Synthesis of Substituted Morpholines Using Stereodivergent Aza-Michael Reactions Catalyzed by Brønsted Acids

Expanding Complex Morpholines Using Systematic Chemical Diversity

The morpholine heterocycle is a structural unit found in many bioactive compounds and FDA-approved drugs, but the generation of more complex C-functionalized morpholine derivatives remains considerably underexplored. Using systematic chemical diversity (SCD), a concept that guides the expansion of saturated drug-like scaffolds through regiochemical and stereochemical variation, we describe the synthesis of a collection of methyl-substituted morpholine acetic acid esters starting from enantiomerically pure amino acids and amino alcohols. In total, 24 diverse substituted morpholines were produced that vary systematically in regiochemistry and stereochemistry (relative and absolute). These diverse C-substituted morpholines can be directly applied in fragment screening or incorporated as building blocks in medicinal chemistry and library synthesis.

Deciphering the Microdroplet Acceleration Factors of Aza-Michael Addition Reactions

Microdroplet chemistry is emerging as a great tool for accelerating reactions by several orders of magnitude. Several unique properties such as extreme pHs, interfacial electric fields (IEFs), and partial solvation have been reported to be responsible for the acceleration; however, which factor plays the key role remains elusive. Here, we performed quantum chemical calculations to explore the underlying mechanisms of an aza-Michael addition reaction between methylamine and acrylamide. We showed that the acceleration in methanol microdroplets results from the cumulative effects of several factors. The acidic surface of the microdroplet plays a dominating role, leading to a decrease of ∼9 kcal/mol in the activation barrier. We speculated that the dissociation of both methanol and trace water contributes to the surface acidity. An IEF of 0.1 V/Å can further decrease the barrier by ∼2 kcal/mol. Partial solvation has a negligible effect on lowering the activation barrier in microdroplets but can increase the collision frequency between reactants. With acidity revealed to be the major accelerating factor for methanol droplets, reactions on water microdroplets should have even higher rates because water is more acidic. Both theoretically and experimentally, we confirmed that water microdroplets significantly accelerate the aza-Michael reaction, achieving an acceleration factor that exceeds 107. This work elucidates the multifactorial influences on the microdroplet acceleration mechanism, and with such detailed mechanistic investigations, we anticipate that microdroplet chemistry will be an avenue rich in opportunities in the realm of green synthesis.

Heterocyclic Merging of Stereochemically Diverse Chiral Piperazines and Morpholines with Indazoles

We report a heterocyclic merging approach to construct novel indazolo-piperazines and indazolo-morpholines. Starting from chiral diamines and amino alcohols, novel regiochemically (1,3 and 1,4) and stereochemically diverse (relative and absolute) cohorts of indazolo-piperazines and indazolo-morpholines were obtained within six or seven steps. The key transformations involved are a Smiles rearrangement to generate the indazole core structure and a late-stage Michael addition to build the piperazine and morpholine heterocycles. We further explored additional vector diversity by incorporating substitutions on the indazole aromatic ring, generating a total of 20 unique, enantiomerically pure heterocyclic scaffolds.

Syntheses of 2- and 3-Substituted Morpholine Congeners via Ring Opening of 2-Tosyl-1,2-Oxazetidine

Diastereoselective and diastereoconvergent syntheses of 2- and 3-substituted morpholine congeners are reported. Starting from tosyl-oxazatedine 1 and α-formyl carboxylates 2, base catalysis is utilized to yield morpholine hemiaminals. Their further synthetic elaborations allowed the concise constructions of conformationally rigid morpholines. The observed diastereoselectivities and the unusual diastereoconvergence in the photoredox radical processes seem to be the direct consequence of the avoidance of pseudo A^1,3 strain between the C-3 substituent and the N-tosyl group and the anomeric effect of oxygen atoms.

A Concise Synthetic Method for Constructing 3-Substituted Piperazine-2-Acetic Acid Esters from 1,2-Diamines

We report a short synthetic route for synthesizing 2,3-substituted piperazine acetic acid esters. Optically pure amino acids were efficiently converted into 1,2-diamines that could be utilized to deliver the title 2,3-substituted piperazines in five steps with a high enantiomeric purity. The novel route facilitated, for the first time, the synthesis of 3-phenyl substituted-2-piperazine acetic acid esters that were difficult to achieve using other methods; however, in this case, the products underwent racemization.

Two Decades of Progress in the Asymmetric Intramolecular aza-Michael Reaction

The asymmetric intramolecular aza-Michael reaction (IMAMR) is a very convenient strategy for the generation of heterocycles bearing nitrogen-substituted stereocenters. Due to the ubiquitous presence of these skeletons in natural products, the IMAMR has found widespread applications in the total synthesis of alkaloids and biologically relevant compounds. The development of asymmetric versions of the IMAMR are quite recent, most of them reported in this century. The fundamental advances in this field involve the use of organocatalysts. Chiral imidazolidinones, diaryl prolinol derivatives, Cinchone-derived primary amines and quaternary ammonium salts, and BINOL-derived phosphoric acids account for the success of those methodologies. Moreover, the use of N-sulfinyl imines with a dual role, as nitrogen nucleophiles and as chiral auxiliaries, appeared as a versatile mode of performing the asymmetric IMAMR.

Five Step Total Synthesis of Lythranidine

A concise synthesis of the alkaloid lythranidine is reported. The strategy exploits the target's local C₂ symmetry by adopting a two directional synthetic approach, first in an acyclic environment, then in a cyclic system and finally in a bridged macrocyclic domain. The latter phase of the synthesis, which installs all four stereocenters, involves a thermodynamically controlled, twofold intermolecular/transannular aza-Michael addition and a twofold hydride reduction. The synthesis is one third of the length of the most step-economic previous approach, providing access to gram quantities of the natural product. The broad-spectrum nature of the synthesis is demonstrated through the preparation of three diastereomeric analogues of the natural product.

NHC-Ni catalyzed 1,3- and 1,4-diastereodivergent heterocycle synthesis from hetero-substituted enyne

Diastereodivergent heterocycle synthesis has been recognized as an important tool for drug discovery in recent years, yet strategies based on nickelacycle formation have not been established. Here, we report a NHC-Ni catalyzed highly 1,3- and 1,4-diastereodivergent heterocycle synthesis from enyne, which is achieved by manipulating the enyne N-substituent (allowing switching of selectivity from up to 2:98 to 98:2). The key to success is the efficient diastereodivergent formation of a nickelacyclopentene, with broad enyne scope at mild conditions, which subsequently provides reductive hydroalkenylation, acylation and silylation products on demand. Diastereoisomers which are sterically hard to distinguish or difficult to access by conventional routes are now accessible easily, including those with very similar 4°, contiguous and skipped stereocenters.

Practical and scalable synthesis of orthogonally protected-2-substituted chiral piperazines

A synthetic route to orthogonally protected, enantiomerically pure 2-substituted piperazines is described. Starting from α-amino acids, within four steps chiral 2-substituted piperazines are obtained. The key transformation involves an aza-Michael addition between an orthogonally bis-protected chiral 1,2-diamine and the in situ generated vinyl diphenyl sulfonium salt derived from 2-bromoethyl-diphenylsulfonium triflate. Further validation using different protecting groups as well as synthesis on multigram scale was performed. The method was also applied to the construction of chiral 1,4-diazepanes and 1,4-diazocanes. Additionally, the method was utilized in a formal synthesis of chiral mirtazapine.

One-Step Assembly of Functionalized Morpholinones and 1,4-Oxazepane-3-ones via [3 + 3]- and [3 + 4]-Annulation of Aza-Oxyallyl Cation and Amphoteric Compounds

A new [3 + 3]- and [3 + 4]-annulation strategy involving azaoxyallyl cation and [1,m]-amphoteric compounds (m = 3,4) is presented. This concise method enables easy assembly of functionalized saturated N-heterocycles, comprised of six-and seven-membered rings and is of high significance in the context of drug discovery approaches. This reaction also represents a new trapping modality of the azaoxyallyl cation with amphoteric agents of different chain lengths that consist of a heteroatom nucleophilic site and a π-electrophilic site.

Diastereodivergent Synthesis of Chiral Tetrahydropyrrolodiazepinediones via a One-Pot Intramolecular aza-Michael/Lactamization Sequence

A modular and diastereodivergent synthesis of tetrahydro-1 H-pyrrolo[1,2 d]diazepine-(2,5)-diones is presented. The tetrahydropyrrolodiazepinedione scaffold is obtained via a base-mediated three-step isomerization/tandem cyclization of amino acid-coupled homoallylic amino esters. Diastereoselectivity of the process is mediated by the interplay of a kinetic cyclization event and a propensity for thermodynamic epimerization at two labile chiral centers, giving rise to two distinct major diastereomers dependent on starting material stereochemistry and reaction conditions selected. Herein, we present a synthetic and computational study for this tandem process on a variety of amino ester substrates.

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.

Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Morpholines. Using Mechanistic Insights To Realize the Enantioselective Synthesis of Piperazines

An efficient and practical catalytic approach for the enantioselective synthesis of 3-substituted morpholines through a tandem sequential one-pot reaction employing both hydroamination and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions is described. Starting from ether-containing aminoalkyne substrates, a commercially available bis(amidate)bis(amido)Ti catalyst is utilized to yield a cyclic imine that is subsequently reduced using the Noyori-Ikariya catalyst, RuCl [(S,S)-Ts-DPEN] (η⁶-p-cymene), to afford chiral 3-substituted morpholines in good yield and enantiomeric excesses of >95%. A wide range of functional groups is tolerated. Substrate scope investigations suggest that hydrogen-bonding interactions between the oxygen in the backbone of the ether-containing substrate and the [(S,S)-Ts-DPEN] ligand of the Ru catalyst are crucial for obtaining high ee's. This insight led to a mechanistic proposal that predicts the observed absolute stereochemistry. Most importantly, this mechanistic insight allowed for the extension of this strategy to include N as an alternative hydrogen bond acceptor that could be incorporated into the substrate. Thus, the catalytic, enantioselective synthesis of 3-substituted piperazines is also demonstrated.

Switchable stereocontrolled divergent synthesis induced by aza-Michael addition of deactivated primary amines under acid catalysis

Switchable tandem intramolecular aza-Michael/Michael and double aza-Michael reactions allow the oriented synthesis of highly functionalised cyclic skeletons. Conjugate addition of deactivated anilines triggers chemo- and stereo-divergent ring-closure reaction pathways with a striking selectivity depending on reaction conditions.