Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted α‐Amino Allenoates by Dearomative γ‐Addition of 2,3‐Disubstituted Indoles to β,γ‐Alkynyl‐α‐imino Esters

Asymmetric Cascade Dearomatization-Cyclization Reaction of Tryptamines with β,γ-Alkynyl-α-imino Esters: Access to Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole-Containing Tetrasubstituted α-Amino Allenoates

An organocatalytic enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole-containing tetrasubstituted α-amino allenoates, exhibiting both axial and central chirality, has been accomplished via cascade dearomatization-cyclization reaction. The γ-addition to β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters provides a library of densely substituted highly enantioenriched allenes in high yields and excellent stereoselectivities. In addition, the scope of this methodology has been extended to tryptophol as well. A scale-up reaction and synthetic transformations of the products were performed to demonstrate the practical usefulness of this approach.

Late-stage peptide modification and macrocyclization enabled by tertiary amine catalyzed tryptophan allylation

Late-stage modification of peptides could potentially endow peptides with significant bioactivity and physicochemical properties, and thereby provide novel opportunities for peptide pharmaceutical studies. Since tryptophan (Trp) bears a unique indole ring residue and plays various critical functional roles in peptides, the modification methods for tryptophan were preliminarily developed with considerable progress via transition-metal mediated C-H activation. Herein, we report an unprecedented tertiary amine catalyzed peptide allylation via the SN2'-SN2' pathway between the N1 position of the indole ring of Trp and Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates. Using this method that proceeds under mild conditions, we demonstrated an extremely broad scope of Trp-containing peptides and MBH carbonates to prepare a series of peptide conjugates and cyclic peptides. The reaction is amenable to either solid-phase (on resin) or solution-phase conditions. In addition, the modified peptides can be further conjugated with other biomolecules at Trp, providing a new handle for bioconjugation.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective 1,12-Addition of Alkynyl Biphenyl Quinone Methides Formed In Situ

The chemistry of quinone methides formed in situ has been flourishing in recent years. In sharp contrast, the development and utilization of biphenyl quinone methides are rare. In this study, we achieved a remote stereocontrolled 1,12-conjugate addition of biphenyl quinone methides formed in situ for the first time. In the presence of a suitable chiral phosphoric acid, alkynyl biphenyl quinone methides were generated from α-[4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)phenyl]propargyl alcohols, followed by enantioselective 1,12-conjugate addition with indole-2-carboxylates. The strategy enabled the alcohols to serve as efficient allenylation reagents, providing practical access to a broad range of axially chiral allenes bearing a (1,1'-biphenyl)-4-ol unit, which were previously less accessible. Combined with control experiments, density functional theory calculations shed light on the reaction mechanism, indicating that enantioselectivity originates from the nucleophilic addition of alkynyl biphenyl quinone methides. Notably, not only the presence of biphenyl quinone methides as versatile intermediates was confirmed but also organocatalytic enantioselective 1,12-addition was established.

Enantioselective Aminative Dearomatization of Indoles via Electrophilic 1,6-Addition of p-Quinone Diimides (p-QDIs)

Herein we report the first use of p-quinone diimide for the aminative dearomatization of 2,3-disubstituted indoles to furnish C3 aza-quaternary chiral indolenines. This approach, which proceeds via an electrophilic 1,6-addition of p-quinone diimide, allows the synthesis of an array of optically active aza-quaternary indolenines with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. A one-pot approach of the same has also been established to further improve the synthetic accessibility of this protocol.

Novel Stereo-Induction Pattern in Pudovik Addition/Phospha-Brook Rearrangement Towards Chiral Trisubstituted Allenes

Despite the significance of chiral allene skeletons in catalysis, organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry et al., there is a scarcity of reports on axially chiral allenyl phosphorus compounds. Here, we disclosed an efficient and straightforward cascade reaction between ethynyl ketones and phosphine oxides, resulting in a broad array of trisubstituted allenes incorporating a phosphorus moiety in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities facilitated by peptide-mimic phosphonium salt (PPS) catalysis, Additionally, comprehensive series of mechanistic experiments have been conducted to elucidate that this cascade reaction proceeds via an asymmetric Pudovik addition reaction followed by a subsequent phospha-Brook rearrangement that occurs concomitantly with kinetic resolution, representing a stereospecific rearrangement and protonation process facilitating central-to-axial chirality transfer in a cascade manner. We anticipate that our research will pave the way for a promising exploration of novel stereo-induction pattern in the Pudovik addition/phospha-Brook rearrangement cascade reaction.

Asymmetric aza-Henry reaction toward trifluoromethyl β-nitroamines and biological investigation of their adamantane-type derivatives

Amino acid-derived quaternary ammonium salts were successfully applied in the asymmetric aza-Henry reaction of nitromethane to N-Boc trifluoromethyl ketimines. α-Trifluoromethyl β-nitroamines were synthesized in good to excellent yields with moderate to good enantioselectivities. This reaction is distinguished by its mild conditions, low catalyst loading (1 mol%), and catalytic base. It also proceeded on a gram scale without loss of enantioselectivity. The products were transformed to a series of adamantane-type compounds containing chiral trifluoromethylamine fragments. The potent anticancer activities of these compounds against liver cancer HepG2 and melanoma B16F10 were evaluated. Six promising compounds with notable efficacy have potential for further development.

Challenging Task of Ni-Catalyzed Highly Regio-/Enantioselective Semihydrogenation of Racemic Tetrasubstituted Allenes via a Kinetic Resolution Process

The first earth-abundant transition metal Ni-catalyzed highly regio- and enantioselective semihydrogenation of racemic tetrasubstituted allenes via a kinetic resolution process as a challenging task was well established. This protocol furnishes expedient access to a diversity of structurally important enantioenriched tetrasubstituted allenes and chiral allylic molecules with high regio-, enantio-, and Z/E-selectivity. Remarkably, this semihydrogenation proceeded with one carbon-carbon double bond of allenes, which was regioselective complementary to the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric version. Deuterium labeling experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to reveal the reasonable reaction mechanism and explain the regio-/stereoselectivity.

Copper-Catalyzed Direct Asymmetric Vinylogous Mannich Reaction between β,γ-Alkynyl-α-ketimino Esters and β,γ-Unsaturated N-Acylpyrazoles

We report a Cu(I)-Ph-BPE-catalyzed asymmetric vinylogous Mannich reaction of β,γ-alkynyl-α-ketimino esters with β,γ-unsaturated N-acylpyrazoles. In this process, the Cu(I)-Ph-BPE catalyst activates the β,γ-alkynyl-α-ketimino ester through N,O-coordination, enabling the subsequent nucleophilic addition of a dienolate generated from the β,γ-unsaturated N-acylpyrazole via α-position deprotonation with a catalytic amount of tertiary amine. The reactions gave useful products with very high enantioselectivities. A broad range of substrates with various substituents are tolerated in this reaction. The versatility of this method was demonstrated by a gram-scale reaction, and subsequent elaboration of the Mannich adducts was also provided.

Organocatalytic regio- and enantioselective C1-arylation of β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters with pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

We herein report regio- and enantioselective arylation of β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters with pyrroloisoquinolines. Using chiral phosphoric acid catalysts, a wide range of novel axially chiral tetrasubstituted α-amino allenoates were accessed in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. Notably, this transformation occurred preferentially at the sterically more hindered C1-position of pyrroloisoquinolines. The potential scalability and late-stage functionalization demonstrated the utility of the current protocol.

Stereoselectivity control in Rh-catalyzed β-OH elimination for chiral allene formation

Stereoselectivity control and understanding in the metal-catalyzed reactions are fundamental issues in catalysis. Here we report sterically controlled rhodium-catalyzed SN2'-type substitution reactions of optically active tertiary propargylic alcohols with arylmetallic species affording the non-readily available enantioenriched tetrasubstituted allenes via either exclusive syn- or anti-β-OH elimination, respectively, under two sets of different reaction parameters. Detailed mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) studies reveal that the exclusive anti-Rh(I)-OH elimination is dictated by the simultaneous aid of in situ generated boric acid and ambient water, which act as the shuttle in the hydroxy relay to facilitate the Rh(I)-OH elimination process via a unique ten-membered cyclic transition state (anti-TS2_u). By contrast, the syn-Rh(III)-OH elimination in C-H bond activation-based allenylation reaction is controlled by a four-membered cyclic transition state (syn-TS3) due to the steric surroundings around the Rh(III) center preventing the approach of the other assisting molecules. Under the guidance of these mechanistic understandings, a stereodivergent protocol to construct the enantiomer of optically active tetrasubstituted allenes from the same starting materials is successfully developed.

Palladium-Catalyzed Stereoselective Construction of 1,3-Stereocenters Displaying Axial and Central Chirality via Asymmetric Alkylations

The concurrent construction of 1,3-stereocenters remains a challenge. Herein, we report the development of stereoselective union of a point chiral center with allenyl axial chirality in 1,3-position by Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allenylic alkylation between racemic allenyl carbonates and indanone-derived β-ketoesters. Various target products bearing a broad range of functional groups were afforded in high yield (up to 99%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) and good diastereoselectivities (up to 13:1 dr).

Brønsted acid-catalyzed asymmetric dearomatization for synthesis of chiral fused polycyclic enone and indoline scaffolds

In the past two decades, substantial advances have been made on the asymmetric alkyne functionalization by the activation of inert alkynes. However, these asymmetric transformations have so far been mostly limited to transition metal catalysis, and chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed examples are rarely explored. Here, we report a chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed dearomatization reaction of phenol- and indole-tethered homopropargyl amines, allowing the practical and atom-economical synthesis of a diverse array of valuable fused polycyclic enones and indolines bearing a chiral quaternary carbon stereocenter and two contiguous stereogenic centers in moderate to good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and generally excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% enantiomeric excess). This protocol demonstrates Brønsted acid-catalyzed asymmetric dearomatizations via vinylidene-quinone methides.

NaClO-Mediated Cross Installation of Indoles and Azoles Benefits Anticancer Hit Discovery

Innovations in synthetic chemistry have a profound impact on the drug discovery process, and will always be a necessary driver of drug development. As a result, it is of significance to develop novel simple and effective synthetic installation of medicinal modules to promote drug discovery. Herein, we have developed a NaClO-mediated cross installation of indoles and azoles, both of which are frequently encountered in drugs and natural products. This effective toolbox provides a convenient synthetic route to access a library of N-linked 2-(azol-1-yl) indole derivatives, and can be used for late-stage modification of drugs, natural products and peptides. Moreover, biological screening of the library has revealed that several adducts showed promising anticancer activities against A549 and NCI-H1975 cells, which give us a hit for anticancer drug discovery.

Nickel-Catalyzed Three-Component Tandem Radical Cyclization 1,5-Difunctionalization of 1,3-Enynes and Alkyl Bromide

A nickel-catalyzed three-component tandem radical cyclization reaction of aryl bromides with 1,3-enynes and aryl boric acids to construct γ-lactam-substituted allene derivatives has been described. This protocol provides lactam alkyl radicals through the free radical cyclization process, which can be effectively used to participate in the subsequent multicomponent coupling reaction so that 1,3-enynes could directly convert into corresponding poly-substituted allene compounds. In addition, this efficient method enjoys a broad substrate scope and provides a series of 1,5-difunctionalized allenes in a one-pot reaction.

Rapid Construction of Tricyclic Furanobenzodihydropyrans by Asymmetric Tandem Reaction

A process based on the organocatalyzed Mannich/cycloketalization/transesterification tandem reaction of 1-(2-hydroxyaryl)-1,3-diketones and β,γ-alkynyl α-imino esters has been developed, delivering a variety of tricyclic furanobenzodihydropyrans with excellent results (up to 99% yield, 99% ee, and >19:1 dr).

Organocatalytic synthesis of axially chiral tetrasubstituted allenes

Asymmetric organocatalysis is a growing method for the synthesis of axially chiral tetrasubstituted allenes, the most challenging one among allene syntheses. In this method, chiral organocatalysts such as phase-transfer catalysts, peptides, disulfonimides, and binaphthyl/bispiro phosphoric acids have displayed remote control of regio- and stereoselectivity. Highly functionalized enantiopure allenes including those with an adjacent tertiary or quaternary stereocenter have been efficiently prepared with high levels of regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity using this method. Several mechanistic pathways, including electrophilic addition to cumulenolate or zwitterionic enolate intermediates, alkynylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, nucleophilic addition to quinone methides, and dearomative addition to imino esters, were proposed. The method is necessary for providing access to axially chiral tetrasubstituted allenes, which can be utilized for the preparation of novel ligands, natural products, and organic materials, particularly those having complex structures. This review covers the enantioselective organocatalytic synthesis of these tetrasubstituted allenes and the mechanistic insights into the formation of the chiral axis up to July 2022.

Catalyst-Controlled Divergent Reactions of 2,3-Disubstituted Indoles with Propargylic Alcohols: Synthesis of 3H-Benzo[b]azepines and Axially Chiral Tetrasubstituted Allenes

Catalyst-controlled divergent reactions of 2,3-disubstituted indoles with propargylic alcohols were developed for the first time. In the presence of TsOH or B(C₆F₅)₃ as catalyst, 2,3-disubstituted indoles reacted smoothly with 3-alkynyl-3-hydroxyisoindolinones to afford 3H-benzo[b]azepines by selective C2(sp²)-C3(sp²) ring expansion of indoles. In contrast, decreasing the catalyst strength (e.g., with chiral phosphoric acid) interrupted the cascade reactions, affording axially chiral tetrasubstituted allenes bearing an adjacent chiral quaternary carbon stereocenter. Control experiments provided insights into the reaction mechanism.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective 1,10-Addition of Alkynyl Indole Imine Methides with Thiazolones: An Access to Axially Chiral Tetrasubstituted Allenes

An asymmetric organocatalytic remote 1,10-addition of alkynyl indole imine methides generated in situ from α-(6-indolyl) propargylic alcohols with thiazolones has been developed for the first time, affording axially chiral tetrasubstituted allenes featuring vicinal sulfur-containing quaternary carbon stereocenters in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities. The representative scale-up reaction and transformations of the 1,10-adduct were examined. The reaction mechanism was expounded by control experiments and DFT calculations.

Synthesis of Chiral Endocyclic Allenes by Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Annulation Followed by Cope Rearrangement

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral endocyclic allenes remains a challenge in allene chemistry owing to unfavored tension and complex chirality. Here, we present a new relay strategy merging Pd-catalyzed asymmetric [3+2] annulation with enyne-Cope rearrangement, providing a facile route to chiral 9-membered endocyclic allenes with high efficiency and enantioselectivity. Moreover, theoretical calculations and experimental studies were performed to illustrate the critical, but unusual Cope rearrangement that allows for the complete central-to-axial chirality transfer.

Amide phosphonium salt catalyzed enantioselective Mannich addition of isoxazole-based nucleophiles to β,γ-alkynyl-α-ketimino esters

An enantioselective Mannich addition of 3,5-disubstituted 4-nitroisoxazoles to β,γ-alkynyl-α-ketimino esters promoted by an amide phosphonium salt-based catalyst has been developed. N-Cbz-protected ketimino esters with various aryl substituents attached to the alkyne unit were reacted with a series of isoxazoles with different substitution patterns. Chiral tertiary propargylic amine products were obtained with moderate to good yields and enantioselectivities. TIPS- and cyclopropyl-substituted alkynyl ketimines were also examined in the current system and the desired products were obtained with moderate yields and enantioselectivities. The potential scalability and utility of the current protocol were demonstrated by carrying out a relatively larger scale reaction followed by further transformations.

Oxalylacetylenes as Dielectrophiles for Annulation of Quinoline Rings: Synthesis of Highly Functionalized 1,3-Oxazinoquinolines

Oxalylacetylenes act as dielectrophiles in the annulation of quinolines to give highly functionalized 1,3-oxazine cycles decorated with ethynyl, oxalyl, ester and aryl substituents. The annulation proceeds under mild conditions (room temperature, without catalyst) in 2:1 mode with respect to acetylene and quinoline to deliver 1,3-oxazinoquinolines in 45–88% yields. A beneficial feature of the reaction is that, in contrast to results on the reaction of quinolines with trifluoroacetylacetylenes in the presence of water, where H2O acted as a third electrophile, leading to the 1,3-oxazinoquinolines containing a hydroxyl group, this reaction well tolerates the aqueous medium. This reaction also tolerates isoquinoline and phenanthridine.

Enantioselective synthesis of indole-based unnatural β-Alkynyl α-amino acid derivatives via chiral phosphoric acid catalysis

The synthesis of unnatural α-amino acid derivatives has attracted considerable interest in recent years, as they are ubiquitous in protein synthesis and peptide-based drug discovery. Herein, we reported the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric reaction of indoles with β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters for the enantioselective synthesis of unnatural indole-based α-amino acid derivatives. This asymmetric organocatalysis protocol enables efficient synthesis of unnatural α-amino acid derivatives with a tetrasubstituted stereogenic center and an alkyne moiety with up to 99% yield and 98% ee, resulting in operationally simple conditions, short reaction time, and broad substrate scope.

Cu-catalyzed asymmetric addition of alcohols to β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters for the construction of linear chiral N,O-ketals

N,O-acetals are part of many synthetic intermediates and important skeletons of numerous natural products and pharmaceutical drugs. The most straightforward method of the synthesis of N,O-acetals is the enantioselective addition of O-nucleophiles to imines. However, using this method for the synthesis of linear chiral N,O-ketals still remains challenging due to the instability of raw materials under acidic or basic conditions. Herein, we developed a Cu-catalyzed asymmetric addition of alcohols to β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters under mild conditions, providing the corresponding linear chiral N,O-ketals with up to 96% ee. The method tolerates some variation in the β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino ester and alcohol scope, including some glucose and natural amino acid derivatives. Computational results indicate that the Boc group of the substrates assist in the extraction of hydrogen atoms from the alcohols to promote the addition reactions. These products could be synthesized on a gram-scale and can be used in several transformations. This asymmetric addition system provides an efficient, mild, gram-scale, and transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis of linear chiral N,O-ketals.

N,O-acetals are part of many synthetic intermediates and important skeletons of numerous natural products and pharmaceutical drugs. Here the authors show a Cu-catalyzed asymmetric addition of alcohols to β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters, providing the corresponding linear chiral N,O-ketals with up to 96% ee.

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective reactions of functionalized propargylic alcohols

Chiral phosphoric acid has been utilized for covalent activation of propargylic alcohols to act as pre-catalyst. With this activation mode, a range of highly regio- and enantioenriched heterocyclic products could be generated efficiently from racemic propargylic alcohols.

Metal-free dearomatization reactions of naphthol-ynamides for the divergent and enantioselective synthesis of azaspirocycles

An efficient Brønsted acid (BA) catalyzed intramolecular dearomatization cyclization of naphthol-ynamides has been developed, enabling the practical and divergent synthesis of two azaspirocycles in high yields.

Enantioselective Peroxidation of C-Alkynyl Imines Enabled by Chiral BINOL Calcium Phosphate

Herein, we reported a catalytic enantioselective addition of C-alkynyl imines with hydroperoxides catalyzd by chiral BINOL calcium phosphate, affording a broad range of enantioenriched α-peroxy propargylamines in good yields (80-99%)...

Asymmetric [4 + 2] cycloaddition synthesis of 4H-chromene derivatives facilitated by group-assisted-purification (GAP) chemistry

In this work, we present a strategy for the preparation of functionalized 4H-chromene derivatives via a Cs₂CO₃-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of enantiopure chiral salicyl N-phosphonyl imines with allenoates. Fifteen examples were achieved in excellent yields and diastereoselectivity. The products were purified simply by washing the crude mixture with hexanes following the Group-Assisted Purification (GAP) chemistry/technology to bypass traditional separation methods. The absolute configuration was unambiguously determined by X-ray structure analysis.

A new asymmetric method for the synthesis of highly functionalized 4H-chromenes was developed via Group-Assisted Purification (GAP) chemistry and shown in good to high yield and excellent diastereoselectivity.

Dearomatization of 2,3-Disubstituted Indoles via 1,8-Addition of Propargylic (Aza)-para-Quinone Methides

Dearomatization of indole is a useful strategy to access indolimines: a motif widely exists in biologically active molecules and natural products. Herein, an efficient method for the dearomatization of 2,3-disubstituted indoles to generate diverse indolimines with tetrasubstituted allenes is described. This work accomplishes dearomatization of 2,3-disubstituted indoles through 1,8-addition of (aza)-para-quinone methides, which are generated in situ from propargylic alcohols. A series of synthetically useful indolimines containing quaternary carbon centers and tetrasubstituted allenes can be accessed in good yields (up to 99%). Additionally, the separability of product isomers, diversified product transformations, and easy scale-up of the reaction demonstrate the potential application of this method.

Recent advances in the asymmetric phosphoric acid-catalyzed synthesis of axially chiral compounds

In recent years, the synthesis of axially chiral compounds has received considerable attention due to their extensive application as biologically active compounds in medicinal chemistry and as chiral ligands in asymmetric catalysis. Chiral phosphoric acids are recognized as efficient organocatalysts for a variety of enantioselective transformations. In this review, we summarize the recent development of chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed synthesis of a wide range of axially chiral biaryls, heterobiaryls, vinylarenes, N-arylamines, spiranes, and allenes with high efficiency and excellent stereoselectivity.

EATA Reaction Catalyzed by Copper Halides of Mixed Oxidation States and Its Application to Total Synthesis of Scorodonin

Naturally occurring conjugated allenynes are of general interest to the scientific community for their potent and various biological activities. The 1,5-H transfer of alka-1,4-diyn-3-yl amines would be one of the most straightforward yet challenging approach to this class of compounds since it may, in principle, form two regioisomeric products involving two different C-C triple bonds. Herein, a catalytic recipe of copper halides with mixed oxidation states, i.e., CuCl/CuBr 2 , has been identified to address the issues of the side reaction of conjugate addition and the selectivity of 1,5-H transfer of the key intermediate, alka-1,4-diyn-3-yl amines, in EATA (Enantioselective Allenation of Terminal Alkynes) reaction involving the conjugated 2-alkynals. This protocol could accommodate a wide range of functional groups providing a series of allenynes with a very high enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). In addition, the enantioenriched allenynes can be readily transformed into various building blocks and applied to the highly enantioselective total synthesis of linear allenic natural product scorodonin for the first time. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations elucidated the high regioselectivity for observed 1,5-H transfer within the intermediate of 1,4-diyn-3-yl amines. The calculated energy difference between two of the most stable transition states of 3.4 kcal/mol accounts for a selectivity of over 99:1, which is in perfect agreement with the experimental results.

Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Dearomatization by Intramolecular Hydroalkoxylation/Claisen Rearrangement: Diastereo- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Spirolactams

Described herein is a novel Brønsted acid catalyzed intramolecular hydroalkoxylation/Claisen rearrangement, allowing the practical and atom-economic synthesis of a range of valuable spirolactams from readily available ynamides in generally good to excellent yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and broad substrate scope. Importantly, an unexpected dearomatization of nonactivated arenes and heteroaromatic compounds is involved in this tandem sequence. Moreover, an asymmetric version of this tandem cyclization was also achieved by efficient kinetic resolution by chiral phosphoric acid catalysis. In addition, the [3,3]-rearrangement is shown to be kinetically preferred over the related [1,3]-rearrangement by theoretical calculations.

Enantioselective decarboxylative Mannich reaction of β-keto acids with C-alkynyl N-Boc N,O-acetals: access to chiral β-keto propargylamines

The chiral keto-substituted propargylamines are an essential class of multifunctional compounds in the field of organic and pharmaceutical synthesis and have attracted considerable attention, but the related synthetic approaches remain limited. Therefore, a concise and efficient method for the enantioselective synthesis of β-keto propargylamines via chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric Mannich reaction between β-keto acids and C-alkynyl N-Boc N,O-acetals as easily available C-alkynyl imine precursors has been demonstrated here, affording a broad scope of β-keto N-Boc-propargylamines in high yields (up to 97%) with generally high enantioselectivities (up to 97 : 3 er).

Asymmetric dearomatization catalysed by chiral Brønsted acids via activation of ynamides

Chiral Brønsted acid-catalysed asymmetric synthesis has received tremendous interest over the past decades, and numerous efficient synthetic methods have been developed based on this approach. However, the use of chiral Brønsted acids in these reactions is mostly limited to the activation of imine and carbonyl moieties, and the direct activation of carbon-carbon triple bonds has so far not been invoked. Here we show that chiral Brønsted acids enable the catalytic asymmetric dearomatization reactions of naphthol-, phenol- and pyrrole-ynamides by the direct activation of alkynes. This method leads to the practical and atom-economic construction of various valuable spirocyclic enones and 2H-pyrroles that bear a chiral quaternary carbon stereocentre in generally good-to-excellent yields with excellent chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivities. The activation mode of chiral Brønsted acid catalysis revealed in this study is expected to be of broad utility in catalytic asymmetric reactions that involve ynamides and the related heteroatom-substituted alkynes.

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Dearomatization Reaction for the Synthesis of Axial Chiral Allene-Derived Naphthalenones Bearing Quaternary Stereocenters

The highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective dearomatization reaction of 1-substituted 2-naphthols and β,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters with complete atom economy is disclosed via chiral phosphoric acid catalysis. This protocol provides facile and efficient access to asymmetric construction of a broad range of axially chiral allene-derived naphthalenones bearing quaternary stereocenters in good yields with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

Access to Allene-Containing Molecules via Enantioselective Reactions of Azolium Cumulenolate Intermediates

Azolium cumulenolates are a special type of intermediates in N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis. They contain elongated linear structures with three contiguous C=C bonds and sterically unhindered α-carbon atoms. These structural features make it difficult to develop enantioselective reactions for these intermediates. Here we disclose the first carbene-catalyzed highly enantioselective addition reactions of azolium cumulenolates. The reaction starts with alkynals as the precursors for azolium cumulenolate intermediates that undergo enantioselective addition to activated ketones. From the same set of substrates, both allene and spirooxindole products can be obtained with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The allene moieties in our optically enriched products carry rich reactivities and can be transformed to diverse molecules. The spirooxindole scaffolds in our products are important structural motifs in natural products and medicines.

Access to Axially and Centrally Chiral Sulfinamides via Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation

Herein, access to axially and centrally chiral sulfinamides via asymmetric allylic alkylation was reported. A series of sulfinamides were obtained with good outcomes (up to 99% yield, >19:1 dr, and 98:2 er). The synthetic utility of the reaction was demonstrated by scaled-up synthesis, product transformation, and application as a catalyst in asymmetric catalysis.