Chiral hydroxythiols as catalysts for enantioselective borane ketone reductions

Several chiral 1,2- and 1,3-hydroxythiols derived from (R)-camphor, (1S)-(+)-10-camphorsulfonyl chloride, cysteine and cystine derivatives were prepared and evaluated as catalysts in borane ketone reductions. Under the best experimental conditions (10 mol% catalyst, THF, 35°C), a 95% yield of (R)-1-phenylethanol of 64% ee was obtained in the borane reduction of acetophenone.     

A chiral ketone for enantioselective recognition of 1,2-amino alcohols

A novel auxillary chiral ketone has been designed, synthesized, and used to enantioselectively recognize 1,2-amino alcohols. This work proves that the keto group can serve as a chiral recognition center by imine formation supported by resonance assisted hydrogen bonding (RAHB).     

Polymer-supported organotin reagents in the catalytic Stille reaction

Polymer-supported dibutyltin chloride and dimethyltin chloride resins were synthesised and used in Maleczka's catalytic Stille reaction.     

Use of a chiral surfactant for enantioselective reduction of a ketone

The influence of a chiral surfactant and a polymer-supported chiral additive on reduction of ketones using sodium borohydride will be described. Initial preparations involved methylation of (S)-leucinol to give (2S)-N , N-dimethyl-2-amino-4-methyl-1-pentanol (1) (67%). The chiral surfactant (2) was synthesized by reacting (1) with bromohexadecane (71%). The functionalized styrene for the polymer-supported chiral additive (5) was synthesized by reacting (1) with 4-vinylbenzyl chloride. Polymerization was carried out with 10% of the functionalized monomer (4), 5% cross-linking agent divinylbenzene, and 85% styrene with AIBN as the initiator. The activity of the chiral surfactant and polymeric additive were examined by using them as additives in a standard reduction of 2-pentanone with sodium borohydride to yield (R)- and (S)-2-pentanol (3) (20%). The resulting alcohol was analyzed by polarimetry (ee 9.5%) and also esterified with (2S)-methylbutyric acid prior to characterization by NMR. 13C NMR indicated an enantiomeric excess of 5.2% when the chiral surfactant was used, and 7% when the polymeric additive was used.     

Iridium-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective allylation of ketone enolates

The regio- and enantioselective alpha-allylation of unstabilized ketone enolates with unsymmetrical allylic carbonates to form the branched substitution products in the presence of metallacyclic iridium catalysts is reported. The products, branched gamma,delta-unsaturated ketones, were obtained from readily available silyl enol ethers and achiral Boc-protected allylic alcohols in high regioselectivities and enantioselectivities (91-96% ee). The combination of CsF and ZnF2 was shown to promote this reaction and suppress the formation of diallylation byproducts. In addition, iridium complexes derived from simple phosphoramidite ligands were shown to catalyze this reaction with excellent selectivities, and spectroscopic data show that a cyclometalated Ir precatalyst is formed in situ. This process provides an enantioselective access to synthetically important bifunctional compounds, which are generally accessible, but in racemic form, through Claisen rearrangements. Ten examples of the reactions of aromatic, as well as aliphatic, substrates are reported.     

Direct catalytic enantioselective alpha-aminomethylation of aldehydes

The direct catalytic asymmetric alpha-aminomethylation of aldehydes is presented. The chiral amine and amino acid catalyzed reactions between unmodified aldehydes and a formaldehyde-derived imine precursor were fast and proceeded with high chemo- and enantioselectivities. The corresponding dibenzyl-protected gamma-amino alcohols were isolated in high yields with up to 98% ee after in situ reduction. The reaction is a novel entry to valuable beta(2)-amino acid derivatives.     

The elusive excited states of bithiophene: a CASPT2 detective story

A systematic multi-reference perturbation theory investigation of the excitation energies and oscillator strengths for the lowest excited states of 2,2′-bithiophene unequivocally shows that its optical spectrum is produced by two ¹ B _u states separated from each other by approximately 1 eV. This picture is confirmed by additional calculations with alternative quantum chemical methods. Our findings are in strong contrast with the previous CASPT2 results of Rubio et al. [J Chem Phys 102:3580 (1995) and Chem Phys Chem 4:1308 (2003)], who predicted that the two lowest ¹ B _u states are quasi-degenerate. The methodological reasons responsible for the previous seemingly erroneous assignment of the optical spectrum of bithiophene are identified and explained in terms of unusually large coupling between the ¹ B _u states introduced by dynamical correlation effects. A general discussion of applicable computational techniques is offered aiming at avoiding similar problems for other molecular systems.     

Coupling of permeabilized microorganisms for efficient enantioselective reduction of ketone with cofactor recycling

A novel, simple and efficient cofactor recycling method for enantioselective bioreduction has been developed by the use of permeabilized cells of a reductase-containing microorganism and a glucose dehydrogenase-containing microorganism     

A method for the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of 6-silylated 2-cyclohexenones

6-Silylated-2-cyclohexenones can be synthesized enantioselectively by hydrosilylation of the corresponding diazo-2-cyclohexenone in the presence of a chiral Rh(II) catalyst.     

"Achiral" benzophenone ligand for highly enantioselective Ru catalysts in ketone hydrogenation

[reaction: see text] The chirality of an "achiral" benzophenone-based complex can be controlled. The benzophenone-based complex thus controlled affords high enantioselectivity in the catalytic asymmetric ketone hydrogenation (up to 99% ee, >99% yield).     

The first complete identification of a diastereomeric catalyst-substrate (alkoxide) species in an enantioselective ketone hydrogenation. Mechanistic investigations

The enantioselective hydrogenations of the dialkyl 3,3-dimethyloxaloacetate ketone substrates (2, 3, and 4; alkyl = Me, (i)Pr, and (t)Bu, respectively) were catalyzed by [Ru((R)-BINAP)(H)(MeCN)(n)(sol)(3-n)](BF(4)) (1, n = 0-3, sol = THF or MeOH, (R)-BINAP = (R)-2,2'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthyl) in up to 82% ee (R). Reaction of the active catalyst 1 with 1 equiv of substrate (2, 3, or 4) in THF or MeOH solution formed the diastereomeric catalyst-alkoxide complexes [Ru((R)-BINAP)(MeCN)(OCH(CO(2)R)-(C(CH(3))(2)CO(2)R))](BF(4)) (5/6 R = Me, 8/9 R = (i)Pr, and 10 R = (t)Bu, respectively) via hydride addition to the ketone carbonyl carbon and ruthenium addition to oxygen. The absolute configurations at the alkoxide groups ((R)- for the major diastereomers 5, 8, and 10) were determined via cleavage of the ruthenium-alkoxide bond with 1 equiv of HBF(4).OEt(2). The solution structures of the major diastereomer catalyst-alkoxide complexes (5, 8, and 10) were unambiguously determined by variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy. The major diastereomers (5, 8, and 10) had the same absolute configuration as the major product enantiomers from the catalytic hydrogenation of 2, 3, and 4 with 1 as catalyst. The ratio of major to minor alkoxide diastereomers was similar to the ee of the catalytic hydrogenation. The catalyst-alkoxide complexes are formed at temperatures as low as -30 degrees C with no other precursors or intermediates observed by NMR showing that ketone-hydride insertion is likely not the turnover limiting step of the catalytic hydrogenation. Results from the stoichiometric hydrogenolysis of 5/6, 8/9, or 10 indicate that their formation is rapid and only partially reversible prior to the irreversible hydrogenolysis of the ruthenium-oxygen bond. The stereoselectivities of the formation and hydrogenolysis of 5/6, 8/9, and 10 sum up to equal the stereoselectivities of the respective catalytic hydrogenations of 2, 3, and 4. The rates of the hydrogenolysis were consistent with these diastereomers being true catalytic intermediates.     

Direct observations of the metal-ligand bifunctional addition step in an enantioselective ketone hydrogenation

The catalytic intermediate trans-[Ru((R)-BINAP)(H)2((R,R)-dpen)] (1) reacted on mixing with acetophenone in THF at -80 degrees C under approximately 2 atm H2 to generate the alkoxide trans-Ru((R)-BINAP)(H)((Ph)(Me)CHO)((R,R)-dpen) (6). Contrary to expectations, free Ru-amide and 1-phenylethanol were not the immediate products of this addition reaction. The addition reaction was reversible in THF. 2-Propanol prevents racemization of the alcohol product in THF solvent.     

Zirconium–BINOLate-catalyzed,enantioselective aldol-Tishchenko reactions of aromatic ketone aldols

3,3′-Substituted BINOL’s have been identified as suitable chiral ligands for the zirconium-catalyzed aldol-Tishchenko reaction of aromatic ketone aldols with aliphatic aldehydes. 1,3-anti-Diol monoesters were obtained in excellent yields, complete anti-diastereocontrol, and enantioselectivities of up to 60% ee.