Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrrole-Fused Piperazine and Piperazinone Derivatives via Ir-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Amination

Iridium-catalysed reductive allylic amination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Allylic amination is a powerful tool for constructing N-allylic amines widely found in bioactive molecules. Generally, allylic alcohols and unsaturated hydrocarbons have been considered for allylic amination reactions to minimize waste production. Herein, we present an iridium-catalysed method for reductive allylic amination of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with amines to afford N-allylic amines under air conditions. This protocol is demonstrated to provide products from many substrates (41 examples) in moderate-to-excellent yields. This synthetic methodology is also highlighted by the synthesis of drug molecules, optically pure products, as well as scale-up experiments.

Asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction of unsaturated carbonyl-tethered heteroarenes via vinylogous activation of Pd0-π-Lewis base catalysis

The alkyne group can undergo facile transformations under palladium catalysis, such as hydropalladation, Wacker reaction, etc. Here we demonstrate that a chiral Pd0 complex can chemoselectively dihapto-coordinate to the alkyne moiety of 2-indolyl propiolates, and raise the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO)-energy ofthe deactivated heteroarenes via π-Lewis base catalysis. As a result, asymmetric C3-selective Friedel-Crafts addition to activated alkenes occurs, finally affording [3 + 2] or [3 + 4] annulation products with high enantioselectivity and exclusive E-selectivity. Moreover, this π-Lewis base vinylogous HOMO-activation strategy can be extended to remote Friedel-Crafts reaction of diverse five-membered heteroarenes tethered to a 2-enone or 2-acrylate motif with imines or 1-azadienes, and excellent enantiocontrol is generally achieved for the multifunctional adducts, which can be effectively converted to diverse frameworks with higher molecular complexity. In addition, NMR and density functional theory calculation studies are conducted to elucidate the catalytic mechanism.

Highly Enantioselective Iridium(I)-Catalyzed Hydrocarbonation of Alkenes: A Versatile Approach to Heterocyclic Systems Bearing Quaternary Stereocenters

We report a versatile, highly enantioselective intramolecular hydrocarbonation reaction that provides a direct access to heteropolycyclic systems bearing chiral quaternary carbon stereocenters. The method, which relies on an iridium(I)/bisphosphine chiral catalyst, is particularly efficient for the synthesis of five-, six- and seven-membered fused indole and pyrrole products, bearing one and two stereocenters, with enantiomeric excesses of up to >99 %. DFT computational studies allowed to obtain a detailed mechanistic profile and identify a cluster of weak non-covalent interactions as key factors to control the enantioselectivity.

A Review of the Synthetic Strategies toward Dihydropyrrolo[1,2-a]Pyrazinones

Dihydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinone rings are a class of heterocycles present in a wide range of bioactive natural products and analogues thereof. As a direct result of their bioactivity, the synthesis of this privileged class of compounds has been extensively studied. This review provides an overview of these synthetic pathways. The literature is covered up until 2020 and is organized according to the specific strategies used to construct the scaffold: fusing a pyrazinone to an existing pyrrole, employing a pyrazinone-first strategy, an array of multicomponent reactions and some miscellaneous reactions.

Enantioselective synthesis of polycyclic pyrrole derivatives by iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic dearomatization and ring-expansive migration reactions

Herein, we report an N-alkylation of pyrroles triggered by an unprecedented selective ring-expansive migration of the spiro-2H-pyrrole intermediates obtained via Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic dearomatization. The reaction affords a series of tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-c]pyrimidine derivatives in good yields (up to 88%) with excellent enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). The proposed reaction mechanism is supported by DFT calculations and the characterization of the key intermediate.

CpRu/Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Dehydrative Cyclization of Pyrroles N-Tethered with Allylic Alcohols

A cationic CpRu/halogen/Brønsted acid hybrid catalyst (R cat) with the axially chiral Cl-Naph-PyCOOH ligand (naph = naphthyl, py = pyridine) is highly efficient for dehydrative cyclization of pyrroles to construct 1,2-fused-2-allylated pyrroles that, so far, have not been achieved. The mechanistic study has implied that hydrogen and halogen bonds play a key role for facilitating the R,S_Ru-catalyzed reaction pathway via a σ-allyl intermediate and that the diastereomeric R,R_Ru cat slowly gives the minor enantiomer via a π-allyl intermediate.

The Fe(iii)-catalyzed decarboxylative cycloaddition of β-ketoacids and 2H-azirines for the synthesis of pyrrole derivatives

An Fe(iii)-catalyzed Mannich/decarboxylative ring expansion reaction to generate pyrrole derivatives has been achieved using Fe(OTf)₃ as the catalyst. A series of pyrrole derivatives was obtained in moderate to excellent yields.

Nickel-Catalyzed Chemoselective Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α,β-Unsaturated Ketoimines: An Efficient Approach to Chiral Allylic Amines

An efficient synthetic route to chiral allylic amines has been developed by nickel/(S,S)-Ph-BPE complex catalyzed chemoselective asymmetric hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated ketoimines. Varieties of α,β-unsaturated ketoimines have been well tolerated in this transformation to give chiral allylic amines with high yields and excellent ee values (up to 99% yield, up to 99% ee). A gram-scale reaction with 0.2 mol % catalyst loading has also been achieved.

Catalyst-free facile synthesis of polycyclic indole/pyrrole substituted-1,2,3-triazoles

A general and catalyst-free access to the fused polycyclic N-heterocycles via an intramolecular azide-alkene cascade reaction under mild reaction conditions has been developed. The reaction is applicable to both indole and pyrrole substrates, and a variety of substituents are tolerated. The entire sequence can be carried out in a one-pot operation. This methodology provides a sustainable and efficient access to a variety of novel polycyclic indole/pyrrole substituted-1,2,3-triazoles.

Facile synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole-fused indolo- and pyrrolo[1,4]diazepines, DNA-binding and evaluation of their anticancer activity

A facile synthetic strategy has been developed for the generation of structurally diverse N-fused heterocycles. The formation of fused 1,2,3-triazole indolo and pyrrolodiazepines proceeds through an initial Knoevenagel condensation followed by intramolecular azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction at room temperature without recourse to the traditional Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anti-cancer activity against the NCI 60 cell line panel. Among the tested compounds, 3a and 3h were found to exhibit potent inhibitory activity against many of the cell lines. Cell cycle analysis indicated that the compounds inhibit the cell cycle at sub G1 phase. The DNA- nano drop method, viscosity experiment and docking studies suggested these compounds possess DNA binding affinity.

Enantioselective Syntheses of Tricyclic Benzimidazoles via Intramolecular Allylic Aminations with Chiral-Bridged Biphenyl Phosphoramidite Ligands

The first iridium-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular allylic aminations of benzimidazole-tethered allylic carbonates were developed, providing three classes of tricyclic benzimidazoles bearing a tertiary carbon stereogenic center in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield, 99% ee). Wide substrate scope, excellent catalytic efficiency and mild conditions rendered this protocol particularly superior and practical. Impressively, the chiral bridge with a tunable structure was shown to provide a very good adjustment space for the chiral environment. The excellent catalytic performance of the ligands manifested their advantages over the bisphenol-based and BINOL-derived counterparts in these transformations. It also highlighted the potential application value of the chiral-bridged ligands.

Iridium-catalyzed intramolecular enantioselective allylation of quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives

An efficient chiral cyclic phosphoramidite ligand-enabled iridium-catalyzed intramolecular allylation of quinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives has been developed with high reactivity and high to excellent enantioselectivity.

Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution Reactions

In this review, we summarize the origin and advancements of iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions during the past two decades. Since the first report in 1997, Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions have attracted intense attention due to their exceptionally high regio- and enantioselectivities. Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions have been significantly developed in recent years in many respects, including ligand development, mechanistic understanding, substrate scope, and application in the synthesis of complex functional molecules. In this review, an explicit outline of ligands, mechanism, scope of nucleophiles, and applications is presented.

Applications of Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution Reactions in Target-Oriented Synthesis

Metal catalyzed allylic substitution is a cornerstone of organometallic and synthetic chemistry. Enantioselective versions have been developed with catalysts derived from transition metals, most notably molybdenum, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, and copper. The palladium- and the iridium-catalyzed versions have turned out to be particularly versatile in organic synthesis because of the very broad scope of the nucleophile and great functional group compatibility. Assets of the iridium-catalyzed reaction are the formation of branched, chiral products from simple monosubstituted allylic substrates, high degrees of regio- and enantioselectivity, and use of modular, readily available chiral ligands. The possibility to use carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur compounds as well as fluoride as nucleophiles allows a wide range of chiral building blocks to be prepared. Our Account begins with the presentation of fundamental reaction schemes and chiral ligands. We will focus our discussion on reactions promoted by phosphoramidite ligands, though numerous chiral ligands have been employed. The subsequent section presents a brief overview of reaction mechanism and experimental conditions. Two versions of the iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution have emerged. In type 1 reactions (introduced in 1997), linear allylic esters are commonly used as substrates under basic reaction conditions. In type 2 reactions (introduced in 2007), environmentally friendly branched allylic alcohols can be reacted under acidic conditions; occasionally, derivatives of allylic alcohols have also been applied. A unique feature of the type 2 reactions is that highly electrophilic allylic intermediates can be brought to reaction with weakly activated alkenes. The subsequent text is ordered according to the strategies followed to transform allylic substitution products to desired targets, most of which are natural products or drugs. Syntheses starting with an intermolecular allylic substitution are discussed first. Some fairly complex targets, for example, the potent nitric oxide inhibitor (-)-nyasol and the drug (-)-protrifenbute, have been synthesized via less than five steps from simple starting materials. Most targets discussed are cyclic compounds. Intermolecular allylic substitution with subsequent ring closing metathesis is a powerful strategy for their synthesis. Highlights are stereodivergent syntheses of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), wherein iridium- and organocatalysis are combined (dual catalysis). The combination of allylic alkylation with a Diels-Alder reaction was utilized to synthesize the ketide apiosporic acid and the drug fesoterodine (Toviaz). Sequential allylic amination, hydroboration and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling generates enones suitable for conjugate addition reactions; this strategy was employed in syntheses of a variety of alkaloids, for example, the poison frog alkaloid (+)-cis-195A (pumiliotoxin C). Intramolecular substitutions offer interesting possibilities to build up stereochemical complexity via short synthetic routes. For example, in diastereoselective cyclizations of chiral compounds, substrate control can be overruled by catalyst control in order to generate cis- and trans-isomers selectively from a given precursor. This approach was used to prepare a variety of piperidine and pyrrolidine alkaloids. Finally, complex polycyclic structures, including the structurally unusual indolosesquiterpenoid mycoleptodiscin A, have been generated diastereo- and enantioselectively from olefins by polyene cyclizations and from electron-rich arenes, such as indoles, in dearomatization reactions.

Enantioselective Synthesis of 1,2-Diamines Containing Tertiary and Quaternary Centers through Rhodium-Catalyzed DYKAT of Racemic Allylic Trichloroacetimidates

The amination of racemic secondary and tertiary allylic trichloroacetimidates possessing β-nitrogen substituents and proximal nitrogen-containing heterocycles, via chiral diene-ligated rhodium-catalyzed dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformations (DYKAT), provides branched allylic 1,2-diamines with high enantioselectivity. The catalytic system can be applied to the synthesis of 1,2-diamines possessing two contiguous stereocenters with excellent diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, the nitrogen-containing heterocycles suppress competing vinyl azirdine formation, allowing for the high enantioselective syntheses of 1,2-diamines possessing tertiary and quaternary centers.

Theoretical prediction of the synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyridines through Ir(iii)-catalysed reaction of unsaturated oximes with alkenes

The Ir(iii)-catalysed reaction of unsaturated oximes with alkenes was predicted, and the results indicate a more efficient synthesis of 2,3-dihydropyridines.