A new and highly efficient catalyst for the enantioselective Mukaiyama–Michael reaction between ( E )-3-crotonoyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one and 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran

Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylations catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes

The enantioselective Friedel-Crafts addition of a variety of indoles catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes (Sc(III)-pybox) was accomplished utilizing a series of beta-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated phosphonates and alpha,beta-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles. The acyl phosphonate products were efficiently transformed into esters and amides, whereas the acyl imidazole adducts were converted to a broader spectrum of functionalities such as esters, amides, carboxylic acids, ketones, and aldehydes. The sense of stereoinduction and level of enantioselectivity were found to be functions of the size of the substrate employed, the substitution on the ligand, and the catalyst loading. Molecular modeling of the catalyst with the bound substrates was performed based on the crystal structures of the catalyst complexes and the sense of stereoinduction observed in the addition reaction. Nonlinear effects over a range of catalyst concentrations implicate a mononuclear complex as the active catalyst.

Highly Enantioselective Conjugate Addition of Thiols Using Mild Scandium Triflate Catalysis

A Sc complex of (4S,5S)-diphenyl PYBOX 1 was found to serve as a catalyst for the asymmetric conjugate addition reactions between various thiols and 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone, affording the corresponding adducts in good yields and high enantioselectivies (up to 92% ee). A new improved method for making (4S,5S)-diphenyl PYBOX is presented.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Epoxidation of Olefins Using H2O2, Part I: Synthesis of New ChiralN,N,N-Tridentate Pybox and Pyboxazine Ligands and Their Ruthenium Complexes

The synthesis of chiral tridentate N,N,N-pyridine-2,6-bisoxazolines 3 (pybox ligands) and N,N,N-pyridine-2,6-bisoxazines 4 (pyboxazine ligands) is described in detail. These novel ligands constitute a useful toolbox for the application in asymmetric catalysis. Compounds 3 and 4 are conveniently prepared by cyclization of enantiomerically pure alpha- or beta-amino alcohols with dimethyl pyridine-2,6-dicarboximidate. The corresponding ruthenium complexes are efficient asymmetric epoxidation catalysts and have been prepared in good yield and fully characterized by spectroscopic means. Four of these ruthenium complexes have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. For the first time the molecular structure of a pyboxazine complex [2,6-bis-[(4S)-4-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-4H-[1,3]oxazinyl]pyridine](pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate)ruthenium (S)-2 aa, is presented.

A New Pyridine-2,6-bis(oxazoline) for Efficient and Flexible Lanthanide-Based Catalysts of Enantioselective Reactions with 3-Alkenoyl-2-oxazolidinones

A new pyridine-2,6-bis(oxazoline) (4) has been easily synthesised from the reaction of (1S,2S)-2-amino-1-phenylpropane-1,3-diol (1) and dimethyl pyridine-2,6-dicarboximidate (2), followed by TIPS (TIPS=triisopropylsilyl) protection of the 4'-CH2OH group. The catalysts derived from 4 and eight lanthanide(III) triflates have been tested over three reactions involving 3-acryloyl- and 3-crotonoyloxazolidinones (5 a,b): the Diels-Alder (DA) reaction with cyclopentadiene, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with diphenyl nitrone and the Mukaiyama-Michael reaction with 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran. Several reactions exhibit very good enantioselectivity (ee>90 %), and the opposite enantiomers can be easily obtained simply by changing the cation. This specific feature of the ligand can be appreciated in the DA reaction of 5 a, since the catalyst [Sc(III)4] gives the adduct (2'S)-9 a with 99 % ee, whereas the catalyst [Y(III)4] gives the opposite enantiomer with 95 % ee. A rationale of the enantioselectivity is proposed on the basis of the NMR spectra of La-based complexes involving 4 and 5 as ligands.

Dimethylsilyl Ketene Acetal as a Nucleophile in Asymmetric Michael Reaction: Enhanced Enantioselectivity in Oxazaborolidinone-Catalyzed Reaction

[reaction: see text] Dimethylsilanyl [Me2Si(H)] ketene S,O-acetal 6b is an effective nucleophile that retards the undesirable Si+-catalyzed racemic pathway in the oxazaborolidinone-catalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction. Through the further suppression of the Si+-catalyzed pathway by carrying out the reaction in the presence of 2,6-diisopropylphenol and t-BuOMe as additives, enantioselectivity up to 98% ee could be achieved for a variety of acyclic enones.

Asymmetric Michael addition reactions of 2-silyloxyfurans catalyzed by binaphthyldiimine–Ni(ii) complexes

N,N'-Bis(2-quinolylmethylene)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine-Ni(II) complex and analogous complexes were found to be efficient chiral Lewis acid catalysts for the asymmetric Michael addition reactions between 2-silyloxyfurans and 3-alkenoyl-2-oxazolidinones, for which asymmetric inductions of up to 97% ee were obtained.

Enantioselective Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Mukaiyama−Michael Reactions of Acyclic Enones. Catalysis by allo-Threonine-Derived Oxazaborolidinones

allo-Threonine-derived O-aroyl-B-phenyl-N-tosyl-1,3,2-oxazaborolidin-5-ones 1g,n catalyze the asymmetric Mukaiyama-Michael reaction of acyclic enones with a trimethylsilyl ketene S,O-acetal in high enantioselectivity. A range of alkenyl methyl ketones is successfully employed as Michael acceptors affording ee values of 85-90% by using 10 mol % of the catalyst. The use of 2,6-diisopropylphenol and tert-butyl methyl ether as additives is found to be essential to achieve high enantioselectivity in these reactions. The effects of the additives are discussed in terms of the retardation of an Si(+)-catalyzed racemic pathway, which seriously deteriorates the enantioselectivity of asymmetric Mukaiyama-Michael reactions. A working model for asymmetric induction is proposed based on correlation between catalyst structures and enantioselectivities.

Different Lanthanide Ions and the Pybox Substituents Induce the Reverse of the Sense of Induction in the Enantioselective Diels−Alder Reaction between Acryloyloxazolidinone and Cyclopentadiene

The Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene with acryloyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one is catalyzed by (R,R)-i-Pr- and (R,R)-Ph-pybox (5 and 6)/lanthanide(III) triflate complexes. The enantioselectivity of the reaction is influenced by 4 A molecular sieves; moreover, the absolute sense of the enantioselection was found to be a function of the nature of the substituents on the chiral ligand (e.g., aromatic vs alkyl groups) as well as of the specific cation employed. In particular, seven lanthanide triflates were tested and a regular variation of the enantioselectivity as a function of the cation ionic radius was evidenced. The different sense of induction can be rationalized by assuming two competitive reacting complexes with different coordination number, which favor the attack on the opposite heterotopic faces of the coordinated dienophile.

Formation of optically active chromanes by catalytic asymmetric tandem oxa-Michael addition-Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions

A novel tandem reaction involving an oxa-Michael addition, followed by a Friedel-Crafts alkylation has been developed. This catalytic tandem reaction, which provides facile and efficient access to optically active functionalised chromanes, proceeds under the influence of bisoxazoline-based catalysts to give diastereomerically pure products in enantioselectivities up to 81% and excellent yields. The optimisation studies, the scope of the reaction, and a model that on the basis of PM3 calculations predicts the outcome of the reaction will be detailed.