides

The asymmetric aldol reaction of 1,2-diketones, masked as nonracemic 2-acyl dithiane oxides, with lithium enolates derived from several esters and lactones, proceeds with a high degree of stereocontrol at both carbonyl and enolate prochiral centers, the stereocontrol mainly determined by the configuration of the sulfoxide sulfur atom. The sense of induced stereochemistry observed for ester enolates is different from that seen for lactone enolates. Hydrolysis of the dithiane oxide units of the major diastereoisomerically pure aldol products affords enantiomerically pure tertiary alpha-substituted beta-hydroxy-gamma-ketoesters.     

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of acyclic ketones for synthesis of 2,2-disubsituted pyrrolidine derivatives

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of acyclic ketones represents a significant challenge in organic synthesis. We report herein that the synthesis of chiral 2,2-disubsituted pyrrolidines from acyclic ketones has been accomplished by using catalytic asymmetric method in the presence of Pd(dba)₂ and (R)-binap ligand. Theses reactions occur between allyl methyl carbonate and unstabilized acyclic lithium enolates to provide the products in moderate to good enantioselectivity (up to 81% ee).     

A study of the aldol reaction between enolates derived from the iron acetyl complex [(η-C5H5)Fe(CO)(PPh3)COCh3] and 2,3-O-lsopropylidene-D-glyceraldehyde

Diethylaluminium enolates derived from the iron acetyl complex [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(CO)(PPh₃)COCH₃] undergo highly diastereoselective aldol reactions with the homochiral aldehyde, 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D-glyceraldehyde with the matched and mismatched pair reactions being readily identified. In both these reactions the observed diastereoselectivities may be rationalised in terms of the Masamune model for double asymmetric induction. Similarly the tin (II) enolates react in a predictable way, showing complementary diastereoselectivity, although effects attributed to enolate aggregation may suppress the mismatched pair reaction. However, the Masamune model cannot predict the results obtained with lithium enolates, where addition to the electrophile may occur under either chelation or non-chelation control. In the former case, both reagents reverse their selectivities as the initial two control elements are not mutually accommodating.     

Catalytic enantioselective protonation of lithium enolates with chiral imides

The catalytic enantioselective protonation of simple enolates was achieved using a catalytic amount of chiral imides and stoichiometric amount of achiral proton sources. Among the achiral proton sources examined in the protonation of the lithium enolate of 2,2,6-trimethylcyclohexanone catalyzed by (S,S)-imide 1, 2, 6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) and its derivatives gave the highest enantiomeric excess. For example, 90% ee of (R)-enriched ketone was obtained when (S,S)-imide 1 (0.1 equiv) and BHT (1 equiv) were used. Use of 0.01 equiv of the chiral catalyst still caused a high level of asymmetric induction. For catalytic protonation of the lithium enolate of 2-methylcyclohexanone, chiral imide 6 possessing a chiral amide portion was superior to (S,S)-imide 1 as a chiral proton source and the enolate was effectively protonated with up to 82% ee.     

Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligands for asymmetric catalytic oxindole synthesis

The Pd-catalysed asymmetric intramolecular alpha-arylation of amide enolates containing heteroatom substituents gives chiral 3-alkoxy or 3-aminooxindoles in high yield and with enantioselectivities up to 97% ee when a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene ligand is used.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of alpha-aminooxy and alpha-hydroxy ketone using nitrosobenzene

The highly enantioselective and O-selective nitroso aldol reaction of tin enolates 2 and nitrosobenzene (1) has been developed with the use of (R)-BINAP-silver complexes as a catalyst. After the various silver salts were surveyed, the AgOTf and the AgClO4 complex were found to be optimal in the O-selective nitroso aldol reaction in both asymmetric induction (up to 97% ee) and regioselection (O/N = >99/1), affording aminooxy ketone 3. The product 3 can be transformed to alpha-hydroxy ketone 5 without any loss of enantioselectivity. Thus, the method provides an efficient approach to the catalytic enantioselective introduction of oxygen alpha- to the carbonyl group.     

Novel methods for the facile construction of 3,3-disubstituted and 3, 3-spiro-2H,4H-benzo[e]1,2-thiazine-1,1-diones: synthesis of (11S,12R, 14R)-2-fluoro-14-methyl-11-(methylethyl)spiro[4H-benzo[e]- 1, 2-thiazine-3,2'-cyclohexane]-1,1-dione, an agent for the electrophilic asymmetric fluorination of aryl ketone enolates

Novel methods for the facile construction of 3,3-disubstituted and 3, 3-spiro 2H,4H-benzo[e][1,2]thiazine-1,1-diones 8a-h are described. o-Methyl lithiation of N-Boc-o-toluenesulfonamide 6 followed by reaction with a variety of ketones gave the corresponding carbinol sulfonamides 7a-g, which underwent cyclization under acidic (methanesulfonic acid) or neutral (NaI/TMSCl/MeCN) conditions to afford the sultams 8a-h in high yields. The chiral spiro sultams 8g, h were subjected to FClO(3) fluorination to give the N-fluorosultams 11a,b, respectively, which were tested for electrophilic asymmetric fluorination of aryl ketone enolates. As a result, the N-fluorosultam 11a exhibited modest asymmetric inducing abilities with the highest ee, reaching 70% for enantioselective fluorination of the lithium enolate of 2-methyl-1-tetralone.     

Asymmetric protonation of lithium enolates of alpha-amino acid derivatives with alpha-amino acid-based chiral Brønsted acids

The reaction of lithium enolates of alpha-amino acid derivatives with chiral amides, easily synthesized from L-tert-leucine, gives corresponding optically active unnatural alpha-amino acid derivatives with up to 87% ee.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-alkyl- and 2-aryl-3-aminopropionic acids (beta2-amino acids) from (S)-N-acryloyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one SuperQuat derivatives

Conjugate addition of lithium amides to (S)-N-acryloyl- or (S)-N-2'-alkylacryloyloxazolidinones and alkylation or protonation of the resulting enolates with 2-pyridone respectively provides a highly stereoselective and product complementary route to a range of (R)- and (S)-2-alkyl-3-aminopropionic acids in good yield and in high ee.     

Simple synthesis of alpha-hydroxyamino carbonyl compounds: new scope of the nitroso aldol reaction

[reaction: see text] The reaction of nitroso compounds with enolates, "the nitroso aldol reaction", occurs in high yield to generate alpha-hydroxyamino carbonyl compounds. Yields range from 42% to 98% with N-selectivity >99:1 from commercially available aromatic or aliphatic nitroso compounds and a variety of alkali metal or tin enolates.     

Diastereoselective protonation of lactam enolates derived from (R)-phenylglycinol. A novel asymmetric route to 4-phenyl-1,2,3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinolines

Highly diastereoselective protonation of chiral lactam enolates of 4-substituted-1,4-dihydroisoquinolin-3-ones is reported. Protonation and alkylation processes of these lactam enolates derived from phenylglycinol occur with opposite diastereofacial selectivity. This diastereoselective protonation has been applied to the asymmetric synthesis of (4S)-N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline 9 obtained in up to 97% ee.     

Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of aryltitanium reagents generating chiral titanium enolates: isolation as silyl enol ethers

The addition of aryltitanium triisopropoxide (ArTi(OPr-i )3) to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones proceeded with high enantioselectivity (94-99.8% ee) in the presence of 3 mol % of [Rh(OH)((S )-binap)]2 in THF at 20 degrees C to give high yields of the titanium enolates as 1,4-addition products. The titanium enolates were converted into silyl enol ethers by treatment with chlorotrimethylsilane and lithium isopropoxide.     

Asymmetric synthesis of intermediates for otamixaban and premafloxacin by the chiral ligand-controlled asymmetric conjugate addition of a lithium amide

A chiral ligand-controlled conjugate addition reaction of lithium benzyl(trimethylsilyl)amide with tert-butyl enoates gave the corresponding lithium enolates that were then treated with electrophiles, giving anti-alkylation products with high ee up to 98%. The benzyl group on the amino nitrogen was removed by the oxidation of secondary amines to imines and subsequent transoximation to give 3-aminoalkanoates in good yields. The products are the possible key intermediates of otamixaban and premafloxacin.     

Enamines: efficient nucleophiles for the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation

Enamines were tested to be efficient nucleophiles for palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation, avoiding the use of unstablilized ketone enolates formed by strong bases. The influence of the chiral metallocene-based ligands upon this reaction was studied in detail. It was shown that planar chirality played an important role in enantioselectivities. Meanwhile, different kinds of enamines and allylic acetate to the reactions were also investigated. High catalytic activity and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) were obtained with pyrrolidine enamines of both aliphatic and aromatic ketone.     

Michael addition of stannyl ketone enolate to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters catalyzed by tetrabutylammonium bromide and an ab initio theoretical study of the reaction course

Michael addition of stannyl ketone enolates to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters was accomplished in the presence of a catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium bromide (Bu(4)NBr). Other typical systems using lithium enolate or silyl enolate with catalysts (TiCl(4) or Bu(4)NF) failed to give the desired products. The bromide anion from Bu(4)NBr coordinates to the tin center in enolate to accelerate the conjugate addition where a five-coordinated tin species was generated. The coordination of the bromide anion significantly raises the HOMO level of tin enolate and enhances its nucleophilicity. The conjugate addition provides the intermediate Michael adduct, which has an ester enolate moiety, and the adduct immediately transforms to alpha-stannyl gamma-ketoester by keto-enol tautomerization. This step contributes to the stabilization of the product system and leads to a thermodynamically favorable reaction course. An ab initio calculation reveals that the activation energy in the reaction using the bromide anion is lower than that of the reaction without using it. The transition state in either reaction course has a linear structure, not a cyclic one. This system can be applied to a variety of tin enolates and alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyls involving enoates, enones, and unsaturated amides.     

Acid-base catalysis of chiral Pd complexes: development of novel catalytic asymmetric reactions and their application to synthesis of drug candidates

Using the unique character of the chiral Pd complexes 1 and 2, highly efficient catalytic asymmetric reactions have been developed. In contrast to conventional Pd(0)-catalyzed reactions, these complexes function as an acid-base catalyst. Thus active methine and methylene compounds were activated to form chiral palladium enolates, which underwent enantioselective carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions such as Michael reaction and Mannich-type reaction with up to 99% ee. Interestingly, these palladium enolates acted cooperatively with a strong protic acid, formed concomitantly during the formation of the enolates to activate electrophiles, thereby promoting the C-C bond-forming reaction. This palladium enolate chemistry was also applicable to electrophilic enantioselective fluorination reactions, and various carbonyl compounds including beta-ketoesters, beta-ketophosphonates, tert-butoxycarbonyl lactone/lactams, cyanoesters, and oxindole derivatives could be fluorinated in a highly enantioselective manner (up to 99% ee). Using this method, the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of BMS-204352, a promising anti-stroke agent, was achieved. In addition, the direct enantioselective conjugate addition of aromatic and aliphatic amines to alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compound was successfully demonstrated. In this reaction, combined use of the Pd complex 2 having basic character and the amine salt was the key to success, allowing controlled generation of the nucleophilic free amine. This aza-Michael reaction was successfully applied to asymmetric synthesis of the CETP inhibitor torcetrapib.     

Structure and Reactivity of Lithium Enolates. From Pinacolone to Selective C-Alkylations of Peptides. Difficulties and Opportunities Afforded by Complex Structures

The chemistry of lithium enolates is used to demonstrate that complex structures held together by noncovalent bonds (“supramolecules”) may dramatically influence the result of seemingly simple standard reactions of organic synthesis. Detailed structural data have been obtained by crystallographic investigations of numerous Li enolates and analogous derivatives. The most remarkable features of these structures are aggregation to give dimers, tetramers, and higher oligomers, complexation of the metal centers by solvent molecules and chelating ligands, and hydrogen-bond formation of weak acids such as secondary amines with the anionoid part of the enolates. The presence in nonpolar solvents of the same supramolecules has been established by NMR-spectroscopic, by osmometric, and by calorimetric measurements. The structures and the order of magnitude of the interactions have also been reproduced by ab-initio calculations. Most importantly, supramolecules may be product-forming species in synthetic reactions of Li enolates. A knowledge of the complex structures of Li enolates also improves our understanding of their reactivity. Thus, simple procedures have been developed to avoid complications caused by secondary amines, formed concomitantly with Li enolates by the common methods. Mixtures of achiral Li enolates and chiral Li amides can give rise to enantioselective reactions. Solubilization by LiX is observed, especially of multiply lithiated compounds. This effect is exploited for alkylations of N-methylglycine (sarcosine) CH₂ groups in open-chain oligopeptides. Thus, the cyclic undecapeptide cyclosporine, a potent immunosuppressant, is converted into a THF-soluble hexalithio derivative (without epimerization of stereogenic centers) and alkylated by a variety of electrophiles in the presence of either excess lithiumdiisopropyl amide or of up to 30 equivalents of lithium chloride. Depending on the nature of the LiX additive, a new stereogenic center of (R) or (S) configuration is created in the peptide chain by this process. A structure-activity correlation in the series of cyclosporine derivatives thus available is discussed.     

Diastereoselective alkylation reactions employing a camphor-based chiral oxazinone auxiliary

An almost complete π-face selectivity is obtained in asymmetric alkylation reactions of lithium enolates derived from imide 2 which contains a camphor-based chiral oxazinone auxiliary.