The 2-Benzyloxytetrahydropyranyl group as a chiral auxiliary for the nucleophilic addition to α-alkoxy aldehydes

Stereodivergent Catalysis

This review covers diastereo- and enantiodivergent catalyzed reactions in acyclic and cyclic systems using metal complexes or organocatalysts. Among them, nucleophilic addition to carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen double bonds, α-functionalization of carbonyl compounds, allylic substitutions, and ring opening of oxiranes and aziridines are considered. The diastereodivergent synthesis of alkenes from alkynes is also included. Finally, stereodivergent intramolecular and intermolecular cycloadditions and other cyclizations are also reported.

More than a Protective Group: Synthesis and Applications of a New Chiral Silane

Enantiomerically pure (-)-(R)- and (+)-(S)-(1-methoxy-2,2,2-triphenylethyl)dimethylsilanes (MOTES-H) were synthesized from triphenylacetaldehyde in five synthetic steps and with 60% overall yield. MOTES-protected alpha- and beta-hydroxycarbonyl compounds were used in Grignard and Diels-Alder reactions in the presence of MgBr2 to afford addition products with 87-98% yield and selectivities of up to >120:1 dr. With this method, the pine beetle pheromone (-)-frontalin (67%, 98.5% ee) and naturally occurring (-)-(R)-octane-1,3-diol (90%, >99% ee) were synthesized.

Lewis acid-catalyzed ring-opening reactions of semicyclic N,O-acetals possessing an exocyclic nitrogen atom: mechanistic aspect and application to piperidine alkaloid synthesis

Ring-opening reactions of semicyclic N,O-acetals possessing an exocyclic nitrogen atom with silicon-based nucleophiles (silyl enol ethers, ketene silyl acetals, allylic silanes, and trimethylsilyl cyanide) were systematically studied for the first time. It was found that the reactions were effectively catalyzed by a Lewis acid, trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf), to afford 1,4- and 1,5-amino alcohols in high yields. In reactions of 3-oxygen functionalized semicyclic N,O-acetals, high 1,2-syn-diastereoselectivity was obtained. By 1H NMR experiment, the formation of the O-trimethylsilylated ring-opened product was observed as the initial product. Furthermore, the epimerization between the diastereomers of a 3-benzyloxy semicyclic N,O-acetal suggested the transient formation of an acyclic iminium ion species as a reactive intermediate. It was also found that 3-acetoxy and 3-benzyloxy N,O-acetals showed a tendency for the larger nucleophile to provide higher syn-selectivity, while 3-tert-butyldiphenylsilyloxy N,O-acetals showed the opposite tendency. These stereochemical outcomes can be rationalized by assuming four transition state models for the acyclic iminium ion intermediate. The synthetic utility of the reaction has been demonstrated in the diastereoselective synthesis of piperidine alkaloids, (+)-isofebrifugine and (+/-)-sedacryptine.