A Library Approach to the Development of BenzaPhos: Highly Efficient Chiral Supramolecular Ligands for Asymmetric Hydrogenation

NDIPhos as a platform for chiral supramolecular ligands in rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation

Chiral naphthalene diimide ligands (NDIPhos) were exploited in rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation. The key feature of these ligands is their ability to self-assemble via π-π interactions to mimic bidentate ligands, offering a complementary method to traditional supramolecular strategies. This concept was further substantiated by computations with the composite electronic-structure method r²SCAN-3c.

Recent Advances in the Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Amines via Transition Metal-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation

Chiral amines are key structural motifs present in a wide variety of natural products, drugs, and other biologically active compounds. During the past decade, significant advances have been made with respect to the enantioselective synthesis of chiral amines, many of them based on catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation (AH). The present review covers the use of AH in the synthesis of chiral amines bearing a stereogenic center either in the α, β, or γ position with respect to the nitrogen atom, reported from 2010 to 2020. Therefore, we provide an overview of the recent advances in the AH of imines, enamides, enamines, allyl amines, and N-heteroaromatic compounds.

Supramolecular catalysis: the role of H-bonding interactions in substrate orientation and activation

Hydrogen bonding plays significant roles in various biological processes during substrate orientation and binding and therefore assists in assorted organic transformations. However, replicating the intricate selection of hydrogen bonds, as observed in nature, in synthetic complexes has met with only limited success. Despite this fact, recent times have seen the emergence of several notable examples where hydrogen bonds have been introduced in synthetic complexes. A few such examples have also illustrated the substantial role played by the hydrogen bonds in influencing and often controlling the catalytic outcome. This perspective presents selected examples illustrating the significance of hydrogen bonds offered by the coordination and the organometallic complexes that aid in providing the desired orientation to a substrate adjacent to a catalytic metal center and remarkably assisting in the catalysis.

Novel Chiral Bis-Phosphoramides as Organocatalysts for Tetrachlorosilane-Mediated Reactions

The formation of novel chiral bidentate phosphoroamides structures able to promote Lewis base-catalyzed Lewis acid-mediated reactions was investigated. Two different classes of phosphoroamides were synthetized: the first class presents a phthalic acid/primary diamine moiety, designed with the aim to perform a self-assembly recognition process through hydrogen bonds; the second one is characterized by the presence of two phosphoroamides as side arms connected to a central pyridine unit, able to chelate SiCl₄ in a 2:1 adduct. These species were tested as organocatalysts in the stereoselective allylation of benzaldehyde and a few other aromatic aldehydes with allyl tributyltin in the presence of SiCl₄ with good results. NMR studies confirm that only pyridine-based phosphoroamides effectively coordinate tetrachlorosilane and may lead to the generation of a self-assembled entity that would act as a promoter of the reaction. Although further work is necessary to clarify and confirm the formation of the hypothesized adduct, the study lays the foundation for the design and the synthesis of chiral supramolecular organocatalysts.

Riding the Wave of Monodentate Ligand Revival: From the A/B Concept to Noncovalent Interactions

The rediscovery of chiral monodentate ligands made in the period 1999-2003 had important consequences in enantioselective transition-metal catalysis, such as the introduction of the A/B concept (i.e., use of monodentate ligand mixtures) and, later, a renewed interest in supramolecular ligands capable of ligand-ligand and ligand-substrate interactions. This Personal Account summarizes the contributions made by our research group in this area in the period 2004-2015, which reflect the abovementioned developments. Within this area, we introduced some original concepts, such as 1) the use of chiral tropos ligand mixtures; 2) the development of new strategies to maximize heterocomplex formation from combinations of simple monodentate ligands; 3) the investigation of new ligand-ligand interactions to achieve selective heterocomplex formation; and 4) the development of highly efficient and synthetically accessible supramolecular ligands.

Concise Asymmetric Synthesis and Pharmacological Characterization of All Stereoisomers of Glutamate Transporter Inhibitor TFB-TBOA and Synthesis of EAAT Photoaffinity Probes

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. Its rapid clearance after the release into the synaptic cleft is vital in order to avoid toxic effects and is ensured by several transmembrane transport proteins, so-called excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). Impairment of glutamate removal has been linked to several neurodegenerative diseases and EAATs have therefore received increased attention as therapeutic targets. O-Benzylated l-threo-β-hydroxyaspartate derivatives have been developed previously as highly potent inhibitors of EAATs with TFB-TBOA ((2S,3S)-2-amino-3-((3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)benzamido)benzyl)oxy)succinic acid) standing out as low-nanomolar inhibitor. We report the stereoselective synthesis of all four stereoisomers of TFB-TBOA in less than a fifth of synthetic steps than the published route. For the first time, the inhibitory activity and isoform selectivity of these TFB-TBOA enantio- and diastereomers were assessed on human glutamate transporters EAAT1-3. Furthermore, we synthesized potent photoaffinity probes based on TFB-TBOA using our novel synthetic strategy.

Transition metal-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of enamides and enamines

Transition metal-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of enamides and enamines is one of the most important methods for the preparation of optically active amines. This review describes the recent developments of highly efficient catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of enamides, and enamines. It specifically focuses on the substrates because hydrogenation of enamides and enamines is highly dependent on the substrates although the chiral metal catalysts play a significant role.

Ligand-controlled E/Z selectivity and enantioselectivity in palladium-catalyzed allylation of benzofuranones with 1,2-disubstituted allylic carbonates

The first highly E- and enantioselective allylic alkylation of prochiral carbon nucleophiles with 1,2-disubstituted allylic carbonates is reported. The key is the ability of modular ion-paired chiral ligands to simultaneously control the E/Z selectivity and enantioselectivity.

Supramolecular control of selectivity in transition-metal catalysis through substrate preorganization

The Perspective highlights possibilities to use supramolecular interactions between a substrate molecule and a (bifunctional) catalyst as a powerful tool to control the selectivity in transition-metal catalysis.

In situ generation of ion-paired chiral ligands: rapid identification of the optimal ligand for palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylation

A method for the in situ generation of ion-paired chiral ligands has been established and successfully applied in combinatorial ligand screening.