Insights on the Origin of Regiodivergence in the Parallel Kinetic Resolution of rac-Aziridines Using a Chiral Lanthanum–Yttrium Bimetallic Catalyst

Prediction of NHC-catalyzed chemoselective functionalizations of carbonyl compounds: a general mechanistic map

Generally, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexed with carbonyl compounds would transform into several important active intermediates, i.e., enolates, Breslow intermediates, or acylazolium intermediates, which act as either a nucleophile (Nu) or an electrophile (E) to react with the other E/Nu partner. Hence, the key to predicting the origin of chemoselectivity is to compute the activity (i.e., electrophilic index ω for E and nucleophilic index N for Nu) and stability of the intermediates and products, which are suggested in a general mechanistic map of these reactions. To support this point, we selected and studied different cases of the NHC-catalyzed reactions of carbonyl compounds in the presence of a base and/or an oxidant, in which multiple possible pathways involving acylazolium, enolate, Breslow, and α,β-unsaturated acylazolium intermediates were proposed and a novel index ω + N of the E and Nu partners was employed to exactly predict the energy barrier of the chemoselective step in theory. This work provides a guide for determining the general principle behind organocatalytic reactions with various chemoselectivities, and suggests a general application of the reaction index in predicting the chemoselectivity of the nucleophilic and electrophilic reactions.

A novel index ω + N can be used to predict the chemoselectivity according to the general NHC-catalyzed reaction mechanism.

Mechanistic insights into Cu-catalyzed enantioselective Friedel–Crafts reaction between indoles and 2-aryl-N-sulfonylaziridines

Computational studies were successfully carried out to provide mechanistic insights into LCu-catalyzed (L = (S)-Segphos ligand) Friedel–Crafts (F–C) reaction between indoles and 2-aryl-N-sulfonylaziridines.

Rare-Earth-Metal-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Chiral Aminoalkenes via Hydroamination: The Effect of the Silyl Substituent of the Binaphtholate Ligand on Resolution Efficiency

The kinetic resolution of α-substituted aminopentenes via intramolecular hydroamination was investigated using various 3,3'-silyl-substituted binaphtholate yttrium catalysts. High efficiencies in the kinetic resolution were observed for methyl-, benzyl-, and phenyl-substituted substrates utilizing the cyclohexyldiphenylsilyl-substituted catalyst 2c with resolution factors reaching as high as 90(5) for hex-5-en-2-amine (3a). Kinetic analysis of the enantioenriched substrates with the matching and mismatching catalyst revealed that the efficiency of catalyst 2c benefits significantly from a favorable Curtin-Hammett pre-equilibrium and by a large kfast/kslow ratio. Other binaphtholate catalysts were less efficient due to a less favorable Curtin-Hammett pre-equilibrium, which often favored the mismatching substrate-catalyst combination. Cyclization of the matched substrate proceeds generally with large trans-selectivity, whereas the trans/cis-ratio for mismatched substrates is significantly diminished, favoring the cis-cyclization product isomer in some instances.