Kinetic resolution of d,l-myo-inositol derivatives catalyzed by chiral Cu(II) complex

Asymmetric Pd/Organoboron-Catalyzed Site-Selective Carbohydrate Functionalization with Alkoxyallenes Involving Noncovalent Stereocontrol

Herein, we demonstrate the robustness of a synergistic chiral Pd/organoboron system in tackling a challenging suite of site-, regio-, enantio- and diastereoselectivity issues across a considerable palette of biologically relevant carbohydrate polyols, when prochiral alkoxyallenes were employed as electrophiles. In view of the burgeoning role of noncovalent interactions (NCIs) in stereoselective carbohydrate synthesis, our mechanistic experiments and DFT modeling of the reaction path unexpectedly revealed that NCIs such as hydrogen bonding and CH-π interactions between the resting states of the Pd-π-allyl complex and the borinate saccharide are critically involved in the stereoselectivity control. Our strategy thus illuminates the untapped potential of harnessing NCIs in the context of transition metal catalysis to tackle stereoselectivity challenges in carbohydrate functionalization.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Nabscessin C

Enantioselective synthesis of nabscessin C (1), an aminocyclitol amide with antimicrobial activity, is reported. Starting from myo-inositol, (+)-nabscessin C was synthesized in 12 isolation steps. Desymmetrization of 2-deoxygenated 4,6-dibenzylinositol was achieved using lipase from porcine pancreas (PPL), and the stereochemistry was established by X-ray crystallography. This method has the potential for synthesizing other cyclitol-derived compounds.

Catalytic Approaches to Chemo- and Site-Selective Transformation of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a fundamental unit playing pivotal roles in all the biological processes. It is thus essential to develop methods for synthesizing, functionalizing, and manipulating carbohydrates for further understanding of their functions and the creation of sugar-based functional materials. It is, however, not trivial to develop such methods, since carbohydrates are densely decorated with polar and similarly reactive hydroxy groups in a stereodefined manner. New approaches to chemo- and site-selective transformations of carbohydrates are, therefore, of great significance for revolutionizing sugar chemistry to enable easier access to sugars of interest. This review begins with a brief overview of the innate reactivity of hydroxy groups of carbohydrates. It is followed by discussions about catalytic approaches to enhance, override, or be orthogonal to the innate reactivity for the transformation of carbohydrates. This review avoids making a list of chemo- and site-selective reactions, but rather focuses on summarizing the concept behind each reported transformation. The literature references were sorted into sections based on the underlying ideas of the catalytic approaches, which we hope will help readers have a better sense of the current state of chemistry and develop innovative ideas for the field.

A synergistic Rh(I)/organoboron-catalysed site-selective carbohydrate functionalization that involves multiple stereocontrol

Site-selective functionalization is a core synthetic strategy that has broad implications in organic synthesis. Particularly, exploiting chiral catalysis to control site selectivity in complex carbohydrate functionalizations has emerged as a leading method to unravel unprecedented routes into biologically relevant glycosides. However, robust catalytic systems available to overcome multiple facets of stereoselectivity challenges to this end still remain scarce. Here we report a synergistic chiral Rh(I)- and organoboron-catalysed protocol, which enables access into synthetically challenging but biologically relevant arylnaphthalene glycosides. Our method depicts the employment of chiral Rh(I) catalysis in site-selective carbohydrate functionalization and showcases the utility of boronic acid as a compatible co-catalyst. Crucial to the success of our method is the judicious choice of a suitable organoboron catalyst. We also determine that exquisite multiple aspects of stereocontrol, including enantio-, diastereo-, regio- and anomeric control and dynamic kinetic resolution, are concomitantly operative.

Site-Selective Acylations of α- and β-Hydroxyamides in Complex Molecules: Application of Template-Driven Acylation to Disaccharides and a Glycopeptide

Site-selective acylations of α-and β-hydroxyamides in complex polyols are described. The combination of a pyridine aldoxime ester and Zn(OTf)₂ facilitates the acylation of two types of N-glycolyl disaccharides, namely, Gal-GlcNGc and Neu5Gc-Gal, both of which are partial structures of polysaccharides responsible for biological actions, with highly site-selective modifications achieved. Furthermore, biotinylation, one of the most important techniques in chemical biology, is used to site-selectively acylate the β-hydroxyl group in a glycopeptide.

Boronic Acid-Catalyzed Final-Stage Site-Selective Acylation for the Total Syntheses of O-3'-Acyl Bisabolol β-D-Fucopyranoside Natural Products and Their Analogues

The first concise total syntheses of O-3'-senecioyl α-bisabolol β-D-fucopyranoside (4a) and O-3'-isovaleroyl α-bisabolol β-D-fucopyranoside (4b) were achieved through final-stage site-selective acylation via the activation of cis-vicinal diols by imidazole-containing boronic acid catalysts as a key step. This synthetic method was also effective for the syntheses of unnatural analogues with modified acyl side chains or carbohydrate moiety.

Chiral copper(II) complex-catalyzed reactions of partially protected carbohydrates

Catalyst-controlled regioselective functionalization of partially protected saccharide molecules is a highly important yet under-developed area of carbohydrate chemistry. Such reactions allow for the reduction of protecting group manipulation steps required in syntheses involving sugars. Herein, an approach to these processes using enantiopure copper-bis(oxazoline) catalysts to control couplings of electrophiles to various partially protected sugars is reported. In a number of cases, divergent regioselectivity was observed as a function of the enantiomer of catalyst that is used.

Highly Enantioselective Michael Additions of Indole to Benzylidene Malonate Using Simple Bis(oxazoline) Ligands: Importance of Metal/Ligand Ratio

[Structure: see text] Simple bis(oxazoline) ligands, especially azabis(oxazolines), can catalyze the copper-catalyzed addition of indoles to benzylidene malonates in up to >99% ee, provided that excess of chiral ligand is avoided. The paradigm followed in many asymmetric catalyses that an excess of chiral ligand with respect to the metal should improve enantioselectivity because a background reaction by free metal is suppressed, is not applicable here, which might call for revisiting some of the many copper(II)-bis(oxazoline)-catalyzed processes known.

Cu(II)−Aza(bisoxazoline)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Benzoylations

[reaction: see text] Racemic 1,2-diols and alpha-hydroxy carbonyl compounds can be asymmetrically benzoylated in a kinetic resolution in the presence of various Cu(II)-aza(bisoxazoline) catalysts. A novel bisbenzyl-substituted aza(bisoxazoline) ligand proved to be especially effective when immobilized on MeOPEG(5000), giving from 91 to > or = 99% ee in 37-49% yield for each of five sequential reactions.