Enantioselective Organocatalyzed Transformations of β-Ketoesters

Photoredox Catalysis of Aromatic β-Ketoesters for in Situ Production of Transient and Persistent Radicals for Organic Transformation

Radical formation is the initial step for conventional radical chemistry. Reported herein is a unified strategy to generate radicals in situ from aromatic β-ketoesters by using a photocatalyst. Under visible-light irradiation, a small amount of photocatalyst fac-Ir(ppy)₃ generates a transient α-carbonyl radical and persistent ketyl radical in situ. In contrast to the well-established approaches, neither stoichiometric external oxidant nor reductant is required for this reaction. The synthetic utility is demonstrated by pinacol coupling of ketyl radicals and benzannulation of α-carbonyl radicals with alkynes to give a series of highly substituted 1-naphthols in good to excellent yields. The readily available photocatalyst, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, and high functional-group tolerance make this reaction a useful synthetic tool.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Oxindole-Derived δ-Hydroxy-β-ketoesters by Aldol Reactions

Direct asymmetric synthesis of δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters was accomplished via regio- and enantioselective aldol reactions of β-ketoesters with isatins catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid thiourea derivatives. The C-C bond formation of the reactions occurred only at the γ-position of the β-ketoesters. Reaction progress monitoring and product stability analyses under the conditions that included the catalyst indicated that the γ-position reaction products were formed kinetically. Various δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters bearing 3-alkyl-3-hydroxyoxindole cores relevant to the development of bioactive molecules were synthesized.

Rearrangement of N-tert-Butanesulfinyl Enamines for Synthesis of Enantioenriched α-Hydroxy Ketone Derivatives

Treating chiral N-tert-butanesulfinyl ketimines with potassium hexamethyldisilazide (or potassium tert-butoxide) and methyl triflate gives N-methylated N-tert-butanesulfinyl enamine intermediates that undergo stereoselective [2,3]-rearrangement to afford α-sulfenyloxy ketones with excellent enantiopurities. This cascade of enamination-N-methylation-rearrangement was even used to generate acyclic tertiary α-hydroxy ketones bearing two α-substituents showing negligible differences in bulkiness, such as methyl and ethyl groups.

Enantioselective, Organocatalytic, Dissymmetric 1,4- and 1,2-Addition of Malononitrile to a Keto-bisenone Followed by an Oxa-Michael Addition Cascade

An unprecedented enantioselective dissymmetric 1,4- and 1,2-addition of malononitrile to a keto-bisenone followed by an oxa-Michael addition cascade to trap the in situ generated unstable tertiary alcohol have been developed. The quinine-derived amino-squaramide bifunctional organocatalyst worked efficiently and provides the oxa-spiro-[4,4]-nonanes in good yields and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to 99:1 dr and 99% ee). Notably, a complete chemoselective addition of a methylene unit to an aliphatic-tethered enone over the aromatic-tethered enone was observed.

N-Alkynylthio Phthalimide: A Shelf-Stable Alkynylthio Transfer Reagent for the Synthesis of Alkynyl Thioethers

A new kind of electrophilic alkynylthiolating reagent, called N-alkynylthio phthalimide, is designed and synthesized herein. This electrophilic sulfenylating reagent can be easily prepared in three steps from commercially available phthalimide and corresponding silver acetylide. Furthermore, the N-alkynylthio phthalimides are demonstrated to be efficient alkynylthio transfer reagents that can react with various C-nucleophiles, including β-ketoesters, aryl boronic acids, and Grignard reagents to afford a diverse range of alkynyl thioethers under mild conditions.

Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Addition of 2-(Vinyloxy)ethanol to Imines and Applications of the Products

Chiral nitrogen-containing molecules such as chiral amines, azetidines, and 2-substituted tetrahydroquinolines are important privileged scaffolds in medicinal chemistry. In this paper, an efficient and highly enantioselective chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric addition of 2-(vinyloxy)ethanol to imines has been developed for the first time, providing the corresponding chiral amines containing dioxolane acetals that can transform into useful chiral N-heterocycles including azetidines and 2-substituted tetrahydroquinolines with excellent optical purity.

Mechanistic studies of an L-proline-catalyzed pyridazine formation involving a Diels-Alder reaction with inverse electron demand

The mechanism of an L-proline-catalyzed pyridazine formation from acetone and aryl-substituted tetrazines via a Diels-Alder reaction with inverse electron demand has been studied with NMR and with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. A catalytic cycle with three intermediates has been proposed. An enamine derived from L-proline and acetone acts as an electron-rich dienophile in a [4 + 2] cycloaddition with the electron-poor tetrazine forming a tetraazabicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene derivative which then eliminates N2 in a retro-Diels-Alder reaction to yield a 4,5-dihydropyridazine species. The reaction was studied in three variants: unmodified, with a charge-tagged substrate, and with a charge-tagged proline catalyst. The charge-tagging technique strongly increases the ESI response of the respective species and therefore enables to capture otherwise undetected reaction components. With the first two reaction variants, only small intensities of intermediates were found, but the temporal progress of reactants and products could be monitored very well. In experiments with the charge-tagged L-proline-derived catalyst, all three intermediates of the proposed catalytic cycle were detected and characterized by collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments. Some of the CID pathways of intermediates mimic single steps of the proposed catalytic cycle in the gas phase. Thus, the charge-tagged catalyst proved one more time its superior effectiveness for the detection and study of reactive intermediates at low concentrations.

Asymmetric α-alkylation of cyclic β-keto esters and β-keto amides by phase-transfer catalysis

A facile and efficient asymmetric α-alkylation of β-keto esters and β-keto amides has been achieved by phase-transfer catalysis.

Organocatalysis: A Brief Overview on Its Evolution and Applications

The use of small organic molecules as catalysts has gained increasing importance recently. These substances, the so-called organocatalysts, present a lot of advantages, like being less toxic, less polluting, and more economically viable than the organometallic catalysts that dominate asymmetric synthesis. This work intends to briefly show some classic works and recent publications, explaining the advantages of organocatalysis and the different types of compounds used in this field, as well as their course of action.

Enantioselective Michael Reaction of Cyclic β-Ketoesters with Morita-Baylis-Hillman Derivatives Using a Phase-Transfer Catalyst

This study aims to develop a highly enantioselective Michael reaction of cyclic β-ketoesters with Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) derivatives using a phase-transfer catalyst. Cyclic β-ketoesters reacted with MBH derivatives to stereoselectively generate a quaternary carbon center in the presence of cinchona alkaloid-derived bulky ammonium catalyst, and aqueous KOH and Michael adducts bearing an acrylate moiety were obtained in good chemical yields with good enantioselectivity.

One-pot Fluorination and Organocatalytic Robinson Annulation for Asymmetric Synthesis of Mono- and Difluorinated Cyclohexenones

A one-pot fluorination and organocatalytic Robinson annulation sequence has been developed for asymmetric synthesis of 6-fluoroyclohex-2-en-1-ones and 4,6-difluorocyclohex-2-en-1-ones. The reactions promoted by cinchona alkaloid amine afforded products bearing two or three stereocenters in good to excellent yields with up to 99% ee and 20:1 dr.

Asymmetric Allylic C-H Alkylation via Palladium(II)/ cis-ArSOX Catalysis

We report the development of Pd(II)/ cis-aryl sulfoxide-oxazoline ( cis-ArSOX) catalysts for asymmetric C-H alkylation of terminal olefins with a variety of synthetically versatile nucleophiles. The modular, tunable, and oxidatively stable ArSOX scaffold is key to the unprecedented broad scope and high enantioselectivity (37 examples, avg. > 90% ee). Pd(II)/ cis-ArSOX is unique in its ability to effect high reactivity and catalyst-controlled diastereoselectivity on the alkylation of aliphatic olefins. We anticipate that this new chiral ligand class will find use in other transition metal catalyzed processes that operate under oxidative conditions.

Chiral 2-Aminobenzimidazole as Bifunctional Catalyst in the Asymmetric Electrophilic Amination of Unprotected 3-Substituted Oxindoles

The use of readily available chiral trans-cyclohexanediamine-benzimidazole derivatives as bifunctional organocatalysts in the asymmetric electrophilic amination of unprotected 3-substituted oxindoles is presented. Different organocatalysts were evaluated; the most successful one contained a dimethylamino moiety (5). With this catalyst under optimized conditions, different oxindoles containing a wide variety of substituents at the 3-position were aminated in good yields and with good to excellent enantioselectivities using di-tert-butylazodicarboxylate as the aminating agent. The procedure proved to be also efficient for the amination of 3-substituted benzofuranones, although with moderate results. A bifunctional role of the catalyst, acting as Brønsted base and hydrogen bond donor, is proposed according to the experimental results observed.

Organic Synthesis: New Vistas in the Brazilian Landscape

In this overview, we present our analysis of the future of organic synthesis in Brazil, a highly innovative and strategic area of research which underpins our social and economical progress. Several different topics (automation, catalysis, green chemistry, scalability, methodological studies and total syntheses) were considered to hold promise for the future advance of chemical sciences in Brazil. In order to put it in perspective, contributions from Brazilian laboratories were selected by the citations received and importance for the field and were benchmarked against some of the most important results disclosed by authors worldwide. The picture that emerged reveals a thriving area of research, with new generations of well-trained and productive chemists engaged particularly in the areas of green chemistry and catalysis. In order to fulfill the promise of delivering more efficient and sustainable processes, an integration of the academic and industrial research agendas is to be expected. On the other hand, academic research in automation of chemical processes, a well established topic of investigation in industrial settings, has just recently began in Brazil and more academic laboratories are lining up to contribute. All these areas of research are expected to enable the future development of the almost unchartered field of scalability.

Enantioselective amination of nitroolefins under base-free and water-rich conditions using chiral bifunctional phase-transfer catalysts

A highly enantioselective amination of nitroolefins was realized with l-tert-leucine derived squaramide-scaffold bifunctional phase-transfer catalysts under base-free and water-rich conditions.

A homodinuclear cobalt complex for the catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction of β-ketoesters to nitroolefins

A homodinuclear Co₂/aminophenol sulfonamide complex has been developed for the asymmetric Michael reaction.

Direct Access to N-Unprotected α- and/or β-Tetrasubstituted Amino Acid Esters via Direct Catalytic Mannich-Type Reactions Using N-Unprotected Trifluoromethyl Ketimines

Direct catalytic C-C bond-forming addition to N-unprotected ketimines is an efficient and straightforward method of synthesizing N-unprotected tetrasubstituted amines that eliminates prior protection/deprotection steps and allows facile transformation of the products. Despite its advantages, however, N-unprotected ketimines have difficulties in C-C bond-forming reactions, and only a limited number of reactions and substrates are reported compared with their N-protected counterparts. Herein we report that N-unprotected trifluoromethyl ketimines are effective for C-C bond-forming reactions using Mannich-type reactions as a model case. We demonstrate that Lewis acid catalysis was effective for promoting reactions with various N-unprotected trifluoromethyl ketimines, and thiourea organocatalysis was effective for promoting highly enantioselective reactions with various carbonyl nucleophiles, providing direct access to various N-unprotected α- and/or β-tetrasubstituted amino acid esters. Furthermore, direct construction of vicinal tetrasubstituted chiral carbon stereocenters was achieved for the first time in a highly enantio- and diastereoselective manner. These results demonstrate the potential of N-unprotected ketimines as substrates applicable to many other addition reactions.

Nitro-enabled catalytic enantioselective formal umpolung alkenylation of β-ketoesters

A formal umpolung strategy is presented for the enantioselective installation of an alkenyl group with a terminal double bond at a tertiary center. This one-pot two-step sequence relies on the unique features of the nitro group, which after inverting the polarity of the alkenylating agent toward the desired bond formation, itself serves as a leaving group. The application of this protocol to cyclic β-ketoesters results in densely functionalized products, bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter including an alkenyl substituent with a terminal double bond, in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities.

Readily Available Chiral Benzimidazoles-Derived Guanidines as Organocatalysts in the Asymmetric α-Amination of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds

The synthesis and the evaluation as organocatalysts of new chiral guanidines derived from benzimidazoles in the enantioselective α-amination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds using di-t-butylazodicarboxylate as aminating agent is herein disclosed. The catalysts are readily synthesized through the reaction of 2-chlorobezimidazole and a chiral amine in moderate-to-good yields. Among all of them, those derived from (R)-1-phenylethan-1-amine (1) and (S)-1-(2-naphthyl)ethan-1-amine (3) turned out to be the most efficient for such asymmetric transformation, rendering good-to-high yields and moderate-to-good enantioselectivities for the amination products.

Enantioselective electrophilic cyanation of β-keto amides catalysed by a cinchona organocatalyst

An operationally simple protocol for the enantioselective electrophilic α-cyanation of β-keto amides catalyzed by cinchona-derived catalysts has been demonstrated.