Axially Chiral Phenanthroline Ligand-Enabled Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Amination and Alkylation of Aryl-Substituted Morita-Baylis-Hillman Adducts

Highly enantioselective allylic amination and alkylation of racemic sterically hindered aryl-substituted Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts have been achieved by using an in situ formed Pd-catalyst from an axially chiral phenanthroline ligand. This dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) is compatible with cyclic and acyclic secondary amines, dialkyl malonates, β-keto esters, acetylacetone, and malononitrile, affording the corresponding chiral products, such as β-amino acid esters, in up to 95% yield and with up to a 99:1 enantiomeric ratio.

Enantioselective Lewis base catalysed allylation of picoline- and quinaldine-based latent pronucleophiles

Picolines and quinaldines are valuable building blocks and intermediates in the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals. Functionalization of the methyl group in picolines and quinaldines under mild conditions is challenging. We report that the concept of latent pronucleophiles enables Lewis base catalysed allylation of picolines and quinaldines with allylic fluorides starting from silylated picolines and quinaldines. Reactions afford enantioenriched allylation products when chiral Lewis base catalysts are used. The allylation products can be rapidly transformed to quinolizine-4-ones.

Copper-Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of Quinazolinones from 2-Nitrobenzaldehydes with Aldehydes: Application toward the Synthesis of Natural Products

A novel, efficient, and atom-economical approach for the construction of quinazolinones from 2-nitrobenzaldehydes has been unveiled via copper-catalyzed nitrile formation, hydrolysis, and reduction in one pot for the first time. In this reaction, urea is used as a source of nitrogen for nitrile formation, hydrazine hydrate is used for both the reduction of the nitro group and the hydrolysis of nitrile, and atmospheric oxygen is used as the sole oxidant. The method portrays a wide substrate scope with good functional group tolerances. Moreover, this method was applied for the synthesis of schizocommunin, tryptanthrin, phaitanthrin-A, phaitanthrin-B, and 8H-quinazolino[4,3-b]quinazolin-8-one.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrrolizin-1-ones via Lewis Base Catalyzed N-Allylation of N-Silyl Pyrrole Latent Nucleophiles

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their derivatives often feature interesting biological activities. A class of substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolizin-1-one derivatives has been explored as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease, but enantioselective synthesis of these molecules is still elusive. We report that enantioselective N-allylation of N-silyl pyrrole latent nucleophiles with allylic fluorides followed by hydrogenation and diastereoselective Friedel-Crafts cyclization constitute an efficient synthetic route to access enantioenriched substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolizin-1-ones.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative Multicomponent Annulation Reaction for Direct Synthesis of Quinazolinones via an Imine-Protection Strategy

Via an imine-protection strategy, we herein present an unprecedented copper-catalyzed oxidative multicomponent annulation reaction for direct synthesis of quinazolinones. The construction of various products is achieved via formation of three C-N and one C-C bonds in conjunction with the benzylic functionalization. The merits of easily available feedstocks, naturally abundant catalyst, good functional group and substrate compatibility, and release of H₂O as the byproduct make the developed chemistry a practical way to access quinazolinones.

New α- and β-cyclodextrin derivatives with cinchona alkaloids used in asymmetric organocatalytic reactions

The preparation of new organocatalysts for asymmetric syntheses has become a key stage of enantioselective catalysis. In particular, the development of new cyclodextrin (CD)-based organocatalysts allowed to perform enantioselective reactions in water and to recycle catalysts. However, only a limited number of organocatalytic moieties and functional groups have been attached to CD scaffolds so far. Cinchona alkaloids are commonly used to catalyze a wide range of enantioselective reactions. Thus, in this study, we report the preparation of new α- and β-CD derivatives monosubstituted with cinchona alkaloids (cinchonine, cinchonidine, quinine and quinidine) on the primary rim through a CuAAC click reaction. Subsequently, permethylated analogs of these cinchona alkaloid-CD derivatives also were synthesized and the catalytic activity of all derivatives was evaluated in several enantioselective reactions, specifically in the asymmetric allylic amination (AAA), which showed a promising enantiomeric excess of up to 75% ee. Furthermore, a new disubstituted α-CD catalyst was prepared as a pure AD regioisomer and also tested in the AAA. Our results indicate that (i) the cinchona alkaloid moiety can be successfully attached to CD scaffolds through a CuAAC reaction, (ii) the permethylated cinchona alkaloid-CD catalysts showed better results than the non-methylated CDs analogues in the AAA reaction, (iii) promising enantiomeric excesses are achieved, and (iv) the disubstituted CD derivatives performed similarly to monosubstituted CDs. Therefore, these new CD derivatives with cinchona alkaloids effectively catalyze asymmetric allylic aminations and have the potential to be successfully applied in other enantioselective reactions.

Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Alkylidene-β-Lactams through Copper Catalysis with a Prolinol-Phosphine Chiral Ligand

A copper/prolinol-phosphine chiral catalyst enabled the one-step synthesis of chiral α-alkylidene-β-lactams. Optimization of the chiral ligand for steric and electronic properties realized the highly enantioselective coupling of nitrones and propargyl alcohol derived alkynes. The resulting chiral α-alkylidene-β-lactams served as a platform for various β-lactams via well-established transformations of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds.