Nonbiaryl and Heterobiaryl Atropisomers: Molecular Templates with Promise for Atropselective Chemical Transformations

A diversity-oriented synthesis of cyclopenta[b]pyrroles and related compounds through a calcium(ii)/copper(ii) catalytic sequence

A sequential bicatalytic route relying on calcium(ii) and copper(ii) salts is described to provide access to original nitrogen-containing heterocycles.

Dynamic kinetic resolution of biaryl atropisomers by chiral dialkylaminopyridine catalysts

Dynamic kinetic resolutions of atropisomers using chiral DMAPs with fluxional chirality.

Transition-metal-free radical cleavage of a hydrazonyl N–S bond: tosyl radical-initiated cascade C(sp3)–OAr cleavage, sulfonyl rearrangement and atropisomeric cyclopropanation

Combination of 1,10-phenanthroline and potassium carbonate enables a radical cleavage of a hydrazonyl N–S bond, allowing a coupling reaction of N-tosylhydrazone and phosphinyl allene via cascade C–O cleavage, sulfonyl rearrangement and atropisomeric cyclopropanation.

Organocatalytic asymmetric arylation of indoles enabled by azo groups

Arylation is a fundamental reaction that can be mostly fulfilled by electrophilic aromatic substitution and transition-metal-catalysed aryl functionalization. Although the azo group has been used as a directing group for many transformations via transition-metal-catalysed aryl carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond activation, there remain significant unmet challenges in organocatalytic arylation. Here, we show that the azo group can effectively act as both a directing and activating group for organocatalytic asymmetric arylation of indoles via formal nucleophilic aromatic substitution of azobenzene derivatives. Thus, a wide range of axially chiral arylindoles have been achieved in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities by utilizing chiral phosphoric acid as catalyst. Furthermore, highly enantioenriched pyrroloindoles bearing two contiguous quaternary chiral centres have also been obtained via a cascade enantioselective formal nucleophilic aromatic substitution-cyclization process. This strategy should be useful in other related research fields and will open new avenues for organocatalytic asymmetric aryl functionalization.

Organocatalytic synthesis of chiral tetrasubstituted allenes from racemic propargylic alcohols

Although chiral allene preparation via formal S_N2’ nucleophilic substitutions of enantioenriched propargylic derivatives or metal-catalyzed reactions of racemic propargylic derivatives has attracted considerable attention and found applications in many areas of research, direct use of propargylic alcohols instead of propargylic derivatives for catalytic asymmetric allene synthesis is unknown. Here, we show that a highly enantioselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted allenes from racemic propargylic alcohols has been realized by organocatalysis with good efficiency (up to 96% yield and 97% ee). The intermolecular C–C and C–S bond formation was achieved efficiently with simultaneous stereocontrol over the axial chirality. Furthermore, an adjacent quaternary stereocenter could also be constructed. Mechanistically, the reaction may involve efficient stereocontrol on the propargylic cation by its chiral counter anion or 1,8-conjugate addition of para-quinone methides. In sharp contrast to previous central chirality construction, this process employs quinone methides for axial chirality construction.

Axially chiral allenes that are normally present in natural products, bioactive molecules, organocatalysts, and functional materials are usually produced from propargylic derivatives. Here, the authors show direct use of propargylic alcohols for catalytic asymmetric allene synthesis.

Stable C-N axial chirality in 1-aryluracil scaffold and differences in in vitro metabolic clearance between atropisomers of PDE4 inhibitor

We report herein the stable C-N axial chirality in a 1-phenyl-6-aminouracil scaffold owing to the presence of various functional groups at the ortho-position of the N(1)-phenyl group. Racemic 1-phenyl-6-aminouracils were first separated by chiral HPLC or converting them to the corresponding diastereomers using a chiral resolving agent. We then determined the rotational barrier of each atropisomer by a thermal racemization method and found that these compounds have rotational barriers similar to other C-N axially chiral biaryls. In addition, there was a good correlation between the rotational barriers and van der Waals radii of an ortho-substituent of the N(1)-phenyl group. To explore the possibility of the chiral 1-phenyl-6-aminouracil scaffold as a drug lead, we synthesized both atropisomers as phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors 10. The atropisomers showed significantly different metabolic stabilities while their PDE4 inhibitory activities were somewhat similar. This finding demonstrates the potential utility of stable C-N bond atropisomers in the development of chiral drugs.

Induction of Axial Chirality in 8-Arylquinolines through Halogenation Reactions Using Bifunctional Organocatalysts

The enantioselective syntheses of axially chiral heterobiaryls were accomplished through the aromatic electrophilic halogenation of 3-(quinolin-8-yl)phenols with bifunctional organocatalysts that control the molecular conformations during successive halogenations. Axially chiral quinoline derivatives, which have rarely been synthesized in an enantioselective catalytic manner, were afforded in moderate-to-good enantioselectivities through bromination, and an analogous protocol also enabled enantioselective iodination. In addition, this catalytic reaction, which allows enantioselective control through the use of mono-ortho-substituted substrates, allowed the asymmetric synthesis of 8-arylquinoline derivatives bearing two different halogen groups in high enantioselectivities.

Organocatalytic atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral styrenes

Axially chiral compounds are widespread in biologically active compounds and are useful chiral ligands or organocatalysts in asymmetric catalysis. It is well-known that styrenes are one of the most abundant and principal feedstocks and thus represent excellent prospective building blocks for chemical synthesis. Driven by the development of atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral styrene derivatives, we discovered herein the asymmetric organocatalytic approach via direct Michael addition reaction of substituted diones/ketone esters/malononitrile to alkynals. The axially chiral styrene compounds were produced with good chemical yields, enantioselectivities and almost complete E/Z-selectivities through a secondary amine-catalysed iminium activation strategy under mild conditions. Such structural motifs are important precursors for further transformations into biologically active compounds and synthetic useful intermediates and may have potential applications in asymmetric synthesis as olefin ligands or organocatalysts.

Many methods exist for the atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral biaryls, but axially chiral styrenes are much less explored. Here the authors report an organocatalytic procedure for the synthesis of configurationally stable, axially chiral styrenes with high enantio- and diastereoselectivities.

Diastereoselective α-Alkylation of Metallo Enamines Generated from N-C Axially Chiral Mebroqualone Derivatives

The reactions of various alkyl halides with the metallo enamines generated from racemic and optically pure N-C axially chiral mebroqualone derivatives were found to proceed with a synthetically attractive stereochemical outcome (up to 99% yield and up to dr = 26:1) allowing preparation of a structurally new type of pharmaceutically interesting compounds possessing elements of axial and central chirality.

CAr-O Rotamers in 3,3'-Disubstituted BINOL Esters

Rotamers around the C_Ar-O bond were disclosed in 3,3'-disubstituted BINOL esters by NMR spectroscopy. A bulky R¹ group increased the rotational barrier. The pivalate showed two rotamers at 2 °C, and broad signals were observed close to room temperature when R² = Ph. The highest rotational barrier was recorded for the (tetracyanocyclopentadienyl)carboxylate, and C-O rotamers were present at room temperature. DFT calculations indicated the presence of repulsion between R¹ and R² during rotation of the C_Ar-O bond.

P-Stereogenic bisphosphines with a hydrazine backbone: from N–N atropoisomerism to double nitrogen inversion

P-Stereogenic C₂ diphosphine ligands with a hydrazine backbone are reported. The ligands exist as a mixture of atropo- and nitrogen inversion isomers in slow exchange.

Enantioselective syntheses of atropisomers featuring a five-membered ring

If six-membered ring biaryl or heterobiaryl atropisomers are the most common ones, the focus of this feature article will be put on the enantioselective approaches towards five-membered ring containing atropisomers displaying either a stereogenic C–N- or C–C bond.

Reversible crystal-to-crystal chiral resolution: making/breaking non-bonding S⋯O interactions

Unconventional non-covalent interactions are the key to reversible chiral resolution in polycrystalline samples of a small, achiral molecule.

5,5′-Bistriazoles as axially chiral, multidentate ligands: synthesis, configurational stability and catalytic application of their scandium(iii) complexes

The design and development of 5,5′-bistriazoles featuring aminomethyl substituents is discussed.

Tale of Twisted Molecules. Atropselective Photoreactions: Taming Light Induced Asymmetric Transformations through Non-biaryl Atropisomers

Photochemical transformations are a powerful tool in organic synthesis to access structurally complex and diverse synthetic building blocks. However, this great potential remains untapped in the mainstream synthetic community due to the challenges associated with stereocontrol originating from excited state(s). The finite lifetime of an excited state and nearly barrierless subsequent processes present significant challenges in manipulating the stereochemical outcome of a photochemical reaction. Several methodologies were developed to address this bottleneck including photoreactions in confined media and preorganization through noncovalent interactions resulting in stereoenhancement. Yet, stereocontrol in photochemical reactions that happen in solution in the absence of organized assemblies remained largely unaddressed. In an effort to develop a general and reliable methodology, our lab has been exploring non-biaryl atropisomers as an avenue to perform asymmetric phototransformations. Atropisomers are chiral molecules that arise due to the restricted rotation around a single bond (chiral axis) whose energy barrier to rotation is determined by nonbonding interactions (most often by steric hindrance) with appropriate substituents. Thus, atropisomeric substrates are chirally preorganized during the photochemical transformation and translate their chiral information to the expected photoproducts. This strategy, where "axial to point chirality transfer" occurs during the photochemical reaction, is a hybrid of the successful Curran's prochiral auxiliary approach involving atropisomers in thermal reactions and the Havinga's NEER principle (nonequilibrating excited-state rotamers) for photochemical transformations. We have investigated this strategy in order to probe various aspects such as regio-, enantio-, diastereo-, and chemoselectivity in several synthetically useful phototransformations including 6π-photocyclization, 4π-ring closure, Norrish-Yang photoreactions, Paternò-Büchi reaction, and [2 + 2]- and [5 + 2]-photocycloaddition. The investigations detailed in this Account clearly signify the scope of our strategy in accessing chirally enriched products during phototransformations. Simple design modifications such as tailoring the steric handle in atropisomers to hold reactive units resulted in permanently locked/traceless axial chirality in addition to incorporating multiple stereocenters in already complex scaffolds obtained from phototransformation. Further improvements allowed us to employ low energy visible light rather than high energy UV light without compromising the stereoenrichment in the photoproducts. Continued investigations on atropisomeric scaffolds have unraveled new design features, with outcomes that are unique and unprecedented for excited state reactivity. For example, we have established that reactive spin states (singlet or triplet excited state) profoundly influence the stereochemical outcome of an atropselective phototransformation. In general, the photochemistry and photophysics of atropisomeric substrates differ significantly from their achiral counterparts irrespective of having the same chromophore initiating the excited state reactivity. The ability of axially chiral chromophores to impart stereoenrichment in the intramolecular photoreactions appears to be promising. A challenging endeavor for the "axial to point chirality transfer" strategy is to enhance stereoenrichment or alter chemical reactivity in intermolecular photoreactions. Insights gained from our investigations will serve as a platform to venture into more complicated yet fruitful research in terms of broad synthetic utility.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of N-C Axially Chiral Mebroqualone and Its Derivatives through Reductive Asymmetric Desymmetrization

In the presence of (R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS-Pd(OAc)₂ catalyst, treatment of various 3-(2,6-dibromophenyl)quinazolin-4-ones with NaBH₄ gave optically active N-C axially chiral quinazolinone (mebroqualone) derivatives through reductive asymmetric desymmetrization (enantioselective monohydrodebromination) followed by kinetic resolution of the resulting monobromophenyl products (up to 99% ee). The enantioselectivity strongly depended on the substituent (R²) at the C4'position, amount of NaBH₄, and reaction temperature.