Catalytic Kinetic Resolution by Enantioselective Aromatization: Conversion of Racemic Intermediates of the Barton–Zard Reaction into Enantioenriched 3‐Arylpyrroles

Racemic 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles, hypothetical intermediates of the Barton–Zard reaction, were synthesized in a highly diastereoselective manner and fully characterized for the first time. Kinetic resolution of the dihydropyrroles with a quinine‐derived thiourea afforded the (+)‐3‐arylpyrrole products and recovered (+)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles with high efficiency (s‐factor up to 153). The resolved (+)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles underwent subsequent aromatization with a quinidine‐derived thiourea catalyst to afford (?)‐3‐arylpyrroles with excellent central‐to‐axial chirality transfer. In contrast to the well‐accepted Barton–Zard mechanism, the aromatization of the 3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐pyrroles in the presence of a bifunctional catalyst is believed to proceed by an unprecedented sequence involving syn elimination of HNO₂ and aromatization.     

Isothiourea-Catalyzed Atropselective Acylation of Biaryl Phenols via Sequential Desymmetrization/Kinetic Resolution

Axially chiral phenols are attractive targets in organic synthesis. This motif is central to many natural products and widely used as precursors to, or directly, as chiral ligands and catalysts. Despite their utility few simple catalytic methods are available for their synthesis in high enantiopurity. Herein the atropselective acylation of a range of symmetric biaryl diols is investigated using isothiourea catalysis. Studies on a model biaryl diol substrate shows that the high product er observed in the process is a result of two successive enantioselective reactions consisting of an initial enantioselective desymmetrization coupled with a second chiroablative kinetic resolution. Extension of this process to a range of substrates, including a challenging tetraorthosubstituted biaryl diol, led to highly enantioenriched products (14 examples, up to 98:2 er), with either HyperBTM or BTM identified as the optimal catalyst depending upon the substitution pattern within the substrate. Computation has been used to understand the factors that lead to high enantiocontrol in this process, with maintenance of planarity to maximize a 1,5-S⋅⋅⋅O interaction within the key acyl ammonium intermediate identified as the major feature that determines atropselective acylation and thus product enantioselectivity.     

Double Catalytic Kinetic Resolution (DoCKR) of Acyclic anti‐1,3‐Diols: The Additive Horeau Amplification

The concept of a synergistic double catalytic kinetic resolution (DoCKR) as described in this article was successfully applied to racemic acyclic anti ‐1,3‐diols, a common motif in natural products. This process takes advantage of an additive Horeau amplification involving two successive enantioselective organocatalytic acylation reactions, and leads to diesters and recovered diols with high enantiopurities. It was first developed with C ₂‐symmetrical diols and then further extended to non‐C ₂‐symmetrical anti diols to prepare useful chiral building blocks. The protocol is highly practical as it only requires 1 mol % of a commercially available organocatalyst and leads to easily separable products. This procedure was applied to the shortest reported total synthesis of (+)‐cryptocaryalactone, a natural product with anti‐germinative activity.     

Carbene-Catalyzed Dynamic Kinetic Resolution and Asymmetric Acylation of Hydroxyphthalides and Related Natural Products

A catalytic dynamic kinetic resolution and asymmetric acylation reaction of hydroxyphthalides is developed. The reaction involves formation of a carbene catalyst derived chiral acyl azolium intermediate that effectively differentiates the two enantiomers of racemic hydroxyphthalides. The method allows quick access to enantiomerically enriched phthalidyl esters with proven applications in medicine. It also enables asymmetric modification of natural products and other functional molecules that contain acetal/ketal groups, such as corollosporine and fimbricalyxlactone C.     

Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of 2-Amido Benzyl Alcohols: Asymmetric Synthesis of 4H-3,1-Benzoxazines

An efficient method for the asymmetric synthesis of 4H-3,1-benzoxazines was developed by kinetic resolution of 2-amido benzyl alcohols using chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular cyclizations. A broad range of benzyl alcohols (both secondary and tertiary alcohols) were kinetically resolved with high selectivities, with an s factor of up to 94. Mechanistic studies were performed to elucidate the mechanism of these reactions, wherein the amide moieties reacted as the electrophiles. Gram-scale reaction and facile transformations of the chiral products demonstrate the potential of this method in asymmetric synthesis of biologically active chiral heterocycles.     

Kinetic Resolution of Tertiary 2‐Alkoxycarboxamido‐Substituted Allylic Alcohols by Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Intramolecular Transesterification

A highly enantioselective kinetic resolution of tertiary 2‐alkoxycarboxamido allylic alcohols has been achieved through a chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular transesterification reaction. Both alkyl,aryl‐ and dialkyl‐substituted tertiary allylic alcohols were resolved with excellent efficiencies, affording both the recovered tertiary alcohols and the carbamate products with high enantioselectivities (with s factors up to 164.6). A gram‐scale reaction with 1 mol % catalyst loading and the facile conversion of the enantioenriched products into useful chiral building blocks, such as chiral oxazolidinones and β‐amino alcohols, demonstrate the value of this reaction.     

Design,Synthesis, and Application of a Chiral Sulfinamide Phosphine Catalyst for the Enantioselective Intramolecular Rauhut–Currier Reaction

A novel class of chiral sulfinamide phosphine catalysts (Xiao‐Phos) are reported, which can be easily prepared from inexpensive commercially available starting materials. The Xiao‐Phos catalysts showed good performance in enantioselective intramolecular Rauhut–Currier reactions, generating α‐methylene‐γ‐butyrolactones in high yields with up to 99 % ee under mild conditions. Moreover, kinetic resolution and parallel kinetic resolution were also observed with the use of two different substituted racemic precursors.     

(Dynamic) Kinetic Resolution of Enamines/Imines: Enantioselective N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed [3+3] Annulation of Bromoenals and Enamines/Imines

The enantioselective N‐heterocyclic carbene catalyzed [3+3] annulation of α‐bromoenals by dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of enamines and normal resolution of α,α‐disubstituted imines were developed. The corresponding substituted dihydropyridones were isolated in good yields with excellent diastereo‐ and enantioselectivities, and a high selective factor (up to 83) was realized for the resolution of α,α‐disubstituted imines.     

Design and Enantioselective Construction of Axially Chiral Naphthyl‐Indole Skeletons

The first enantioselective construction of a new class of axially chiral naphthyl‐indole skeletons has been established by organocatalytic asymmetric coupling reactions of 2‐naphthols with 2‐indolylmethanols (up to 99 % yield, 97:3 e.r.). This approach not only affords a new type of axially chiral heterobiaryl backbone, but also provides a new catalytic enantioselective strategy for constructing axially chiral biaryl scaffolds by making use of the C3‐electrophilicity of 2‐indolylmethanols.     

Hydrogen‐Bond‐Enabled Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Axially Chiral Amides Mediated by a Chiral Counterion

Non‐biaryl atropisomers are valuable in medicine, materials, and catalysis, but their enantioselective synthesis remains a challenge. Herein, a counterion‐mediated O‐alkylation method for the generation of atropisomeric amides with an er up to 99:1 is outlined. This dynamic kinetic resolution is enabled by the observation that the rate of racemization of atropisomeric naphthamides is significantly increased by the presence of an intramolecular O?H???NCO hydrogen bond. Upon O‐alkylation of the H‐bond donor, the barrier to rotation is significantly increased. Quantum calculations demonstrate that the intramolecular H‐bond reduces the rotational barrier about the aryl–amide bond, stabilizing the planar transition state for racemization by approximately 40 kJ mol^?1, thereby facilitating the observed dynamic kinetic resolution.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of a Chiral Coordination Polymer with Circularly Polarized Visible Laser

Circular dichroism is known to be the feature of a chiral agent which has inspired scientist to study the interesting phenomena of circularly polarized light (CPL) modulated molecular chirality. Although several organic molecules or assemblies have been found to be CPL‐responsive, the influence of CPL on the assembly of chiral coordination compounds remains unknown. Herein, a chiral coordination polymer, which is constructed from achiral agents, was used to study the CPL‐induced enantioselective synthesis. By irradiation with either left‐handed or right‐handed CPL during the reaction and crystallization, enantiomeric excesses of the crystalline product were obtained. Left‐handed CPL resulted in crystals with a left‐handed helical structure, and right‐handed CPL led to crystals with a right‐handed helical structure. It is exciting that the absolute asymmetric synthesis of a chiral coordination polymer could be enantioselective when using CPL, and provides a strategy for the control of the chirality of chiral coordination polymers.