N,N′-Dioxide-Scandium(III)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Michael Addition of β,γ-Unsaturated Butenolides to α,β-Unsaturated γ-Keto Esters

Concise synthesis of chiral γ-butenolides via an allylation/lactonization cascade reaction

A highly enantioselective allylation/lactonization cascade was developed, which provides a concise and efficient route to chiral γ-butenolides under mild conditions. Most of the reaction examples can be completed in 10 minutes with high selectivity.

Three-Component Direct Phosphorylation of Aldehydes and Alkylation of Ketones: Synthesis of γ-Ketophosphine Oxides under Acidic Conditions

An effective and economical acid-promoted three-component reaction for the construction of C-P and C-C bonds for the synthesis of γ-ketophosphine oxides with water as the only byproduct was developed. Detailed mechanistic experiments confirmed that the reaction proceeds by phospha-aldol elimination, in which a benzylic carbocation is generated from the phosphorylation of aldehydes, which then reacts with ketone enolates under acidic conditions.

Copper-catalyzed multicomponent assembly of γ-butenolides via the interception of carbonyl ylides with iminium ions

A Cu(I)-catalyzed three-component reaction of cyclopropenes, enamines and aldehydes has been realized. This reaction proceeds via the interception of carbonyl oxonium ylide intermediates with α, β-unsaturated iminium ions that are in situ generated from enamines and aldehydes under the catalysis of Cu(MeCN)₄PF₆, leading to the desired γ-butenolide derivatives in good yields and with moderate diastereoselectivities. Access to these derivatives with tethered ketone and alkynal groups will expand the structural diversity of multi-substituted butenolides.

Asymmetric synthesis of chromanone lactones via vinylogous conjugate addition of butenolide to 2-ester chromones

Chiral chromanone lactones are a class of natural products with important biological activity. We report a direct diastereo- and enantioselective vinylogous conjugate addition of butenolide to 2-ester substituted chromones. The transformation proceeded well in the presence of as low as 1 mol% of a chiral N,N′-dioxide/Sc^III complex, 3 Å MS and a catalytic amount of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). The scope of Michael acceptors includes a variety of substituted chromones at different positions, and the desired chromanone lactones upon reduction are afforded in good yield and diastereoselectivity, and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The strategy could be used in the concise synthesis of blennolide C and gonytolide A, C and G.

We report a direct, diastero- and enantioselective vinylogous 1,4-addition of butanolide to 2-ester chromones. A chiral Sc^III complex enabled the reaction to proceed smoothly to give a variety of chraomanone lactones.

New Developments of the Principle of Vinylogy as Applied to π-Extended Enolate-Type Donor Systems

The principle of vinylogy states that the electronic effects of a functional group in a molecule are possibly transmitted to a distal position through interposed conjugated multiple bonds. As an emblematic case, the nucleophilic character of a π-extended enolate-type chain system may be relayed from the legitimate α-site to the vinylogous γ, ε, ..., ω remote carbon sites along the chain, provided that suitable HOMO-raising strategies are adopted to transform the unsaturated pronucleophilic precursors into the reactive polyenolate species. On the other hand, when "unnatural" carbonyl ipso-sites are activated as nucleophiles (umpolung), vinylogation extends the nucleophilic character to "unnatural" β, δ, ... remote sites. Merging the principle of vinylogy with activation modalities and concepts such as iminium ion/enamine organocatalysis, NHC-organocatalysis, cooperative organo/metal catalysis, bifunctional organocatalysis, dicyanoalkylidene activation, and organocascade reactions represents an impressive step forward for all vinylogous transformations. This review article celebrates this evolutionary progress, by collecting, comparing, and critically describing the achievements made over the nine year period 2010-2018, in the generation of vinylogous enolate-type donor substrates and their use in chemical synthesis.

Deconjugated butenolide: a versatile building block for asymmetric catalysis

Deconjugated butenolides have emerged as a popular synthon for the enantioselective synthesis of γ-lactones. This review provides a comprehensive overview on the catalytic asymmetric reactions of deconjugated butenolides reported till date.

A vinylogous Michael reaction of 2-furanone dimers with α,β-unsaturated nitroolefins for constructing chiral γ,γ-disubstituted butenolides

An asymmetric vinylogous Michael reaction of 2-furanone dimers with α,β-unsaturated nitroolefins utilizing bifunctional thiourea as a catalyst has been developed, which provides an easy access to a wide range of chiral γ,γ-disubstituted butenolides.

Enantioselective vinylogous Michael addition of β,γ-unsaturated butenolide to 2-iminochromenes

An efficient organocatalyzed asymmetric synthesis of 2-amino-4H-(2-furanone)-3-carbonitrile via vinylogous Michael addition of non-activated β,γ-unsaturated butenolide to 2-iminochromenes has been realized.

Recent Advances in Metal-Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,4-Conjugate Addition (ACA) of Nonorganometallic Nucleophiles

The metal-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition (ACA) reaction has emerged as a general and powerful approach for the construction of optically active compounds and is among the most significant and useful reactions in synthetic organic chemistry. In recent years, great progress has been made in this area with the use of various chiral metal complexes based on different chiral ligands. This review provides comprehensive and critical information on the enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition of nonorganometallic (soft) nucleophiles and their importance in synthetic applications. The literature is covered from the last 10 years, and a number of examples from before 2007 are included as background information. The review is divided into multiple parts according to the type of nucleophile involved in the reaction (such as C-, B-, O-, N-, S-, P-, and Si-centered nucleophiles) and metal catalyst systems used.

Catalytic asymmetric formal γ-allylation of deconjugated butenolides

A formal γ-allylation of deconjugated butenolides is reported based on a two-step sequence consisting of a catalytic diastereo- and enantioselective vinylogous nucleophilic addition to vinyl sulfones and Julia-Kocienski olefination. This highly modular approach delivers densely functionalized butenolides containing a quaternary stereogenic centre in excellent yield with high enantioselectivity.

Angelica Lactones: From Biomass-Derived Platform Chemicals to Value-Added Products

The upgrading of biomass-derived compounds has arisen in recent years as a very promising research field in both academia and industry. In this sense, a lot of new processes and products have been developed, often involving levulinic acid as a starting material or intermediate. In the last few years, though, other scaffolds have been receiving growing attention, especially, angelica lactones. Considering these facts and the emergent applications of said molecules, in this review we will discuss their preparation and applications; the use of these frameworks as starting materials in organic synthesis to produce potential bioactive compounds will be covered, as will their use as a foundation to highly regarded compounds such as liquid alkanes with prospective use as fuels and polymers.

An asymmetric organocatalytic vinylogous Mannich reaction of 3-methyl-5-arylfuran-2(3H)-ones with N-(2-pyridinesulfonyl) imines: enantioselective synthesis of δ-amino γ,γ-disubstituted butenolides

A series of δ-amino γ,γ-disubstituted butenolides were obtained with satisfactory results via an asymmetric vinylogous Mannich reaction of 3-methyl-5-arylfuran-2(3H)-ones with N-(2-pyridinesulfonyl)imines.

Regioselective α-Addition of Deconjugated Butenolides: Enantioselective Synthesis of Dihydrocoumarins

The enantioselective α-addition of deconjugated butenolides has rarely been exploited, in contrast to the well-studied γ-addition of deconjugated butenolides. In this study, an unprecedented asymmetric α-addition/transesterification of deconjugated butenolides with ortho-quinone methides generated in situ afforded a series of functionalized 3,4-dihydrocoumarins containing two contiguous stereogenic centers with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. DFT calculations suggested that the rarely observed regioselectivity was due to the distortion energy that resulted from the interaction between the nucleophilic dienolate and the electrophilic ortho-quinone methide.

Catalytic asymmetric Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley reduction of glyoxylates induced by a chiral N,N′-dioxide/Y(OTf)3complex

An asymmetric MPV reduction of glyoxylates was for the first time achieved with excellent results and the mechanism of the reaction was probed.

Asymmetric [4 + 2] annulation of 5H-thiazol-4-ones with a chiral dipeptide-based Brønsted base catalyst

Versatile synthetic strategies that access diverse chemical substrates in a highly chemo- and stereo-selective manner are crucial but demanding. Construction of chiral molecules with multiple (hetero)-quaternary carbon stereocenters in a single fashion is a particularly significant challenge, with important applications in the synthesis of a range of bioactive compounds containing the 1,4-sulfur bridged piperidinone structural motif. The asymmetric synthesis of these entities is complicated due to the need to build at least two hetero-quaternary stereocenters concurrently. In order to achieve this, we have developed a new family of dipeptide-based multifunctional Brønsted base organocatalysts that are highly capable of the first asymmetric [4 + 2] annulation reaction of 5H-thiazol-4-ones with electron-deficient alkenes. This protocol could be applied to a series of alkenes such as nitroalkenes, 4-oxo-4-arylbutenones, 4-oxo-4-arylbutenoates and methyleneindolinones, providing an efficient approach to valuable chiral 1,4-sulfur bridged piperidinones and their derivatives with multiple hetereo-quaternary stereogenic centers in high yields and enantioselectivities. Density functional theory studies involving 5H-thiazol-4-one and nitroolefin catalysis propose stereochemical insights into the origin of enantio- and chemo-selectivity.

An asymmetric assembly of spirooxindole dihydropyranones through a direct enantioselective organocatalytic vinylogous aldol-cyclization cascade reaction of 3-alkylidene oxindoles with isatins

An unexpected enantioselective organocatalytic vinylogous aldol-cyclization cascade reaction generating dihydropyranones in good to excellent yields with high enantioselectivities.

Enantioselective direct vinylogous aldol-cyclization cascade reaction between β,γ-unsaturated amides and o-quinones

The first enantioselective vinylogous reaction with 1,2-dikeones as aldol donors has been developed to provide chiral spirocyclic dihydropyranones.

Enantioselective synthesis of dihydrocoumarin derivatives by chiral scandium(III)-complex catalyzed inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction

An asymmetric inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction between o-quinone methides and azlactones to generate potentially pharmacological active dihydrocoumarins has been achieved efficiently by using a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Sc(III) complex as the catalyst. The desired products were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities (up to 94% yield, 96% ee and >19 : 1 dr) under mild reaction conditions. A concerted reaction pathway was confirmed by Operando IR and control experiments.

Direct asymmetric vinylogous Michael addition of 3-alkylidene oxindoles to chalcones catalyzed by a chiral N,N′-dioxide ytterbium(iii) complex

A chiral ytterbium(iii)–N,N′-dioxide complex was applied in the catalytic direct asymmetric vinylogous Michael addition of 3-alkylidene oxindoles to chalcones, giving the corresponding γ-addition products with high yields, enantioselectivities andZ/Eselectivities.

Highly enantioselective direct allylic alkylation of butenolides with Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates catalyzed by chiral squaramide-phosphine

Asymmetric vinylogous allylic alkylation of β,γ-butenolides with Morita–Baylis–Hillman carbonates has been developed to construct γ,γ-disubstituted butenolides containing adjacent quaternary and tertiary chiral centers.

Diastereo- and enantioselective direct vinylogous Michael addition of γ-substituted butenolides to 2-enoylpyridines catalyzed by chiral bifunctional amine-squaramides

The enantioselective vinylogous Michael addition of γ-substituted butenolides to 2-enoylpyridines was developed to yield γ,γ-disubstituted butenolide derivatives in excellent stereoselectivities.