Enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydrofuran spirooxindoles via domino oxa-Michael/Michael addition reaction using a bifunctional squaramide catalyst

An enantioselective approach for the synthesis of tetrahydrofuran spirooxindoles via domino oxa-Michael/Michael addition reaction of γ-hydroxyenones to isatylidene malononitriles, using a cinchona derived bifunctional squaramide catalyst has been developed. The methodology is the first success of enantioselective oxa-Michael addition to isatylidene malononitriles. The spiro products were obtained in excellent yields with moderate to good enantio- and diastereoselectivities. Scale-up of the reaction and synthetic transformation of the spiro product into structurally complex molecules have been performed.

Lewis acid-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulations of oxindole based spirocyclic donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with ynamides

[3 + 2] annulations of oxindole based spirocyclic donor-acceptor cyclopropanes and ynamides catalyzed by copper triflate have been developed for the synthesis of biologically important spirocyclopenteneoxindoles. These reactions tolerated a wide scope of substrates and provided the desired products in good to high yields (up to 90%) with up to >40 : 1 diastereoselectivities under mild conditions.

Ring Opening of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes with Acyclic 1,3-Diketones for the Synthesis of 1,6-Dicarbonyl Compounds

1,6-Dicarbonyl compounds, representing the formal addition products of the α-position of acetophenone derivatives to donor-acceptor cyclopropanes, were synthesized in two steps via first ring opening of donor-acceptor cyclopropanes with acyclic 1,3-diketones followed by DBU catalyzed retro-Claisen-type C-C bond cleavage reactions. In the first step, acyclic 1,3-diketones selectively worked as C-nucleophiles to add to donor-acceptor cyclopropanes. In the second step, the alkyl ketone part of the ring-opening products resulting from unsymmetrical 1,3-diketones was selectively cleaved in the presence of DBU in methanol.

Desymmetrization of 1-Symmetrical Donor-Acceptor (D-A) Cyclopropanes via Reactions with 1,3-Cyclodiones

A new type of 1-unsymmetrical D-A cyclopropanes containing a cyclic enone motif was obtained by the desymmetrization of 1-symmetrical D-A cyclopropanes via first the Lewis acid-catalyzed O-nucleophilic ring-opening reaction with 1,3-cyclodiones followed by an organobase-promoted unexpected multistep intramolecular transformation.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Oxindole-Derived δ-Hydroxy-β-ketoesters by Aldol Reactions

Direct asymmetric synthesis of δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters was accomplished via regio- and enantioselective aldol reactions of β-ketoesters with isatins catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid thiourea derivatives. The C-C bond formation of the reactions occurred only at the γ-position of the β-ketoesters. Reaction progress monitoring and product stability analyses under the conditions that included the catalyst indicated that the γ-position reaction products were formed kinetically. Various δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters bearing 3-alkyl-3-hydroxyoxindole cores relevant to the development of bioactive molecules were synthesized.

DBU-Mediated Diastereoselective Aldol-Type Cyanomethylation of Isatins

An efficient, metal-free approach to 3-substituted 3-hydroxyoxindole by DBU-mediated highly diastereoselective addition of aryl acetonitrile to N-protected isatin under mild conditions has been developed. The reaction proceeds smoothly to produce respective cyanomethylated adducts in good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity. Further transformation of the cyanide group allowed the synthesis of an advance intermediate of corresponding (±) CPC analogue. The mechanistic insight toward the aldol-type cyanomethylation of N-tritylisatin with benzyl cyanide was obtained by DFT calculations.

Reactions of pyruvates: organocatalytic synthesis of functionalized dihydropyrans in one pot and further transformations to functionalized carbocycles and heterocycles

Concise cascade reactions of pyruvates with aldehydes that generate functionalized dihydropyran derivatives in one pot have been developed. The products, dihydropyrans, were further concisely transformed to various functionalized molecules.

A highly efficient DBU-catalyzed green synthesis of spiro-oxindoles

A DBU-catalyzed green synthesis of spiro-oxindoles with 100% atom economy has been developed under environmentally benign conditions.