Urea- and thiourea-substituted cinchona alkaloid derivatives as highly efficient bifunctional organocatalysts for the asymmetric addition of malonate to nitroalkenes: inversion of configuration at C9 dramatically improves catalyst performance

Highly enantioselective Michael addition reactions of 2-substituted benzofuran-3(2H)-ones to nitroolefins

A highly enantioselective Michael addition reaction of 2-substituted benzofuran-3(2H)-ones to nitroolefins was promoted by a bifunctional squaramide catalyst. As a result, a number of chiral 2,2'-substituted benzofuran-3-one derivatives, bearing adjacent quaternary-tertiary stereocenters, were efficiently synthesized with excellent enantioselectivities.

Redox-configurable ambidextrous catalysis: structural and mechanistic insight

A helically chiral copper complex is used as a switchable asymmetric catalyst capable of delivering either enantiomer of a Michael addition reaction.

A ligand capable of adopting two pseudo-enantiomeric helically chiral states when bound to copper has been applied as an asymmetric catalyst in the Michael addition of malonate substrates to nitrostyrenes. The absolute configuration of the helically chiral ligand is inverted upon oxidation/reduction of the copper center. In this way, the handedness of the Michael addition product (R/S) can be selected based on the handedness of the catalyst (Λ/Δ). Exciton coupled circular dichroism (ECCD) was used to identify which of the two pseudo-enantiomeric forms the catalyst adopted after reduction/oxidation, with additional support from X-ray crystallographic data. The synthesis of the ligand was achieved in five steps with an overall 61% yield. Enantiomeric excesses of the Michael addition products of up to 72% (S) and 70% (R) were obtained in acetonitrile. The ability to choose the handedness of the product based on the chiral state of the catalyst has been demonstrated with several different solvents, bases, nitrostyrene/malonate substrates, and prochiral malonate substrates. A combination of molecular modelling, crystal structure and kinetic data suggest that one urea moiety of the catalyst ligand likely binds the nitrostyrene substrate while blocking the Re face of the nitrostyrene in the transition state.

Asymmetric synthesis of syn-propargylamines and unsaturated β-amino acids under Brønsted base catalysis

Propargylamines are important intermediates for the synthesis of polyfunctional amino derivatives and natural products and biologically active compounds. The classic method of synthesizing chiral propargylamines involves the asymmetric alkynylation of imines. Here, we report a significant advance in the catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type synthesis of propargylamines through catalytic asymmetric addition of carbon nucleophiles to C-alkynyl imines, culminating in a highly syn-selective catalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction of C-alkynyl imines that provide syn-configured propargylamines with two adjacent stereogenic centres and a transition metal-free organocatalytic asymmetric approach to β-alkynyl-β-amino acids with high efficiency and practicality, via a chiral Brønsted base-catalysed asymmetric Mannich-type reaction of in situ generated challenging N-Boc C-alkynyl imines from previously unreported C-alkynyl N-Boc-N,O-acetals, with α-substituted β-keto esters and less-acidic malonate (thio)esters as nucleophiles, respectively. A catalytic activation strategy is also disclosed, which may have broad implications for use in catalysis and synthesis.

Propargylamines are of interest both as biologically active compounds and versatile synthetic intermediates. Here, the authors report a method for the organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of propargylamines through addition of carbon nucleophiles to alkynyl imines.

Organocatalytic, Enantioselective Synthesis of 1- and 3-Substituted Isochromans via Intramolecular Oxa-Michael Reaction of Alkoxyboronate: Synthesis of (+)-Sonepiprazole

The enantioselective oxa-Michael reaction of alkoxyboronate strategy was demonstrated to provide a new and practical route to enantioriched 1- and 3-substituted isochromans using a chiral bifunctional organocatalyst. Furthermore, this methodology was extended to the enantioselective synthesis of (+)-sonepiprazole, a dopamine receptor antagonist.

Organocatalytic enantioselective α-amination of 5-substituted rhodanines: an efficient approach to chiral N,S-acetals

We report a highly efficient approach to constructing chiral N,S-acetals using 5-substituted rhodanines as sulfur-bound pronucleophiles catalyzed by natural cinchona alkaloids quinine or quinidine. This α-amination reaction has a broad substrate scope, and the products featuring both rhodanine and N,S-acetal structural motifs were obtained in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities.

Highly Enantioselective Nucleophilic Dearomatization of Pyridines by Anion-Binding Catalysis

The asymmetric dearomatization of N-heterocycles is an important synthetic method to gain bioactive and synthetically valuable chiral heterocycles. However, the catalytic enantio- and regioselective dearomatization of the simplest six-membered-ring N-heteroarenes, the pyridines, is still very challenging. The first anion-binding-catalyzed, highly enantioselective nucleophilic dearomatization of pyridines with triazole-based H-bond donor catalysts is presented. Contrary to other more common NH-based H-bond donors, this type of organocatalyst shows a prominent higher C2-regioselectivity and is able to promote high enantioinductions via formation of a close chiral anion-pair complex with a preformed N-acyl pyridinium ionic intermediate. This method offers a straightforward and useful synthetic approach to chiral N-heterocycles from abundant and readily available pyridines.

Catalytic Asymmetric Construction of Vicinal Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters by the Mannich Reaction of Linear α-Substituted Monothiomalonates with Isatin N-Boc Ketimines

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective method for the construction of vicinal tetrasubstituted stereocenters through the first catalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction of linear α-substituted MTMs with isatin N-Boc ketimines has been developed. This protocol provides atom-economic synthesis of less accessible 3-aminooxindoles bearing vicinal tetrasubstituted stereocenters. Notably, it also constitutes the first example of stereoselective synthesis of β-amino thioesters bearing vicinal tetrasubstituted stereocenters.

Highly enantioselective synthesis of naphthoquinones and pyranonaphthoquinones catalyzed by bifunctional chiral bis-squaramides

A variety of enantioenriched naphthoquinones has been synthesized in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee) using a bifunctional chiral bis-squaramide catalyzed conjugate addition of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to 2-enoylpyridines.

Organocatalytic, enantioselective, intramolecular oxa-Michael reaction of alkoxyboronate: a new strategy for enantioenriched 1-substituted 1,3-dihydroisobenzofurans

An unprecedented strategy for the synthesis of enantioenriched 1-substituted 1,3-dihydroisobenzofurans via an enantioselective oxa-Michael reaction of o-alkoxyboronate containing chalcone (II) has been accomplished employing cinchona alkaloid based squaramide bifunctional organocatalyst in the presence of proton source. The corresponding alkoxyboronate intermediates have been readily prepared in situ from o-formyl chalcones using neutral borane as hydride source and a tertiary amine moiety which is a counterpart of the catalyst.

Synthesis of novel camphor-derived bifunctional thiourea organocatalysts

Synthesis and catalyst performance of 2,3- (types and ) and 2,8-disubstituted (type ) thiourea bifunctional organocatalysts was attempted. The synthesis of catalyst of type has, so far, not been realized, while catalysts of type , i.e., the 2,3-exo- and the 2-endo-3-exo-thiourea catalysts, were prepared in six steps starting from (+)-camphor. The catalysts of type were prepared from (+)-camphor in eight steps. All the potential catalysts as well as most of the intermediate products were carefully structurally characterized. The thiourea bifunctional organocatalysts were tested in a model reaction of Michael addition of dimethyl malonate to trans-β-nitrostyrene.

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of 1-Arylimidazole-2-thiones and N,N'-Aryldiethoxyethylthioureas with Electronically Diverse Substituents: A Manifold of Hydrogen Bonding Networks

The 1-arylimidazole-2-thiones, (HmimAr) [Ar = 3,4,5-C6H2(OMe)3, 2,4-C6H3(NO2)(OMe), 2,4,6-C6H2Cl3 and 3,5-C6H3(CF3)2], which feature electronically diverse substituents, may be obtained via acid-catalyzed ring closure of the corresponding N,N'-aryldiethoxyethylthiourea derivatives, ArN(H)C(S)N(H)CH2CH(OEt)2, (H2detuAr), which in turn are obtained via treatment of aminoacetaldehyde diethyl acetal, H2NCH2CH(OEt)2, with the respective arylisothiocyanates (ArNCS). The molecular structures of all of the above N,N'-aryldiethoxyethylthioureas and 1-arylimidazole-2-thiones have been determined by X-ray diffraction, thereby demonstrating that the substituents have a profound effect on the crystal structures. For example, each of the N,N'-aryldiethoxyethylthiourea derivatives adopts a different hydrogen bonding pattern. Specifically, the hydrogen-bonding network in (i) H2detuArCl3 consists of chains of 9-membered rings, with an [ [Formula: see text](9)] motif, that feature one N-H ⋯ O and one N-H ⋯ S interaction, (ii) H2detuArOMe,NO2 consists of chains of 6-membered rings, with an [ [Formula: see text](6)] motif, that feature two head-to-tail N-H ⋯ S interactions, (iii) H2detuAr(CF3)2 consists of a dimer that features two pairs of N-H ⋯ O interactions, of which each pair is a component of an 8-membered ring with an [ [Formula: see text](8)] motif, and (iv) H2detuAr(OMe)3 consists of a chain of head-to-head dimeric rings with a basic [ [Formula: see text](16)] motif, a notable feature of which is that sulfur does not play a role as a hydrogen bond acceptor. Each of the 1-arylimidazole-2-thiones exists as a "head-to-head" hydrogen-bonded dimer in the solid state, with an [ [Formula: see text](8)] motif. However, while the hydrogen-bonded motifs for HmimArCl3 and HmimAr(OMe)3 are planar, those for HmimAr(CF3)2 and HmimArOMe,NO2 are extremely puckered, with fold angles of 24.2° (mean value) and 45.7°, respectively.

Trisubstituted 2-trifluoromethyl pyrrolidines via catalytic asymmetric Michael addition/reductive cyclization

The stereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted 2-trifluoromethyl pyrrolidines by asymmetric Michael addition/hydrogenative cyclization is described. The direct organocatalytic addition of 1,1,1-trifluoromethylketones to nitroolefins proceeds under mild reaction conditions and low catalyst loadings to provide Michael adducts in high yield with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Catalytic hydrogenation of the Michael adducts stereoselectively generates 2-trifluoromethylated pyrrolidines bearing three contiguous stereocenters. A stereospecific route to epimeric 2-trifluoromethyl pyrrolidines from a common intermediate is described.

Catalytic asymmetric assembly of octahydroindolones: divergent synthesis of lycorine-type amaryllidaceae alkaloids (+)-α-lycorane and (+)-lycorine

We report the first catalytic asymmetric approach to octahydroindolones and a divergent enantioselective synthesis of perhydroindole alkaloids, as exemplified by lycorine-type Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (+)-α-lycorane and (+)-lycorine, from a common intermediate by using a highly concise route. The assembly of octahydroindolones employs a catalytic enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition of nitro dienynes, followed by a TsOH-catalyzed cascade synthesis of highly functionalized enones, and a diastereoselective intramolecular Michael addition.

On the mechanism of bifunctional squaramide-catalyzed organocatalytic Michael addition: a protonated catalyst as an oxyanion hole

A joint experimental-theoretical study of a bifunctional squaramide-amine-catalyzed Michael addition reaction between 1,3-dioxo nucleophiles and nitrostyrene has been undertaken to gain insight into the nature of bifunctional organocatalytic activation. For this highly stereoselective reaction, three previously proposed mechanistic scenarios for the critical CC bond-formation step were examined. Accordingly, the formation of the major stereoisomeric products is most plausible by one of the bifunctional pathways that involve electrophile activation by the protonated amine group of the catalyst. However, some of the minor product isomers are also accessible through alternative reaction routes. Structural analysis of transition states points to the structural invariance of certain fragments of the transition state, such as the protonated catalyst and the anionic fragment of approaching reactants. Our topological analysis provides deeper insight and a more general understanding of bifunctional noncovalent organocatalysis.