The Reduction of α,β-Unsaturated Nitroalkenes to Nitroalkanes with Borohydride Supported on an Ion Exchange Resin

Borohydride supported on an ion exchange resin selectively reduced α,β-unsaturated nitroalkenes to nitroalkanes in high yields. The isolation of pure products by simple filtration is a key feature of this method.     

The Reduction of α,β-Unsaturated Nitroalkenes to Nitroalkanes With Trialkylborohydrides

α,β-Unsaturated nitroalkenes are reduced to nitronate salts by trialkylborohydrides. These salts are readily hydrolyzed on silica gel to the corresponding nitroalkanes in good yields.     

Instantaneous SmI2/H2O/amine mediated reduction of nitroalkanes and α,β-unsaturated nitroalkenes

A rapid method for efficient reduction of nitroalkanes and α,β-unsaturated nitroalkenes using SmI₂/H₂O/amine has been developed.     

Organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction of β-aryl-α-ketophosphonates and nitroalkenes

The first enantioselective Michael reaction of β-aryl-α-ketophosphonates and nitroalkenes has been realized by using a new bifunctional Takemoto-type thiourea catalyst. The primary Michael adducts obtained were converted in situ to the corresponding amides through the aminolysis. High yields, excellent diastereoselectivities (>95:5 dr), and good enantioselectivities (up to 81% ee) have been achieved for the corresponding α,β-disubstituted γ-nitroamides. This reaction again demonstrated that α-ketophosphonates are interesting pronucleophiles that can be used as amide surrogates in organocatalyzed reactions.     

Asymmetric organocatalytic synthesis of γ-nitrocarbonyl compounds through Michael and Domino reactions

Recent advances in the organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of γ-nitrocarbonyl compounds through Michael additions of either nitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl derivatives or enolizable carbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes are surveyed. Domino processes leading to structurally more complex products bearing the γ-nitrocarbonyl functionality are also reviewed.     

Chemoselective and enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of β,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes catalyzed by a water-insoluble chiral diamine–rhodium complex in water

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of β,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes catalyzed by a chiral diamine–rhodium complex in combination with HCO₂Na–HCO₂H as a hydrogen source in water was successfully realized with high reactivity, excellent chemoselectivity and good enantioselectivity. The metal precursor and pH value of the aqueous solution have a large influence on the reactivity and chemoselectivity. The substituents on the benzene rings and the sulfonyl groups of TsDPEN have significant effects on the enantioselectivity. This catalytic asymmetric transformation is one of the most practical pathways to obtain optically active nitroalkanes.     

Organocatalytic synthesis of quaternary stereocenter bearing a fluorine atom: enantioselective conjugate addition of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters to nitroalkenes

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition reaction of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters to nitroalkenes promoted by chiral bifunctional organocatalysts is described. The treatment of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters with nitroalkenes under mild reaction conditions afforded the corresponding Michael adducts containing a fluorinated quaternary stereogenic center with excellent enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee).     

Highly asymmetric Michael additions of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to β-nitroalkenes promoted by chiral pyrrolidine-thiourea bifunctional catalysts

A series of secondary amine-thiourea catalysts derived from l-proline and chiral diamine were prepared and first applied to the Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to trans-β-nitroalkenes. Moderate yields (47-75%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) were obtained for a variety of aryl and heteroaryl nitroalkenes.     

The Reaction of 4-Formylsydnone with Nitroalkanes

Under various basic solutions and reaction durations, 3-substituted 4-formyIsydnones and nitroalkanes containing α-active hydrogen (e.g. nitromethane and nitroethane) are converted to β-nitroalcohols, nitroalkenes and dinitroalkanes. β-Nitroalcohols are obtained only by electrochemical reaction on an electrogenerated base (EGB). The mechanism of overall reaction steps in particular is discussed.     

Novel synthesis of α-nitroalkenes from nitroalkanes via halogenation of intermediate N,N-bis(silyloxy)enamines

An approach to conjugated nitroalkenes via oxidation of N,N-bis(silyloxy)enamines with bromine or iodine in the presence of tetra-n-butylammonium acetate is described. The acetate ion plays a key role by acting as a mild desilylating reagent. This new strategy allows the synthesis of α-nitroalkenes from the corresponding nitroalkanes.     

Enantio- and diastereoselective addition of thioacetic acid to nitroalkenes via N-sulfinyl urea catalysis

The enantioselective addition of thioacetic acid to nitroalkenes was achieved using N-sulfinyl urea catalysis. In this report, the scope of the reaction was extended to the enantio- and diastereoselective thioacetic acid addition to cyclic α,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes. Additionally, the role of the sulfinyl group was investigated by replacing it with a variety of aryl and sulfonyl groups. Of 15 urea catalysts synthesized and tested, none displayed comparable selectivity to the sulfinyl catalysts, highlighting the importance of the sulfinyl group in attaining high enantioselectivity in the thioacetic acid addition.     

Enantioselective organocatalytic conjugate addition of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones in water

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition reaction of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones promoted by chiral bifunctional organocatalysts is described. The treatment of α-nitroacetate to α,β-unsaturated ketones under aqueous-phase reaction conditions afforded the corresponding Michael adducts with high enantioselectivity. The conjugate addition adducts are easily converted to chiral δ-keto nitroalkanes and δ-keto esters.     

Highly Enantioselective Hydrogenation of β,β-Disubstituted Nitroalkenes

Building the building blocks: A highly enantioselective hydrogenation of β-aryl-β-alkyl disubstituted nitroalkenes 1 has been developed. This method results in enantiomerically pure nitroalkanes 2, which are versatile precursors for chemical synthesis.     

Squaramide-catalysed enantio- and diastereoselective sulfa-Michael addition of thioacetic acid to α,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes

A highly enantio- and diastereoselective sulfa-Michael addition of thioacetic acid to α,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes catalysed by a chiral squaramide organocatalyst has been described. This organocatalytic reaction at an extremely low catalyst loading (0.2 mol%) furnished synthetically useful β-nitro sulfides in excellent yields with good diastereoselectivities and high enantioselectivities (up to 94?:?6 dr, 95% ee). In addition, the catalytic reaction can be performed on a 10 gram scale, and facile transformation into taurine derivative is also presented.     

Synthesis of 3-(2-nitroalkyl) indoles by reaction of 3-(1-arylsulfonylalkyl) indoles with nitroalkanes

Sulfonyl indoles act as effective precursors of vinylogous imino derivatives in the reaction with nitroalkanes under basic conditions leading to the corresponding nitro indoles in good yield. This procedure represents an effective option to the classical conjugate addition of indoles to nitroalkenes.     

Reductive biotransformation of nitroalkenes via nitroso-intermediates to oxazetes catalyzed by xenobiotic reductase A (XenA)

A novel reductive biotransformation pathway for β,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes catalyzed by flavoproteins from the Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE) family was elucidated. It was shown to proceed via enzymatic reduction of the nitro-moiety to furnish the corresponding nitroso-alkene, which underwent spontaneous (non-enzymatic) electrocyclization to form highly strained 1,2-oxazete derivatives. At elevated temperatures the latter lost HCN via a retro-[2 + 2]-cycloaddition to form the corresponding ketones. This pathway was particularly dominant using xenobiotic reductase A, while pentaerythritol tetranitrate-reductase predominantly catalyzed the biodegradation via the Nef-pathway.     

Catalytic enantioselective protonation of nitronates utilizing an organocatalyst chiral only at sulfur

The highly enantioselective protonation of nitronates formed upon the addition of α-substituted Meldrum's acids to terminally unsubstituted nitroalkenes is described. This work represents the first enantioselective catalytic addition of any type of nucleophile to this class of nitroalkenes. Moreover, for the successful implementation of this method, a new type of N-sulfinyl urea catalyst with chirality residing only at the sulfinyl group was developed, thereby enabling the incorporation of a diverse range of achiral diamine motifs. Finally, the Meldrum's acid addition products were readily converted to pharmaceutically relevant 3,5-disubstituted pyrrolidinones in high yield.     

Preparation of novel multifunctional amino alcohols from nitroparaffins and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

A series of novel multifunctional amino alcohols were prepared by tandem Michael–Henry reaction by reacting nitroalkanes such as 2-nitropropane with readily available α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The dinitro compounds were further reduced by catalytic hydrogenation to obtain respective diamines. This synthetic route provides a very convenient method of preparing multifunctional amino alcohols.     

Enantioselective synthesis of nitroalkanes bearing all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers through Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate additions

The first examples of catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition (ACA) of alkylzinc reagents to trisubstituted nitroalkenes, leading to the formation of nitroalkanes bearing a quaternary carbon stereogenic center, are reported. Reactions are promoted in the presence of 4 mol % of a readily available amino acid-based phosphine and 2 mol % (CuOTf).C6H6. Cu-catalyzed reactions proceed efficiently in up to 98% ee and can be carried out with a variety of dialkylzinc reagents and trisubstituted nitroolefins. We highlight the synthetic utility of the products obtained by efficient conversion of optically enriched nitroalkanes to the corresponding carboxylic acids.     

Enantioselective conjugate addition of nitro compounds to α,β-unsaturated ketones: an experimental and computational study

A series of chiral thioureas derived from easily available diamines, prepared from α-amino acids, have been tested as catalysts in the enantioselective Michael additions of nitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated ketones. The best results are obtained with the bifunctional catalyst prepared from L-valine. This thiourea promotes the reaction with high enantioselectivities and chemical yields for aryl/vinyl ketones, but the enantiomeric ratio for alkyl/vinyl derivatives is very modest. The addition of substituted nitromethanes led to the corresponding adducts with excellent enantioselectivity but very poor diastereoselectivity. Evidence for the isomerization of the addition products has been obtained from the reaction of chalcone with [D(3)]nitromethane, which shows that the final addition products epimerize under the reaction conditions. The epimerization explains the low diastereoselectivity observed in the formation of adducts with two adjacent tertiary stereocenters. Density functional studies of the transition structures corresponding to two alternative activation modes of the nitroalkanes and α,β-unsaturated ketones by the bifunctional organocatalyst have been carried out at the B3LYP/3-21G* level. The computations are consistent with a reaction model involving the Michael addition of the thiourea-activated nitronate to the ketone activated by the protonated amine of the organocatalyst. The enantioselectivities predicted by the computations are consistent with the experimental values obtained for aryl- and alkyl-substituted α,β-unsaturated ketones.