Asymmetric Catalysis Mediated by Synthetic Peptides, Version 2.0: Expansion of Scope and Mechanisms

Low molecular weight synthetic peptides have been demonstrated to be effective catalysts for an increasingly wide array of asymmetric transformations. In many cases, these peptide-based catalysts have enabled novel multifunctional substrate activation modes and unprecedented selectivity manifolds. These features, along with their ease of preparation, modular and tunable structures, and often biomimetic attributes make peptides well-suited as chiral catalysts and of broad interest. Many examples of peptide-catalyzed asymmetric reactions have appeared in the literature since the last survey of this broad field in Chemical Reviews (Chem. Rev. 2007, 107, 5759-5812). The overarching goal of this new Review is to provide a comprehensive account of the numerous advances in the field. As a corollary to this goal, we survey the many different types of catalytic reactions, ranging from acylation to C-C bond formation, in which peptides have been successfully employed. In so doing, we devote significant discussion to the structural and mechanistic aspects of these reactions that are perhaps specific to peptide-based catalysts and their interactions with substrates and/or reagents.

Development of Selective Peptide Catalysts with Secondary Structural Frameworks

Enzymes are biogenic catalysts that enable the vital activity of organisms. Enzymes promote reactions in a selective manner with a high level of substrate recognition ability. The development of such a sophisticated catalyst has been one of the goals for chemists. A synthetic peptide is the prime candidate to realize an enzyme-like catalyst. Considering that the catalytic function of enzymes derives from their molecular structures, the key for the creation of a peptide catalyst might be the introduction of a specific three-dimensional structure. Our motivation was to find a peptide catalyst with a versatile secondary structural framework and apply the peptide to a variety of selective reactions. Although helical-peptide-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of enones is popular, no other highly enantioselective reaction with a helical peptide has been reported. It was found that resin-supported α-helical polyleucine promoted asymmetric conjugate addition of a carbon nucleophile to enones via the formation of an iminium intermediate at the N-terminal amino group. By changing the helical chain to a repetitive Leu-Leu-Aib (Aib = α-aminoisobutyric acid) sequence and introducing a few amino acids to the N-terminus, a highly enantioselective peptide catalyst was obtained. The helical peptide catalyst was applicable for a tandem enamine/iminium-mediated reaction and asymmetric epoxidation of enones. Although the extension of the helical peptide to conjugate addition of a nucleophile to an enal was not successful simply by attaching proline to the N-terminus of the helix, the incorporation of a β-turn motif was effective to improve the catalytic performance. In the sequence of such a turn-helix-type peptide, the helical part was seemingly distant from the N-terminal amino group; however, the hydrophobicity, structure, and chirality of the helix largely affected the reaction. The turn-helix-type peptide promoted a wide range of asymmetric reactions: conjugated additions of hydride and carbon nucleophiles to enals via the iminium activation and α-oxyamination of aldehydes via the enamine activation. The peptides with turn-helix and helix frameworks were also employed for several reactions that were difficult to achieve with low-molecular-weight catalysts: enzyme-cocatalyzed asymmetric oxidation in water, diastereo- and enantioselective cyclopropanation, regioselective reduction of dienals, kinetic resolution of planar-chiral compounds, and desymmetrization to induce planar chirality. To explore other types of peptide catalysts, a combinatorial library screening was performed. On the way, it was revealed that a histidyl residue assisted to accelerate a reaction via reversible addition to an iminium intermediate. Through the screening of random peptide libraries, novel peptide sequences for efficient and enantioselective conjugate addition were discovered. Although we have no information about the molecular structure of the newly found peptides, they can be an entry point for establishing a versatile framework of peptide catalysts.

Recent advances in organocatalytic enantioselective transfer hydrogenation

Robust, environmentally friendly reductants enable highly enantioselective reactions in the presence of chiral catalysts.

Mild access to planar-chiral ortho-condensed aromatic ferrocenes via gold(i)-catalyzed cycloisomerization of ortho-alkynylaryl ferrocenes

An asymmetric gold(i)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of aquiral 2-alkynylaryl ferrocenes provides (R_p) planar-chiral ortho-condensed aromatic ferrocenes in high yield and enantioselectivity.