Asymmetric and Diastereoselective Conjugate Addition Reactions: C–C Bond Formation at Large Scale

Rh(I)-bisphosphine-catalyzed asymmetric, intermolecular hydroheteroarylation of α-substituted acrylate derivatives

Asymmetric hydroheteroarylation of alkenes represents a convenient entry to elaborated heterocyclic motifs. While chiral acids are known to mediate asymmetric addition of electron-rich heteroarenes to Michael acceptors, very few methods exploit transition metals to catalyze alkylation of heterocycles with olefins via a C-H activation, migratory insertion sequence. Herein, we describe the development of an asymmetric, intermolecular hydroheteroarylation reaction of α-substituted acrylates with benzoxazoles. The reaction provides 2-substitued benzoxazoles in moderate to excellent yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities. Notably, a series of mechanistic studies appears to contradict a pathway involving enantioselective protonation of a Rh(I)-enolate, despite the fact that such a mechanism is invoked almost unanimously in the related addition of aryl boronic acids to methacrylate derivatives. Evidence suggests instead that migratory insertion or beta-hydride elimination is enantiodetermining and that isomerization of a Rh(I)-enolate to a Rh(I)-heterobenzyl species insulates the resultant α-stereocenter from epimerization. A bulky ligand, CTH-(R)-Xylyl-P-Phos, is crucial for reactivity and enantioselectivity, as it likely discourages undesired ligation of benzoxazole substrates or intermediates to on- or off-cycle rhodium complexes and attenuates coordination-promoted product epimerization.

Strategy of total synthesis based on the use of Rh-catalyzed stereoselective 1,4-addition

In 1998, Hayashi and Miyaura reported the first asymmetric conjugate addition of aryl- and alkenyl-boronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones using chiral rhodium complexes as catalysts.

An alternative synthesis of the breast cancer drug fulvestrant (Faslodex®): catalyst control over C–C bond formation

We report a four-step synthesis of the important breast cancer drug fulvestrant through a copper-catalyzed 1,6-addition that avoids Grignard reagents.

Indium-catalyzed microwave-accelerated pot economic C–C bond formation process towards the ‘dry-media’ synthesis of pyrimidine derivatives

Substituted pyrimidines can be constructed in good yields via a microwave-accelerated C–C bond formation process through Lewis acid catalysed Diels–Alder reaction from easily available uracil diene and electron deficient acetylene carboxylate.

Recent advances in asymmetric organocatalysis mediated by bifunctional amine–thioureas bearing multiple hydrogen-bonding donors

Recent progress in asymmetric organocatalysis, focusing on fine-tunable amine–thiourea catalysis, is described. Design of novel bifunctional amine–thiourea organocatalysts bearing multiple hydrogen-bonding donors and their applications in asymmetric C–C, C–N, and C–S bond-forming reactions under mild conditions are discussed.

Substrate-controlled Michael additions of chiral ketones to enones

Substrate-controlled Michael additions of the titanium(IV) enolate of lactate-derived ketone 1 to acyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones in the presence of a Lewis acid (TiCl4 or SnCl4) provide the corresponding 2,4-anti-4,5-anti dicarbonyl compounds in good yields and excellent diastereomeric ratios. Likely, the nucleophilic species involved in such additions are bimetallic enolates that may add to enones through cyclic transition states. Finally, further studies indicate that a structurally related β-benzyloxy chiral ketone can also participate in such stereocontrolled conjugate additions.

Catalytic enantioselective carboannulation with allylsilanes

The first catalytic asymmetric carboannulation with allylsilanes is presented. The enantioselective [3+2] annulation is catalyzed using a scandium(III)/indapybox complex with tetrakis-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-borate (BArF) to enhance catalytic activity and control stereoselectivity. Functionalized cyclopentanes containing a quaternary carbon center are derived from alkylidene oxindole, coumarin, and malonate substrates with high stereoselectivity. The enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition and enantioselective lactone formation (by trapping of the β-silyl carbocation) is also described.

A strategy for complex dimer formation when biomimicry fails: total synthesis of ten coccinellid alkaloids

Although dimeric natural products can often be synthesized in the laboratory by directly merging advanced monomers, these approaches sometimes fail, leading instead to non-natural architectures via incorrect unions. Such a situation arose during our studies of the coccinellid alkaloids, when attempts to directly dimerize Nature's presumed monomeric precursors in a putative biomimetic sequence afforded only a non-natural analogue through improper regiocontrol. Herein, we outline a unique strategy for dimer formation that obviates these difficulties, one which rapidly constructs the coccinellid dimers psylloborine A and isopsylloborine A through a terminating sequence of two reaction cascades that generate five bonds, five rings, and four stereocenters. In addition, a common synthetic intermediate is identified which allows for the rapid, asymmetric formal or complete total syntheses of eight monomeric members of the class.

Asymmetric organocatalysis at the service of medicinal chemistry

The application of the most representative and up-to-date examples of homogeneous asymmetric organocatalysis to the synthesis of molecules of interest in medicinal chemistry is reported. The use of different types of organocatalysts operative via noncovalent and covalent interactions is critically reviewed and the possibility of running some of these reactions on large or industrial scale is described. A comparison between the organo- and metal-catalysed methodologies is offered in several cases, thus highlighting the merits and drawbacks of these two complementary approaches to the obtainment of very popular on market drugs or of related key scaffolds.

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of alkylzirconium reagents to cyclic enones to form quaternary centers

This protocol describes the catalytic asymmetric formation of all-carbon quaternary centers--a distinctive feature of many natural products and pharmaceuticals--via conjugate addition of alkylzirconium reagents to a tertiary enone. This methodology uses alkenes as starting materials and enables the incorporation of functional groups. The alkylzirconium reagent is generated in situ by mixing the alkene with the Schwartz reagent. The alkylzirconium is added to a solution containing a copper-ligand complex, and then the enone is added to the mixture. The addition of pent-4-en-1-ylbenzene to 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone is detailed herein as a generic example. This procedure works at room temperature (∼25 °C), and it is scalable to at least 1.5 g. The setup of the reaction takes 3-5 h and the reaction goes to completion within 4-20 h.

Chiral metal nanoparticle-catalyzed asymmetric C-C bond formation reactions

Chiral ligand-modified metal nanoparticles possess an attractive potential for application in asymmetric synthesis. This article focuses on chiral-nanoparticle-catalyzed asymmetric C-C bond formation reactions and discusses the nature of the active species.

Nickel-catalyzed reductive conjugate addition to enones via allylnickel intermediates

An alternative method to copper-catalyzed conjugate addition followed by enolate silylation for the synthesis of β-disubstituted silyl enol ether products (R(1)(R(2))HCCH═C(OSiR(4)(3))R(3)) is presented. This method uses haloarenes instead of nucleophilic aryl reagents. Nickel ligated to either neocuproine or bipyridine couples an α,β-unsaturated ketone or aldehyde (R(2)HC═CHC(O)R(3)) with an organic halide (R(1)-X) in the presence of a trialkylchlorosilane reagent (Cl-SiR(4)(3)). Reactions are assembled on the benchtop and tolerate a variety of functional groups (aldehyde, ketone, nitrile, sulfone, pentafluorosulfur, and N-aryltrifluoroacetamide), electron-rich iodoarenes, and electron-poor haloarenes. Mechanistic studies have confirmed the first example of a catalytic reductive conjugate addition of organic halides that proceeds via an allylnickel intermediate. Selectivity is attributed to (1) rapid, selective reaction of LNi(0) with chlorotriethylsilane and enone in the presence of other organic electrophiles, and (2) minimization of enone dimerization by ligand steric effects.

Retracted Article: A highly concise and practical route to clavaminols, sphinganine and (+)-spisulosine via indium mediated allylation of α-hydrazino aldehyde and a theoretical insight into the stereochemical aspects of the reaction

The stereoselective synthesis of 1,2-amino alcohols is reported by proline-catalyzed α-amination of aldehyde and one-pot indium mediated allylation of the crude α-hydrazino aldehydes.

Hydrometallation-asymmetric conjugate addition: application to complex molecule synthesis

Copper catalysis allows alkyl zirconium species, generated in situ from alkenes, to undergo conjugate addition reactions. A hydrometallation-catalytic asymmetric 1,4-addition was used to synthesize either enantiomer of a natural product in one step from commercially available materials. Hydrometallation-addition sequences applied to steroids containing a cross-conjugated dienone or 1,6-acceptor give highly functionalized products.

Catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation using alkenes as alkylmetal equivalents

Catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition reactions with organometallic reagents are powerful reactions in synthetic chemistry. Procedures that use non-stabilized carbanions have been developed extensively, but these suffer from a number of limitations that prevent their use in many situations. Here, we report that alkylmetal species generated in situ from alkenes can be used in highly enantioselective 1,4-addition initiated by a copper catalyst. Using alkenes as starting materials is desirable because they are readily available and have favourable properties when compared to pre-made organometallics. High levels of enantioselectivity are observed at room temperature in a range of solvents, and the reaction tolerates functional groups that are not compatible with comparable methods-a necessary prerequisite for efficient and protecting-group-free strategies for synthesis.

A new family of cinchona-derived bifunctional asymmetric phase-transfer catalysts: application to the enantio- and diastereoselective nitro-Mannich reaction of amidosulfones

A new family of bifunctional H-bond donor phase-transfer catalysts derived from cinchona alkaloids has been developed and evaluated in the enantio- and diastereoselective nitro-Mannich reaction of in situ generated N-Boc-protected imines of aliphatic, aromatic, and heteroaromatic aldehydes. Under optimal conditions, good reactivity and high diastereoselectivities (up to 24:1 dr) and enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) were obtained using a 9-amino-9-deoxyepiquinidine-derived phase-transfer catalyst possessing a 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenylurea H-bond donor group at the 9-position.