The Role of Achiral Pyrazolidinone Templates in Enantioselective Diels−Alder Reactions: Scope, Limitations, and Conformational Insights

Chemodivergent Synthesis of Sulfonamide and Sulfones from N-Tosylhydrazones by Switching Catalyst and Temperature

A catalyst- and temperature-controlled selective synthesis of sulfonamide and sulfones from N-tosylhydrazones and MBH carbonates has been developed. The use of palladium catalysts exclusively leads to sulfonamide products at room temperature, whereas the selective synthesis of sulfones is dominant for a temperature-controlled coupling reaction without palladium catalysis. Importantly, the catalyst- or temperature-controlled reaction exhibits high nucleophilicity rather than carbene reactivity in these transformations.

Recent Advances in Photoredox-Mediated Radical Conjugate Addition Reactions: An Expanding Toolkit for the Giese Reaction

Photomediated Giese reactions are at the forefront of radical chemistry, much like the classical tin-mediated Giese reactions were nearly forty years ago. With the global recognition of organometallic photocatalysts for the mild and tunable generation of carbon-centered radicals, chemists have developed a torrent of strategies to form previously inaccessible radical intermediates that are capable of engaging in intermolecular conjugate addition reactions. This Review summarizes advances in photoredox-mediated Giese reactions since 2013, with a focus on the breadth of methods that provide access to crucial carbon-centered radical intermediates that can engage in radical conjugate addition processes.

Enantioselective synthesis of 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octanes via asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of cyclic azomethine ylides using a dual catalytic system

The asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between diazo imine-derived cyclic azomethine ylides and acryloylpyrazolidinone using a dual catalytic system is reported.

Octahedral Chiral-at-Metal Iridium Catalysts: Versatile Chiral Lewis Acids for Asymmetric Conjugate Additions

Octahedral iridium(III) complexes containing two bidentate cyclometalating 5-tert-butyl-2-phenylbenzoxazole (IrO) or 5-tert-butyl-2-phenylbenzothiazole (IrS) ligands in addition to two labile acetonitrile ligands are demonstrated to constitute a highly versatile class of asymmetric Lewis acid catalysts. These complexes feature the metal center as the exclusive source of chirality and serve as effective asymmetric catalysts (0.5-5.0 mol % catalyst loading) for a variety of reactions with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, namely Friedel-Crafts alkylations (94-99% ee), Michael additions with CH-acidic compounds (81-97% ee), and a variety of cycloadditions (92-99% ee with high d.r.). Mechanistic investigations and crystal structures of an iridium-coordinated substrates and iridium-coordinated products are consistent with a mechanistic picture in which the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are activated by two-point binding (bidentate coordination) to the chiral Lewis acid.

Linear dialdehydes as promising substrates for aminocatalyzed transformations

Linear dialdehydes: This article summarizes the recent utilization of linear dialdehydes as appropriate substrates for amine catalyzed cascade/domino transformations.

Application of chiral ligands: carbohydrates, nucleoside-lanthanides and other Lewis acid complexes to control regio- and stereoselectivity of the dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrile oxides and esters

Enantioselectivity of the cycloaddition up to 99.8%.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of CTP synthetase inhibitors as potential agents for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis

Acivicin analogues with an increased affinity for CTP synthetase (CTPS) were designed as potential new trypanocidal agents. The inhibitory activity against CTPS can be improved by increasing molecular complexity, by inserting groups able to establish additional interactions with the binding pocket of the enzyme. This strategy has been pursued with the synthesis of α-amino-substituted analogues of Acivicin and N1-substituted pyrazoline derivatives. In general, there is direct correlation between the enzymatic activity and the in vitro anti-trypanosomal efficacy of the derivatives studied here. However, this cannot be taken as a general rule, as other important factors may play a role, notably the ability of uptake/diffusion of the molecules into the trypanosomes.

Catalytic asymmetric Claisen rearrangement of enolphosphonates: construction of vicinal tertiary and all-carbon quaternary centers

A Cu-catalyzed enantioselective Claisen rearrangement of easily-accessible enolphosphonates using commercially available (R, R )-PhBOX as the chiral ligand was developed. A wide range of rearrangement products with contiguous tertiary and all carbon quaternary centers were obtained in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. The α -ketophosphonate products could be easily transformed into other functional groups in high efficiency.

N719 dye-sensitized organophotocatalysis: enantioselective tandem Michael addition/oxyamination of aldehydes

A remarkably efficient photosensitizer, N719 dye, was used in asymmetric tandem Michael addition/oxyamination of aldehydes, rendering α,β-substituted aldehydes in good yields with excellent levels of enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. This is the first report of a multiorganocatalytic reaction involving iminium catalysis and photoinduced singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) catalysis. This reaction is expected to expand the scope of tandem organocatalytic reactions.

Tin-free enantioselective radical reactions using silanes

Readily available hexyl silane is an excellent choice as a H-atom donor and a chain carrier in Lewis acid mediated enantioselective radical reactions. Conjugate radical additions to alpha,beta-unsaturated imides at room temperature proceed in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities.

Diels-Alder active-template synthesis of rotaxanes and metal-ion-switchable molecular shuttles

A synthesis of [2]rotaxanes in which Zn(II) or Cu(II) Lewis acids catalyze a Diels-Alder cycloaddition to form the axle while simultaneously acting as the template for the assembly of the interlocked molecules is described. Coordination of the Lewis acid to a multidentate endotopic 2,6-di(methyleneoxymethyl)pyridyl- or bipyridine-containing macrocycle orients a chelated dienophile through the macrocycle cavity. Lewis acid activation of the double bond causes it to react with an incoming "stoppered" diene, affording the [2]rotaxane in up to 91% yield. Unusually for an active-template synthesis, the metal binding site "lives on" in these rotaxanes. This was exploited in the synthesis of a molecular shuttle containing two different ligating sites in which the position of the macrocycle could be switched by complexation with metal ions [Zn(II) and Pd(II)] with different preferred coordination geometries.

A Rhodium(I)-Xylyl-BINAP Catalyzed Asymmetric Ynamide-[2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition in the Synthesis of Optically Enriched N,O-Biaryls

A rhodium(I)-xylyl-BINAP catalyzed asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of achiral conjugated aryl ynamides with various diynes is described here. This asymmetric cycloaddition provides a series of structurally interesting chiral N,O-biaryls with excellent enantioselectivity along with a modest diastereoselectivity with respect to both C-C and C-N axial chirality.

Binding of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors to extracellular matrix: 3D-QSAR analysis

Binding to the extracellular matrix, one of the most abundant human protein complexes, significantly affects drug disposition. Specifically, the interactions with extracellular matrix determine the free concentrations of small molecules acting in tissues, including signaling peptides, inhibitors of tissue remodeling enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases, and other drug candidates. The nature of extracellular matrix binding was elucidated for 63 matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, for which the association constants to an extracellular matrix mimic were reported here. The data did not correlate with lipophilicity as a common determinant of structure-nonspecific, orientation-averaged binding. A hypothetical structure of the binding site of the solidified extracellular matrix surrogate was analyzed using the Comparative Molecular Field Analysis, which needed to be applied in our multi-mode variant. This fact indicates that the compounds bind to extracellular matrix in multiple modes, which cannot be considered as completely orientation-averaged and exhibit structural dependence. The novel comparative molecular field analysis models, exhibiting satisfactory descriptive and predictive abilities, are suitable for prediction of the extracellular matrix binding for the untested chemicals, which are within applicability domains. The results contribute to a better prediction of the pharmacokinetic parameters such as the distribution volume and the tissue-blood partition coefficients, in addition to a more imminent benefit for the development of more effective matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.

Copper(I) Iodide-Catalyzed Cycloadditions of (1Z,4R*,5R*)-4-Benzamido-5-phenylpyrazolidin-3-on-1-azomethine Imines to Ethyl Propiolate

Regioselective copper(i) iodide-catalyzed cycloadditions of chiral pyrazolidin-3-on-1-azomethine imines 3a–j to ethyl propiolate 4 gave cycloadducts 5a–h and 5′i and 5/5′j as single regioisomers. In terms of facial selectivity, cycloadducts 5a–h and 5′i were obtained as single diastereomers, whereas the reaction of dipole 3j was less selective and gave a mixture of 5j and 5′j in a ratio of 15:85. Stereoselectivity of copper(i) iodide-catalyzed cycloadditions of ethyl propiolate 4 to azomethine imines 3 was controlled by the stereodirecting phenyl group at position 5 and by the ortho-substituents at the 1′–Ar residue.

Copper(II)-catalyzed exo and enantioselective cycloadditions of azomethine imines

A strategy for exo and enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine imines to 2-acryloyl-3-pyrazolidinone is described. The corresponding cycloadducts are isolated with high diastereoselectivities (up to >96:4 exo/endo) and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee).