Asymmetric multicomponent reactions (AMCRs): the new frontier

Dramatic Ligand Effect in Catalytic Asymmetric Reductive Aldol Reaction of Allenic Esters to Ketones

A general catalytic asymmetric reductive aldol reaction of allenic esters to ketones is described. Two distinct constitutional isomers were selectively produced depending on the reaction conditions. A combination of CuOAc/(R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS/PCy3 as the catalyst predominantly produced gamma-cis-products in high yield with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The reaction was applicable to both aromatic and aliphatic ketones, including unsaturated ketones. On the other hand, CuF-Taniaphos complexes produced alpha-aldol products with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (up to 84% ee). The new Taniaphos derivative L3, containing di(3,5-xylyl)phosphine and morpholine units, produced optimum results in the alpha-selective reaction. The products are versatile chiral building blocks in organic synthesis. Furthermore, the basic reaction pattern (i.e., conjugate addition-aldol reaction) was extended to a catalytic enantioselective alkylative aldol reaction to ketones using dialkylzinc reagents as the initiator.

Asymmetric multicomponent reactions: diastereoselective synthesis of substituted pyrrolidines and prolines

A novel diastereoselective synthesis of substituted pyrrolidines has been developed. Asymmetric multicomponent reactions of optically active phenyldihydrofuran, N-tosyl imino ester, and silane reagents in a one-pot operation afforded highly substituted pyrrolidine derivatives diastereoselectively. The reaction is quite efficient and constructed up to three stereogenic centers in a single operation.

Asymmetric Multicomponent [C+NC+CC] Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Pyrrolidines Catalyzed by Silver(I)

[reaction: see text] Highly functionalized pyrrolidines are obtained in a single chemical step via a mild, efficient, and selective Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric [C+NC+CC] coupling process. Oppolzer's camphorsultam enables the desired reaction cascade and provides a reliable means to control the developing stereochemistry and purify the products. This three-component reaction provides unprecedented access to structurally diverse pyrrolidines for both target- and diversity-oriented syntheses.

Stereoselective Three-Component Synthesis of trans-endo-Decahydroquinolin-4-one Derivatives from Aldehydes, Aniline, and Acetylcyclohexene

The diastereoselective synthesis of trans-endo-decahydroquinolin-4-one (4) via a three-component reaction of aldehydes (1), anilines (2), and 1-acetylcyclohexene (3) in the presence of iodine in a one-pot reaction at room temperature is described. The short reaction time, easy workup, excellent yield, and mild reaction conditions make this novel annulation strategy both practical and attractive.

Control of four stereocentres in a triple cascade organocatalytic reaction

Efficient and elegant syntheses of complex organic molecules with multiple stereogenic centres continue to be important in both academic and industrial laboratories. In particular, catalytic asymmetric multi-component 'domino' reactions, used during total syntheses of natural products and synthetic building blocks, are highly desirable. These reactions avoid time-consuming and costly processes, including the purification of intermediates and steps involving the protection and deprotection of functional groups, and they are environmentally friendly and often proceed with excellent stereoselectivities. Therefore, the design of new catalytic and stereoselective cascade reactions is a continuing challenge at the forefront of synthetic chemistry. In addition, catalytic cascade reactions can be described as biomimetic, as they are reminiscent of tandem reactions that may occur during biosyntheses of complex natural products. Here we report the development of an asymmetric organocatalytic triple cascade reaction for the synthesis of tetra-substituted cyclohexene carbaldehydes. This three-component domino reaction proceeds by way of a catalysed Michael/Michael/aldol condensation sequence affording the products with good to moderate yields (25-58 per cent). During this sequence, four stereogenic centres are formed with high diastereoselectivity and complete enantioselectivity. In addition, variation of the starting materials can be used to obtain diverse polyfunctional cyclohexene derivatives, which can be used as building blocks in organic synthesis.

Highly Efficient Three-Component Synthesis of β-Lactams fromN-methylhydroxylamine, Aldehydes, and Phenylacetylene

The three-component reaction of N-substituted hydroxylamines, aldehydes, and phenylacetylene catalyzed by CuCl/2,2'-bipyridine in the presence of NaOAc under neat conditions afforded the corresponding beta-lactams in good to excellent yields. Aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehydes are tolerated in this reaction. The electronic effects of the aldehydes were studied for the reaction with N-methylhydroxylamine and N-benzylhydroxylamine. For N-methylhydroxylamine, electron-rich aldehydes provided higher yields than electron-deficient aldehydes, whereas for N-benzylhydroxylamine, no significant electronic effect was observed for the aldehydes.

Transition-metal-mediated cascade reactions: the water-accelerated carboalumination-Claisen rearrangement-carbonyl addition reaction

[Chemical reaction: See text] A three-step cascade reaction involving a water-accelerated catalytic carboalumination, a Claisen rearrangement, and a nucleophilic carbonyl addition converts terminal alkynes and allyl vinyl ethers into allylic alcohols containing up to three contiguous asymmetric carbon centers. Stoichiometric quantities of water as an additive increase the rate of the [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement as well as the diastereoselectivity of the carbonyl addition process. Reaction products contain 1,6-diene functionalities that are readily cyclized to substituted cyclopentenes. An extension of this methodology to a sequence involving a [1,3] sigmatropic shift was feasible with a cyclopropylmethyl vinyl ether substrate.

Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl–Ruthenium Catalysts for Regio- and Enantioselective Allylation of Nucleophiles

Ruthenium(II) complexes containing the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand efficiently perform the activation of allylic carbonates and halides to generate cationic and dicationic ruthenium(IV) complexes. This activation has been transferred as a key step to the catalytic allylation of nucleophiles. The structural and electronic properties of the allylic moieties lead to the regioselective formation of chiral products resulting from nucleophilic addition to their most substituted terminus. The catalytic activity of various Ru(Cp*) precatalysts in several allylic substitutions by C and O nucleophiles will be presented. The enantioselective version that has been demonstrated by using optically pure bisoxazoline ligands will also be discussed.

Design and synthesis of new classes of heterocyclic C-glycoconjugates and carbon-linked sugar and heterocyclic amino acids by asymmetric multicomponent reactions (AMCRs)

While chemical efficiency relies on several factors, the multicomponent reaction (MCR) approach was considered as a powerful synthetic tool for preparing target molecules of biological relevance in an efficient manner. Four classes of new bioactive molecules were designed and synthesized by asymmetric MCRs, in some cases with the cooperation of polymer-assisted solution-phase (PASP) technique. These include (a) C-glycosyl dihydropyrimidines and dihydropyridines via Biginelli and Hantzsch cyclocondensations, (b) C-glycosyl beta-amino acids via Mannich- and Reformatsky-type reactions, (c) C-glycosyl beta-lactams via Staudinger reaction, and (d) heterocyclic alpha-amino acids (glycine and alanine) via the Biginelli and Hantzsch reactions.

trans-1-Sulfonylamino-2-isoborneolsulfonylaminocyclohexane Derivatives: Excellent Chiral Ligands for the Catalytic Enantioselective Addition of Organozinc Reagents to Ketones

The catalytic enantioselective addition of different organozinc reagents (such as alkyl and aryl derivatives or in situ generated aryl, allyl alkenyl, and alkynyl derivatives obtained through different transmetallation processes) to simple ketones has been accomplished by using titanium tetraisopropoxide and chiral ligands derived from substituted trans-1-sulfonylamino-2-isoborneolsulfonylaminocyclohexane, producing the corresponding tertiary alcohols with enantiomeric excesses (ee) up to >99 %. A simple and efficient procedure for the synthesis of the chiral ligands used in these reactions is described.

Practical Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Propargylamines through a Copper-Catalyzed One-Pot Three-Component Condensation Reaction

The one-pot three-component reaction of terminal alkynes, aldehydes and secondary amines in the presence of copper(I) bromide/quinap is reported. The reaction scope has been determined and a broad variety of all three components has been used, which afforded the corresponding propargylamines in good to excellent yields and moderate to very good enantioselectivities. The reaction showed a strong positive nonlinear effect. The transformation of a propargylamine intermediate into the alkaloid (S)-(+)-coniine has also been described.

Efficient C−C Double-Bond Formation Reaction via a New Synthetic Strategy: A Self-Sorting Tandem Reaction

[reaction: see text] A novel and efficient carbon-carbon double-bond formation reaction via coupling of aryl or heteroaryl methyl ketones has been developed. A dimethyl sulfoxide-iodine-CuO system was proven to be efficient for this reaction and afforded the expected products in good yields. A new synthetic strategy, a self-sorting tandem reaction, was involved in this type of reaction and was presented for the first time.

New Multicomponent Approach for the Creation of Chiral Quaternary Centers in the Carbonyl Allylation Reactions

The combined regio- and stereo-controlled carbometalation reaction of alkynyl sulfoxide followed by a zinc homologation and finally an allylation reaction led, in a single-pot operation, to chiral homoallylic alcohols in excellent yields and diastereoselectivities for the creation of chiral quaternary and tertiary centers. The key features in all of the reactions that are described in this article are the high degree of stereocontrol, the level of predictability, and "the ease of execution" which ensures success in the application of such methods. The chiral sulfinyl moiety can be finally removed by simple treatment with alkyllithiums, which allows further functionalizations of the carbon skeleton. By using one of these methods, the creation of chiral quaternary centers with the smallest possible difference, namely CD3 versus CH3 and 13CH3 versus CH3, was easily performed.

Sequential Pd- and Rh-Catalyzed Three-Component Cyclization with Allenylboronate Platform

[reaction: see text] A novel three-component cyclization using allenylboronate ester is described. A three-component assembly of allenylboronate ester, aryl iodides, and stabilized carbon nucleophiles took place in the presence of palladium catalyst, furnishing functionalized alkenylboronate esters with high regio- and stereoselectivity. A Rh-catalyzed cyclization of the resultant three-component products then afforded interesting carbocyclic frameworks efficiently.

One-Step, Three-Component Synthesis of Pyridines and 1,4-Dihydropyridines with Manifold Medicinal Utility†

Privileged medicinal scaffolds based on the structures of 2-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-sulfanylpyridines and the corresponding 1,4-dihydropyridines have been prepared via a single-step, three-component reaction of structurally diverse aldehydes with various thiols and malononitrile. Mechanistic studies revealed that 1,4-dyhidropyridines undergo oxidation by the intermediate Knoevenagel adducts rather than by air oxygen. Although the latter process undermines the yields of pyridines, it results in the formation of substituted enaminonitriles, promising antiinflammatory agents.

Thermal Effects in the Organocatalytic Asymmetric Mannich Reaction

The proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric Mannich reaction between cyclohexanone, formaldehyde, and various anilines is thermally accelerated. With only 0.5 mol % of catalyst, Mannich products with up to 98% ee have been obtained after a short period of time in reactions performed under microwave irradiation. In situ reduction of the resulting ketones affords N-aryl amino alcohols in up to 86% yield.

Rapid generation of molecular complexity using "hybrid" multi-component reactions (MCRs): application to the synthesis of alpha-amino nitriles and 1,2-diamines

Methyleneaziridines can be converted into a wide range of 1,2-diamines and 2-cyanopiperidines in a single operation with the formation of three intermolecular carbon-carbon bonds using a "hybrid" MCR.

Catalytic Four-Component Assembly Based on Allenylboronate Platform: New Access to Privileged Allylic Amine Structures

We developed a novel palladium-catalyzed four-component assembly based on allenylboronate platform, by which privileged allylic amine structures can be constructed in a regioselective, stereoselective, and diversity-oriented manner. The boryl group acts not only as a useful group that can be transformed to various functional groups afterward but also as a stereochemical controller in the generation of key (pi-allyl)palladium intermediates. A short synthesis of rolipram (selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor) is also demonstrated.

Chemo-differentiating MCRs based on α-ketoesters and terminal alkynoates. A homoaldol-based ABB′ system

A novel ABB' 3 component reaction (3-CR) system based on the organocatalyzed homoaldolic condensation of alpha-ketoesters in the presence of terminal conjugated alkynoates is described.

Acyclic Chiral Amines and Amino Acids as Inexpensive and Readily Tunable Catalysts for the Direct Asymmetric Three-Component Mannich Reaction

The direct three-component asymmetric Mannich reaction catalyzed by acyclic chiral amines or amino acids is presented. Simple acyclic chiral amines and amino acids--such as alanine-tetrazole (9), alanine, valine, and serine-catalyzed the three-component asymmetric Mannich reactions between unmodified ketones, p-anisidine, and aldehydes with high chemo- and stereoselectivity, furnishing the corresponding Mannich bases with up to >99 % ee. This study demonstrates that the whole range of amino acids in nature, as well as nonproteogenic amino acid derivatives, can be considered in the design and tuning of novel, inexpensive organocatalysts for the direct asymmetric Mannich reaction.

Multiple Component Approaches to C-Glycosyl β-Amino Acids by Complementary One-Pot Mannich-Type and Reformatsky-Type Reactions

The development of new methods for the preparation of C-glycosyl beta-amino acid libraries with chemical and stereochemical diversity levels was investigated and the results are described herein. Two complementary one-pot three-component Mannich-type and Reformatsky-type synthetic strategies have been developed for the construction of chiral 3-amino propanoate fragments (eventually bis-substituted at C-2) directly linked to the anomeric carbon of pyranose and furanose residues. Both methods involved as the initial step the coupling of a sugar aldehyde to p-methoxybenzylamine but differed in the nucleophile (a d(2) synthon equivalent) which was successively added: a ketene silyl acetal (Mannich route) or a bromozinc enolate (Reformatsky route). Individual C-glycosyl beta-amino esters were isolated as single 3R diastereoisomers in fair to excellent yield (60-90%) and their structure assigned by NMR spectroscopy (Riguera protocol) supported by X-ray crystallography. A tentative explanation of the observed stereochemical outcome based on transition-state models is provided. A preliminary study on the synthesis of alpha,alpha-difluoro C-glycosyl beta-amino acids via a more traditional Reformatsky route is also reported.

Multicomponent Domino Reaction from β-Ketoamides: Highly Efficient Access to Original Polyfunctionalized 2,6-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane Cores

We describe a new multicomponent domino reaction from beta-ketoamides, involved as substrates and as nucleophilic partners. We obtain highly functionalized and original 2,6-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane cores (2,6-DABCO) in a five-step one-pot sequence, which is fast, environmentally friendly, operationally simple to manage, and combines step- and atom-economic aspects.

Highly Enantioseletive Biginelli Reaction Using a New Chiral Ytterbium Catalyst: Asymmetric Synthesis of Dihydropyrimidines

The highly enantioselective three-component Biginelli condensation catalyzed by a recyclable chiral ytterbium triflate with a novel hexadentate amine phenol ligand containing a pyridyl group has been developed. A wide range of optically active dihydropyrimidines with remarkable pharmacological interest was obtained in high yields with good to excellent enantioselectivities under mild conditions.