Synthesis of C1-symmetric chiral secondary diamines and their applications in the asymmetric copper(II)-catalyzed Henry (nitroaldol) reactions

Diastereoselective desymmetrization of diarylphosphinous acid-borane amides under Birch reduction

Treatment of diarylphosphinous acid-borane amides possessing chiral amido functionality with an alkali metal solution in liquid ammonia induced a preferential dearomatization of one aryl substituent at phosphorus leading to the formation of non-equimolar amounts of diastereomers. Diastereoselectivity of dearomatization depends strongly on the structure of a chiral auxiliary.

Enantio- & chemo-selective preparation of enantiomerically enriched aliphatic nitro alcohols using Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330

Enantiomerically pure β- and γ-nitro alcohols were prepared from their respective nitro ketones by asymmetric reduction using Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 under optimized reaction conditions (ee up to >99%; yields up to 76%).

(2S,5R)-2-Methylaminomethyl-1-methyl-5-phenylpyrrolidine, a chiral diamine ligand for copper(ii)-catalysed Henry reactions with superb enantiocontrol

Copper(ii)-complexes of a cis-2-aminomethyl-5-phenylpyrrolidine catalyse enantioselective Henry reactions with extraordinarily high stereocontrol.

Synthesis of fluorine-containing multisubstituted phenanthridines by rhodium-catalyzed alkyne [2+2+2] cycloaddition and tandem sp² C-H difluoromethylenation

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of fluorine-containing multisubstituted phenanthridines through Rh-catalyzed alkyne [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions has been developed. This method exhibits excellent functional-group compatibility. When a bromodifluoromethyl group, rather than a trifluoromethyl group, was employed in the cycloaddition reaction, more-complicated polycyclic compounds were obtained through tandem Rh-catalyzed cycloaddition/C-H difluoromethylenation. This route provides convenient access to fluorine-containing polycyclic compounds.

Ethyl acrylate conjugated polystyryl-diphenylphosphine — An extremely efficient catalyst for Henry reaction under solvent-free conditions (SolFC)

Over the last few decades, the fast-growing development of polymer supported reagents has led to the synthesis of a variety of reagents on solid support. Some of the major advantages of using such reagents are that they are less hygroscopic, easy to recover, and can be recycled. Here, we have demonstrated that in situ generated ethyl acrylate conjugated polystyryl-diphenylphosphine (PDPP–EA) derived from the reaction of a mixture of polystyryl-diphenylphosphine and ethyl acrylate in a stoichiometric ratio can efficiently catalyze the synthesis of β-nitroalcohols from the reaction of aldehydes and nitroalkanes under solvent-free conditions (SolFC).

Camphor-derived C1-symmetric chiral diamine organocatalysts for asymmetric Michael addition of nitroalkanes to enones

A series of stable C(1)-symmetric chiral diamines (2a–2l) were conveniently synthesized by condensing exo-(-)-bornylamine or (+)-(1S,2S,5R)-menthylamine with various commercially available Cbz-protected amino acids. Among them, 2a can efficiently promote the Michael addition of nitroalkanes to a broad scope of enones with high yields (up to 96%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98%) under mild conditions.