Palladium‐Catalyzed Decarboxylative γ‐Arylation for the Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted Chiral Allenes

An enantiospecific palladium‐catalyzed decarboxylative coupling of acyclic β,γ‐alkynoic acids with various aryl iodides to chiral tetrasubstituted allenes is described. The coupling reaction comprises a decarboxylative γ‐palladation of α,α‐disubstituted carboxylic acids to provide the tetrasubstituted allenes with complete point‐to‐axial chirality transfer in excellent yields.     

Enantioselective Rhodium‐Catalyzed Dimerization of ω‐Allenyl Carboxylic Acids: Straightforward Synthesis of C2‐Symmetric Macrodiolides

Herein, we report on the first enantioselective and atom‐efficient catalytic one‐step dimerization method to selectively transform ω‐allenyl carboxylic acids into C₂‐symmetric 14‐ to 28‐membered bismacrolactones (macrodiolides). This convenient asymmetric access serves as an attractive route towards multiple naturally occuring homodimeric macrocyclic scaffolds and demonstrates excellent efficiency to construct the complex, symmetric core structures. By utilizing a rhodium catalyst with a modified chiral cyclopentylidene‐diop ligand, the desired diolides were obtained in good to high yields, high diastereoselectivity, and excellent enantioselectivity.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Highly Regio‐ and Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Tetrasubstituted Allenyl Sulfones: An Efficient Access to Chiral Allylic Sulfones

A highly regio‐ and enantioselective hydrogenation of challenging tetrasubstituted allenyl sulfones has been developed, affording chiral allylic sulfones in good yields with excellent regio‐ and enantioselectivities (up to 99 % yield and 99 % ee). This method provides an efficient and concise route to chiral allylic sulfones, thus offering an atom‐economic process with a wide range of potential applications in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Amination of Allenyl Phosphates: Enantioselective Synthesis of Allenes with an Additional Unsaturated Unit

A highly enantioselective Pd‐catalyzed amination of allenyl phosphates generating 2,3‐allenyl amines with central chirality has been developed. Under the optimized conditions, chiral 2,3‐allenyl amines with or without (an) additional C? C double or triple bond(s) have been prepared at 0 °C with up to 90 % yield and 94 % ee by identifying (R)‐3,4,5‐(MeO)₃‐MeOBIPHEP as the ligand.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of Axially Chiral 2‐Aminobiaryls by Rhodium‐Catalyzed Benzannulation of 1‐Arylalkynes with 2‐(Cyanomethyl)phenylboronates

Asymmetric benzannulation of 1‐arylalkynes, where the aryl group is an ortho‐substituted aromatic group, with 2‐(cyanomethyl)phenylboronate was catalyzed by a rhodium complex coordinated with a chiral diene ligand to give high yields of axially chiral 2‐aminobiaryls with greater than 90 % ee.     

Synthesis of ent‐Ketorfanol via a C–H Alkenylation/Torquoselective 6π Electrocyclization Cascade

The asymmetric synthesis of ent‐ketorfanol from simple and commercially available precursors is reported. A Rh^I‐catalyzed intramolecular C? H alkenylation/torquoselective 6π electrocyclization cascade provides a fused bicyclic 1,2‐dihydropyridine as a key intermediate. Computational studies were performed to understand the high torquoselectivity of the key 6π electrocyclization. The computational results demonstrate that a conformational effect is responsible for the observed selectivity. The ketone functionality and final ring are introduced in a single step by a redox‐neutral acid‐catalyzed rearrangement of a vicinal diol to give the requisite carbonyl, followed by intramolecular Friedel–Crafts alkylation.     

Cooperative Activation with Chiral Nucleophilic Catalysts and N‐Haloimides: Enantioselective Iodolactonization of 4‐Arylmethyl‐4‐pentenoic Acids

Chiral triaryl phosphates promote the enantioselective iodolactonization of 4‐substituted 4‐pentenoic acids to give the corresponding iodolactones in high yields with high enantioselectivity. N‐Chlorophthalimide (NCP) is employed as a Lewis acidic activator and oxidant of I₂ for the present iodolactonization. In combination with 1.5 equivalents of NCP, only 0.5 equivalents of I₂ are sufficient to generate the iodinating reagent.     

One Stone for Three Birds‐Rhodium‐Catalyzed Highly Diastereoselective Intramolecular [4+2] Cycloaddition of Optically Active Allene‐1,3‐dienes

RhCl(PPh₃)₃‐catalyzed [4+2] intramolecular cycloaddition of optically active axially chiral allene‐dienes afforded cis‐fused [3.4.0]‐bicyclic products with three chiral centers in good yields with an excellent chemo‐ and diastereoselectivity. A pair of enantiomers of such products was generated highly selectively from both enantiomers of starting allene‐dienes, indicating that the axial chirality dictated the absolute configurations of the three in situ generated chiral centers with a very high efficiency of chirality transfer.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of Fluorinated Isoindolinones through Palladium‐Catalyzed Carbonylative Amination of Enantioenriched Benzylic Carbamates

The asymmetric synthesis of fluorinated isoindolinones has been achieved by a palladium‐catalyzed aminocarbonylation reaction of the corresponding α‐fluoroalkyl o‐iodobenzylamines. A base‐mediated anti β‐hydride elimination process was suggested to explain the partial erosion of the optical purity observed in some cases. This mechanistic rationale enabled the minimization of this partial racemization by fine‐tuning the pK_a of the base.     

Synthesis and Mechanism of a Main‐Chain Chiral Polymer Based on Asymmetric Cyclopolymerization

A systematic study of the asymmetric cyclocopolymerization of bis(4‐vinylbenzoate)s, derived from chiral diols, with styrene has been made from the viewpoint of synthesizing the main‐chain chiral polymer. On the basis of using over 30 chiral diols as templates, we summarize the relationship between the structure of the chiral template and the chiroptical properties of the template‐free polymer. For simple chiral diols, the chirality induction efficiency increased in the order 1,2‐diol < 1,4‐diol < 1,3‐diol. Chiral diols with two chiral centers exhibited higher chirality induction efficiency than those having one chiral center only. The chirality induction efficiency for cyclic 1,2‐diols increased with the ring size in the order 5‐ < 6‐ < 7‐ < 8‐membered rings, and that for acyclic 1,2‐diols increased with the bulkiness of the substituent at the chiral center. In addition, a chirality induction mechanism has been proposed on the basis of model radical cyclization experiments and computational studies. Chirality induction could be caused by the inhibition of the formation of one racemo unit among the four stereoisomers due to the strong dependence of the stereoselectivity in intermolecular additions on the absolute configuration of the cyclized radical. The mechanism was examined using the Lewis‐acid and monomer‐concentration effects.     

First Stereoselective Total Synthesis of a Dimeric Naphthoquinonopyrano‐γ‐lactone: (+)‐γ‐Actinorhodin

We have accomplished the first total synthesis of an isomerically pure naphthoquinonopyrano‐γ‐lactone dimer, γ‐actinorhodin, in eleven steps. Two steps exploit pairs of peri‐MeO groups as unusual selectivity controls. The respective MeO groups convey the steric bulk of a bromo or iodo substituent located ortho to one MeO group as steric hindrance into the vicinity of the second MeO group. This relay effect was indispensable for exerting regiocontrol in an aromatic bromination and diastereocontrol in an oxa‐Pictet–Spengler cyclization. The absolute configuration of our target compound was established in an asymmetric Sharpless dihydroxylation of a β,γ‐unsaturated ester, which was synthesized in a Heck coupling of a bromoiodonaphthalene with ethyl vinylacetate. The dihydroxylation provided the γ‐hydroxylactone moiety of the bromonaphthalene that was used as the substrate in the oxa‐Pictet–Spengler cyclization. Dimerization to the core of γ‐actinorhodin occurred by two Suzuki couplings.     

Synthesis of 5‐Acyl‐2‐Amino‐3‐Cyanothiophenes: Chemistry and Fluorescent Properties

Independent of the substrate structure and reaction conditions, 3‐amino‐2‐cyanothioacrylamides, which contain two active electrophilic centers, were shown to interact with various active halo methylene compounds under mild conditions to afford 5‐acyl‐2‐amino‐3‐cyanothiophenes as the only products. A series of new polyfunctional thiophene derivatives with a rare combination of functionalities were synthesized, and their photophysical properties were experimentally and computationally investigated. The calculated electronic characteristics of the ground and excited states were compared to the experimental results, which provided a good understanding of the relationship between the optoelectronic properties and the molecular structures. After absorption of light quanta, the systems populate an intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) Franck–Condon state, and emission occurs from a twisted ICT minimum.     

Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Grignard Reagents to 3‐Silyl Unsaturated Esters for the Facile Preparation of Enantioenriched β‐Silylcarbonyl Compounds and Allylic Silanes

A highly enantioselective conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to 3‐silyl unsaturated esters to deliver synthetically useful chiral β‐silylcarbonyl compounds was developed. The synthetic value of this methodology was further illustrated by the synthesis of enantioenriched β‐hydroxyl esters and the facile access granted to various α‐chiral allylic silanes. A plethora of diastereoselective transformations of β‐silylenolates were also investigated and afforded manifold organosilanes that contained contiguous stereogenic centers with excellent enantioselectivity.     

Stereoselective SE2′ Protonation of α‐Hydroxyallylsilanes Mediated by a Brook Rearrangement

Brooked up! Treatment of (R,Z)‐3‐(tert‐butyldimethylsilyl)‐1‐cyano‐3‐hydroxyprop‐1‐enyl carbamate with a catalytic amount of a base afforded (S,E)‐3‐(tert‐butyldimethylsilyloxy)‐1‐cyanoallyl diisopropylcarbamate, showing that S_E2′‐type reaction of allylsilicates proceeds in an anti fashion. The overall process is equivalent to trapping of an enantioenriched C‐chiral carbanion at the α‐position of nitrile group in up to 77 % ee (see scheme).

     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Cacchi Reaction: Asymmetric Synthesis of Axially Chiral 2,3‐Disubstituted Indoles

We report herein the first examples of a palladium‐catalyzed enantioselective Cacchi reaction for the synthesis of indoles bearing a chiral C2‐aryl axis. In the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)₂ and (R,R)‐QuinoxP* ligand, reaction of N‐aryl(alkyl)sulfonyl‐2‐alkynylanilides with arylboronic acids under oxygen atmosphere afforded enantioenriched 2,3‐disubstituted indoles in high yields and enantioselectivity. The indole ring is constructed de novo in this process and a complexation‐induced chirality transfer is proposed to account for the observed enantioselectivity.     

Synthesis of Chiral Exocyclic Amines by Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Aromatic Quinolin‐3‐amines

Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic quinolin‐3‐amines was successfully developed with up to 94 % enantiomeric excess (ee). Introduction of the phthaloyl moiety to the amino group is crucial to eliminate the inhibition effect caused by the substrate and product, to activate the aromatic ring, and to improve the diastereoselectivity. This new methodology provides direct and facile access to chiral exocyclic amines. Notably, this report is the first on the highly enantioselective hydrogenation of aromatic amines.