Asymmetric skeletal rearrangement of symmetrically alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino aldehydes: a new entry to optically active alpha-hydroxy ketones

A unique asymmetric skeletal rearrangement of symmetrically alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino aldehydes has been accomplished for the first time using a chiral organoaluminum Lewis acid 1. For instance, treatment of (S)-2,2'-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonylamino)-1,1'-binaphthyl with Me3Al (1.0 equiv) in toluene at room temperature for 15 min and at 110 degrees C for an additional 15 min produced (S)-1, and a subsequent reaction with alpha -amino aldehyde 2a (R = CH2Ph) at -78 degrees C for 4 h and at -40 degrees C for 12 h resulted in the smooth rearrangement to the zwitterionic iminium intermediate A, which furnished the alpha-hydroxy ketone 3a (R = CH2Ph) in 93% isolated yield with 95% ee (S) after acidic hydrolysis. This result, together with other representative examples, clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the present method for the hitherto difficult asymmetric synthesis of acyloins. Furthermore, we found that the treatment of the in situ generated A with DIBAH afforded the corresponding anti amino alcohol exclusively without loss of enantiomeric excess. Our approach casts light on the previously unexplored yet potential utility of alpha-amino aldehydes as synthetic building blocks and also provides a new entry to optically active alpha-hydroxy ketones and 1,2-amino alcohols.     

A novel synthesis of 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐b]pyrroles via ring transformation of cyclic sulfonium ylides by titanium(IV) chloride‐triethylamine system

A series of cyclic sulfonium ylides 4a‐h reacted with titanium( IV ) chloride in the presence of triethyl‐amine to give the corresponding fused 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐b]pyrroles 5a‐h , via a ring opening and recyclization. In contrast, treatment of compounds 4a, 4b, 4e and 4f with titanium(IV) chloride, triethy‐lamine and dimethylamine hydrochloride gave the corresponding thiophenes 6a, 6b, 6e and 6f . Furthermore, compounds 6a and 6b easily underwent cyclization with sodium hydride to afford the corresponding 5a and 5b .     

Synthesis of new dihydropyrazines with DNA strand-breakage activity

Treatment of 1,2-cyclohexanedione with 1,2-diamines, e.g. ethylenediamine and cis-(and trans-)1,2-diaminocyclohexane, caused [4+2] cyclocondensation to give the corresponding dihydropyrazine derivatives (compounds 1-6). They exhibited stronger DNA strand-breakage activity than that of dihydropyrazines, which has already been reported in previous papers.     

A practical synthesis of (S)-2-cyclohexyl-2-phenylglycolic acid via organocatalytic asymmetric construction of a tetrasubstituted carbon center

[reaction: see text] A concise and enantioselective synthesis of (S)-2-cyclohexyl-2-phenylglycolic acid as a key intermediate for (S)-oxybutynin is reported. The crucial asymmetric tetrasubstituted carbon center was constructed with excellent stereoselectivity through the proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction between cyclohexanone and ethyl phenylglyoxylate under mild conditions.     

(2,7-Disubstituted-1,8-biphenylenedioxy)bis(dimethylaluminum) as bidentate organoaluminum Lewis acids: elucidation and synthetic Utility of the double electrophilic activation phenomenon

A series of (2,7-disubstituted-1,8-biphenylenedioxy)bis(dimethylaluminum) (2) has been readily prepared in situ by treatment of the requisite 2,7-disubstituted-1,8-biphenylenediol (1) with Me3Al (2 equiv) in CH2Cl2 at room temperature; this primarily relies on the successful establishment of a new synthetic procedure of 1 starting from inexpensive m-anisidine. Evaluation of 2 as a bidentate organoaluminum Lewis acid has been performed by the reduction of ketonic substrates using Bu3SnH as a hydride source in comparison to the conventional monodentate Lewis acid dimethylaluminum 2,6-xylenoxide (11), uncovering the significantly high activation ability of 2 toward carbonyl. Particularly, (2,7-dimethyl-1,8-biphenylenedioxy)bis(dimethylaluminum) (2a) exerted the highest reactivity, which has also been emphasized in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction. The structure of the bidentate Lewis acid 2 was unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 2g possessing a bulky 3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl substituent, revealing the rigid dimeric assembly in the solid state. The double electrophilic activation of carbonyl substrate by 2a has been supported by low-temperature 13C NMR analysis as well as theoretical study using the Gaussian 98 program. Moreover, unique stereoselectivity has been observed in the 2a-promoted Mukaiyama Michael addition, and highly chemoselective functionalization of carbonyl compounds in the presence of their acetal counterparts has been realized using 2a. Finally, the effectiveness of 2a for the activation of ether functionality has been demonstrated in the Claisen rearrangement of allyl vinyl ethers.     

Unique synthetic utility of BF(3).OEt(2) in the highly diastereoselective reduction of hydroxy carbonyl and dicarbonyl substrates

A new aspect of commonly used BF(3).OEt(2) has been illuminated by successfully demonstrating the unique but highly stereoselective reactions of hydroxy carbonyl and dicarbonyl substrates. For example, treatment of gamma-hydroxy ketone 1c with BF(3).OEt(2)/Bu(3)SnH in CH(2)Cl(2) at -78 to -40 degrees C afforded the corresponding 1, 4-diol 2c with virtually complete diastereoselection, while use of TiCl(4) as a Lewis acid under similar reaction conditions caused a total lack of diol yield and selectivity (17%; 2c/3c = 1.2:1), accompanied by a significant formation of 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran 4 (44%).     

Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley alkynylation of aldehydes: essential modification of aluminium alkoxides for rate acceleration and asymmetric synthesis

A novel carbonyl alkynylation has been accomplished based on utilization of the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reaction system. The success of the MPV alkynylation crucially depends on the discovery of the remarkable ligand acceleration effect of 2,2'-biphenol. For example, the alkynylation of chloral (2c) with the aluminium alkoxide 6(R = Ph), prepared in situ from Me(3)Al, 2,2'-biphenol and 2-methyl-4-phenyl-3-butyn-2-ol (1a) as an alkynyl source, proceeded smoothly in CH(2)Cl(2) at room temperature to give the desired propargyl alcohol 3ca in almost quantitative yield after 5 h stirring. The characteristic feature of this new transformation involving no metal alkynides can be visualized by the fact that the alkynyl group bearing keto carbonyl was transferred successfully to aldehyde carbonyl without any side reactions on keto carbonyl. Although the use of (S)-1,1[prime or minute]-bi-2-naphthol and its simple analogues was found to be unsuitable for inducing asymmetry in this reaction, design of new chiral biphenols bearing a certain flexibility of the biphenyl axis led to satisfactory results in terms of enantioselectivity as well as reactivity.