Synthesis and application of α-trifluoromethylated aldehydes

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of grignard reagents to methyl 4,4,4-trifluorocrotonate: synthesis of enantioenriched trifluoromethylated compounds

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition of methyl 4,4,4-trifluorocrotonate with aliphatic Grignard reagents to access an asymmetric tertiary carbon center attached with a trifluoromethyl group was achieved under mild reaction conditions. The desired products could be obtained in reasonable yields and good enantioselectivities.

Indium-mediated diastereoselective allylation of D- and L-glyceraldimines with 4-bromo-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-butene: highly stereoselective synthesis of 4,4,4-trifluoroisoleucines and 4,4,4-trifluorovaline

A practical and efficient route for the stereoselective synthesis of (2R,3S)- and (2S,3R)-4,4,4-trifluoroisoleucines and (2R,3S)-4,4,4-trifluorovaline was developed. Indium-mediated allylation of (R)-N-benzyl-2,3-O-isopropylideneglyceraldimine 7 with 4-bromo-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-butene 4 gave the desired homoallylic amine 8 in high diastereoselectivity (>95% de) with moderate yield. The Cbz-protected (2R,3S)-4,4,4-trifluoroisoleucine 14 and Boc-protected (2R,3S)-4,4,4-trifluorovaline 21 were then readily prepared from 8. In addition, following the same procedure, Cbz-protected (2S,3R)-4,4,4-trifluoroisoleucine 28, the enantiomer of 14, was prepared starting from (S)-N-benzyl-2,3-O-isopropylideneglyceraldimine 24.

(R)-Trifluoro- and Difluoropyruvaldehyde N,S-Ketals: Chiral Synthetic Equivalents of beta-Trifluoro and beta-Difluoro alpha-Amino Aldehydes

A new, efficient, and stereoselective two-step approach to stereochemically defined chiral nonracemic gamma-tri- and gamma-difluoro beta-amino alcohols (70% to >95% ee) is described, using tri- and difluoropyruvaldehyde N,S-ketals (R)-1a,b as starting materials. Addition of Grignard reagents to (R)-1 occurs with moderate to excellent anti-stereocontrol, depending on the nature of the organomagnesium halides, providing the beta-p-tolylthio beta-benzyloxycarbonylamino secondary carbinols 5. The stereochemical outcome of these reactions can be rationalized by means of a chelated Cram's cyclic model, where the NCbz group is the chelating ligand and the p-tolylthio residue acts as the stereocontrolling "large" group. Reductive displacement of the 2-p-tolylthio substituent of 5 efficiently takes places by means of the NaBH(4)/pyridine system, probably via the corresponding intermediate transient imines 13, providing sulfur-free gamma-tri- and gamma-difluorinated beta-amino alcohols 7 with high levels of anti-stereoselectivity. A considerable shift toward syn-stereoselectivity was obtained performing the reaction on the corresponding phenylacetates 8. Cleavage and reduction of the NHCbz moiety of 7 provided tri- and difluoro analogues of, respectively, norephedrine (11) and ephedrine (12).

Highly Stereoselective Synthesis of Trifluoromethylated Compounds via Ester-Enolate [2,3]-Wittig and [3,3]-Ireland-Claisen Rearrangements

gamma-Trifluoromethylated propargylic alcohols have been obtained in optically pure forms via effective enzymatic kinetic resolution and then converted into (E)- or (Z)-allylic alcohols. [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement of the corresponding [[gamma-(trifluoromethyl)allyl]oxy]acetic acid methyl esters afforded alpha-hydroxy-beta-(trifluoromethyl)-gamma,delta-unsaturated carboxylic acid methyl esters in good yields. The rearrangement of (Z)-substrates proceeded in a highly stereoselective manner to give anti-isomers with E configuration at a newly created olefinic bond via complete chirality transfer. (E)-Substrates, however, showed relatively low stereoselectivities resulting in mixtures of syn- and anti-products. The trifluoromethylated allylic alcohols were also converted into the corresponding alpha-methoxyacetic acid gamma-(trifluoromethyl)allyl esters and evaluated as substrates for [3,3]-Ireland-Claisen rearrangement. (E)-Substrates were efficiently transformed into syn-products while (Z)-substrates exhibited relatively low stereoselectivities. The two complementary methods provide facile routes to highly functionalized trifluoromethyl-containing molecules with a high degree of stereocontrol.