New Strategies for the Development of an Asymmetric Version of the Baylis-Hillman Reaction This work was supported by the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (Liebig-scholarship and funds for P. L.). P. L. thanks Prof. Dr. A. de Meijere for his support

An unexpected highly stereoselective double aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction of sulfonated imines with phenyl vinyl ketone

The aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction of N-sulfonated imine with phenyl vinyl ketone gave the double aza-Baylis-Hillman adduct in good yields with excellent stereoselectivities in the presence of Lewis base 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane.

Chiral phosphine Lewis base catalyzed asymmetric aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction of N-sulfonated imines with methyl vinyl ketone and phenyl acrylate

In the aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction of N-sulfonated imines with methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) promoted by chiral phosphine Lewis base: (R)-2'-diphenylphosphanyl-[1,1']binaphthalenyl-2-ol (10 mol%), the aza-Baylis-Hillman adducts 1 were obtained in good yields with high ee (70-94% ee) at -30 degrees C in THF. In CH2Cl2 upon heating at 40 degrees C, the aza-Baylis-Hillman reaction of N-sulfonated imines with phenyl acrylate gave the adducts 2 in high yields (60-97%) with moderate ee (52-77%).

Chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Baylis-Hillman reactions

An effective chiral Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Baylis-Hillman reaction is described. Good to high enantioselectivities were obtained using 3 mol % chiral catalyst. Novel camphor-derived dimerized ligands were prepared from the condensation of (+)-ketopinic acid with the corresponding diamines and hydrazine under acidic conditions. When alpha-naphthyl acrylate was used as a Michael acceptor, the reaction is complete within 20 min with high stereoselectivity and in reasonable chemical yields.

Dramatic rate acceleration of the Baylis-Hillman reaction in homogeneous medium in the presence of water

[reaction: see text] In homogeneous H(2)O/solvent medium, the reaction rate of aromatic aldehydes and acrylonitrile or acrylate was greatly accelerated, which led to shorter reaction time, lower reaction temperature, and higher yield. In this reaction, Me(3)N, DMAP, DABCO, and urotropine were good catalysts. Except for low-carbon alcohols, tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane, and acetonitrile could be chosen as the solvent. Under this condition, the diastereoselective reaction of nitrobenzaldehyde and L-menthyl acrylate was realized with 88-99% de.

TiCl4-Promoted Baylis−Hillman Reactions of Substituted 5-Isoxazolecarboxaldehydes with Cycloalkenones1

The Baylis-Hillman (BH) reaction of substituted 5-isoxazolecarboxaldehydes with cyclohexenone in the presence of TiCl(4) invariably lead to the formation of hemiacetals beside the BH adducts. A similar reaction in the presence of DABCO, DBU, or 3-HQN yielded minor quantities of phenols in addition to the usual BH adducts. Similar to 5-isoxazolecarboxaldehydes, the TiCl(4)-mediated BH reaction of cyclohexenone with various benzaldehydes also furnishes hemiacetals in considerable yields. The reaction mechanism involving the formation of alpha-chloromethyl enone as an intermediate has been proposed. The synthesis of hemiacetals 5 and 14 from compound 4 in the presence of cyclohexenone and cyclopentenone, respectively, under acidic conditions indicates that enolization and aromatization of the cyclohexene ring are the key steps in the reaction mechanism.

The vinylogous intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction: synthesis of functionalized cyclopentenes and cyclohexenes with trialkylphosphines as nucleophilic catalysts

The development of the vinylogous intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction for the synthesis of functionalized cyclopentenes and cyclohexenes is described. The reaction involves the trialkyphosphine-catalyzed cyclization of 1,6- or 1,7-diactivated 1,5-hexadienes or 1,6-heptadienes, containing carboxyaldehyde, methyl ketone, or methoxycarbonyl as the olefin activating groups. A representative example of this reaction is the Me(3)P-catalyzed cyclization of 1a in tert-amyl alcohol, which provides the substituted cyclopentene 2a in 95% yield and with 97:3 regioselectivity.

Enantioselective Organocatalysis

The last few years have witnessed a spectacular advancement in new catalytic methods based on metal-free organic molecules. In many cases, these small compounds give rise to extremely high enantioselectivities. Preparative advantages are notable: usually the reactions can be performed under an aerobic atmosphere with wet solvents. The catalysts are inexpensive and they are often more stable than enzymes or other bioorganic catalysts. Also, these small organic molecules can be anchored to a solid support and reused more conveniently than organometallic/bioorganic analogues, and show promising adaptability to high-throughput screening and process chemistry. Herein we focus on four different domains in which organocatalysis has made major advances: 1) The activation of the reaction based on the nucleophilic/electrophilic properties of the catalysts. This type of catalysis has much in common with conventional Lewis acid/base activation by metal complexes. 2) Transformations in which the organic catalyst forms a reactive intermediate: the chiral catalyst is consumed in the reaction and requires regeneration in a parallel catalytic cycle. 3) Phase-transfer reactions: The chiral catalyst forms a host-guest complex with the substrate and shuttles between the standard organic solvent and the second phase (i.e. a solid, aqueous, or fluorous phase in which the organic transformation takes place). 4) Molecular-cavity-accelerated asymmetric transformations: the catalyst can select between competing substrates, depending on size and structure criteria. The rate acceleration of a given reaction is similar to the Lewis acid/base activation and is the consequence of the simultaneous action of different polar functions. Herein it is shown that organocatalysis complements rather than competes with current methods. It offers something conceptually novel and opens new horizons in synthesis.

Straightforward asymmetric entry to highly functionalized medium-sized rings fused to beta-lactams via chemo- and stereocontrolled divergent radical cyclization of Baylis-Hillman adducts derived from 4-oxoazetidine-2-carbaldehydes

DABCO promoted reactions of various activated vinyl systems with optically pure 4-oxoazetidine-2-carbaldehydes 1 gave rise to Baylis-Hillman adducts 3 with excellent syn stereoselectivities, without detectable racemization. Products 3 are used for the asymmetric preparation of unusual 2-azetidinones fused to medium-sized rings via chemo- and stereocontrolled divergent radical cyclization. The formation of bicyclic beta-lactams 4-6 could be rationalized through a tandem radical Michael addition/endo cyclization or a tandem radical addition/Michael addition, depending on the electronic nature of the radical promoter.