Absolute Asymmetric Synthesis: The Origin, Control, and Amplification of Chirality

Biomolecular homochirality, the origin of which is still a puzzle, has challenged scientists to design chemical systems that provide chiral molecules through absolute asymmetric synthesis and to amplify a small stereochemical bias in such systems. The photoresolution of the enantiomers of helical-shaped, sterically overcrowded alkene 1 with circularly polarized light and the transduction of the stereochemical information by triggering the helical arrangement of a large collection of achiral molecules in a twisted nematic liquid crystalline phase (2) are examples of control and amplification of chirality.     

Unique description of chemical structures based on hierarchically ordered extended connectivities (HOC procedures). III. Topological,chemical, and stereochemical coding of molecular structure

A topological code is devised on the basis of the unique topological representation of the molecule described in the preceding two parts of this series.¹ By adding to the topological code additional chemical information on atoms and/or bonds, as well as stereochemical information, a chemical and respectively stereochemical code (SHOC) are also constructed. The advantages of the new linear codes are that they are convention-free codes, preserving the symmetry of molecular graph, and easily implemented either manually or by means of computer programs. By concentrating all topological, chemical, and stereochemical information, our code (SHOC) is more compact and more general than the codes based on several separate lists.     

Triple asymmetric synthesis for fragment assembly: Validity of approximate multiplicativity of the three diastereofacial selectivities

A strategy of triple asymmetric synthesis is illustrated to be effective for stereochemical control in fragment assembly, a task often encountered in convergent natural product synthesis. The stereochemical outcome of aldol reactions involving three chiral components supports a rule of approximate multiplicativity of facial selectivities intrinsic to the chiral reactants involved in each reaction.     

First asymmetric aminohydroxylation of acrylamides

The first examples of the asymmetric aminohydroxylation of acryl amides are reported. This was accomplished with chiral acrylamides as substrates, which undergo diastereoselective oxidative transformation within the so-called ‘second catalytic cycle’ with diastereomeric excesses reaching 100:0. The reaction relies solely on the stereochemical information provided by the enantiomerically pure starting materials. A stereochemical model for the observed asymmetric induction is provided.     

Transmitting information along oligo-para-phenylenes: 1,12-stereochemical control in a terphenyl tetracarboxamide

Amide-substituted terphenyls adopt a well-defined conformation that allows the transmission of stereochemical information from a controlling centre to a reaction site 11 bond lengths away, providing a model of how extended polymeric systems might be used to communicate binary information.     

Stereochemical control of skeletal diversity

[reaction: see text]. Substrates having appendages that pre-encode skeletal information (sigma-elements) can be converted into products having distinct skeletons using a common set of reaction conditions. The sequential use of the Ugi 4CC-IMDA reaction, followed by allylation, hydrolysis, and acylation of a chiral amino alcohol appendage (sigma-element), leads to substrates for a ROM/RCM or RCM reaction. The stereochemistry of the sigma-element and not its constitution controls the outcome of the pathway selected. This work illustrates the potential of linking stereochemical control to the challenging problem of skeletal diversity.     

Stereodefined N,O-acetals: Pd-catalyzed synthesis from homopropargylic amines and utility in the flexible synthesis of 2,6-substituted piperidines

We developed a conceptually new synthetic strategy which exploits the stereochemical information of labile acyclic N,O-acetals. The key to this strategy, chemo- and stereoselective synthesis of N,O-acetals, was achieved by the Pd-catalyzed addition of sulfonyl-protected homopropargylic amines to alkoxyallene. The N,O-acetals generated in this way were combined with Au-catalyzed cycloisomerization to give an access to 2,6-disubstituted piperidines with stereochemical flexibility.     

Facile and highly stereoselective one-pot synthesis of either (E)- or (Z)-nitro alkenes

Aliphatic aldehydes were reacted with nitro alkanes in the presence of catalytic amounts of piperidine over 4 A molecular sieves. Simply by changing reaction conditions (solvent and temperature) it is possible to control the stereochemical outcome of the reactions, obtaining pure (E)- and (Z)-nitro alkenes in high to excellent yields. The role of molecular sieves on the stereochemical control seems crucial in addition to that of piperidine, especially for the synthesis of the Z isomer.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of atropisomers containing two non-biaryl stereogenic axes: stereochemical relay through stereogenic centres in dihydrostilbene-2,2'-dicarboxamides

Addition of laterally lithiated tertiary aromatic amides to benzaldimines controls the formation of a new stereogenic centre adjacent to the benzaldimine aromatic ring. Drawing on the fact that such amino-substituted stereogenic centres may themselves control the conformation of amides, with amido-substituted benzaldimines we found it becomes possible to relay stereochemistry from one amide to another via this intervening stereogenic centre. A group of dihydrostilbene-2,2'-dicarboxamide derivatives bearing one or two stereogenic axes are made by this method, which demonstrates the use of combined kinetic and thermodynamic control for the relay of stereochemical information.     

On the stereochemistry of 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate dioxygenase

Stereochemical investigations have shown that the conversion of 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate to hydroxymethylphosphonate by the enzyme HEPD involves removal of the pro-S hydrogen at C2 and, surprisingly, the loss of stereochemical information at C1. As a result, the mechanisms previously proposed for HEPD must be re-evaluated.     

Aminocatalysis: Beyond Steric Shielding and Hydrogen‐Bonding

The stereochemical outcome of most aminocatalytic transformations is determined by the steric‐shielding or hydrogen‐directing approach. However, in recent years several reactions have appeared in which the stereochemical outcome is beyond these two approaches. This Concept article will highlight such reactions and postulate that the stereochemical outcome can be accounted for by electrostatic interactions between the catalyst‐bound substrate and the reagent in the transition state.     

Chemical Dynamic Kinetic Resolution and S/R Interconversion of Unprotected α‐Amino Acids

Reported herein is the first purely chemical method for the dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of unprotected racemic α‐amino acids (α‐AAs), a method which can rival the economic efficiency of the enzymatic reactions. The DKR reaction principle can be readily applied for S/R interconversions of α‐AAs, the methodological versatility of which is unmatched by biocatalytic approaches. The presented process features a virtually complete stereochemical outcome, fully recyclable source of chirality, and operationally simple and convenient reaction conditions, thus allowing its ready scalability. A quite unique and novel mode of the thermodynamic control over the stereochemical outcome, including an exciting interplay between axial, helical, and central elements of chirality is proposed.     

Highly Streoselective synthesis of bicyclo[2.1.1]hexenes-5-d ny transmetallation of a tetra-alkyl tin.

Synthesis of the title compounds is achieved by a transmetallation reaction that appears to involve regio- and stereochemical control by chelation with a neighboring hydroxyl function.     

Easy Access to Enantiomerically Pure Heterocyclic Silicon-Chiral Phosphonium Cations and the Matched/Mismatched Case of Dihydrogen Release

Phosphonium ions are widely used in preparative organic synthesis and catalysis. The provision of new types of cations that contain both functional and chiral information is a major synthetic challenge and can open up new horizons in asymmetric cation-directed and Lewis acid catalysis. We discovered an efficient methodology towards new Si-chiral four-membered CPSSi* heterocyclic cations. Three synthetic approaches are presented. The stereochemical sequence of anchimerically assisted cation formation with B(C₆F₅)₃ and subsequent hydride addition was fully elucidated and proceeds with excellent preservation of the chiral information at the stereogenic silicon atom. Also the mechanism of dihydrogen release from a protonated hydrosilane was studied in detail by the help of Si-centered chirality as stereochemical probe. Chemoselectivity switch (dihydrogen release vs. protodesilylation) can easily be achieved through slight modifications of the solvent. A matched/mismatched case was identified and the intermolecularity of this reaction supported by spectroscopic, kinetic, deuterium-labeling experiments, and quantum chemical calculations.     

The magnesium-ene cyclization stereochemically directed by an allylic oxyanionic group and its application to a highly stereoselective synthesis of (+/-)-matatabiether. Allylmagnesium compounds by reductive magnesiation of allyl phenyl sulfides

The first example of a magnesium-ene cyclization stereochemically directed by an allylic oxyanionic group is demonstrated by a highly stereoselective synthesis of the bicyclic terpene matatabiether 10. The synthetic method is particularly valuable, not only because of the stereochemical control and the utility of the versatile hydroxyl group introduced into the product, but also because the precursor of the allylmagnesium is an allyl phenyl sulfide, which is more stable and more easily prepared in a connective fashion than the usual allyl halide precursor. Since the presence of lithium ions encourages undesirable proton transfer to the cyclized organometallic and is detrimental to the stereochemical control, the conversion of the allylic thioether to the allylmagnesium utilizes a lithium-free method involving direct reductive magnesiation in the presence of the magnesium-anthracene complex.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of Hydrazones and Other Ketimines

We report the use of nickel catalysts for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of hydrazones and other ketimines with formic acid. Strongly donating bisphosphines must be used to support the catalysts. As in enzymatic catalysis, attractive weak interactions may be important for stereochemical control by the nickel/binapine catalyst.     

Epoxy-annulations by reactions of alpha-amido ketones with vinyl sulfonium salts. Reagent versus substrate control and kinetic resolution

Diphenyl vinyl sulfonium salt and chiral amido-ketones undergo highly diastereoselective epoxy-annulation reactions in good yield. The use of a chiral vinyl sulfonium salt dominates the stereochemical outcome of the annulation reaction (reagent control is greater than substrate control), and this has allowed the kinetic resolution of racemic amido-ketones to be achieved.     

2,5-Disubstituted pyrrolidines: synthesis by enamine reduction and subsequent regioselective and diastereoselective alkylations

Methodology for the diastereoselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines by reduction of enamines derived from pyroglutamic acid is reported; the nature of nitrogen protection was found to be critical for the stereochemical control of the reaction outcome. Regioselective manipulation of the C-2 and C-5 substituents is possible, providing access to differently substituted pyrrolidines for a limited number of cases.     

Scope and mechanism for lewis acid-catalyzed cycloadditions of aldehydes and donor-acceptor cyclopropanes: evidence for a stereospecific intimate ion pair pathway

In this work, the one-step diastereoselective synthesis of cis-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans via Lewis acid catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloadditions of donor-acceptor (D-A) cyclopropanes and aldehydes is described. The scope and limitations with respect to both reaction partners are provided. A detailed examination of the mechanism has been performed, including stereochemical analysis and electronic profiling of both reactants. Experimental evidence supports an unusual stereospecific intimate ion pair mechanism wherein the aldehyde functions as a nucleophile and malonate acts as the nucleofuge. The reaction proceeds with inversion at the cyclopropane donor site and allows absolute stereochemical information to be transferred to the products with high fidelity. The mechanism facilitates the stereospecific synthesis of a range of optically active tetrahydrofuran derivatives from enantioenriched D-A cyclopropanes.     

Factors affecting stereocontrol during glycosidation of 2,3-oxazolidinone-protected 1-tolylthio-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine

[reaction: see text] It is demonstrated that a ring-fused 2,3-oxazolidinone-protected derivative of 1-tolylthio-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine undergoes high-yield glycosidation under mild donor activation conditions. Stereoselective formation of alpha-linked or beta-linked glycosides is dependent on reactivity of acceptor alcohols, where rate of glycosidation correlates to stereochemical outcome. Evidence for the role of glycosyl triflate intermediates and the N-acetyl substituent of the 2N,3O-oxazolidinone ring in stereochemical control is presented.