Intramolecular carbolithiation reactions of chiral alpha-amino-organolithium species

Trapping of carbolithiation-derived tertiary benzylic α-lithio piperidines with carbon electrophiles: Controlling the formation of α-amino quaternary and vicinal stereocenters

The interception of carbolithiation-derived tertiary benzylic α-lithio piperidines with carbon electrophiles has led to the diastereoselective synthesis of vicinally functionalized piperidines bearing α-amino quaternary stereocenters.

Direct access to functionalized benzotropones, azepanes, and piperidines by reductive cross-coupling of α-bromo enones with α-bromo enamides

High-yielding syntheses of functionalized azepenes and piperidines, bearing an α-benzotropone derivative, have been achieved through cobalt-catalysed reductive cross-coupling of α-bromo enamides with α-bromo enones.

Ruthenium-porphyrin-catalyzed diastereoselective intramolecular alkyl carbene insertion into C-H bonds of alkyl diazomethanes generated in situ from N-tosylhydrazones

With a ruthenium-porphyrin catalyst, alkyl diazomethanes generated in situ from N-tosylhydrazones efficiently underwent intramolecular C(sp(3))-H insertion of an alkyl carbene to give substituted tetrahydrofurans and pyrrolidines in up to 99% yield and with up to 99:1 cis selectivity. The reaction displays good tolerance of many functionalities, and the procedure is simple without the need for slow addition with a syringe pump. From a synthetic point of view, the C-H insertion of N-tosylhydrazones can be viewed as reductive coupling between a C=O bond and a C-H bond to form a new C-C bond, since N-tosylhydrazones can be readily prepared from carbonyl compounds. This reaction was successfully applied in a concise synthesis of (±)-pseudoheliotridane.

Inter- and intramolecular enantioselective carbolithiation reactions

In this review we summarize recent developments in inter- and intramolecular enantioselective carbolithiation reactions carried out in the presence of a chiral ligand for lithium, such as (-)-sparteine, to promote facial selection on a C=C bond. This is an attractive approach for the construction of new carbon-carbon bonds in an asymmetric fashion, with the possibility of introducing further functionalization on the molecule by trapping the reactive organolithium intermediates with electrophiles.

Mechanistic insight into stereoselective carbolithiation

This article addresses the mechanistic features of asymmetric carbolithiation of β-methylstyrenes. While often the presence of functional groups is required to obtain high enantioselectivities in carbolithiation reactions, simple β-methylstyrene also gives high selectivities in (-)-sparteine-mediated addition of alkyl lithium compounds. Computational studies on the carbolithiation of β-methylstyrene with (-)-sparteine show that the observed selectivities are the result of repulsion effects in the diastereomeric transition states between the (-)-sparteine⋅alkyl lithium adduct and the β-methylstyrene, upon approximation of the two reactants. In contrast, for the ortho-amino β-methylstyrene (E)-benzyl(2-propenylphenyl)amine (4) X-ray structure analyses of intermediate lithium amides indicate a carbolithiation mechanism in which one side of the double bond is shielded by the amide moiety, leaving only one side free for approach of the chiral alkyl lithium adduct.

Cyclization via carbolithiation of alpha-amino alkyllithium reagents

We report a new route to tertiary alpha-amino stereocenters by sequential alkylation of alpha-amino nitriles followed by reductive lithiation of the nitrile and cyclization onto an alkene. Reductive lithiation of alpha-amino nitriles using lithium 4,4'-di-tert-butylbiphenylide (LiDBB) and subsequent intramolecular carbolithiation proceeded with modest to high diastereoselectivity to deliver cyclic or spirocyclic ring systems. The stereoselectivity of these intramolecular carbolithiations was examined using density function calculations to evaluate plausible transition state models.

Intramolecular Carbolithiation of 2,6-Dilithio-1,6-heptadienes: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

2,6-Dilithio-1,6-heptadienes 3 undergo intramolecular carbolithiation in Et(2)O/N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) at the lithiated double bonds to afford 1,2-bis(lithiomethyl)cyclopentenes 5. Reaction of these dianions with electrophiles affords a number of 1,2-difunctionalized cyclopentene derivatives 7-10. The ease of carbolithiation of 2,6-dilithio-1,6-heptadiene (3a) compared to that of 2-lithio-1,6-heptadiene (14) has been studied experimentally. A series of ab initio molecular-orbital calculations on the course of the reaction were carried out and the results were compared to those for the corresponding intramolecular carbolithiation of an isolated double bond. The Li-C interactions found in the transition state by this theoretical study support a carbolithiation pathway for the cyclization of 2,6-dilithio-1,6-heptadienes.

Asymmetric Synthesis of 3-Hydroxy-pyrrolidines via Tin−Lithium Exchange and Cyclization

We report a method for the synthesis of chiral pyrrolidines using tin-lithium exchange and cyclization reactions. The precursors are formed readily from simple starting materials and undergo tin-lithium exchange by treatment with n-butyllithium. Subsequent intramolecular carbolithiation is stereoselective to give highly enantiomerically enriched pyrrolidines in excellent yields.

Barrier to Enantiomerization of Unstabilized, Chelated, and Dipole-Stabilized 2-Lithiopyrrolidines

Kinetics experiments have been used to establish the free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of activation for the enantiomerization of three structural classes of 2-lithiopyrrolidines. We find that alpha-aminoorganolithiums chelated by a N-methoxyethyl or N-Boc group have a barrier to enantiomerization (DeltaG++) 2-3 kcal/mol lower than that of unstabilized alpha-aminoorganolithiums at 273 K. Density functional calculations were performed to clarify possible ground state and transition structures and to identify possible pathways for inversion of these chiral organolithium species.

Ionic vs Pericyclic Transition States for the Cyclization Reactions of Cα-N Anions Derived from Amides and Phosphinamides

[structure: see text] Ab initio and DFT calculations indicate that the anionic cyclization of vinyl- and phenyl-carboxamides and phosphinamides metalated at the C(alpha)-N carbon fits better to a Michael-type ionic addition than to an electrocyclic ring closure. The lithium atom has no influence on the type of reaction mechanism.

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-alkenyl-1-cyclopentanols via tin-lithium exchange and intramolecular cycloalkylation

[reaction: see text] We report a method for the synthesis of chiral cyclopentanes using tin-lithium exchange and cycloalkylation reactions. The sec-butyllithium/(-)-sparteine-mediated deprotonation of an alkyl carbamate and subsequent substitution furnishes a highly enantioenriched stannane as a stable carbanion equivalent. It was transformed into suitable cyclization precursors, which underwent tin-lithium exchange and stereoselective cycloalkylation when reacted with n-butyllithium, giving highly enantioenriched cyclopentanes in very good yields. A kinetic resolution was observed with a higher substituted stannane.