Selectivity in the addition reactions of organometallic reagents to aziridine-2-carboxaldehydes: the effects of protecting groups and substitution patterns

Recent advances on synthesis of C-glycosides

In recent years, C-glycosides have emerged as significant building blocks for many naturally occurring alkaloids and pharmaceutically active drug molecules. Therefore, significant efforts have been devoted to the construction of structurally important C-glycosidic linkages in carbohydrate compounds. Herein, we have summarized the recent developments of diverse synthesis of C-glycoside core between the time period from 2019 to 2022 focusing on different catalytic strategies, such as (i) transition-metal, and (ii) metal-free catalytic approaches. Further, the transition metal catalyzed C-glycosylations have been categorized into four sub classes: (a) metal based C-H activation, (b) cross-coupling reaction, (c) glycosyl radical intermediate-based process, and (d) Others.

Aziridine Ring Opening as Regio- and Stereoselective Access to C-Glycosyl-Aminoethyl Sulfide Derivatives

A short synthetic route to stereoselective access to C-glycosyl-aminoethyl sulfide derivatives has been developed through the reaction of tributhyltin derivatives of glycals with aziridinecarboaldehyde and the regioselective ring opening of a chiral aziridine with thiophenol. The absolute configurations of the resulting diastereoisomers were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Synthesis of Enantioenriched 3,4-Disubstituted Chromans through Lewis Base Catalyzed Carbosulfenylation

A method for the catalytic, enantioselective, carbosulfenylation of alkenes to construct 3,4-disubstituted chromans is described. Alkene activation proceeds through the intermediacy of enantioenriched, configurationally stable thiiranium ions generated from catalytic, Lewis base activation of an electrophilic sulfenylating agent. The transformation affords difficult-to-generate, enantioenriched, 3,4-disubstituted chromans in moderate to high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. A variety of substituents are compatible including electronically diverse functional groups as well as several functional handles such as aryl halides, esters, anilines, and phenols. The resulting thioether moiety is amenable to a number of functional group manipulations and transformations. Notably, the pendant sulfide was successfully cleaved to furnish a free thiol which readily provides access to most sulfur-containing functional groups which are present in natural products and pharmaceuticals.

The reaction of prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts and sulfonyl-protected β-amino ketones to epoxide-fused 2-methylenepyrrolidines and S-containing pyrroles

A novel divergent domino annulation reaction of prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts with sulfonyl-protected β-amino ketones has been developed, affording various epoxide-fused 2-methylenepyrrolidines and S-containing pyrroles in moderate to excellent yields. Prop-2-ynylsulfonium salts act as C₂ synthons in the reactions providing a promising epoxide-fused skeleton in a single operation with readily accessible starting materials.

Total Synthesis of (-)-Salinosporamide A via a Late Stage C-H Insertion

The synthesis of (-)-salinosporamide A, a proteasome inhibitor, is described. The synthesis highlights the assembly of a densely decorated pyrrolidinone core via an aza-Payne/hydroamination sequence. Central to the success of the synthesis is a late-stage C-H insertion reaction to functionalize a sterically encumbered secondary carbon. The latter functionalization leads to an enabling transformation where most of the prototypical strategies failed.

Base-Mediated Hydroamination of Alkynes

Inter- or intramolecular hydroamination reactions are a paradigmatic example of modern sustainable organic chemistry, as they are a catalytic, 100% atom-economical, and waste-free process of fundamental simplicity in which an amine is added to an alkyne substrate. Many enamines are found in many natural and synthetic compounds possessing interesting physiological and biological activities. The development of synthetic protocols for such molecules and their transformation is a persistent research topic in pharmaceutical and organic chemistry. Hydroamination is conspicuously superior to the other accessible methods, such as the imination of ketones or the aminomercuration/demercuration of alkynes, that involve the stoichiometric use of toxic reagents. Additionally, the hydroamination of alkyne substrates has been successfully employed as a key step in synthesizing target molecules through total syntheses containing substituted indoles, pyrroles, imidazoles, and other heterocycles as core moieties. Many research groups have explored inter- or intramolecular hydroamination of alkynes for the synthesis of diversely substituted nitrogen heterocycles using expensive metal catalysts. However, in contrast to metal-catalyzed hydroamination, the base-mediated hydroamination of alkynes has not been extensively studied. Various inorganic (such as hydroxides, phosphates, and carbonates) and organic bases have been proven to be valuable reagents for achieving the hydroamination process. This method represents an attractive strategy for the construction of a broad range of nitrogen-containing compounds that prevents the formation of byproducts in the creation of a C-N linkage. The presence of a base is thought to facilitate the attack of nitrogen nucleophiles, such as indoles, pyrroles, and imidazoles, on unsaturated carbon substrates through the activation of the triple bond and thus transforming the electron-rich alkyne into an electrophile. In the past few years, we have been involved in the development of methods for the nucleophilic addition of N-heterocycles onto terminal and internal alkynes using alkali base catalysts to achieve new carbon-nitrogen bond-forming reactions. During our study, we discovered the regioselective preferential nucleophilic addition of N-heterocycles onto the haloarylalkyne over N-arylation of the aryl halide. In this Account, we summarize our latest achievements in regio-, stereo-, and chemoselective hydroamination chemistry of N-nucleophiles with alkynes using a superbasic medium to produce a broad range of highly functionalized vinyl and styryl enamines, which are valuable and versatile synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. Interestingly, the stereoselectivity of the addition products (kinetically stable Z and thermodynamically stable E isomers) was found to be dependent upon time. It is worthwhile to note that hydroaminated products formed by the addition reaction can further be utilized for the synthesis of indolo-/pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, naphthyridines, and bisindolo/pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolinesvia tandem cyclization. This chemistry is expected to find application in organic synthesis for constructing a diverse variety of fused π-conjugated compounds, enaminones, and C-C coupled products.

Methyl-α-D-2-selenonyl Pent-2-enofuranoside: A Reactive Selenosugar for the Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Heterocycles, Carbocycles, and Isonucleosides

The construction of vinyl selenone on a furanoside led to a highly reactive synthetic intermediate methyl-α-D-2-selenonyl pent-2-enofuranoside composed of a masked aldehyde, an electron-deficient double bond along with an excellent leaving group. This new Michael acceptor on reactions with different nucleophiles afforded bicyclic azasugars, cyclopropanated carbohydrate, dihydrofuran- and dihydroisoxazole- substituted furanosides, and isonucleosides in moderate to good yields. Hydrolysis of the hemiacetal linkage of some of these modified carbohydrates afforded enantiopure aziridines, nitrocyclopropane, and dihydrofuran.

β-amino esters from the reductive ring opening of aziridine-2-carboxylates

A general study is undertaken to examine the scope of the reductive ring opening of aziridine-2-carboxylates with samarium diiodide. The competition between C-C and C-N bond cleavage is examined as a function of the nature of the N-substituent of the aziridine, the nature of the substituent in the 3-position of the aziridine, and whether the substituent in the 3-position is in a cis or trans relationship with the carboxylate in the 2-position. The desired C-N bond cleavage leads to β-amino esters that are the predominant products for most aziridines with an N-activating group. However, C-C cleavage products are observed with an aryl group in the 3-position; this can be particularly pronounced with cis-aziridines where a nearly equal mixture of the two is observed. Exclusive formation of the C-N cleavage product is observed for all aziridines with the strongly N-activating p-toluene sulfonate group. Similarly high selectivity is observed for the 2-trimethylsilylethyl sulfonate group (SES), which is easier to remove. The utility of these methods is illustrated in the synthesis of protected forms of (R)-β(3)-DOPA and L-DOPA from the same aziridine, the former by SmI2-mediated reductive opening at C-2 and the latter by palladium-mediated reductive opening at C-3.