Stereodivergent Allylation of Azaaryl Acetamides and Acetates by Synergistic Iridium and Copper Catalysis

Stereodivergent Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation between Iminium and Enolate Intermediates by Synergistic Organocatalysis

We report here a stereodivergent method for the Michael addition of aryl acetic acid esters to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by a combination of a chiral pyrrolidine and a chiral Lewis base. This reaction proceeds through a synergistic catalytic cycle which consists of one cycle leading to a chiral iminium electrophile and a second cycle generating a nucleophilic chiral enolate for the construction of a carbon-carbon bond. By varying the combinations of catalyst enantiomers, all four stereoisomers of the products with two vicinal stereocenters are accessible with high enantio- and diastereoselectivity. The products of the Michael addition, 1,5-aldehyde esters, can be readily transformed into a variety of other valuable enantioenriched structures, including those bearing three contiguous stereocenters in an acyclic system, thus providing an efficient route to an array of structural and stereochemical diversity.

Enantioselective Desymmetrization of Bisphenol Derivatives via Ir-Catalyzed Allylic Dearomatization

Spirocyclic hexadienones with multiple stereogenic centers are frequently found in natural products but remain challenging targets to synthesize. Herein, we report the enantioselective desymmetrization of bisphenol derivatives via Ir-catalyzed allylic dearomatization reactions, affording spirocyclic hexadienone derivatives with up to three contiguous stereogenic centers in good yields (up to 90%) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The high efficiency of this reaction is exemplified by the short reaction time (30 min), low catalyst loading (down to 0.2 mol %), and ability to perform the reaction on a gram-scale. The total syntheses of (+)-tatanan B and (+)-tatanan C were also realized using this Ir-catalyzed allylic dearomatization reaction as a key step.

Enantioselective α-Functionalization of 1,3-Dithianes by Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution

An iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reaction with 2-alkoxy carbonyl-1,3-dithianes has been achieved with high regio- and enantioselectivities. The transformation provides a new method for the enantioselective α-functionalization of dithianes. The corresponding dithiane-containing products are easily converted into many other derivatives with high yields and enantioselectivities.

Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective α-Allylic Alkylation of Amides Using Vinyl Azide as Amide Enolate Surrogate

Among the unstabilized enolates used as nucleophiles in iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions, amide enolates are the least explored. Vinyl azides are now employed as amide enolate surrogates in Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation with branched allylic alcohols as the allylic electrophile. Competing reaction pathways are suppressed through the systematic tuning of the steric and electronic properties of vinyl azide to effect the α-allylic alkylation of secondary acetamides with high atom economy, exclusive branched selectivity, and mostly excellent enantioselectivity.

Relay Rh(ii)/Pd(0) dual catalysis: synthesis of α-quaternary β-keto-esters via a [1,2]-sigmatropic rearrangement/allylic alkylation cascade of α-diazo tertiary alcohols

A relay Rh(ii)/Pd(0) dual catalysis that enables domino [1,2]-sigmatropic rearrangement/allylic alkylation of α-diazo tertiary alcohols is described. This transformation represents a highly efficient method for the one-pot synthesis of α-quaternary β-keto-esters under mild conditions, in which two separate C-C σ-bonds at the carbenic center were formed in a straightforward manner.

K2CO3 Promoted Cascade Reaction for the Preparation of 1H-Imidazol-4- yl-1-amine Derivatives

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A K2CO3 promoted efficient one pot two-step method for the preparation of 1H-imidazol-4- yl-1-amine derivatives has been developed. A series of second amines with an imidazole group were obtained with 56%-91% yields by the K2CO3 promoted amination of acetates and nitrogen deprotection of the imidazole process.

Stereodivergent assembly of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines via synergistic catalytic asymmetric cascade reaction

Enantiomerically enriched indole-containing heterocycles play a vital role in bioscience, medicine, and chemistry. As one of the most attractive subtypes of indole alkaloids, highly substituted tetrahydro-γ-carbolines are the basic structural unit in many natural products and pharmaceuticals. However, the syntheses of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines with high functionalities from readily available reagents are significant challenging. In particular, the stereodivergent syntheses of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines containing multi-stereogenic centers remain quite difficult. Herein, we report an expedient and stereodivergent assembly of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines with remarkably high levels of stereoselective control in an efficient cascade process from aldimine esters and indolyl allylic carbonates via a synergistic Cu/Ir catalyst system. Control experiments-guided optimization of synergistic catalysts and mechanistic investigations reveal that a stereodivergent allylation reaction and a subsequent highly stereoselective iso-Pictet-Spengler cyclization are the key elements to success.

Tetrahydro-γ-carbolines are the basic structural unit in many natural products and pharmaceuticals. Here, the authors report a synergistic Cu/Ir system to assemble chiral tetrahydro-γ-carbolines via a stereodivergent allylation followed by a stereoselective iso-Pictet-Spengler cyclization.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Adjacent Tri- and Tetrasubstituted Carbon Stereocenters: Organocatalytic Aldol Reaction of an Hydantoin Surrogate with Azaarene 2-Carbaldehydes

A bifunctional amine/squaramide catalyst promoted direct aldol addition of an hydantoin surrogate to pyridine 2-carbaldehyde N-oxides to afford adducts bearing two vicinal tertiary/quaternary carbons in high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (d.r. up to >20:1; ee up to 98 %) is reported. Acid hydrolysis of adducts followed by reduction of the N-oxide group yields enantiopure carbinol-tethered quaternary hydantoin-azaarene conjugates with densely functionalized skeletons. DFT studies of the potential energy surface (B3LYP/6-31+G(d)+CPCM (dichloromethane)) of the reaction correlate the activity of different catalysts and support an intramolecular hydrogen-bond-assisted activation of the squaramide moiety in the transition state of the catalytic reaction.

Phosphite-Catalyzed C-H Allylation of Azaarenes via an Enantioselective [2,3]-Aza-Wittig Rearrangement

A phosphite-mediated [2,3]-aza-Wittig rearrangement has been developed for the regio- and enantioselective allylic alkylation of six-membered heteroaromatic compounds (azaarenes). The nucleophilic phosphite adducts of N-allyl salts undergo a stereoselective base-mediated aza-Wittig rearrangement and dissociation of the chiral phosphite for overall C-H functionalization of azaarenes. This method provides efficient access to tertiary and quaternary chiral centers in isoquinoline, quinoline, and pyridine systems, tolerating a broad variety of substituents on both the allyl part and azaarenes. Catalysis with chiral phosphites is also demonstrated with synthetically useful yields and enantioselectivities.

Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution Reaction of Benzothiazolylacetamide with Allylic Alcohols in Water

An efficient tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium- and Brønsted acid catalyzed allylic substitution reaction of benzothiazolylacetamide with allylic alcohols in water has been developed, and the corresponding allylated products were afforded in good to excellent (up to 99%) yields with high regioselectivities. This straightforward protocol exhibits good functional group tolerance and scalability.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective 1,6-Conjugate Addition of 2-Azaarylacetamides to para-Quinone Methides

A chiral Mg(II)/N,N'-dioxide complex was found to be highly effective in promoting the diastereo- and enantioselective 1,6-conjugate addition of various azaarylacetamides to p-quinone methides under mild reaction conditions. Various chiral azaarene derivatives containing gem(1,1)-diaryl skeletons were obtained in good yields, dr, and excellent ee values. Meanwhile, on the basis of insight gained from the control experiments as well as the single-crystal structure of the Mg(II)/N,N'-dioxide complex and product, a possible transition state was proposed to explain the origin of coordination and stereoinduction.

Synergetic iridium and amine catalysis enables asymmetric [4+2] cycloadditions of vinyl aminoalcohols with carbonyls

Catalytic asymmetric cycloadditions via transition-metal-containing dipolar intermediates are a powerful tool for synthesizing chiral heterocycles. However, within the field of palladium catalysis, compared with the well-developed normal electron-demand cycloadditions with electrophilic dipolarophiles, a general strategy for inverse electron-demand ones with nucleophilic dipolarophiles remains elusive, due to the inherent linear selectivity in the key palladium-catalyzed intermolecular allylations. Herein, based on the switched regioselectivity of iridium-catalyzed allylations, we achieved two asymmetric [4+2] cycloadditions of vinyl aminoalcohols with aldehydes and β,γ-unsaturated ketones through synergetic iridium and amine catalysis. The activation of vinyl aminoalcohols by iridium catalysts and carbonyls by amine catalysts provide a foundation for the subsequent asymmetric [4+2] cycloadditions of the resulting iridium-containing 1,4-dipoles and (di)enamine dipolarophiles. The former provides a straightforward route to a diverse set of enantio-enriched hydroquinolines bearing chiral quaternary stereocenters, and the later represent an enantio- and diastereodivergent synthesis of chiral hydroquinolines.

Inverse electron-demand cycloadditions in palladium catalysis are inherently limited by the linear selectivity in the allylic substitution step. To overcome this issue, the authors report a synergetic iridium (branched-selective) and amine catalysis in [4+2] cycloadditions of vinyl aminoalcohols with carbonyls.

Highly Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Quinuclidine Derivatives by an Iridium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Allylic Dearomatization Reaction

Asymmetric construction of quinuclidine derivatives has been realized by an iridium-catalyzed allylic dearomatization reaction. The catalytic system, derived from [Ir(cod)Cl] 2 and the Feringa ligand, tolerates a broad range of substrates. A large array of quinuclidine derivatives can be obtained under mild conditions in good to excellent yields (68%–96%), diastereoselectivity (up to >20/1 dr), and enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). These products feature versatile functional group diversity and can undergo diverse transformations. A model that accounts for the origin of the stereoselectivity has been proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Catalytic Asymmetric Mannich Reaction of α-Fluoronitriles with Ketimines: Enantioselective and Diastereodivergent Construction of Vicinal Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters

Diastereodivergent and enantioselective conversion of isatin ketimines to α-fluoro-β-aminonitriles with vicinal tetrasubstituted stereocenters is achieved by a chiral copper complex/guanidine base catalyzed Mannich reaction with proper choice of the bisphosphine ligand. The reaction is broad in scope, scalable, and provides efficient access to a series of 3-aminoindolinones exhibiting a quaternary carbon-fluorine stereocenter with high yields and stereoselectivities. Selective transformations of the Mannich reaction products into multifunctional 3-aminooxindoles without erosion of enantiomeric and diastereomeric purity highlight the synthetic utility.

Organocatalytic asymmetric [4 + 1] annulation of in situ generated ortho-quinomethanes with 4-halo pyrazolones: straightforward access to chiral spiro-benzofuran pyrazolones

Asymmetric [4 + 1] annulation of ortho-quinomethanes with 4-halo pyrazolones was developed to construct spiro-benzofuran pyrazolones.

Palladium-catalyzed trisallylation of benzoxazoles and 2-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles with alkyne

In this report, a palladium catalyzed direct trisallylation of azoles with alkyne via a novel subsequent mono C(sp²)–H allylation/olefin isomerization/y-selective double C(sp³)–H allylation process was developed. A wide range of substituted trisallylated azoles bearing all quaternary carbon centers has been synthesized efficiently and with high atom economy.

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric C(sp3)–H functionalization of biomass-derived 2,5-dimethylfuran via two sequential Cope-type rearrangements

The first organocatalytic asymmetric C(sp³)–H functionalization of biomass-derived 2,5-dimethylfuran with alcohols to afford enantioenriched furan-derived 3,3′-disubstituted oxindoles in high enantioselectivity.

Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution Reactions

In this review, we summarize the origin and advancements of iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions during the past two decades. Since the first report in 1997, Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions have attracted intense attention due to their exceptionally high regio- and enantioselectivities. Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions have been significantly developed in recent years in many respects, including ligand development, mechanistic understanding, substrate scope, and application in the synthesis of complex functional molecules. In this review, an explicit outline of ligands, mechanism, scope of nucleophiles, and applications is presented.

Two chiral catalysts in action: insights into cooperativity and stereoselectivity in proline and cinchona-thiourea dual organocatalysis

Increasing use of two chiral catalysts in cooperative asymmetric catalysis in recent years raises some fundamental questions on chiral compatibility between the catalysts, modes of activation, and relative disposition of substrates within the chiral environment of the catalysts for effective asymmetric induction. We present molecular insights into a one-pot catalytic Michael reaction cascade between a dicarbonyl compound (7-oxo-7-phenylhept-5-enal) and nitrostyrene, catalyzed by two chiral organocatalysts (proline and cinchona-thiourea), leading to a densely functionalized tetra-substituted cyclohexane product. The density functional theory (SMD(toluene)/M06-2X/6-31G**) computations helped us identify the role of the organocatalytic catalytic dyad in providing a lower energy pathway. The covalent activation of the aldehydic end by (S)-proline results in an enamine, which then adds to the noncovalently activated nitrostyrene in the first Michael addition to give a nitronate anion. The configuration at two of the four chiral centers of the product gets fixed in this step whereas that of the remaining two is determined by intramolecular cyclization between the nitronate and the enone. Important mechanistic features such as (a) a lower energy pathway as compared to a proline-only route for the formation of the syn-enamine and its participation in the first Michael addition and (b) the origin of the preferred prochiral faces in the C-C bond formation are traced to the active involvement of the cinchona-thiourea catalyst in conjunction with proline in each step of the reaction. The true cooperative action by both the catalysts is identified as enabled by a network of hydrogen bonding, and π···π stacking between the aryl ring of the cinchona-thiourea catalyst as well as other noncovalent interactions between the catalysts themselves, and that between the catalysts and substrate.