A new strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of unnatural α-amino acids

A new method for the synthesis of racemic non-proteinogenic α-amino acids has been developed, which involves (i) hetero-Diels-Alder addition of ethyl 2-nitrosoacrylate to electron rich alkenes such as enol ethers, enamines and allylsilanes, (ii) NaCNBH₃ reduction of the CN bond in the oxazines thus generated, the stereochemistry of the products being controlled by epimerisation of the thermodynamically less stable isomer to the more stable one, (iii) protection of the N-H group as N-Boc and (iv) finally, N-O bond cleavage of both free and protected products to give proline or bis-homoserine derivatives, respectively. An example with concomitant reduction of the carboxylate group, resulting in the formation of the respective amino alcohol is reported. Applying this methodology to a homochiral enol ether, the protected parent d-proline was prepared in enantiomerically pure form, whereas the asymmetric synthesis of the respective bis-homoserine was unsuccessful.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans and 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans using an intramolecular allylation strategy employing allylsilanes

A Brønsted acid-mediated intramolecular allylation involving an allylsilane and an aldehyde has been used as the key step in a stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans and 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans.     

Addition of allyltrichlorostannanes to aldehydes: application in the synthesis of 4-N-Boc-amino-3-hydroxy ketones

We wish to describe here the diastereoselective reaction between chiral N-Boc-α-amino aldehydes and achiral allyltrichlorostannanes leading to 1,2-syn-N-Boc-α-amino alcohols, which are treated with catalytic amounts of OsO₄ in the presence of NaIO₄ to provide the corresponding 4-N-Boc-amino-3-hydroxy ketones.     

An Unprecedented Domino Double Allylsilane [3+2] Cycloaddition/Wagner–Meerwein Rearrangement/Friedel–Crafts Alkylation/Elimination Reaction Sequence Leading to a Novel Pentacyclic Ring System

A stereoselective synthesis of the disilyl derivatives 3 is achieved by the title reaction, an unprecedented Lewis acid promoted domino reaction, between the cross-conjugated dienone 1 and the allylsilanes 2 . The configurations of the five stereogenic centers of this novel ring system are established in the first step of the reaction sequence, the double [3+2] cycloaddition.     

A connective approach to the tetrahydropyran subunit of polycavernoside A via a novel 1,1-dianion equivalent

Racemic tetrahydropyran 3 was efficiently synthesised from allylsilane 6 and aldehyde 7 via an intramolecular Sakurai cyclisation. In a single step, the relative configuration of three chiral centres was established. Allylsilane 6 was readily assembled from 1-iodo-1-selenopropene 10, a synthetic equivalent of a propene 1,1-dianion.     

An efficient procedure for the synthesis of 2-N-Boc-amino-3,5-diols

We wish to describe here the diastereoselective reaction between chiral N-Boc-α-amino aldehydes with both achiral allyltrichlorostannanes leading to 1,2-syn-N-Boc-α-amino alcohols, which are easily converted to the corresponding 4-N-Boc-amino-3-hydroxy ketones after treatment with catalytic amounts of OsO₄ in the presence of NaIO₄. After reduction of the carbonyl function, these 4-N-Boc-amino-3-hydroxy ketones were converted to 1-deoxy-5-hydroxy sphingosine analogues.     

Fluoride anion-induced intramolecular cyclopropanation of allylsilanes

The reaction of cyclopentenylsilane derivatives with n-Bu₄NF in THF at rt was shown to proceed with the regio- and stereoselective formation of the corresponding bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene derivatives.     

Synthesis of six-membered cyclic siloxanes via enyne metathesis with a ruthenium catalyst generated in situ

The catalytic system in situ generated by combination of [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ as a ruthenium source, 1,3-bis(mesityl)imidazolinium chloride (MesH₂ImCl) as a bulky electron-releasing carbene precursor and cesium carbonate as a base, is shown to be an efficient catalyst for the metathesis reaction of propargylic allylsilyl ethers R¹---CCCR₂---O---SiMe₂---CH₂CH=CH₂. The metathesis products, the cyclic siloxanes, were obtained after complete conversion of the enynes in 67–87% isolated yields. These six-membered ring compounds contain the 1,3-diene unit that is used in Diels–Alder reaction and give access to heterobicyclic derivatives. The resulting cyclic siloxanes are selectively opened under oxidative conditions with H₂O₂ to afford allylic diols, with fluoride to form conjugated triene and under hydrogenation conditions with Pd/C catalyst to give a tetrasubstituted alkene.     

The Stereoselective Synthesis of Conjugated Allylsilanes

2-trimethylsilylethylidenetriphenylphosphorane (5) (Seyferth–Wittig reagent) reacts stereoselectively with the carbonyl compounds 6a–f to give the conjugated allylsilanes 7a–f, each as a mixture of E-and Z-isomers. The stereoselectivity of reactions of E-cinnamaldehyde (6c) with 5 has been investigated at different temperatures. A successful E-stereoselective synthesis of 7c was achieved by reacting 5 with E-cinnamaldehyde (6c) under the conditions of a Wittig–Schlosser modification reaction. Structures of the allylsilanes 7a–f were deduced by compatible analytical and spectroscopic (IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and GC/MS) measurements. An assignment of the E:Z ratios of 7a–f is based on their ¹H NMR spectral data.     

Iron-Catalyzed Stereoconvergent 1,4-Hydrosilylation of Conjugated Dienes

Stereoconvergent transformation of E/Z mixtures of olefins to products with a single steric configuration is of great practical importance but hard to achieve. Herein, we report an iron-catalyzed stereoconvergent 1,4-hydrosilylation reactions of E/Z mixtures of readily available conjugated dienes for the synthesis of Z-allylsilanes with high regioselectivity and exclusive stereoselectivity. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reactions most likely proceed through a two-electron redox mechanism. The stereoselectivity of the reactions is ultimately determined by the crowded reaction cavity of the α-diimine ligand-modified iron catalyst, which forces the conjugated diene to coordinate with the iron center in a cis conformation, which in turn results in generation of an anti-π-allyl iron intermediate. The mechanism of this stereoconvergent transformation differs from previously reported mechanisms of other related reactions involving radicals or metal-hydride species.