Highly enantioselective aldol reactions using a tropos dibenz[c,e]azepine organocatalyst

The four-step synthesis of a chiral primary tertiary diamine salt, possessing a tropos dibenz[c,e]azepine ring is described. It is shown that 3.5-5 mol % of this salt is capable of promoting highly enantioselective crossed-aldol reactions between cyclohexanone and a series of aromatic aldehydes. In all cases, the aldol reactions proceed with high diastereoselectivity for the anti-aldol product. The outcome of crossed-aldol reactions involving other cyclic ketones and acyclic ketones are also described. All examples involving cyclic ketones result in selectivity for the anti-aldol products, whereas acyclic ketones were found to favour the syn-aldol products. A discussion on the role of the chiral primary tertiary diamine salt in the catalysis of the aldol reactions is also presented.     

Highly enantioselective hydrogenation of N-phthaloyl enamides

Rh- or Ru-catalyzed highly enantioselective hydrogenation of N-phthaloyl enamides is presented. Electron-rich TangPhos and DuanPhos are found to be effective ligands for Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of α-aryl enamides and up to 99% ee has been achieved. In contrast, for the hydrogenation of α-alkyl enamide, the Ru-C₃-TunePhos complex is more effective and up to 69% ee can be observed. This work is the first report of the hydrogenation of N-phthaloyl enamides.     

N-Acyl-2-benzoxazolinones in titanium-mediated aldol reactions

N-Acyl-2-benzoxazolinones readily form trichlorotitanium enolates that react rapidly with aldehydes to provide crystalline syn-aldol adducts in high yield. The resulting products are simply converted to amides, esters, and thioesters. A simple, economical synthesis of 3-hydroxy-2-methylpentanoate N-propionylcysteamine thioesters based on these findings is presented.     

N-Tosylimidates in highly enantioselective organocatalytic Michael reactions

N-Tosylimidates acted as nucleophiles in highly enantioselective organocatalytic Michael addition reactions to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of trialkylsilyl-protected diarylprolinol. In particular, α-phenyl-substituted N-tosylimidates showed good reactivity. We also demonstrate that the kinetic acidity of the α-proton of α-phenyl N-tosylimidate as measured by proton/deuterium NMR exchange experiments is correlated with the potential of N-tosylimidates to act as nucleophiles in organocatalytic reactions.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions of cycloketones with aldehydes catalyzed by a trans-4-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-l-proline amide

An organocatalyst derived from trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline and (1S,2S)-1,2-diphenyl-2-aminoethanol catalyzes the direct aldol reactions of cycloketones with a wide scope of aldehydes in high yields and with excellent diastereoselectivities of up to >99:1 and enantioselectivities of up to >99% ee.     

L-Proline/CoCl2-catalyzed highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions

The CoCl(2)/L-proline (1:2) system was found to be an excellent catalyst for direct aldol reactions. Excellent yields (up to 93%) and a significant improvement in diastereoselectivity (anti/syn up to 45:1) as well as enantioselectivity (up to more than 99% ee) compared with using proline as the sole catalyst were observed. This catalyst system was successfully applied to both cyclic and acyclic ketones in combination with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. In situ chelation of CoCl(2) and proline (1:2) is proposed to promote the reaction through a six-membered Zimmermann-Traxler type transition state involving the positioning of proline-enamine and the aldehyde through chelation to Co(II).     

Highly diastereoselective aldol additions to five-ring N,O-acetals

Highly diastereoselective aldol additions of pure (2R,4S)-2-tert-butyloxazolidinone-3,4-dicarboxylic acid 3-tert-butyl ester 4-methyl ester 1 are reported. While achiral carbonyl compounds lead to mixtures of diastereomers, the double stereodifferentiation of chiral aldehydes gave a single product isomer. The relative and absolute configurations of the aldol products were assigned by NOESY.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions promoted by water-compatible organocatalysts bearing a pyrrolidinyl-camphor structural scaffold

Efficient synthetic routes have been developed for the synthesis of a series of pyrrolidinyl-camphor containing organocatalysts (1-10). Structural modifications were made by varying the stereo- and electronic properties of the camphor scaffold and the aromatic substituents. These readily tunable and amphiphilic organocatalysts were evaluated for the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of various aromatic aldehydes and cyclohexanone either in organic solvents or in the presence of water. The aldol reaction proceeded smoothly with excellent chemical yields (up to 99%), enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee), and anti-diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) with a catalytical amount of the bifunctional organocatalysts (20 mol %) under optimal reaction conditions. Mechanistic transition models are proposed and the stereochemical bias of the asymmetric aldol reaction is presented.     

Enantioselective aldol reactions of trichlorosilyl enol ethers catalyzed by chiral N,N-dioxides and monodentate N-oxides

Chiral N,N^′-dioxides and monodentate N-oxides were employed as catalysts in catalytic, enantioselective aldol reactions of trichlorosilyl enol ethers. The reactions of acyclic enol ethers using N,N^′-dioxides resulted in the anti-adducts from (E)-enol ethers and the syn-adducts from (Z)-enol ethers. The reactions of cyclic (E)-enol ethers using N,N^′-dioxides gave the anti-adducts, whereas monodentate N-oxides predominantly gave the syn-adducts.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions by 4-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-substituted organocatalysts derived from N-prolylsulfonamides in water

A new set of 4-tert-butyldimethylsiloxy-substituted organocatalysts derived from N-prolylsulfonamide has been designed and proved to be effective in catalyzing the direct aldol reactions of cyclic ketones with a series of aromatic aldehydes. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on the aldol reaction generating the products in very good yields (>99%) and with excellent diastereoselectivities up to >99:1 and enantioselectivities up to >99% by using lower catalyst loadings (only 3 mol %), without using any additives in a large amount of water under mild conditions.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct Barbas-List aldol reactions promoted by novel benzamidoethyl and benzamidopropyl prolinamides in water

Four novel benzamido-functionalized prolinamides have been prepared and tested as organocatalysts for enantioselective aldol reaction of aldehydes and cyclic ketones in water. In particular, prolinamide derived from achiral ethylene diamine was the best catalyst leading to anti aldols in excellent diastereomeric (up to 98/2) and enantiomeric (up to 99/1) ratios, thereby showing that lateral amide functionalities might be a key issue for facilitating "in water" chemistry. These catalysts are cheaper and easier to prepare than those previously described.     

Highly anti-selective catalytic aldol reactions of amides with aldehydes

Barium phenoxide-catalyzed, highly anti-selective direct-type aldol reactions of amides with aldehydes have been developed. In the presence of a slight excess amount of an amide, the desired reactions proceeded smoothly under mild conditions, and a wide range of aromatic, heterocyclic, alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes were applicable to afford the desired adducts in high yields with high anti-selectivities. A catalytic, enantioselective reaction of an amide with an aldehyde using a chiral ligand is also described.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reaction under solvent-free conditions

An efficient, solvent-free protocol for the asymmetric aldol reaction between aldehydes and ketones using prolinamides 1–4 as organocatalysts is reported. Catalysts 2–4, in the presence of TFA (the ratio of catalyst and TFA = 1/1.5), proved to be excellent catalysts, giving the aldol products between aromatic aldehydes and ketones with nearly perfect diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >99:1 dr and >99% ee). This catalytic system can also be applied in the cross-aldol reaction of isatin with ketones and the Michael reaction between cyclohexane and nitroalkenes. A mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of the major enantiomer in this reaction.     

Highly enantioselective aldol reactions catalyzed by a recyclable fluorous (S) pyrrolidine sulfonamide on water

Fluorous (S) pyrrolidine sulfonamide serves as an efficient promoter for highly enantioselective aldol reactions of ketones and aldehydes with aromatic aldehydes on water. A notable feature of the organocatalyst is that it can be recovered from the reaction mixtures by simple fluorous solid-phase extraction and subsequently reused (up to seven cycles) without a significant loss of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.     

N-Prolinylanthranilic acid derivatives as bifunctional organocatalysts for asymmetric aldol reactions

Several N-prolinylanthranilic acid derivatives were prepared and tested as bifunctional organocatalysts in the direct asymmetric aldol reaction of cyclohexanone with p-nitrobenzaldehyde. It was found that methyl substitution ortho to the carboxylic acid improves enantioselectivity, but substitution ortho to the anilide group does not. The catalyst derived from 2-amino-6-methylbenzoic acid was tested over a range of direct asymmetric aldol reactions and its overall performance is equal to or better than many of the known prolinamide catalysts in terms of yield, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity.