Asymmetric allylation of aldehydes with chiral platinum phosphinite complexes

Stereochemistry of Pt(η2-P2L)Cl2 derivatives

The coordination chemistry of platinum (Pt) covers a huge field as shown by a recent survey covering the crystallographic and structural data of almost 200 monomeric examples of the Pt(η2-P2L)Cl2type. About 20% of these complexes exist as isomers and are discussed in this review. Included are distortion (64%),cis-trans(20%), and ligand (16%) isomers. These are discussed in terms of the metallocyclic rings, and coordinations are drawn between donor atoms, bond lengths, and interbond angles, with attention to anytrans-influence. Distortion isomers, differing only by the degree of distortion in Pt-L and L-Pt-L angles, are the most numerous. In this series of distortion and ligand isomers, the square-planar configuration about the Pt(II) atom has onlycis-configuration. The total mean values of Pt-L bond distances (cis- vs.trans-configuration) are 2.228 Å (P) and 2.353 Å (Cl) vs. 2.312 (P) and 2.302 Å (Cl).

Electrophilic [N-F]+ catalysed asymmetric allylation of (E)-N,1-diphenylmethanimine

New efficient catalysts based on electrophilic N-fluoro quaternary ammonium salts are reported for catalytic allylation of (E)-N,1-diphenylmethanimine. The chiral version of the catalyst based on cinchonidine (F-CD-BF₄ ) shows high catalytic activity with approximately 94% ee and TOF (>800 h^-1 ). The F-CD-BF₄ is prepared from cinchonidine and Selectfluor by one-step transfer fluorination.

Computational Study of Enantioselectivity in the Asymmetric Allylation of Aldehydes with Chiral Pt(II) Phosphinite Complexes

Computational investigations on the enantioselectivity observed in the allylation of cinnamaldehyde have been carried out using four closely related chiral platinum catalysts with ascorbic acid-based bisphosphinite ligands. Enantioselectivity depends on the substitution of hydrogen on the hydroxyl group by benzyl group(s) in the ascorbic acid framework. The key intermediate is assumed to be one, where both the aldehyde (via oxygen) and the η¹ allyl group are coordinated to the metal center, and C-C bond formation between the terminal allylic carbon and carbonyl carbon is the rate-determining step. A screening process has been adopted to select potentially relevant reactant adducts from a total of several hundred theoretically possible conformers by molecular mechanics (MM) calculations. Only 50 transition state structures (TSs) lead to the product based on a two-layer QM/MM study employing B3LYP and UFF methods. Out of these 50 TSs, around 10 structures were selected for the final step QM calculation at B3LYP/LANL2TZ(f)(Pt),6-311G(d,p)//B3LYP/LANL2DZ(Pt),6-31G(d,p) level of theory. This computational approach predicts chirality induction correctly in most of the seven catalysts examined. The successful prediction of enantioselectivity carried out using the MM, QM/MM, and QM approaches suggests that the described simplified procedure could be useful in other catalyst systems also.

Access to Anti or Syn 2-Amino-1,3-diol Scaffolds from a Common Decarboxylative Aldol Adduct

A straightforward synthetic pathway allowing the access to anti or syn 2-amino-1,3-diol scaffolds is presented. The strategy relies on a diastereoselective organocatalyzed decarboxylative aldol reaction of a N-Boc-hemimalonate that is easily formed from commercial N-Boc-diethyl malonate. Although this method has been optimized previously with the N-Bz-hemimalonate analogue, this key step was reinvestigated with the N-Boc derivative to improve the required reaction time, the yield, and the diastereoselectivity. The new conditions enhance this transformation, and quantitative yields and anti/syn ratios up to 96:4 can be obtained. The anti aldol product was easily isolated in pure form and then taken forward as the key precursor in the preparation of both a set of ten N-/O-alkylated anti 2-amino-1,3-diol derivatives and the syn congeners.

The domino multicomponent allylation reaction for the stereoselective synthesis of homoallylic alcohols

Stereoselective allylations of carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and ketones are useful but challenging reactions in organic chemistry. The resulting chiral secondary and tertiary homoallylic alcohols or ethers are valuable building blocks in the synthesis of biologically active natural compounds and pharmaceuticals. Although researchers have developed several methods for the facially selective allylation of aldehydes, the stereoselective allylation of ketones still poses a severe problem. We have developed a highly diastereoselective domino multicomponent allylation reaction of a ketone and allyltrimethyl silane using the trimethylsilyl ether of a norpseudoephedrine or mandelic acid derivative as an auxiliary with a diastereoselectivity of up to 98:2. The reaction is performed at -78 degrees C in the presence of a catalytic amount of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and leads to the corresponding tertiary ethers. The procedure can also be used for the allylation of aliphatic aldehydes with a diastereomeric ratio >99:1. Ketones give the 4,1'-syn product while the aldehydes give the reversed selectivity to yield a 4,1'-anti product. In addition, the reaction of gamma-substituted allyl silanes with ketones yields a product with two stereogenic centers and an anti diastereoselectivity of >99:1. The homoallylic ethers formed in the domino multicomponent process can be used in further synthetic transformations: the auxiliary can serve as a protecting group or can be cleaved reductively to give the corresponding homoallylic alcohols. Based on a number of both experimental and theoretical studies of the reaction mechanism, we conclude that an intermediate oxocarbenium ion is formed in the reaction of ketones. The oxocarbenium ion is attacked by the allyl silane during the stereogenic step. Using density functional theory methods, we could trace the observed stereoselectivity phenomena back to open transition states (TSs) where there is no interaction between the silane's trimethylsilyl group and the former carbonyl oxygen. On the contrary, the reaction with aldehydes forms an intermediate oxazolidinium salt, which explains the opposite selectivity. We have used the new allylation procedure in several total syntheses of natural products such as vitamin E, (+)-hydroxymyoporone, 5,6-dihydrocineromycin B, and polyoxygenated cembrenes.