Dynamic kinetic asymmetric cycloadditions of isocyanates to vinylaziridines

The first examples of the use of racemic vinylaziridines in a Pd-catalyzed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation have been examined. Optimization studies of the Pd-catalyzed addition of vinylaziridines to isocyanates revealed that the chiral ligand between trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and 2-diphenylphosphino-1-naphthoic acid is superior to that involving 2-diphenylphosphino benzoic acid. Surprisingly, high ee's required the use of an acid whose pKa was about 4.7 +/- 0.1 as a cocatalyst. Both acetic acid and hydroxybenzotriazole meet this requirement. Less electrophilic isocyanates (e.g., benzyl, p-methoxyphenyl) gave higher ee's than more electrophilic ones (phenyl or benzoyl). Both N-benzyl and N-arylaziridines react well to give good yields and ee's, whereas N-tosylaziridines gave lower ee's. A 1,1-disubstituted aziridine led to the formation of a tertiary C-N bond with ee's comparable to the formation of the secondary C-N bond. The products were easily reduced almost quantitatively to the sensitive imidazolidines which can be readily hydrolyzed to the vicinal diamines. The reactivity pattern is consistent with a Curtin-Hammett situation wherein the enantiodiscriminating event is the cyclization of a rapidly equilibrating dynamic pi-allyl palladium intermediate.     

Effects of different composition ratio on the dielectric relaxation and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(ω‐dodecalactam‐co‐ε‐caprolactam‐co‐propylene oxide) copolymers

The molecular dynamics of new poly (ω‐dodecalactam‐co‐ε‐caprolactam‐co‐propylene oxide) copolymers (DL/CL/PAC) has been investigated by using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) measurements. The copolymers were synthesized via anionic polymerization of relevant lactams activated with carbamoyl derivatives of telechelic hydroxyl terminated polypropylene oxide with isophorone diisocyanate (PAC). The calorimetric, X‐ray diffraction, and DMTA measurements were performed to recognize the influence of the composition ratio and the type of PAC on the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the synthesized copolymers. The DRS was used to study the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity of some isotherms from ?110 to 145 °C. Copolymerization of ε‐caprolactam with about 10 wt % ω‐dodecalactam results in a copolymer that has lower water absorption, a melting point close to that of polyamide 6 and has a high enough degree of crystallinity in respect to high storage modulus. Five dielectric relaxations have been observed in the dielectric spectra, three at lower temperature and two at higher temperature. The copolymers have two glass transition temperatures for polyamide segments and polyether blocks, indicating microphase separation in the copolymers. Other studies directed toward molecular dynamics of polyamide DL/CL/PAC copolymers have not been reported. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

A general copper-BINAP-catalyzed asymmetric propargylation of ketones with propargyl boronates

An operationally simple copper-BINAP-catalyzed, highly enantioselective propargylation of ketones is presented. The methodology was developed as an enantioselective process for methyl ethyl ketone and shown to be applicable to a wide variety of prochiral ketones. The resulting homopropargyl adducts are versatile latent carbonyls from which γ-butyrolactones, β-hydroxy methyl ketones, and β-hydroxycarboxylates are readily obtained.     

Three‐dimensional structure of cyclic antibiotic teicoplanin aglycone using NMR distance and dihedral angle restraints in a DMSO solvation model

The three‐dimensional solution conformation of teicoplanin aglycone was determined using NMR spectroscopy. A combination of NOE and dihedral angle restraints in a DMSO solvation model was used to calculate an ensemble of structures having a root mean square deviation of 0.17 Å. The structures were generated using systematic searches of conformational space for optimal satisfaction of distance and dihedral angle restraints. Comparison of the NMR‐derived structure of teicoplanin aglycone with the X‐ray structure of a teicoplanin aglycone analog revealed a common backbone conformation with deviation of two aromatic side chain substituents. Experimentally determined backbone ¹³C chemical shifts showed good agreement with those computed at the density functional level of theory, providing a cross validation of the backbone conformation. The flexible portion of the molecule was consistent with the region that changes conformation to accommodate protein binding. The results showed that a hydrogen‐bonded DMSO molecule in combination with NMR‐derived restraints together enabled calculation of structures that satisfied experimental data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

One-step construction of 2-substituted-4,6-diazaindoles from carboxylic acid derivatives

Treatment of unprotected 5-amino-4-methylpyrimidine (2) with n-BuLi gave dianion 3. Direct condensation of the dianion with various carboxylic acid derivatives furnished a range of 2-substituted-4,6-diazaindoles in good yields in one step without the need for protecting groups or oxidation-state adjustment.     

DYKAT of vinyl aziridines: total synthesis of (+)-pseudodistomin D

A concise total synthesis of (+)-pseudodistomin D was developed. The absolute stereochemistry was established through a dynamic kinetic asymmetric cycloaddition of an isocyanate to a vinyl aziridine. The piperidine core was constructed through a silver(I)-catalyzed hydroamination of an alkyne and subsequent diastereo- and regioselective reduction. [reaction: see text]     

Catalytic enantioselective pyrrole alkylations of alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles

[reaction: see text] Enantioselective additions of pyrroles to alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles catalyzed by the bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complex (1) have been accomplished. The alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles were synthesized in high yields through Wittig olefination. A short, enantioselective synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-heliotridane has been accomplished utilizing this methodology and a 2-acyl imidazole cleavage and cyclization. This methodology was then extended to the one-pot asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted indoles.     

Dynamic kinetic asymmetric allylic alkylations of allenes

The dynamic kinetic asymmetric allylic alkylations of racemic allene acetates has been developed with the DACH-phenyl Trost ligand 2 to give general access to allenes with high enantiomeric excess (84-95%) for both malonate and amine nucleophiles. Further, a most unusual dependence of enantioselectivity on base has been uncovered. The magnitude of the enantioselectivity is heavily dependent on the base for the malonate nucleophiles, but the sense and magnitude of the asymmetric induction is dependent on the base for the amine nucleophiles. A Rh(I)-catalyzed intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition of the DYKAT products was accomplished to afford formal Diels-Alder adducts, wherein the axial chirality is faithfully transferred into multiple stereogenic centers as well as olefin geometry.     

Ring-strain effects on the oxidation potential of enediynes and enediyne complexes

The metal-enediyne complexes [(eta 5-C5H5)Fe[eta 5-1,2-C5H3C identical to C(CH2)nC identical to]] (4, n = 4; 5, n = 5) and [(eta 5-C5H5)-Fe[eta 5-1,2-C5H3(C identical to C Me)2]] (6) were prepared from 1,2-diethynylferrocene (3). Complexes 4 and 5 were characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The structures of 4 and 6 were determined by computation using ab initio methods. A correlation was observed between ring-strain and increased ease of electrochemical oxidation along the series 6 (+0.164 V) to 5(+0.152 V) to 4 (+0.123 V). A similar trend in ionization potentials was identified in both the gas phase and in solution by computational methods.