Organocatalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Aldehydes to Nitroolefins: Identification of Catalytic Intermediates and the Stereoselectivity-Determining Step by ESI-MS

Additive and Emergent Catalytic Properties of Dimeric Unnatural Amino Acid Derivatives: Aldol and Conjugate Additions

Different densely substituted L‐ and D‐proline esters were prepared by asymmetric (3+2) cycloaddition reactions catalyzed by conveniently selected EhuPhos chiral ligands. The γ‐nitro‐2‐alkoxycarbonyl pyrrolidines thus obtained in either their endo or exo forms were functionalized and coupled to yield the corresponding γ‐dipeptides. The catalytic properties of these latter dimers were examined using aldol and conjugate additions as case studies. When aldol reactions were analyzed, an additive behavior in terms of stereocontrol was observed on going from the monomers to the dimers. In contrast, in the case of the conjugate additions between ketones and nitroalkenes, the monomers did not catalyze this reaction, whereas the different γ‐dipeptides promoted the formation of the corresponding Michael adducts. Therefore, in this latter case emergent catalytic properties were observed for these novel γ‐dipeptides based on unnatural proline derivatives. Under certain conditions stoichiometric amounts of ketone, acid and nitroalkene), formation of N‐acyloxy‐2‐oxooctahydro‐1H‐indoles was observed.

Amine Catalysis with Substrates Bearing N-Heterocyclic Moieties Enabled by Control over the Enamine Pyramidalization Direction

Stereoselective organocatalytic C-C bond formations that tolerate N-heterocycles are valuable since these moieties are common motifs in numerous chiral bioactive compounds. Such transformations are, however, challenging since N-heterocyclic moieties can interfere with the catalytic reaction. Here, we present a peptide that catalyzes conjugate addition reactions between aldehydes and nitroolefins bearing a broad range of different N-heterocyclic moieties with basic and/or H-bonding sites in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. Tuning of the pyramidalization direction of the enamine intermediate enabled the high stereoselectivity.

Phenylglyoxylic Acid: An Efficient Initiator for the Photochemical Hydrogen Atom Transfer C-H Functionalization of Heterocycles

C-H functionalization at the α-position of heterocycles has become a rapidly growing area of research. Herein, a cheap and efficient photochemical method was developed for the C-H functionalization of heterocycles. Phenylglyoxylic acid (PhCOCOOH) could behave as an alternative to metal-based catalysts and organic dyes and provided a very general and wide array of photochemical C-H alkylation, alkenylation, and alkynylation, as well as C-N bond forming reaction methodologies. This novel, mild, and metal-free protocol was successfully employed in the functionalization of a wide range of C-H bonds, utilizing not only O- or N-heterocycles, but also the less studied S-heterocycles.

Merging Art and Science-The 53rd Bürgenstock Conference

For the 53rd time, the Bürgenstock Conference gathered some of the most gifted scientists and rising stars in organic, physical, and bioorganic chemistry. Orchestrated by Ilan Marek (President) and his successor, Véronique Gouverneur, the synergy between art and science took place in Brunnen, Switzerland, with a beatiful view over Lake Lucerne.

(16) O/(18) O Exchange of Aldehydes and Ketones caused by H2 (18) O in the Mechanistic Investigation of Organocatalyzed Michael, Mannich, and Aldol Reactions

Organocatalyzed Michael, Mannich, and aldol reactions of aldehydes or ketones, as nucleophiles, have triggered several discussions regarding their reaction mechanism. H2 (18) O has been utilized to determine if the reaction proceeds through an enamine or enol mechanism by monitoring the ratio of (18) O incorporated into the final product. In this communication, we describe the risk of H2 (18) O as an evaluation tool for this mechanistic investigation. We have demonstrated that exchange of (16) O/(18) O occurs in the aldehyde or ketone starting material, caused by the presence of H2 (18) O and amine catalysts, before the Michael, Mannich, and aldol reactions proceed. Because the newly generated (18) O starting aldehydes or ketones and (16) O water affect the incorporation ratio of (18) O in the final product, the use of H2 (18) O would not be appropriate to distinguish the mechanism of these organocatalyzed reactions.

A new charge-tagged proline-based organocatalyst for mechanistic studies using electrospray mass spectrometry

A new 4-hydroxy-L-proline derivative with a charged 1-ethylpyridinium-4-phenoxy substituent has been synthesized with the aim of facilitating mechanistic studies of proline-catalyzed reactions by ESI mass spectrometry. The charged residue ensures a strongly enhanced ESI response compared to neutral unmodified proline. The connection by a rigid linker fixes the position of the charge tag far away from the catalytic center in order to avoid unwanted interactions. The use of a charged catalyst leads to significantly enhanced ESI signal abundances for every catalyst-derived species which are the ones of highest interest present in a reacting solution. The new charged proline catalyst has been tested in the direct asymmetric inverse aldol reaction between aldehydes and diethyl ketomalonate. Two intermediates in accordance with the List-Houk mechanism for enamine catalysis have been detected and characterized by gas-phase fragmentation. In addition, their temporal evolution has been followed using a microreactor continuous-flow technique.