Congested C-C bonds by Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allyl-allyl cross-coupling, a mechanism-guided solution

A regioselectivity switch in Pd-catalyzed hydroallylation of alkynes

By exploiting the reactivity of a vinyl-Pd species, we control the regioselectivity in hydroallylation of alkynes under Pd-hydride catalysis. A monophosphine ligand and carboxylic acid combination promotes 1,5-dienes through a pathway involving isomerization of alkynes to allenes. In contrast, a bisphosphine ligand and copper cocatalyst favor 1,4-dienes via a mechanism that involves transmetalation. Our study highlights how to access different isomers by diverting a common organometallic intermediate.

Enantioselective and site-specific copper-catalyzed reductive allyl-allyl cross-coupling of allenes

A copper-catalyzed asymmetric reductive allyl-allyl cross-coupling reaction of allenes with allylic phosphates wherein allenes were used as allylmetal surrogates has been achieved for the first time. This protocol provides an efficient and straightforward route to optically active 1,5-dienes in a highly enantioselective and site-specific fashion. Furthermore, all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers could also be constructed with this protocol. The versatility of the products is demonstrated through a diverse array of further transformations of the enantioenriched 1,5-dienes.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed C-H Allylation of Alkenes with Allyl Alcohols via C-H Bond Activation in Aqueous Solution

A robust Ru(II)-catalyzed C-H allylation of electron-deficient alkenes with allyl alcohols in aqueous solution is reported. This method provides a straightforward and efficient access to the synthetically useful 1,4-diene skeletons. With the assistance of the N-methoxycarbamoyl directing group, this allylation reaction features a broad substrate scope with good functional group tolerance, excellent regio- and stereoselectivity, absence of metal oxidants, water-tolerant solvents, and mild reaction conditions. The mechanistic studies indicate that the process of the reversible C-H bond ruthenation is assisted by acetate, and the rate-determining step is unlikely to be the step of C-H bond cleavage.

Heck Reaction of Electronically Diverse Tertiary Alkyl Halides

The efficient Pd-catalyzed Heck reaction of diverse tertiary alkyl halides with alkenes has been developed. Unactivated tertiary alkyl halides efficiently react at room temperature under visible light irradiation with no exogenous photosensitizers required. For activated tertiary alkyl halides, the same catalytic system works well without light. These methods offer a general access to electronically diverse alkenes possessing quaternary and functionalized tertiary allylic carbon centers. The substituents at these centers include alkyl-, carbalkoxy-, tosyl-, phosphonyl-, and boronate groups. It was also shown that the end-game mechanism of this transformation may vary depending on the type of the substrates used.

Enantioselective Construction of Acyclic Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters: Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of Fully Substituted Amide Enolates

We report a divergent and modular protocol for the preparation of acyclic molecular frameworks containing newly created quaternary carbon stereocenters. Central to this approach is a sequence composed of a (1) regioselective and -retentive preparation of allyloxycarbonyl-trapped fully substituted stereodefined amide enolates and of a (2) enantioselective palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation reaction using a novel bisphosphine ligand.

Asymmetric Syntheses of Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids (-)-Crinane and (+)-4a-Dehydroxycrinamabine

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allyl-allyl cross-coupling reaction to construct the chiral quaternary carbon center of crinane alkaloids has been developed. On the basis of an efficient approach, the enantioselective synthesis of (-)-crinane (1) is presented, and the first asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-4a-dehydroxycrinamabine (2) was achieved by subsequent oxidation, 1,4-conjugate addition, RCM reaction, reductive amination, and Pictet-Spengler reaction. The method provided an alternative strategy for the syntheses of crinane alkaloids and other Amaryllidaceae natural products.

Chemoenzymatic Total Synthesis of the Proposed Structures of Putaminoxins B and D

Different enzymatic and nonenzymatic approaches were tested and compared to afford enantiopure homoallylic and allylic alcohols as building blocks in a total synthesis showcase. Thereby, highly enantioselective alcohol dehydrogenases and the P450 BM3 monooxygenase variant A74G L188Q were compared to classical asymmetric reagent-controlled allyl additions. Thus, the first total syntheses of the proposed structures for putaminoxins B/D and their respective enantiomers were accomplished. Detailed spectroscopic analysis of the newly synthesized compounds unraveled a discrepancy with respect to the reported structures of putaminoxins B/D. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that total synthesis is generally required for unequivocal assignment of configuration, because purely comparative NMR studies and judgment by analogy can lead to false predictions.

Enantioselective Conjunctive Cross-Coupling of Bis(alkenyl)borates: A General Synthesis of Chiral Allylboron Reagents

Palladium-catalyzed conjunctive cross-coupling is used for the synthesis of enantioenriched allylboron reagents. This reaction employs nonsymmetric bis(alkenyl)borates as substrates and appears to occur by a mechanism that involves selective activation of the less substituted alkene followed by migration of the more substituted alkene during the course of a Pd-induced metalate rearrangement.

Additive-Free Pd-Catalyzed α-Allylation of Imine-Containing Heterocycles

An additive-free Pd-catalyzed α-allylation of different imino-group-ontaining heterocycles is reported. The activation of α-CH pronucleophiles (pKa (DMSO) > 25) occurs without the addition of strong bases or Lewis acids using only the Pd/Xantphos catalyst system. The reaction scope has been studied for various 5- and 6-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles (yields up to 96%). Mechanistic investigations suggest an initial allylation of the imine-N followed by a Pd-catalyzed formal aza-Claisen rearrangement.

Diastereo- and enantioselective phase-transfer alkylation of 3-substituted oxindoles with racemic secondary alkyl halides

A catalytic asymmetric alkylation of fully substituted enolates with racemic, non-activated secondary alkyl halides is described.

Bismuth-catalyzed allylation of para-quinone methides

An efficient 1,6-allylation addition of para-quinone methides with allylboronic acid pinacol ester was developed with 0.5–5 mol% bismuth(iii) triflate.

Catalytic enantioselective 1,6-conjugate additions of propargyl and allyl groups

Conjugate (or 1,4-) additions of carbanionic species to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are vital to research in organic and medicinal chemistry, and there are several chiral catalysts that facilitate the catalytic enantioselective additions of nucleophiles to enoates. Nonetheless, catalytic enantioselective 1,6-conjugate additions are uncommon, and ones that incorporate readily functionalizable moieties, such as propargyl or allyl groups, into acyclic α,β,γ,δ-doubly unsaturated acceptors are unknown. Chemical transformations that could generate a new bond at the C6 position of a dienoate are particularly desirable because the resulting products could then be subjected to further modifications. However, such reactions, especially when dienoates contain two equally substituted olefins, are scarce and are confined to reactions promoted by a phosphine-copper catalyst (with an alkyl Grignard reagent, dialkylzinc or trialkylaluminium compounds), a diene-iridium catalyst (with arylboroxines), or a bisphosphine-cobalt catalyst (with monosilyl-acetylenes). 1,6-Conjugate additions are otherwise limited to substrates where there is full substitution at the C4 position. It is unclear why certain catalysts favour bond formation at C6, and-although there are a small number of catalytic enantioselective conjugate allyl additions-related 1,6-additions and processes involving a propargyl unit are non-existent. Here we show that an easily accessible organocopper catalyst can promote 1,6-conjugate additions of propargyl and 2-boryl-substituted allyl groups to acyclic dienoates with high selectivity. A commercially available allenyl-boron compound or a monosubstituted allene may be used. Products can be obtained in up to 83 per cent yield, >98:2 diastereomeric ratio (for allyl additions) and 99:1 enantiomeric ratio. We elucidate the mechanistic details, including the origins of high site selectivity (1,6- versus 1,4-) and enantioselectivity as a function of the catalyst structure and reaction type, by means of density functional theory calculations. The utility of the approach is highlighted by an application towards enantioselective synthesis of the anti-HIV agent (-)-equisetin.

Modular, Catalytic Enantioselective Construction of Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters by Sequential Cross-Coupling Reactions

The catalytic Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling with chiral γ,γ-disubstituted allylboronates in the presence of RuPhos ligand occurs with high regioselectivity and enantiospecificity, furnishing nonracemic compounds with quaternary centers. Mechanistic experiments suggest that the reaction occurs by transmetalation with allyl migration, followed by rapid reductive elimination.

Palladium/N-heterocyclic carbene catalysed regio and diastereoselective reaction of ketones with allyl reagents via inner-sphere mechanism

The palladium-catalysed allylic substitution reaction is one of the most important reactions in transition-metal catalysis and has been well-studied in the past decades. Most of the reactions proceed through an outer-sphere mechanism, affording linear products when monosubstituted allyl reagents are used. Here, we report an efficient Palladium-catalysed protocol for reactions of β-substituted ketones with monosubstituted allyl substrates, simply by using N-heterocyclic carbene as ligand, leading to branched products with up to three contiguous stereocentres in a (syn, anti)-mode with excellent regio and diastereoselectivities. The scope of the protocol in organic synthesis has been examined preliminarily. Mechanistic studies by both experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the reaction proceeds via an inner-sphere mechanism-nucleophilic attack of enolate oxygen on Palladium followed by C-C bond-forming [3,3']-reductive elimination.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylations with Toluene Derivatives as Pronucleophiles

The first two highly enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations with benzylic nucleophiles, activated with Cr(CO)3 , have been developed. These methods enable the enantioselective synthesis of α-2-propenyl benzyl motifs, which are important scaffolds in natural products and pharmaceuticals. A variety of cyclic and acyclic allylic carbonates are competent electrophilic partners furnishing the products in excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee and 92 % yield). This approach was employed to prepare a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug analogue.

Branched/linear selectivity in palladium-catalyzed allyl-allyl cross-couplings: The role of ligands

While Pd-catalyzed allyl-allyl cross-couplings in the presence of small-bite-angle bidentate ligands reliably furnish the branched regioisomer with high levels of selectivity, cross-couplings in the presence of large-bite-angle bidentate ligands give varying, often unpredictable, levels of selectivity. In a combined computational and experimental study, we probe the underlying features that govern the regioselectivity in these metal-catalyzed cross-couplings.

Iridium-catalyzed allyl–allyl cross-coupling of allylic carbonates with (E)-1,3-diarylpropenes

An efficient Ir-catalyzed allyl–allyl cross-coupling reaction of allylic carbonates with (E)-1,3-diarylpropenes was developed to form linear allylated products, 1,5-dienes, regioselectively in excellent yields and with high turnover numbers (up to 2000 S/Ir).

Construction of spirocycles containing highly substituted pyrroli-dine and 1-indanone motifs with spiro quaternary stereogenic centers via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 2-alkylidene-1-indanone and azomethine ylides promoted by simple imidazolium salts

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 2-alkylidene-1-indanone with azomethine ylides has been successfully developed promoted by simple imidazolium salts to construct a variety of spirocycles, containing highly substituted pyrrolidines, in excellent yields (up to 99%).