Olefin-Oxazolines (OlefOx): Highly Modular, Easily Tunable Ligands for Asymmetric Catalysis

Enantio- and Diastereodivergent Synthesis of Spirocycles through Dual-Metal-Catalyzed [3+2] Annulation of 2-Vinyloxiranes with Nucleophilic Dipoles

The development of efficient and straightforward methods for obtaining all optically active isomers of structurally rigid spirocycles from readily available starting materials is of great value in drug discovery and chiral ligand development. However, the stereodivergent synthesis of spirocycles bearing multiple stereocenters remains an unsolved challenge owing to steric hindrance and ring strain. Herein, we report an enantio- and diastereodivergent synthesis of rigid spirocycles through dual-metal-catalyzed [3+2] annulation of oxy π-allyl metallic dipoles with less commonly employed nucleophilic dipoles (imino esters). A series of spiro compounds bearing a pyrroline and an olefin were easily synthesized in an enantio- and diastereodivergent manner (up to 19:1 dr, >99 % ee), which showed great promise as a new type of N-olefin ligand. Preliminary mechanistic studies were also carried out to understand the process of this bimetallic catalysis.

Further Developments and Applications of Oxazoline-Containing Ligands in Asymmetric Catalysis

The chiral oxazoline motif is present in many ligands that have been extensively applied in a series of important metal-catalyzed enantioselective reactions. This Review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most significant applications of oxazoline-containing ligands reported in the literature starting from 2009 until the end of 2018. The ligands are classified not by the reaction to which their metal complexes have been applied but by the nature of the denticity, chirality, and donor atoms involved. As a result, the continued development of ligand architectural design from mono(oxazolines), to bis(oxazolines), to tris(oxazolines) and tetra(oxazolines) and variations thereof can be more easily monitored by the reader. In addition, the key transition states of selected asymmetric transformations will be given to illustrate the features that give rise to high levels of asymmetric induction. As a further aid to the reader, we summarize the majority of schemes with representative examples that highlight the variation in % yields and % ees for carefully selected substrates. This Review should be of particular interest to the experts in the field but also serve as a useful starting point to new researchers in this area. It is hoped that this Review will stimulate both the development/design of new ligands and their applications in novel metal-catalyzed asymmetric transformations.

Recent advances in palladium-catalysed asymmetric 1,4-additions of arylboronic acids to conjugated enones and chromones

The transition metal (palladium)-catalysed asymmetric 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to conjugated enones belong to the most important and emerging strategies for the construction of C-C bonds in an asymmetric fashion. This review covers known catalytic systems used for this transformation. For clarity, we are using the type of ligand as a sorting criterion. Finally, we attempted to create a flowchart facilitating the selection of a suitable ligand for a given combination of enone and arylboronic acid.

Enantioselective C-H Alkenylation of Ferrocenes with Alkynes by Half-Sandwich Scandium Catalyst

The enantioselective C-H alkenylation of ferrocenes with alkynes is, in principle, a straightforward and atom-efficient route for the construction of planar-chiral ferrocene scaffolds bearing alkene functionality but has remained scarcely explored to date. Here we report for the first time the highly enantioselective C-H alkenylation of quinoline- and pyridine-substituted ferrocenes with alkynes by a half-sandwich scandium catalyst. This protocol features broad substrate scope, high enantioselectivity, and 100% atom efficiency, selectively affording a new family of planar-chiral ferrocenes bearing N/alkene functionalities. The mechanistic details have been clarified by DFT analyses. The use of a quinoline/alkene-functionalized ferrocene product as a chiral ligand for asymmetric catalysis is also demonstrated.

Synthesis of Axially Chiral Olefin-Oxazoline Ligands via Pd-Catalyzed Multiple C-H Functionalization

We report herein the Pd-catalyzed oxazoline-directed C-H olefination of the N-arylindole skeleton, affording two diastereomers of axially chiral olefin-oxazoline ligands in a one-step procedure. Modifications at the 3- and 3'-positions were facilely achieved via electrophilic substitution of the indole fragment and subsequent oxazoline-directed C-H amidation or olefination of the arene fragment.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Atropisomeric Anilides via Pd(II)-Catalyzed Asymmetric C-H Olefination

Atropisomeric anilides have received tremendous attention as a novel class of chiral compounds possessing restricted rotation around an N-aryl chiral axis. However, in sharp contrast to the well-studied synthesis of biaryl atropisomers, the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral anilides remains a daunting challenge, largely due to the higher degree of rotational freedom compared to their biaryl counterparts. Here we describe a highly efficient catalytic asymmetric synthesis of atropisomeric anilides via Pd(II)-catalyzed atroposelective C-H olefination using readily available L-pyroglutamic acid as a chiral ligand. A broad range of atropisomeric anilides were prepared in high yields (up to 99% yield) and excellent stereoinduction (up to >99% ee) under mild conditions. Experimental studies indicated that the atropostability of those anilide atropisomers toward racemization relies on both steric and electronic effects. Experimental and computational studies were conducted to elucidate the reaction mechanism and rate-determining step. DFT calculations revealed that the amino acid ligand distortion is responsible for the enantioselectivity in the C-H bond activation step. The potent applications of the anilide atropisomers as a new type of chiral ligand in Rh(III)-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition and Lewis base catalysts in enantioselective allylation of aldehydes have been demonstrated. This strategy could provide a straightforward route to access atropisomeric anilides, one of the most challenging types of axially chiral compounds.

Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of Binaphthyl Supported Dihydro[1,6]diazecines

A short approach to chiral diaza-olefines from protected 2,2'-diamino-1,1'-binaphthyl is presented. Cis- and trans-olefines can be selectively obtained by twofold N-allylation followed by RCM or by bridging a 2,2'-diamino-1,1'-binaphthyl precursor with trans-1,4-dibromo-2-butene. Deprotection afforded cis- and trans-dihydro[1,6]diazecines 1 in 58 and 64% overall yield. The reactivity of the but-2-ene-1,4-diyl fragment was investigated yielding corresponding epoxides, diols, and mono- and dibromo products. In several cases rearrangements and participation of the proximate N-Boc group was observed. In no case could allylic substitution be accomplished. From 13 compounds X-ray structure analyses could be obtained.

Renaissance of pyridine-oxazolines as chiral ligands for asymmetric catalysis

Oxazoline-containing ligands have been widely employed in numerous asymmetric catalytic reactions. Pyridine-oxazoline-type ligands, a class of hybrid ligands, were designed earlier than bisoxazoline and phosphine-oxazoline ligands; however, their unique properties have only been discovered recently. Pyridine-oxazoline-type chiral ligands are rapidly becoming popular for use in asymmetric catalysis, especially for several new and efficient asymmetric methodologies. Several types of challenging asymmetric reactions have been discovered recently using pyridine-oxazoline-type ligands showing their special properties and potential for future application in a wide range of new catalytic methodologies. This review provides an overview of this field, with the aim of highlighting both ligand design and synthetic methodology development.

Catalytic Conjugate Addition of Electron-Rich Heteroarenes to β,β-Disubstituted Enones

Catalytic conjugate additions of heteroarenes to β,β-disubstituted enones are reported. Additions of a range of heteroarene nucleophiles, including furans, indoles, a pyrrole, and a thiophene, to a variety of β,β-disubstituted enones occur to form the corresponding ketone products containing heteroarylated, all-carbon quaternary centers in up to 90% yield. These reactions occur under mild reaction conditions in the presence of low loadings of bismuth triflate.

Two phenyls are better than one or three: synthesis and application of terminal olefin-oxazoline (TOlefOx) ligands

A novel terminal olefin-oxazoline ligand was introduced into rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to enones and gave excellent enantioselectivities. The two phenyls proved better than one or three in ligand evaluations.

Synthesis of axially chiral heterobiaryl alkynes via dynamic kinetic asymmetric alkynylation

The dynamic kinetic Pd⁰-catalyzed alkynylation of racemic heterobiaryl sulfonates was used for the asymmetric synthesis of axially chiral heterobiaryl alkynes with a broad scope.

Synthesis of diverse β-quaternary ketones via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic enones

The development and optimization of a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic enone conjugate acceptors is described. These reactions employ air-stable and readily-available reagents in an operationally simple and robust transformation that yields β-quaternary ketones in high yields and enantioselectivities. Notably, the reaction itself is highly tolerant of atmospheric oxygen and moisture and therefore does not require the use of dry or deoxygenated solvents, specially purified reagents, or an inert atmosphere. The ring size and β-substituent of the enone are highly variable, and a wide variety of β-quaternary ketones can be synthesized. More recently, the use of NH4PF6 has further expanded the substrate scope to include heteroatom-containing arylboronic acids and β-acyl enone substrates.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Arylboronic Acids to α,β-Unsaturated Cyclic Electrophiles

This account describes our laboratory's efforts in the development of a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to cyclic conjugate acceptors. Specifically, we highlight the study of this transformation in the following areas: (a) construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, (b) elucidation of the reaction mechanism,

Enantioselective palladium catalyzed conjugate additions of ortho-substituted arylboronic acids to β,β-disubstituted cyclic enones: total synthesis of herbertenediol, enokipodin A and enokipodin B

Palladium catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of ortho-substituted arylboronic acids to cyclic enones and its application in natural product synthesis.

Simple sulfur–olefins as new promising chiral ligands for asymmetric catalysis

Recent progress on exploring sulfur-containing hybrid olefins as new elegant ligands for enantioselective catalytic processes is surveyed.

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of alkylzirconium reagents to cyclic enones to form quaternary centers

This protocol describes the catalytic asymmetric formation of all-carbon quaternary centers--a distinctive feature of many natural products and pharmaceuticals--via conjugate addition of alkylzirconium reagents to a tertiary enone. This methodology uses alkenes as starting materials and enables the incorporation of functional groups. The alkylzirconium reagent is generated in situ by mixing the alkene with the Schwartz reagent. The alkylzirconium is added to a solution containing a copper-ligand complex, and then the enone is added to the mixture. The addition of pent-4-en-1-ylbenzene to 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone is detailed herein as a generic example. This procedure works at room temperature (∼25 °C), and it is scalable to at least 1.5 g. The setup of the reaction takes 3-5 h and the reaction goes to completion within 4-20 h.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H olefination for the synthesis of ortho-alkenyl phenols using an oxidizing directing group

By using an oxidizing directing group, a mild, efficient Rh(III) catalyzed C-H olefination reaction between N-phenoxyacetamides and alkenes was developed. This reaction provided a straightforward way for the synthesis of ortho-alkenyl phenols, and the directing group is traceless in the product.

Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylations of 3-substituted indoles using chiral P/olefin ligands

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 3-substituted indoles using P/olefin ligands was successfully achieved to afford a variety of indolenines containing a quaternary carbon stereocenter in high yields with up to 87% ee. Significantly, this reaction provides a concise access to a stereoisomer of the natural product Angelicastigmin.

An N-linked bidentate phosphoramidite ligand (N-Me-BIPAM) for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones

A new bidentate phosphoramidite (N-Me-BIPAM) based on Shibasaki's N-linked BINOL was synthesized. This ligand appears to be highly effective for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugated addition of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated enones. The reaction of ortho-substituted arylboronic acid with acyclic and cyclic enones provides the corresponding products in good yields and enantioselectivities.