Oxazolones in Organocatalysis,New Tricks for an Old Reagent

Oxazolones or azlactones are among the most‐common starting materials for the synthesis of quaternary amino acids. Since the seminal works of Steglich and co‐workers until the recent examples from Ooi and co‐workers, azlactones have been the focus of intense research. Oxazolones are also widely used in organometallic chemistry; however, with the “renaissance” of organocatalysis, this reagent has emerged as an important starting material for a broad range of new organocatalytic asymmetric methodologies. In this Focus Review, we aim to cover all of these new organocatalytic methodologies. We begin by discussing the dynamic kinetic resolution reactions developed with azlactones. Then, we disclose the organocatalytic rearrangements. Finally, we focus on the use of oxazolones as nucleophiles in organocatalytic processes.     

Asymmetric Hydrogenations (Nobel Lecture)

The start of the development of catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation was the concept of replacing the triphenylphosphane ligand of the Wilkinson catalyst with a chiral ligand. With the new catalysts, it should be possible to hydrogenate prochiral olefins. Knowles and his co‐workers were convinced that the phosphorus atom played a central role in this selectivity, as only chiral phosphorus ligands such as (R,R)‐DIPAMP, whose stereogenic center lies directly on the phosphorus atom, lead to high enantiomeric excesses when used as catalysts in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. This hypothesis was disproven by the development of ligands with chiral carbon backbones. Although the exact mechanism of action of the phosphane ligands is not incontrovertibly determined to this day, they provide a simple entry to a large number of chiral compounds.     

Gold‐Catalyzed Cascade Reactions for Synthesis of Carbo‐ and Heterocycles: Selectivity and Diversity

This account describes our recent efforts devoted to gold chemistry since 2009. Based on furyl–Au 1,3‐dipole analogues and related gold carbene intermediates, a rich variety of gold‐catalyzed cascade reactions have been developed, which provide facile access to a diverse range of novel carbo‐ and heterocycles. In these reactions, the selectivity can be well controlled by the catalyst (ligand and metal), substrate or reagent. In addition, we have also developed the corresponding enantioselective variants, which are guided by bis(phosphinegold) complexes derived from axially chiral scaffolds and asymmetric gold/chiral Brønsted acid relay catalysis.     

Catalytic Generation of C1 Ammonium Enolates from Halides and CO for Asymmetric Cascade Reactions

A general strategy for the design of asymmetric cascade reactions using readily available halides and carbon monoxide (CO) as substrates is developed. The key is the catalytic generation of C1‐ammonium enolates for the subsequent asymmetric cascade reactions through the combination of palladium‐catalyzed carbonylation and chiral Lewis base catalysis. Utilizing this strategy, we have established asymmetric formal [1+1+4] and [1+1+2] reactions to afford chiral dihydropyridones and β‐lactams with high yields and high enantio‐ and diastereoselectivities.     

Allylation Reactions of Aldehydes with Allylboronates in Aqueous Media: Unique Reactivity and Selectivity that are Only Observed in the Presence of Water

Zn(OH)₂‐catalyzed allylation reactions of aldehydes with allylboronates in aqueous media have been developed. In contrast to conventional allylboration reactions of aldehydes in organic solvents, the α‐addition products were obtained exclusively. A catalytic cycle in which the allylzinc species was generated through a B‐to‐Zn exchange process is proposed and kinetic studies were performed. The key intermediate, an allylzinc species, was detected by HRMS (ESI) analysis and by online continuous MS (ESI) analysis. This analysis revealed that, in aqueous media, the allylzinc species competitively reacted with the aldehydes and water. An investigation of the reactivity and selectivity of the allylzinc species by using several typical allylboronates ( 6a , 6b , 6c , 6d ) clarified several important roles of water in this allylation reaction. The allylation reactions of aldehydes with allylboronic acid 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐propanediol esters proceeded smoothly in the presence of catalytic amounts of Zn(OH)₂ and achiral ligand 4d in aqueous media to afford the corresponding syn‐adducts in high yields with high diastereoselectivities. In all cases, the α‐addition products were obtained and a wide substrate scope was tolerated. Furthermore, this reaction was applied to asymmetric catalysis by using chiral ligand 9 . Based on the X‐ray structure of the Zn‐ 9 complex, several nonsymmetrical chiral ligands were also found to be effective. This reaction was further applied to catalytic asymmetric alkylallylation, chloroallylation, and alkoxyallylation processes and the synthetic utility of these reactions has been demonstrated.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Radical Transformations Enabled by Visible Light

Visible light has been recognized as an economical and environmentally benign source of energy that enables chemoselective molecular activation of chemical reactions and hence reveal a new horizon for the design and discovery of novel chemical transformations. On the other hand, asymmetric catalysis represents an economic method to satisfy the increasing need for enantioenriched compounds in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, combining visible light photocatalysis with asymmetric catalysis creates a wider range of opportunities for the development of mechanistically unique reaction schemes. However, there arise two main problems like undesirable photochemical background reactions and difficulties in controlling the stereochemistry with highly reactive photochemical intermediates which can pose a serious challenge to the development of asymmetric visible light photocatalysis. In recent years, several methods have been developed to overcome these challenges. This review summarizes the recent advances in visible light‐induced enantioselective reactions. We divide our discussion into four categories: Asymmetric photoredox organocatalysis, asymmetric transition metal photoredox catalysis, asymmetric photoredox Lewis acid catalysis and asymmetric photoinduced energy transfer catalysis. Special emphasis has been given to different catalytic activation modes that enable the construction of challenging carbon‐carbon and carbon‐heteroatom bond in an enantioselective fashion. A brief analysis of substrate scope and limitation as well as reaction mechanism of these reactions has been included.     

一个具有相反光学选择性的新颖海洋 GDSL脂肪酶MT6用于（S）-1-苯基乙醇制备

1-苯乙醇是一种重要的手性药物中间体,并且(S)-1-苯乙醇和(R)-1-苯乙醇均具有应用价值.怎样获得光学醇的1-苯乙醇是药物合成中的重要问题.传统的化学合成手段不仅反应过程复杂,而且反应条件剧烈,对环境污染严重,因此生物催化方法越来越受到重视.脂肪酶和酯酶以其出色的立体选择性和温和的反应条件而被广泛用于手性药物的拆分制备.但是之前的一些研究发现脂肪酶和酯酶大都对(R)-1-苯乙醇及其衍生物有选择性,而我们发现并鉴定的脂肪酶 MT6的立体选择性则与这些脂肪酶/酯酶完全相反,具体体现在以下两个方面：(1) MT6能够特异地催化(S)-1-苯乙醇和乙酸异丙烯酯的转酯反应,生成(R)-1-苯乙醇;(2) MT6能够选择性地水解(S)-乙酸苏合香酯,生成(S)-1-苯乙醇.可见,利用 MT6催化的转酯反应和水解反应可以巧妙地进行(S)-1-苯乙醇和(R)-1-苯乙醇的制备. MT6来源于深海放线菌Marinactinospora thermotolerans SCSIO 00652,属于 GDSL家族脂肪酶第 II类群,这一类群的脂肪酶绝大多数来自微生物.有关 GDSL家族脂肪酶在手性拆分中的应用研究非常少.我们之前报道了 MT6的克隆、表达、纯化及转酯拆分反应,本文重点考察了 MT6通过水解反应制备(S)-1-苯乙醇的条件,优化了酶促水解拆分反应温度、有机共溶剂、pH、离子强度、酶用量、底物浓度、反应时间以及底物侧链长度等参数.研究发现,在反应体系中加入一定量的有机共溶剂能够大大提高产物(S)-1-苯乙醇的光学纯度,其中添加二氯甲烷获得的结果最为理想,可以将产物光学纯度从43%提高到89%,E值从2.84提高至22.82.经过优化,最佳反应温度为40°C,共溶剂二氯甲烷浓度为5%(体积分数),反应缓冲液为0.1 mol/L Tris-HCl (pH =7.0),酶用量为150 mg/mL,底物为15 mmol/L乙酸苏合香酯,反应时间控制在12 h.在此条件下,制备的(S)-1-苯乙醇的光学纯度可达97%,转化率可达28.5%,E值为95.9.此外,还比较了侧链长度不同的1-苯基乙醇酯对水解反应的影响,结果表明1-苯基乙醇酯的侧链长度可极大影响光学选择性和产率.在反应条件相同时, MT6催化侧链长度为4个碳的丁酸-1-苯乙酯水解,生成(S)-1-苯乙醇的光学纯度仅为50%.利用 AutoDock软件进行分子对接,结果显示长侧链的1-苯基乙醇酯离活性中心 His230的咪唑基较远,可能是导致酶立体选择性低的重要原因.值得注意的是,海洋微生物来源的 GDSL脂肪酶 MT6在水解反应和转酯反应中均表现出与一些已知脂肪酶/酯酶相反的立体选择性,因而具备进一步开发和应用价值.所制备的(S)-1-苯乙醇的光学纯度为97%,可以通过和转酯反应相结合的方式进一步提高产物的光学纯度和转化率.     

Biomimetic Chiral Pyridoxal and Pyridoxamine Catalysts

Vitamin B₆ serves as universal co‐enzymes in biological systems. However, its catalytic power has not been applied into the area of asymmetric catalysis. Based on the core structure of vitamin B₆, we have developed several types of pyridoxal and pyridoxamine catalysts with different structural skeletons and different electronic properties. With these pyridoxals and pyridoxamines as catalysts, we have realized biomimetic asymmetric transamination of α‐keto acids and biomimetic asymmetric Mannich reaction of glycinate, respectively, to give various chiral α‐amino acids and α,β‐diamino acids in good yields with excellent diastero‐ and/or enantioselectivities. Both of the reactions have perfectly mimicked the corresponding biological transformations.     

Development of Asymmetric Reactions Catalyzed by Chiral Organotin‐Alkoxide Reagents

Asymmetric catalysis under almost‐neutral reaction conditions is key for the efficient synthesis of optically active polar molecules. We have developed catalytic enantioselective reactions of acyclic or cyclic alkenyl esters by using an (S)‐BINOL‐derived chiral tin‐dibromide reagent that possesses a bulky aryl group at the 3 or 3′ position as the chiral pre‐catalyst in the presence of a sodium alkoxide and an alcohol, in which a chiral tin alkoxide bromide is generated in situ and recycled with the assistance of an alcohol. In this Personal Account, we describe three types of asymmetric transformation that proceed through a chiral tin enolate: 1) The asymmetric aldol reaction of alkenyl esters or unsaturated lactones with aldehydes or isatins; 2) the asymmetric three‐component Mannich‐type reaction of alkenyl esters and related cycloaddition reactions; and 3) the asymmetric N‐nitroso aldol reaction of unsaturated lactones with nitrosoarenes.     

Recent Progress in Asymmetric Ion-Pairing Catalysis with Ammonium Salts

Quaternary ammonium salts play an important role in asymmetric catalysis. In this Minireview, how asymmetric ion-pairing catalysis with ammonium ions has been utilized in organic synthesis is explained, particularly in the design of novel catalytic cycles. This includes the use of chiral ammonium-based catalysts for the construction of challenging stereogenic centers. Ammonium-derived electrophilic reagents, typically formed in situ and in the context of phase-transfer catalysis (PTC), have also been utilized in asymmetric bond-forming reactions. Furthermore, ammonium salts have been employed as substrates in several stereocontrolled C−N bond cleavage processes, leading to enantioenriched products by using novel asymmetric induction modes. In addition, merging ammonium ion-pairing catalysis with other catalytic approaches has also emerged as a new platform for achieving previously less straightforward reactions, thereby allowing new synthetic applications.     

Enantioselective palladium-catalyzed addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to an allene derivative

Enhancing atom economy of the metal‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) shifts from the usual nucleophilic displacement of a leaving group to an addition of a pronucleophile to a double bond. Using 1‐alkoxyallenes as proelectrophiles, the palladium‐catalyzed AAA proceeds with 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds as pronucleophiles with excellent regioselectivity and enantiomeric excess under optimized conditions. The pH of the medium proved crucial for reactivity/selectivity. By using the more acidic Meldrum's acids, the reactions required a co‐catalytic amount of Brønsted acid, such as trifluoroacetic acid. Single regioisomeric products of 82–99 % ee were obtained. On the other hand, the less acidic 1,3‐diketones failed to react under such conditions. The fact that a less acidic acid like benzoic acid sufficed, suggested the need for general base catalysis as well. Thus, a mixture of triethylamine and benzoic acid proved optimal (ee's 93–99). Employment of the (R,R)‐phenyl Trost ligand gave a product with S configuration. A model to rationalize the results has been developed.     

Asymmetric Multicomponent Reactions Based on Trapping of Active Intermediates

Metal carbenes derived from transition metal‐catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds react with nucleophiles with heteroatoms, such as alcohols and amines, to generate highly active oxonium/ammonium ylides intermediates. These intermediates can be trapped by appropriate electrophiles to provide three‐component products. Based on this novel trapping process, we have developed novel multicomponent reactions (MCRs) of diazo compounds, alcohols/anilines, and electrophiles. The nucleophiles were also extended to electron‐rich heterocycles (indoles and pyrroles)/arenes, in which the resulting zwitterionic intermediates were also trapped by electrophiles. By employing efficient catalysis strategy, the reactions were realized with excellent stereocontrol and wide substrate scope. In this personal account, we introduce our breakthroughs in the development of novel asymmetric MCRs via trapping of the active ylides and zwitterionic intermediates with a number of electrophiles, such as imines, aldehyde, and Michael acceptors, under asymmetric catalysis. Transition metal/chiral Lewis acid catalysis, transition metal/Brønsted acid catalysis, and chiral transition‐metal catalysis, enable excellent stereocontrolled outcomes. The methodologies not only provide experimental evidence to support the existence of protic onium ylides intermediates/zwitterionic intermediates and the stepwise pathways of carbene‐induced O?H, N?H and C?H insertions, but also offer a novel approach for the efficient construction of chiral polyfunctional molecules.     

Polymer‐supported Ti(IV) and Mn(III) asymmetric alkene epoxidation catalysts

Epoxides represent a very important group of speciality and fine chemicals because they are derived directly from alkenes, a primary petrochemical source, and because of the breadth of opportunity they offer the organic synthetic chemist in terms of the highly selective reactions they undergo, often requiring only very mild conditions. Since most epoxides also bear at least one stereogenic centre the strategic importance of these molecules in synthesis is even higher. The most important asymmetric alkene epoxidation catalyst systems that have been discovered are those reported by Sharpless and his co‐workers utilising tartrate ester complexed Ti(IV) centres¹ and by Jacobsen and his co‐workers utilising chiral Mn(III) salen complexes.² The former system provides high conversions and high enantioselectivity (enantiomeric excess, ee%) in the case of allylic alcohol substrates, while the latter is likewise effective in the case of non‐functional cis‐internal alkenes, especially cyclic systems. Both catalytic systems are homogeneous and exploitation of both involve rather laborious work‐up procedures. Generally no attempt is made to recover and re‐use these catalysts. The potential advantages in converting a process catalysed by a homogeneous metal complex into one involving a heterogeneous polymer‐supported analogue have been well rehearsed.³ Suffice to say that on a laboratory scale supported metal complex catalysts considerably facilitate product work‐up and isolation, while on a large scale such heterogeneous species allow processes to be run continuously using packed or fluidised bed columns with considerable financial advantages both in terms of capital expenditure on plant and with regard to recurrent costs.     

Alkyne Difunctionalization by Dual Gold/Photoredox Catalysis

Highly selective tandem nucleophilic addition/cross‐coupling reactions of alkynes have been developed using visible‐light‐promoted dual gold/photoredox catalysis. The simultaneous oxidation of Au^I and coordination of the coupling partner by photo‐generated aryl radicals, and the use of catalytically inactive gold precatalysts allows for high levels of selectivity for the cross‐coupled products without competing hydrofunctionalization or homocoupling. As demonstrated in representative arylative Meyer–Schuster and hydration reactions, this work expands the scope of dual gold/photoredox catalysis to the largest class of substrates for gold catalysts and benefits from the mild and environmentally attractive nature of visible‐light activation.     

Cover Picture: Axis-Unfixed Biphenylphosphine-Oxazoline Ligands: Design and Applications in Asymmetric Catalytic Reactions (Chem. Rec. 10/2023)

The design and synthesis of chiral ligands plays an important role in asymmetric catalytic reactions. Over the past decades, various types of chiral phosphine-oxazolines (PHOX ligands) have been developed and have greatly advanced the field of asymmetric catalysis. Novel chiral PHOX ligand with an axis-unfixed biphenyl backbone, developed by our group, have shown interesting coordination behavior and excellent chiral inducing ability in various transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions. This personal account focuses on our developed axis-unfixed biphenylphosphine-oxazoline ligand (BiphPHOX), including an overview of its design and applications, which will provide inspiration for the exploration of novel ligands and related reactions.     

CuII/TEMPO‐Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp3)–H Alkynylation of Tertiary Cyclic Amines through Shono‐Type Oxidation

A novel strategy for asymmetric Shono‐type oxidative cross‐coupling has been developed by merging copper catalysis and electrochemistry, affording C1‐alkynylated tetrahydroisoquinolines with good to excellent enantioselectivity. The use of TEMPO as a co‐catalytic redox mediator is crucial not only for oxidizing a tetrahydroisoquinoline to an iminium ion species but also for decreasing the oxidation potential of the reaction. A novel bisoxazoline ligand is also reported.     

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Cross‐Vinylogous Rauhut–Currier Reaction of Methyl Coumalate with Enals

The organocatalytic enantioselective intermolecular cross‐vinylogous Rauhut–Currier (RC) reaction of methyl coumalate with α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes is reported, and the enals are activated by iminium catalysis to serve as the Michael acceptors and methyl coumalate is used as an activated diene to generate a latent enolate. The excellent selectivity is driven by the aromaticity of methyl coumalate, and the post transformation of this heterocyclic structure into other electron‐deficient arenes and heterocycles have addressed, in part, the challenging selectivity issues of the intermolecular cross‐RC reactions and the limited scope of iminium catalysis.     

Towards a Practical Development of Light‐Driven Acceptorless Alkane Dehydrogenation

The efficient catalytic dehydrogenation of alkanes to olefins is one of the most investigated reactions in organic synthesis. In the coming years, an increased supply of shorter‐chain alkanes from natural and shale gas will offer new opportunities for inexpensive carbon feedstock through such dehydrogenation processes. Existing methods for alkane dehydrogenation using heterogeneous catalysts require harsh reaction conditions and have a lack of selectivity, whereas homogeneous catalysis methods result in significant waste generation. A strong need exists for atom‐efficient alkane dehydrogenations on a useful scale. Herein, we have developed improved acceptorless catalytic systems under optimal light transmittance conditions using trans‐[Rh(PMe₃)₂(CO)Cl] as the catalyst with different additives. Unprecedented catalyst turnover numbers are obtained for the dehydrogenation of cyclic and linear (from C₄) alkanes and liquid organic hydrogen carriers. These reactions proceed with unique conversion, thereby providing a basis for practical alkane dehydrogenations.     

Asymmetric Hydroalkoxylation of Non‐Activated Alkenes: Titanium‐Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Allylphenols at High Temperatures

The asymmetric catalytic addition of alcohols (phenols) to non‐activated alkenes has been realized through the cycloisomerization of 2‐allylphenols to 2‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofurans (2‐methylcoumarans). The reaction was catalyzed by a chiral titanium–carboxylate complex at uncommonly high temperatures for asymmetric catalytic reactions. The catalyst was generated by mixing titanium isopropoxide, the chiral ligand (aS)‐1‐(2‐methoxy‐1‐naphthyl)‐2‐naphthoic acid or its derivatives, and a co‐catalytic amount of water in a ratio of 1:1:1 (5 mol % each). This homogeneous thermal catalysis (HOT‐CAT) gave various (S)‐2‐methylcoumarans with yields of up to 90 % and in up to 85 % ee at 240 °C, and in 87 % ee at 220 °C.     

Asymmetric Hydroformylation Using a Rhodium Catalyst Encapsulated in a Chiral Capsule

Supramolecular capsules can be used to change the activity and selectivity of a catalyst through the influence of the second coordination sphere, reminiscent of how enzymes control the selectivity of their processes. In enzymes, this approach is used to also control the enantioselectivity of reactions in which the active catalytic site is often not chiral but the second coordination sphere is. We are interested in the possibility to generate a chiral second coordination sphere around an otherwise achiral transition metal complex for asymmetric catalysis. In this paper we show that the ligand template approach can be used to generate a chiral second coordination sphere around a rhodium complex, which is used in asymmetric hydroformylation.