Catalytic Enantioselective 1,3‐Alkyl Shift in Alkyl Aryl Ethers: Efficient Synthesis of Optically Active 3,3′‐Diaryloxindoles

Reported is the first organocatalytic asymmetric 1,3‐alkyl shift in alkyl aryl ethers for the synthesis of chiral 3,3′‐diaryloxindoles using a chiral Brønsted acid catalyst. Preliminary results showed that each enantiomer of the 3,3′‐diaryloxindole, and a racemic mixture, showed different antiproliferative activities against HeLa cell lines by using an MTT assay.     

Catalyst‐Controlled 1,2‐ and 1,1‐Arylboration of α‐Alkyl Alkenyl Arenes

Two methods are reported for the 1,2‐ and 1,1‐arylboration of α‐methyl vinyl arenes. In the case of 1,2‐arylboration, the formation of a quaternary center occurred through a rare cross‐coupling reaction of a tertiary organometallic complex. 1,1‐Arylboration was enabled by catalyst optimization and occurred through a β‐hydride elimination/reinsertion cascade. Enantioselective variants of both processes are presented as well as mechanistic investigations.     

Asymmetric 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloadditions of 2‐Diazocyclohexane‐1,3‐diones and Alkyl Diazopyruvates

The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reactions of 2‐diazocyclohexane‐1,3‐dione ( 7a ; Table 1) and of alkyl diazopyruvates ( 11a – e ; Table 3) to 2,3‐dihydrofuran and other enol ethers have been investigated in the presence of chiral transition metal catalysts. With Rh^II catalysts, the cycloadditions were not enantioselective, but those catalyzed by [Ru^IICl₂( 1a )] and [Ru^IICl₂( 1b )] proceeded with enantioselectivities of up to 58% and 74% ee, respectively, when diazopyruvates 11 were used as substrates. The phenyliodonium ylide 7c yielded the adduct 8a in lower yield and poorer selectivity than the corresponding diazo precursor 7a (Table 2) upon decomposition with [Ru(pybox)] catalysts. This suggests that ylide decomposition by Ru^II catalysts, contrary to that of the corresponding diazo precursors, does not lead to Ru‐carbene complexes as reactive intermediates. Our method represents the first reproducible, enantioselective 1,3‐cycloaddition of these types of substrates.