Highly Enantioselective Iridium‐Catalyzed Hydrogenation of α,β‐Unsaturated Esters

α,β‐Unsaturated esters have been employed as substrates in iridium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation. Full conversions and good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee) were obtained for a broad range of substrates with both aromatic‐ and aliphatic substituents on the prochiral carbon. The hydrogenated products are highly useful as building blocks in the synthesis of a variety of natural products and pharmaceuticals.     

Chemoselectivity Control in the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of γ‐ and δ‐Keto Esters into Hydroxy Esters or Diols

The asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic γ‐ and δ‐keto esters into optically active hydroxy esters or diols under the catalysis of a novel DIPSkewphos/3‐AMIQ–Ru^II complex was studied. Under the optimized conditions (8 atm H₂ , Ru complex/t‐C₄H₉OK=1:3.5, 25 °C) the γ‐ and δ‐hydroxy esters (including γ‐lactones) were obtained quantitatively with 97–99 % ee. When the reaction was conducted under somewhat harsh conditions (20 atm H₂ , [t‐C₄H₉OK]=50 mm , 40 °C), the 1,4‐ and 1,5‐diols were obtained predominantly with 95–99 % ee. The reactivity of the ester group was notably dependent on the length of the carbon spacer between the two carbonyl moieties of the substrate. The reaction of β‐ and ?‐keto esters selectively afforded the hydroxy esters regardless of the reaction conditions. This catalyst system was applied to the enantioselective and regioselective (for one of the two ester groups) hydrogenation of a γ‐?‐diketo diester into a trihydroxy ester.     

Enantioselective Alkylation of N‐Arylhydrazones Derived from α‐Keto Esters and Isatin Derivatives through Asymmetric Phase‐Transfer Catalysis

The phase‐transfer‐catalyzed asymmetric alkylation reactions of N‐arylhydrazones derived from α‐keto‐esters and isatin derivatives afford enantioenriched azo compounds that bear a tetra‐substituted carbon stereocenter in good yields with high chemo‐ and enantioselectivity. The alkylation products can be readily converted into chiral amino esters, hydrazine derivatives, and aza‐β‐lactams without loss of enantiopurity.     

Asymmetric Reduction of 2‐Chloro‐3‐oxo Esters by Transfer Hydrogenation

Asymmetric reduction of 2‐chloro‐3‐oxo esters was achieved by catalytic transfer hydrogenation using [RuCl₂(p‐cymene)](S,S)‐TsDPEN as the chiral catalyst and HCOOH‐Et₃N as the hydrogen source. Moderate to good yields (up to 85%) and good enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) were obtained.     

Synthesis of β‐Substituted γ‐Aminobutyric Acid Derivatives through Enantioselective Photoredox Catalysis

β‐Substituted chiral γ‐aminobutyric acids feature important biological activities and are valuable intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Herein, an efficient catalytic enantioselective approach for the synthesis of β‐substituted γ‐aminobutyric acid derivatives through visible‐light‐induced photocatalyst‐free asymmetric radical conjugate additions is reported. Various β‐substituted γ‐aminobutyric acid analogues, including previously inaccessible derivatives containing fluorinated quaternary stereocenters, were obtained in good yields (42–89 %) and with excellent enantioselectivity (90–97 % ee). Synthetically valuable applications were demonstrated by providing straightforward synthetic access to the pharmaceuticals or related bioactive compounds (S)‐pregabalin, (R)‐baclofen, (R)‐rolipram, and (S)‐nebracetam.     

Asymmetric Fluorinative Dearomatization of Tryptophol Derivatives by Chiral Anion Phase‐Transfer Catalysis

An asymmetric fluorinative dearomatization reaction of tryptophol derivatives was developed via chiral anion phase‐transfer catalysis. Various fluorinated furoindolines were obtained in moderate to excellent yields and enantioselectivity in the presence of Selectfluor. The preliminary mechanistic studies suggested the existence of an in situ formed tryptophol boronic ester plays a critical role in determining the enantioselectivity. This method features the facile introduction of a fluorine atom in a highly enantioselective manner and construction of two contiguous quaternary stereogenic centers.     

Iridium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Allylic Substitution of Unstabilized Enolates Derived from α,β‐Unsaturated Ketones

We report Ir‐catalyzed, enantioselective allylic substitution reactions of unstabilized silyl enolates derived from α,β‐unsaturated ketones. Asymmetric allylic substitution of a variety of allylic carbonates with silyl enolates gave allylated products in 62–94 % yield with 90–98 % ee and >20:1 branched‐to‐linear selectivity. The synthetic utility of this method was illustrated by the short synthesis of an anticancer agent, TEI‐9826.     

Selective α-Bromination of β-Keto Esters in Reusable PEG-400 under Mild and Catalyst-free Conditions

An efficient bromination protocol for the synthesis of α-bromo-β-keto esters has been developed. In PEG-400 （poly（ethylene glycol-400））, a variety of β-keto esters were treated with NBS （N-bromosuccinimide） at room temperature to selectively afford the corresponding α-monobromination products in excellent yields. It is noteworthy that the reaction was conducted under mild, environmentally benign and catalyst-free conditions.     

Bismuth(III) Chloride‐Catalyzed Highly Efficient Transesterification of β‐Keto Esters

Bismuth(III) chloride was found to be an efficient catalyst for the transesterification of a variety of β‐keto esters with a wide range of alcohols to afford transesterified products in good to high yields in short reaction times (see Table).     

Chiral Auxiliary Based Reductive Alkylation of α,α‐Diallkyl β‐Phosphonyl Esters

Acyclic α,α‐disubstituted β‐phosphonyl esters containing chiral alcoholic auxiliaries were efficiently prepared and evaluated for the lithium naphthalenide‐mediated asymmetric reductive alkylation. Among which, the best diastereoselectivity was received from the substrates bearing a (?)‐phenylmenthyl group in leading to alkylated esters with up to 83:17 dr. The diastereoselectivity is proven to be controlled by the π‐facial differentiation created by the chiral ester as well as the geometry of tetrasubstituted enolates generated by the reductive cleavage of C‐P bond.     

Synthesis of α,β‐Unsaturated Ketones and Esters Using Polymer‐supported Selenium Bromide

Treatment of the polymer‐supported α‐phenylseleno ketones and esters prepared from polymer‐supported selenium bromide with ketone and ester enolates with hydrogen peroxide afford α,β‐unsaturated ketones and esters in good yields and high purities.     

α‐Chiral Acetylenes Having an All‐Carbon Quaternary Center: Phase Transfer Catalyzed Enantioselective α Alkylation of α‐Alkyl‐α‐alkynyl Esters

Going through the phases : The title reaction was found to proceed by an initial base‐mediated isomerization to allenyl esters and subsequent phase transfer catalyzed alkylation at the α position of the ester (see scheme).

     

AgOTf‐catalyzed transesterification of β‐keto esters

AgOTf proved to be an effective catalyst for the transesterification of β‐keto esters with primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols. The products were obtained in high yield within a reasonable reaction time period. The kinetics of the transesterification reaction were also studied and the reaction was found to follow second‐order kinetics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymmetric Copper‐Catalyzed Vinylogous Mukaiyama Michael Addition of Cyclic Dienol Silanes to Unsaturated α‐Keto Phosphonates

A highly stereoselective vinylogous Mukaiyama Michael reaction (VMMR) leading to α‐keto phosphonate‐containing γ‐butenolides with two stereogenic centers is described. The presented transformation is catalyzed by a combination of a commercially available C₂‐symmetric bisoxazoline (BOX) ligand and a copper salt and tolerates a variety of nucleophiles and electrophiles. The stereoselectivities of the reactions are good to excellent and the products are obtained in moderate to high yields.