Silyl Ketene Imines: Highly Versatile Nucleophiles for Catalytic,Asymmetric Synthesis

This Minireview provides an overview on the development of silyl ketene imines and their recent applications in catalytic, enantioselective reactions. The unique structure of the ketene imine allows a diverse range of reactivity patterns and provides solutions to existing challenges in the enantioselective construction of quaternary stereogenic carbon centers and cross‐benzoin adducts. A variety of reactions for which silyl ketene imines have been applied are presented with an overall goal of inspiring new uses for these underutilized nucleophiles.     

Asymmetric catalysis with helical polymers

Inspired by nature, the use of helical biopolymer catalysts has emerged over the last years as a new approach to asymmetric catalysis. In this Concept article the various approaches and designs and their application in asymmetric catalysis will be discussed.     

Asymmetric Synthesis of Secondary and Tertiary Boronic Esters

Non‐racemic chiral boronic esters are recognised as immensely valuable building blocks in modern organic synthesis. Their stereospecific transformation into a variety of functional groups—from amines and halides to arenes and alkynes—along with their air and moisture stability, has established them as an important target for asymmetric synthesis. Efforts towards the stereoselective synthesis of secondary and tertiary alkyl boronic esters have spanned over five decades and are underpinned by a wealth of reactivity platforms, drawing on the unique and varied reactivity of boron. This Review summarizes strategies for the asymmetric synthesis of alkyl boronic esters, from the seminal hydroboration methods of H. C. Brown to the current state of the art.     

Stereoselective Electrophilic Cyclization

Electrophilic cyclizations of unactivated alkenes play highly important roles in the synthesis of useful building blocks. This account describes our contributions to the rational design of monofunctionalized chiral Lewis base catalysts for enantioselective iodo‐ and protocyclizations. For the stereoselective promotion of electrophilic bromocyclizations, nucleophilic phosphite–urea cooperative catalysts have been designed.     

Annulative Allylic Alkylation Reactions between Dual Electrophiles and Dual Nucleophiles: Applications in Complex Molecule Synthesis

Metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation reactions between dual nucleophiles and dual electrophiles represent a powerful set of methods for the synthesis of small-, medium-, and even large-sized rings. Using this strategy, a handful of simple allylic diol derivatives can be transformed into a broad array of complex carbo- and heterocycles of varying ring sizes in just a single step. Because of their ability to rapidly generate complexity, annulative allylic alkylation reactions between dual nucleophiles and dual electrophiles have been extensively employed in the total synthesis of both natural products and pharmaceutical compounds.     

Asymmetric Conjugate Additions and Allylic Alkylations Using Nucleophiles Generated by Hydro‐ or Carbometallation

This Minireview discusses catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition and allylic alkylation reactions where the nucleophiles were generated in situ by hydrometallation or carbometallation. This exciting recent trend in asymmetric catalysis promises to expand the range of transformations available for the rapid and selective assembly of complex, functional molecules for both academic and industrial research. This Minireview aims to serve as a reference for studies reported to date and discusses the current state‐of‐the‐art, scope and limitations of these processes.     

Direct Difluoromethylation of Alcohols with an Electrophilic Difluoromethylated Sulfonium Ylide

A general method for the formation of alkyl difluoromethylethers under mild reaction conditions and with good functional‐group tolerance was developed. The development of the method was based on the invention of a stable, electrophilic, difluoromethylating reagent, difluoromethyl‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐bis(carbomethoxy) methylide sulfonium ylide, which was synthesized by reaction of the easily available 4‐nitrophenyl (difluoromethyl)thioether and dimethyl diazomalonate in the presence of a rhodium catalyst.     

Pd/Cu‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Sequential Heck/Sonogashira Coupling: Asymmetric Synthesis of Oxindoles Containing Trifluoromethylated Quaternary Stereogenic Centers

An asymmetric palladium and copper co‐catalyzed Heck/Sonogashira reaction between o‐iodoacrylanilides and terminal alkynes to synthesize chiral oxindoles was developed. In particular, a wide range of CF₃‐substituted o‐iodoacrylanilides reacted with terminal alkynes, affording the corresponding chiral oxindoles containing trifluoromethylated quaternary stereogenic centers in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (94–98 % ee). This asymmetric Heck/Sonogashira reaction provides a general approach to access oxindole derivatives containing quaternary stereogenic centers including CF₃‐substituted ones.     

具有生物活性的色满衍生物不对称合成研究

色满衍生物在自然界中广泛存在,并且大多数具有生物活性。这些具有生物活性的色满衍生物又大多具有手性,因此有关它们的不对称合成已经引起了有机合成工作者的广泛关注。合成色满衍生物的关键是构建含有手性中心的色满环。本文根据色满环构建方式的不同进行分类,概述了近十几年来合成手性色满衍生物的最新方法, 侧重讨论了各种合成方法在合成立体结构专一的色满环时的特点。     

Enantioselective H-Bond-Directing Approach for Trienamine-mediated Reactions in Asymmetric Synthesis

Right direction: The presented enantioselective strategy for the preparation of diversely functionalized tetrahydroxanthones is based on a trienamine-mediated cycloaddition between 2,4-dieneals and activated chromones. It is possibile to control the stereochemical outcome of such reactions by employing an H-bond-directing aminocatalyst.     

Radical Cyclization/ipso‐1,4‐Aryl Migration Cascade: Asymmetric Synthesis of 3,3‐Difluoro‐2‐propanoylbicyclo[3.3.0]octanes

A novel method for the asymmetric synthesis of 3,3‐difluoro‐2‐propanoylbicyclo‐[3.3.0]octanes involves an unprecedented intramolecular radical cyclization/ipso‐1,4‐aryl migration cascade.