Remarkable Differences in Reactivity between Benzothiazoline and Hantzsch Ester as a Hydrogen Donor in Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive Amination of Ketones

Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenative Amination of Benzylic Ketones Catalyzed by Cp*Ir(III) Complexes Bearing a Chiral N-(2-Picolyl)sulfonamidato Ligand

A convenient asymmetric reductive amination of benzylic ketones (α-arylated ketones) catalyzed by newly designed Cp*Ir complexes bearing a chiral N-(2-picolyl)sulfonamidato ligand was developed. Using readily available β-amino alcohols as chiral aminating agents, a range of benzo-fused and acyclic ketones were successfully reduced with formic acid in methanol at 40 °C to afford amines with favorable chemo- and diastereoselectivities. The amino alcohol-derived chiral auxiliary was easily removed by mild periodic oxidants, leading to optically active primary β-arylamines without erosion of the optical purity (up to 97% ee). The excellent catalytic performance was retained even upon lowering the amount of catalyst to a substrate/catalyst (S/C) ratio of 20,000, and the amination could be performed on a large scale exceeding 100 g. The precise hydride transfer to iminium species generated from the ketonic substrate and the chiral amine counterpart was suggested by the mechanistic studies on stoichiometric reactions of isolable hydridoiridium complexes and model intermediates such as N,O-acetal, enamine, and iminium compounds.

Chiral Phosphoric Acids as Versatile Tools for Organocatalytic Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenations

Herein, recent developments in the field of organocatalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of C=N, C=O and C=C double bonds using chiral phosphoric acid catalysis are reviewed. This still rapidly growing area of asymmetric catalysis relies on metal-free catalysts in combination with biomimetic hydrogen sources. Chiral phosphoric acids have proven to be extremely versatile tools in this area, providing highly active and enantioselective alternatives for the asymmetric reduction of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, imines and various heterocycles. Eventually, such transformations are more and more often used in multicomponent/cascade reactions, which undoubtedly shows their great synthetic potential and the bright future of organocatalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenations.

Redox deracemization of β,γ-alkynyl α-amino esters

The first non-enzymatic redox deracemization method using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant has been described. The one-pot deracemization of β,γ-alkynyl α-amino esters consisted of a copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidation and chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation with excellent functional group compatibility. By using benzothiazoline as the reducing reagent, an exclusive chemoselectivity at the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> N bond over the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> C bond was achieved, allowing for efficient deracemization of a series of α-amino esters bearing diverse α-alkynyl substituent patterns. The origins of chemo- and enantio-selectivities were elucidated by experimental and computational mechanistic investigation. The generality of the strategy is further demonstrated by efficient deracemization of β,γ-alkenyl α-amino esters.

A one-pot deracemization of β,γ-alkynyl α-amino esters consisting of an aerobic oxidation and chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation has been described.

Electrolysis promoted reductive amination of electron-deficient aldehydes/ketones: a green route to the racemic clopidogrel

An electrocatalytic reductive amination of electron-deficient aldehydes/ketones was developed, which could be used in the synthesis of functionalized tertiary amines and large scale preparation of racemic clopidogrel. A plausible mechanism involving an iminium cation intermediate was proposed.

Thiourea catalysed reduction of α-keto substituted acrylate compounds using Hantzsch ester as a reducing agent in water

The first method for the reduction of α-keto substituted acrylate compounds by Hantzsch ester in water under the catalysis of thiourea has been developed. The products were isolated with moderate to high yields (38–95%).