Enantioselective Synthesis of Silacyclopentanes

Catalytic Asymmetric Construction of C- and Si-Stereogenic Silacyclopentanes via Hydrosilylation of Arylmethylenecyclopropanes

Silacycles have exhibited significant potential for application in the fields of medicinal chemistry, agrochemistry, and materials science. Accordingly, the development of effective methods for synthesizing these compounds has attracted increasing attention. Here, we report an efficient Cu-catalyzed enantioselective hydrosilylation of arylmethylenecyclopropanes with hydrosilanes, that allows the rapid assembly of various enantioenriched carbon- and silicon-stereogenic silacyclopentanes in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities under mild conditions. Further stereospecific transformation of the Si-H bond on the chiral silicon center expands the diversity of these C- and Si-stereogenic silacyclopentanes.

Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of Si-stereogenic silacycles

A strong and confined Brønsted acid catalyzed enantioselective cyclization of bis(methallyl)silanes provides enantioenriched Si-stereogenic silacycles. High enantioselectivities of up to 96.5:3.5 er were obtained for a range of bis(methallyl)silanes. NMR and ESI-MS studies reveal that the formation of a covalent adduct irreversibly inhibits turnover. Remarkably, we found that acetic acid as an additive promotes the collapse of this adduct, enabling full turnover. Experimental investigation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to elucidate the origin of this phenomenon and the observed enantioselectivity.

Stereospecific synthesis of silicon-stereogenic optically active silylboranes and general synthesis of chiral silyl Anions

Silicon-stereogenic optically active silylboranes could potentially allow the formation of chiral silyl nucleophiles as well as the synthesis of various chiral silicon compounds. However, the synthesis of such silicon-stereogenic silylboranes has not been achieved so far. Here, we report the synthesis of silicon-stereogenic optically active silylboranes via a stereospecific Pt(PPh3)4-catalyzed Si-H borylation of chiral hydrosilanes, which are synthesized by stoichiometric and catalytic asymmetric synthesis, in high yield and very high or perfect enantiospecificity (99% es in one case, and >99% es in the others) with retention of the configuration. Furthermore, we report a practical approach to generate silicon-stereogenic silyl nucleophiles with high enantiopurity and configurational stability using MeLi activation. This protocol is suitable for the stereospecific and general synthesis of silicon-stereogenic trialkyl-, dialkylbenzyl-, dialkylaryl-, diarylalkyl-, and alkylary benzyloxy-substituted silylboranes and their corresponding silyl nucleophiles with excellent enantiospecificity (>99% es except one case of 99% es). Transition-metal-catalyzed C-Si bond-forming cross-coupling reactions and conjugate-addition reactions are also demonstrated. The mechanisms underlying the stability and reactivity of such chiral silyl anion were investigated by combining NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

Pseudo-Diastereodivergent Synthesis of Chiral Fluorenes Bearing Bis-1,3-Nonadjacent Stereogenic Centers via Organocatalytic Desymmetrization of meso-Epoxides

We report an enantio- and diastereodivergent synthesis of enantioenriched fluorenes bearing bis-1,3-nonadjacent stereocenters with broad substrate scope and high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under low catalyst loading (0.1 mol %). The key to the success of this method is the pseudo-diastereodivergent desymmetrization of stereoisomers of meso-epoxides enabled by the same organocatalyst. Furthermore, some of the chiral fluorenes obtained exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields (up to 76.6%), as evidenced by photophysical properties studies.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Silicon-Stereogenic Monohydrosilanes by Rhodium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydrosilylation

Enantiopure monohydrosilanes are versatile chiral reagents for alcohol resolution and mechanistic investigation. Herein, we have demonstrated the asymmetric synthesis of monohydrosilanes via an intramolecular hydrosilylation strategy. This protocol is suitable for the synthesis of five- and six-membered cyclic monohydrosilanes, including a class of chiral oxasilacycles, with excellent diastereo-, regio-, and enantioselectivities. Notably, the catalyst loading could be reduced to 0.1 mol % which makes this one of the most efficient methods to access chiral monohydrosilanes. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations indicate this Rh-catalyzed intramolecular asymmetric hydrosilylation reaction might proceed via a Chalk-Harrod mechanism, and the enantio-determining step was predicted to be oxidative addition of Si-H bond.

Proton-accelerated Lewis acid catalysis for stereo- and regioselective isomerization of epoxides to allylic alcohols

The isomerization of epoxides to allylic alcohols was developed via proton-accelerated Lewis acid catalysis. The addition of tBuOH as a proton source is the key to the efficient catalytic cycle. Trisubstituted epoxides, including enantioenriched derivatives, were selectively converted to secondary-allylic alcohols without loss of enantiopurity.

Biocatalytic Transformations of Silicon-the Other Group 14 Element

Significant inroads have been made using biocatalysts to perform new-to-nature reactions with high selectivity and efficiency. Meanwhile, advances in organosilicon chemistry have led to rich sets of reactions holding great synthetic value. Merging biocatalysis and silicon chemistry could yield new methods for the preparation of valuable organosilicon molecules as well as the degradation and valorization of undesired ones. Despite silicon's importance in the biosphere for its role in plant and diatom construction, it is not known to be incorporated into any primary or secondary metabolites. Enzymes have been found that act on silicon-containing molecules, but only a few are known to act directly on silicon centers. Protein engineering and evolution has and could continue to enable enzymes to catalyze useful organosilicon transformations, complementing and expanding upon current synthetic methods. The role of silicon in biology and the enzymes that act on silicon-containing molecules are reviewed to set the stage for a discussion of where biocatalysis and organosilicon chemistry may intersect.

Easy Access to Enantiomerically Pure Heterocyclic Silicon-Chiral Phosphonium Cations and the Matched/Mismatched Case of Dihydrogen Release

Phosphonium ions are widely used in preparative organic synthesis and catalysis. The provision of new types of cations that contain both functional and chiral information is a major synthetic challenge and can open up new horizons in asymmetric cation-directed and Lewis acid catalysis. We discovered an efficient methodology towards new Si-chiral four-membered CPSSi* heterocyclic cations. Three synthetic approaches are presented. The stereochemical sequence of anchimerically assisted cation formation with B(C6 F5 )3 and subsequent hydride addition was fully elucidated and proceeds with excellent preservation of the chiral information at the stereogenic silicon atom. Also the mechanism of dihydrogen release from a protonated hydrosilane was studied in detail by the help of Si-centered chirality as stereochemical probe. Chemoselectivity switch (dihydrogen release vs. protodesilylation) can easily be achieved through slight modifications of the solvent. A matched/mismatched case was identified and the intermolecularity of this reaction supported by spectroscopic, kinetic, deuterium-labeling experiments, and quantum chemical calculations.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective γ-Elimination: Applications in the Preparation of Chiral Peroxides and Epoxides

An organocatalyzed enantioselective γ-elimination process has been achieved and applied in the kinetic resolution of peroxides to access chiral peroxides and epoxides. The reaction provided a pathway for the preparation of two useful synthetic and biologically important structural motifs through a single-step reaction. A range of substrates has been resolved with a selectivity factor up to 63. The obtained enantioenriched peroxides and epoxides allowed a series of transformations with retained optical purities.

Synthesis of Unsaturated Silyl Heterocycles via an Intramolecular Silyl-Heck Reaction

We report the synthesis of unsaturated silacycles via an intramolecular silyl-Heck reaction. Using palladium catalysis, silicon electrophiles tethered to alkenes cyclize to form 5- and 6-membered silicon heterocycles. The effects of alkene substitution and tether length on the efficiency and regioselectivity of the cyclizations are described. Finally, through the use of an intramolecular tether, the first examples of disubstituted alkenes in silyl-Heck reactions are reported.

Asymmetric retro-[1,4]-Brook rearrangement of 3-silyl allyloxysilanes via chirality transfer from silicon to carbon

An asymmetric retro-[1,4]-Brook rearrangement of 3-silyl allyloxysilanes has been developed via Si-to-C chirality transfer. Mechanistic studies reveal that the silyl group migrates with retention of configuration. The stereochemical outcome of the newly formed stereogenic carbon center, which has remained a longstanding question, is also clarified, suggesting a diastereoselective Si to C chirality transfer without loss of enantiomeric excess.

Synthesis of silacyclopent-2-en-4-ols via intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of benzoyl(allyl)silanes

Organosilicon compounds are versatile units with a wide range of uses from medicinal chemistry to the field of organic electronics.

Probing enantioselectivity in rhodium-catalyzed Si–C bond cleavage to construct silicon-stereocenters: a theoretical study

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that favorable oxidative addition/reductive elimination process from arylrhodium complex determines the enantioselectivity.