Synthesis of pyroglutamic acid derivatives via double michael reactions of alkynones

In the presence of substoichiometric quantities of potassium tert-butoxide and an additional metal salt, amide-tethered diacids undergo double Michael reactions with alkynones to provide highly functionalized pyroglutamic acid derivatives. The metal salt was found to play an important role in improving the diastereoselectivities of the reactions.     

Chiral ethylene-bridged flavinium salts: the stereoselectivity of flavin-10a-hydroperoxide formation and the effect of substitution on the photochemical properties

A series of chiral non-racemic N¹,N¹⁰-ethylene bridged flavinium salts 4 was prepared using enantiomerically pure 2-substituted 2-aminoethanols (R?=?isopropyl, phenyl, benzyl, 4-methoxybenzyl, 4-benzyloxybenzyl) derived from amino acids as the sole source of chirality. The flavinium salts were shown to form 10a-hydroperoxy- and 10a-methoxy-adducts with moderate to high diastereoselectivity depending on the ethylene bridge substituent originating from the starting amino acid. High diastereoselectivities (dr values from 80:20 to >95:5) were observed for flavinium salts bearing benzyl substituents attached to the ethylene bridge. The benzyl group preferred the face-to-face (syn) orientation relative to the flavinium unit; thereby effectively preventing nucleophilic attack from one side. This conformation was found to be the most stable according to the DFT calculations. Consequently, the presence of benzyl groups causes intermolecular fluorescence quenching resulting in a significant decrease in the fluorescence quantum yield from 11% for 4a bearing an isopropyl substituent to 0.3% for 4c containing a benzyl group and to a value lower than 0.1% for the benzyloxybenzyl derivative 4e.     

The role of aromatic radical cations and benzylic cations in the 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate photosensitized oxidation of ring-methoxylated benzyl alcohols in CH2Cl2 solution

A steady-state and laser flash photolysis (LFP) study of the TPPBF(4)-photosensitized oxidation of ring-methoxylated benzyl alcohols has been carried out. Direct evidence on the involvement of intermediate benzyl alcohol radical cations and benzylic cations in these reactions has been provided through LFP experiments. The reactions lead to the formation of products (benzaldehydes, dibenzyl ethers, and diphenylmethanes) whose amounts and distributions are influenced by the number and relative position of the methoxy substituents. This behavior has been rationalized in terms of the interplay between the stabilities of benzyl alcohol radical cations and benzyl cations involved in these processes. A general mechanism for the TPPBF(4)-photosensitized reactions of ring-methoxylated benzyl alcohols has been proposed, where the alpha-OH group of the parent substrate acts as the deprotonating base promoting alpha-C-H deprotonation of the benzyl alcohol radical cation (formed after electron transfer from the benzyl alcohol to TPP) to give a benzyl radical and a protonated benzyl alcohol, precursor of the benzylic cation. This hypothesis is in contrast with previous studies, where formation of the benzyl cation was suggested to occur from the neutral benzyl alcohol through the Lewis acid action of excited TPP(+) (TPP).     

Highly diastereoselective enolate addition of O-protected alpha-hydroxyacetate to (S(R))-tert-butanesulfinylimines: synthesis of taxol side chain

The taxol side chain (S(R),2R,3S)-N-tert-butanesulfinyl-O-Boc-3-phenylisoserine benzyl ester 4c was synthesized through a lithium enolate addition of O-Boc-alpha-hydroxyacetate benzyl ester 5c to benzylidene (S(R))-tert-butanesulfinamide 6a in excellent yield and diastereoselectivity. By similar approach, a series of enantiopure 3-substituted isoserine benzyl esters 4 useful for the semi-syntheses of taxol derivatives were also prepared in high to excellent yields and diastereoselectivities. The diastereoselective addition mechanism was discussed on the basis of the experimental observation.     

Synthesis of two (S)-indoline-based chiral auxiliaries and their use in diastereoselective alkylation reactions

Two chiral auxiliaries, 2-[(S)-indolin-2-yl]propan-2-ol 1a and (S)-2-(2-methoxypropan-2-yl)indoline 1b, were synthesised from enantiomerically pure (S)-indoline-2-carboxylic acid 3. High diastereoselectivities in alkylations of enolates of the propanoylamides derived from the two auxiliaries are presented. Surprisingly, both auxiliaries induced the same selectivity at the newly created stereogenic centre. The benzyl bromide and n-butyl iodide alkylation reactions showed diastereomeric ratios that were moderate (81:19) to very good (96:4) and with very good yields (86–98%). When LiCl was used as an enolate coordinating agent, in the benzylation of the enolate from propanoylated auxiliary 1a, a very high crude diastereomeric ratio was obtained (99.7:0.3).     

Direct organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions in aqueous media: one-pot Mannich-allylation reactions

The first direct organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions in aqueous media are demonstrated herein. l-Proline-catalyzed reactions in aqueous media to provide β-formyl substituted α-amino acid derivatives with excellent diastereoselectivities (dr up to 19:1, syn/anti) and high enantioselectivities (ee between 72 and >99%). These conditions provided for the development of novel one-pot asymmetric syntheses of cyclic γ-allyl substituted α-amino acid derivatives (ee up to >99%). This was accomplished by combining the proline-catalyzed Mannich-type reactions with indium promoted allylations in aqueous media.     

A chiral thioureido acid as an effective additive for enantioselective organocatalytic Michael additions of nitroolefins

A novel and effective organocatalytic system consisting of pyrrolidinyl-thioimidazole and a chiral thioureido acid efficiently catalyzed the asymmetric Michael addition reactions of ketones to nitroolefins to afford the adducts with high diastereoselectivities (up to 99 : 1) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).     

Gas-Phase Chemistry of Benzyl Cations in Dissociation of <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">N</Emphasis>-Benzylammonium and <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">N</Emphasis>-Benzyliminium Ions Studied by Mass Spectrometry

In this study, the fragmentation reactions of various N-benzylammonium and N-benzyliminium ions were investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. In general, the dissociation of N-benzylated cations generates benzyl cations easily. Formation of ion/neutral complex intermediates consisting of the benzyl cations and the neutral fragments was observed. The intra-complex reactions included electrophilic aromatic substitution, hydride transfer, electron transfer, proton transfer, and nucleophilic aromatic substitution. These five types of reactions almost covered all the potential reactivities of benzyl cations in chemical reactions. Benzyl cations are well-known as Lewis acid and electrophile in reactions, but the present study showed that the gas-phase reactivities of some suitably ring-substituted benzyl cations were far richer. The 4-methylbenzyl cation was found to react as a Brønsted acid, benzyl cations bearing a strong electron-withdrawing group were found to react as electron acceptors, and para-halogen-substituted benzyl cations could react as substrates for nucleophilic attack at the phenyl ring. The reactions of benzyl cations were also related to the neutral counterparts. For example, in electron transfer reaction, the neutral counterpart should have low ionization energy and in nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction, the neutral counterpart should be piperazine or analogues. This study provided a panoramic view of the reactions of benzyl cations with neutral N-containing species in the gas phase.     

Synthesis of functionalized 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans by cyclization of 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes with epoxides

The Lewis acid mediated cyclization of epoxides with 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadienes, electroneutral equivalents of 1,3-dicarbonyl dianions, results in the formation of 2-alkylidenetetrahydrofurans with a great variety of substitution patterns and functional groups. This includes the synthesis of 2,3'-bifuranylidenes and 7-oxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonanes. The cyclization of dienes with functionalized epoxides containing base-labile groups proceeds with good chemoselectivity. In all reactions, good regio- and E diastereoselectivities are observed. Based on the stereoselectivities observed for reactions of 1,2-disubstituted epoxides, a working hypothesis for the mechanism of the reaction is suggested.     

Highly enantioselective direct syn- and anti-aldol reactions of dihydroxyacetones catalyzed by chiral primary amine catalysts

We present herein simple primary-tertiary diamine-Br?nsted acid conjugates that catalyze both syn- and anti-aldol reactions of dihydroxyacetones (DHAs) with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities. This type of organocatalysts functionally mimics all four DHA aldolases, namely L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase, D-tagatose-1,6-diphosphate aldolase, D-fructose-1,6-diphosphate aldolase, and L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase.     

Virtually complete control of simple and face diastereoselectivity in the Michael addition reactions between achiral equivalents of a nucleophilic glycine and (S)- or (R)-3-(E-enoyl)-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones: practical method for preparation of beta-substituted pyroglutamic acids and prolines

This study demonstrates a new strategy for controlling the stereochemical outcome of the Michael addition reactions between nucleophilic glycine equivalents and alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives: The addition reactions between achiral Ni(II)-complex of the Schiff base of glycine with o-[N-alpha-pycolylamino]acetophenone and (S)- or (R)-3-(E-enoyl)-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones were shown to occur at room temperature in the presence of nonchelating organic bases and, most notably, with very high stereoselectivity at both newly formed stereogenic centers. Thus, the chiral 4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one moiety was found to control efficiently both face diastereoselectivities of the glycine derived enolate and the C,C double bond of the Michael acceptor. The new strategy developed in this work is methodologically superior to previous methods, most notably in terms of generality and synthetic efficiency. Excellent chemical yields and diastereoselectivities, combined with the simplicity of the experimental procedures, render the present method of immediate use for preparing various 3-substituted pyroglutamic acids and related amino acids (glutamic acids, glutamines, prolines, etc.) available via conventional transformations of the former.     

Highly diastereoselective nucleophilic addition reactions of masked acyl cyanide reagents to tert-butanesulfiminides

Addition reactions of dicyanomethyl tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether (H–MAC–TBS) to optically active tert-butanesulfinimides afforded α-amino acid precursors in excellent yields and with high diastereoselectivities.     

Aza Diels-Alder reactions utilizing 4-iodo-2-trimethylsilyloxy-butadiene

The aza Diels-Alder reaction is described for a novel diene. Imines bearing benzyl and aromatic protecting groups both work well. Moderate diastereoselectivities can be obtained using the simple α-methylbenzyl chiral auxiliary.     

Asymmetric direct aldol reactions of pyruvic derivatives

Simple chiral primary-tertiary diamine-Br?nsted acid conjugates such as 1e can effectively catalyze the direct aldol reactions of pyruvic derivatives with excellent syn diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities, thus functionally mimicking the pyruvate-dependent type I aldolases.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of delta-aminoacids through domino Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and Michael addition

A novel domino reaction--stereoselective Ireland-Claisen rearrangement and asymmetric Michael addition--is described. A protocol starting from Baylis-Hillman adducts 3a-f using chiral lithium amide affords optically active gamma-substituted delta-amino acids 4a-f with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities. The acid can be isolated easily from large-scale reactions and transformed to 2,3-disubstituted piperidines 11 or 2-substituted nipecotic acid derivates 12.     

γ-手性顺式的共轭烯醛与有机锂化合物的立体选择性反应

本文研究了在手性的顺式-γ-氨基-α,β-不饱和醛(7)与有机锂化合物的亲核加成反应中的1,4-不对称诱导效应.结果表明: 7与α-烷氧基乙烯醇锂类化合物的反应导致了优良的非对映立体选择性(d.e. : 60～90%), 而与烷基锂试剂的反应也给出了高度的立体选择性(d.e.: 74～86%). 这说明在这些反应中 , 存在着一种1,4-不对称诱导反应 .     

Synthesis of aryl-hydrazones via ultrasound irradiation in aqueous medium

The synthesis of aryl-hydrazones from aromatic aldehydes/ketones and hydrazides (semicarbazide, thiosemicarbazide and aminoguanidine) is described using aqueous medium (acid conditions) under ultrasound irradiation with short reaction times (20-30 min), the reactions occurring at room temperature and giving rise to good to excellent yields of the products, along with the diastereoselectivities. The procedure is also simple and clean.     

Diastereoselective solid-phase radical addition to oxime ether anchored to polymer support

Stereocontrol in radical reactions of oxime ether anchored to polymer support was studied. Highly diastereoselective solid-phase radical reaction was achieved by using triethylborane and diethylzinc as a radical initiator at low reaction temperature, providing a novel method for the synthesis of the alpha-amino acid derivatives with excellent diastereoselectivities.     

Stereocontrol in solid-phase radical reactions: radical addition to oxime ether anchored to polymer support

A high degree of stereocontrol in solid-phase radical reactions was achieved by using triethylborane and diethylzinc as a radical initiator at low reaction temperature. Alkyl radical addition to Oppolzer's camphorsultam derivatives of oxime ether anchored to polymer support proceeded smoothly to give the alpha-amino acid derivatives with excellent diastereoselectivities.     

Highly stereoselective peptide modifications through Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylations of chelated peptide enolates

Deprotonation of peptides in the presence of zinc chloride gives rise to highly reactive nucleophiles that can be subjected to palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reactions. Excellent diastereoselectivities are obtained that are nearly independent of the allylic substrate used. By using this protocol, highly functionalized side chains can also be incorporated in excellent yields and selectivities. The stereochemical outcome of the reaction is exclusively controlled by the peptide chain as long as terminal pi-allyl-palladium complexes are involved. Probably, there is a threefold coordination, at least, of the deprotonated peptide chain to the chelating zinc ion. In such metal peptide complexes, one face of the generated enolate is shielded by the side chain of the adjacent amino acid, thus directing the electrophilic attack onto the opposite face. This behavior explains why an S amino acid always generates an R amino acid (and the other way round).