Desymmetric Enantioselective Reduction of Cyclic 1,3-Diketones Catalyzed by a Recyclable P-Chiral Phosphinamide Organocatalyst

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Desymmetrization for the Simultaneous Construction of Chiral Phosphorus and Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric tandem Heck and carbonylation of bisallyl-phosphine oxides has been developed. This desymmetrization process provided an efficient route to the simultaneous synthesis of a chiral P-stereogenic center and a chiral quaternary carbon stereocenter in good yields with good diastereo- and enantioselectivities.

Application of rational enzyme engineering in a new route to etonogestrel and levonorgestrel: carbonyl reductase bioreduction of ethyl secodione

Women in developing countries still face enormous challenges when accessing reproductive health care. Access to voluntary family planning empowers women allowing them to complete their education and join the paid workforce. This effectively helps to end poverty, hunger and promotes good health for all. According to the United Nations (UN) organization, in 2022, an estimated 257 million women still lacked access to safe and effective family planning methods globally. One of the main barriers is the associated cost of modern contraceptive methods. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Almac Group worked on the development of a novel biocatalytic route to etonogestrel and levonorgestrel, two modern contraceptive APIs, with the goal of substantially decreasing the cost of production and so enabling their use in developing nations. This present work combines the selection and engineering of a carbonyl reductase (CRED) enzyme from Almac's selectAZyme™ panel, with process development, to enable efficient and economically viable bioreduction of ethyl secodione to (13R,17S)-secol, the key chirality introducing intermediate en route to etonogestrel and levonorgestrel API. CRED library screening returned a good hit with an Almac CRED from Bacillus weidmannii, which allowed for highly stereoselective bioreduction at low enzyme loading of less than 1% w/w under screening assay conditions. However, the only co-solvent tolerated was DMSO up to ∼30% v/v, and it was impossible to achieve reaction completion with any enzyme loading at substrate titres of 20 g L-1 and above, due to the insolubility of the secodione. This triggered a rapid enzyme engineering program fully based on computational mutant selection. A small panel of 93 CRED mutants was rationally designed to increase the catalytic activity as well as thermal and solvent stability. The best mutant, Mutant-75, enabled a reaction at 45 °C to go to completion at 90 g L-1 substrate titre in a buffer/DMSO/heptane reaction medium fed over 6 h with substrate DMSO stock solution, with a low enzyme loading of 3.5% w/w wrt substrate. In screening assay conditions, Mutant-75 also showed a 2.2-fold activity increase. Our paper shows which computations and rational decisions enabled this outcome.

Tf2O-Mediated P(O)-N Bond Formation of Either P(O)-OH or P(O)-H Reagents with Multitype Amines

We have developed a Tf2O-mediated approach for the direct amination of either P(O)-OH or P(O)-H reagents with a variety of aliphatic or aromatic amines. Without the requirement of precious metals and toxic reagents, this protocol provides an alternative route to various phosphinamides and phosphoramides. The reaction proceeds under simple and mild conditions and can be effectively scaled up with similar efficiency.

Catalytic Asymmetric Desymmetrization of Cyclic 1,3-Diketones Using Chiral Boro-phosphates

Herein, we report a chiral boro-phosphate-catalyzed reductive amination for the desymmetrization of 2,2-disubstituted 1,3-cyclopentadiones with pinacolborane as the reducing agent, delivering chiral β-amino ketones with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter in good yields (≤94%), high enantioselectivities (≤97% ee), and excellent diastereoselectivities (>20:1 dr). This reaction has a broad substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. The importance of the chiral products was also demonstrated through the preparation of multifunctional building blocks and heterocycles.

Second Generation Catalytic Enantioselective Nucleophilic Desymmetrization at Phosphorus (V): Improved Generality, Efficiency and Modularity

A broadly improved second generation catalytic two-phase strategy for the enantioselective synthesis of stereogenic at phosphorus (V) compounds is described. This protocol, consisting of a bifunctional iminophosphorane (BIMP) catalyzed nucleophilic desymmetrization of prochiral, bench stable P(V) precursors and subsequent enantiospecific substitution allows for divergent access to a wide range of C-, N-, O- and S- substituted P(V) containing compounds from a handful of enantioenriched intermediates. A new ureidopeptide BIMP catalyst/thiaziolidinone leaving group combination allowed for a far wider substrate scope and increased reaction efficiency and practicality over previously established protocols. The resulting enantioenriched intermediates could then be transformed into an even greater range of distinct classes of P(V) compounds by displacement of the remaining leaving group as well as allowing for even further diversification downstream. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to pinpoint the origin of enantioselectivity for the BIMP-catalyzed desymmetrization, to rationalize how a superior catalyst/leaving group combination leads to increased generality in our second-generation catalytic system, as well as shed light onto observed stereochemical retention and inversion pathways when performing late-stage enantiospecific SN2@P reactions with Grignard reagents.

Pd(II)-Catalyzed enantioselective C-H olefination toward the synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphinamides

P-Stereogenic phosphorus compounds are important structural elements in chiral ligands or organocatalysts. Herein, we report a Pd(II)-catalyzed enantioselective C-H olefination toward the synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphinamides using cheap commercially available L-pGlu-OH as a chiral ligand. A broad range of P-stereogenic phosphinamides were gained in good yields with high enantioselectivities (33 examples, up to 77% yield, 99% ee) via desymmetrization and kinetic resolution.

A Powerful P-N Connection: Preparative Approaches, Reactivity, and Applications of P-Stereogenic Aminophosphines

For more than five decades, P-stereogenic aminophosphine chalcogenides and boranes have attracted scientific attention and are still in the focus of ongoing research. In the last years, novel transition metal-based synthesis methods have been discovered, in addition to the long-known use of chiral auxiliaries. Enantiomerically pure compounds with N-P+ -X- (X=O, S, BH3 ) motifs served as valuable reactive building blocks to provide new classes of organophosphorus derivatives, thereby preserving the stereochemical information at the phosphorus atom. Over the years, intriguing applications in organocatalysis and transition metal catalysis have been reported for some representatives. Asymmetric reductions of C=C, C=N, and C=O double bonds were feasible with selected P-stereogenic aminophosphine oxides in the presence of hydrogen transfer reagents. P-stereogenic aminophosphine boranes could be easily deprotected and used as ligands for various transition metals to enable catalytic asymmetric hydrogenations of olefins and imines. This review traces the emergence of a synthetically and catalytically powerful functional compound class with phosphorus-centered chirality in its main lines, starting from classical approaches to modern synthesis methods to current applications.

Origin of the enantioselectivity of alcohol dehydrogenase

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH) are a family of enzymes that catalyse the interconversion between ketones/aldehydes and alcohols in the presence of NADPH cofactor. It is challenging to desymmetrise the substituted cyclopentane-1,3-dione by engineering an ADH, while the reaction mechanism of the metal independent ADH remains elusive. Here we measured the conversion of a model substrate 2-benzyl-2-methylcyclopentane-1,3-dione by LbADH and found it predominately gave the (2R,3R) product. Binding mode analysis of the substrate in LbADH from molecular dynamics simulations disclosed the origin of the enantioselectivity of the enzyme; the opening and closing of the loop 191-205 above the substrate are responsible for shaping the binding pocket to orientate the substrate, so as to give different stereoisomer products. Using QM/MM calculations, we elucidated the reaction mechanism of LbADH. Furthermore, we demonstrated the reaction profile corresponding to the production of different stereoisomers, which is in accordance with our experimental observations. This research here will shed a light on the rational engineering of ADH to achieve stereodivergent stereoisomer products.

Synthesis of Five-Membered Cyclic Phosphinic Acids via the [4C+1P] Cyclization of 1,3-Dienes with a Combination of PBr3 and P(OMe)3 as the P(III) Source

An efficient method for the synthesis of 1-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrophosphole 1-oxides, a type of five-membered P-containing heterocyclic compound, is presented. The reaction was carried out through a [4C+1P] cyclization of 1,3-dienes with a combination of PBr3 and P(OMe)3 as the P(III) source. To compare with the reported methods, the protocol reported herein not only is much milder and more rapid but also displays a broad substrate scope and affords the products in high yields (50-94%). In addition, the reaction could be reliably scaled up at the gram-scale level and was demonstrated to be a versatile platform for flexible derivatization. Consequently, this method provides a general and reliable way for the synthesis of five-membered phosphole derivatives.

Semirational Engineering of a Thermostable Carbonyl Reductase for the Precision Synthesis of (2R,3R)-2-Methyl-2-benzyl-3-hydroxycyclopentanone and Its Analogues

2,2-Disubstituted-3-hydroxycyclopentanones are important chiral intermediates for natural products and pharmaceuticals. Through semirational engineering of a thermostable carbonyl reductase CBCR from Cupriavidus sp. BIS7, a mutant L91C/F93I was obtained. Mutant L91C/F93I showed 4- to 36-fold enhanced activities toward 2-methyl-2-benzyl-1,3-cyclopentanedione and its analogues, affording the (2R,3R)-stereoisomers with >99% ee and >99% de. Enzyme-substrate docking studies were performed to reveal the molecular basis for the activity and stereoselectivity improvements.

Synthesis of P-Stereogenic Phosphinamides via Pd(II)-Catalyzed Enantioselective C-H Alkynylation

P-Stereogenic phosphinamides represent important structural elements in chiral organocatalysts and bioactive compounds. Herein, we report Pd(II)-catalyzed enantioselective C-H alkynylation using cheap commercially available l-pyroglutamic acid as a chiral ligand. A range of structurally diverse P-stereogenic phosphinamides was prepared in good yields with high enantioselectivities via desymmetrization and kinetic resolution. A tailor-made congested directing group, N-ethyl-N-(3-methylpyridin-2-yl)amino, was crucial for the reactivity.

Organocatalyzed enantio- and diastereoselective isomerization of prochiral 1,3-cyclohexanediones into nonalactones bearing distant stereocenters

The lactonization of 2-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,3-cyclohexanediones containing an alcohol side chain and up to three distant prochiral elements is reported by isomerization under the mediation of simple organocatalysts such as quinidine. Through a process of ring expansion, strained nonalactones and decalactone are produced with up to three stereocenters in high er and dr (up to 99 : 1). Distant groups, including alkyl, aryl, carboxylate and carboxamide moieties, were examined.

Enantioseparation of P-Stereogenic 1-Adamantyl Arylthiophosphonates and Their Stereospecific Transformation to 1-Adamantyl Aryl-H-phosphinates

A focused library of 1-adamantyl arylthiophosphonates was prepared in racemic form. An enantioseparation method was developed for P-stereogenic thiophosphonates using (S)-1-phenylethylamine as the resolving agent. Under optimized conditions, three out of the five arylthiophosphonates were prepared in enantiopure form (ee > 99%). The subsequent desulfurization of optically active arylthiophosphonates gave the corresponding H-phosphinates without significant erosion of enantiomeric purity (ee = 95-98%). Hence, this reaction sequence can be considered an alternative method for the preparation of 1-adamantyl aryl-H-phopshinates. The absolute configuration of the (S)-1-adamantyl phenylphosphonothioic acid was assigned using single-crystal XRD and it allowed the confirmation that the removal of the P = S group proceeds with retention of configuration. The organocatalytic applicability of (S)-1-adamantyl phenylphosphonothioic acid was also evaluated as a P-stereogenic Brønsted acid.

Asymmetric Ketoalkylation/Rearrangement of Alkyenlfurans via Synergistic Photoredox/Brønsted Acid Catalysis

An enantioselective three-component rearrangement of alkenylfurans with various cycloalkyl silyl peroxides and anilines has been developed by merging photoredox catalysis with chiral Brønsted acid catalysis. This protocol provides expedient access to a broad spectrum of ketoalkyl-functionalized 4-aminocyclopentenones in high yields with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities. Diverse functional groups can be introduced via facile product derivations.

Recent Advances in Organocatalyzed Asymmetric Reduction of Prochiral Ketones: An Update

Chiral alcohols are important synthetic intermediates and building blocks for the synthesis of drugs, agrochemicals, and natural products. Asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones has been the most investigated method for accessing chiral alcohols. In this regard, organocatalyzed asymmetric reduction, as a complementary method to transition-metal- and enzyme-catalyzed reactions, has attracted tremendous interest in the past decades due to the reactions with such catalysts being metal-free and easy to operate, and principally, the ease of recovery and the ability to reuse the catalysts. Following up on a comprehensive overview on organocatalyzed asymmetric reductions of prochiral ketones in early 2018, this short review is intended to summarize the recent progress in this area from the beginning of 2018 until the end of August 2021.

1 Introduction

2 Boron-Based Chiral Organocatalysts

2.1 Boron-Containing Chiral Schiff Base Catalysts

2.2 Chiral Alpine-Borane Catalysts

2.3 Boron-Containing Chiral Frustrated Lewis Pair Catalysts

2.4 Chiral Borate Ester–Amine Complex Catalysts

3 Phosphorus-Based Chiral Organocatalysts

3.1 Chiral Phosphoric Acid Organocatalysts

3.2 Chiral Phosphinamide and Phosphoramide Organocatalysts

4 Chiral Ionic Liquid Organocatalysts

5 Chiral-Oxazoline-Based Organocatalysts

6 Conclusion and Outlook

Synthesis of P- and S-Stereogenic Compounds via Enantioselective C–H Functionalization

Transition metal-catalyzed enantioselective C–H functionalization has emerged as an efficient and powerful strategy to access various chiral molecules. Recently, this strategy has also provided a complementary pathway to the construction of P- and S-stereogenic compounds. In this short review, we summarize the development and applications of various catalytic systems: Pd(II)/mono-N-protected amino acids (MPAA), Pd(0)/trivalent phosphorus chiral ligands, chiral cyclopentadienyl-ligated metal catalysts [CpxM(III)] (M = Rh, Ir), half-sandwich d6 Ir(III) and Ru(II) with a chiral carboxylic acid (CCA) ligand, Ir(I)/chiral bidentate boryl ligand, and Ir(I)/chiral cation, for accessing these chiral compounds via enantioselective C–H functionalization.

1 Introduction

2 Pd(II)/Mono-N-protected Amino Acids

3 Pd(0)/Trivalent Phosphorus Chiral Ligands

4 Chiral Cyclopentadienyl-Ligated Metal Catalysts [CpxM(III)] (M = Rh, Ir)

5 Half-sandwich d6 Ir(III) and Ru(II) with a Chiral Carboxylic Acid (CCA) Ligand

6 Ir(I)/Chiral Bidentate Boryl Ligand

7 Ir(I)/Chiral Cation

8 Conclusion and Outlook

Synthetic Studies on the Synthesis of Toxicodenane A and 8,11-epi-Toxicodenane A

The diverse synthesis of oxatricyclotridecanes and oxatricyclododecanes, which are the core structures of toxicodenane A and its skeletal analogues, via a unified manner is presented. The stereochemistry at the bridgehead position of the oxa-bridged bicycle could be efficiently controlled through a diastereoselective anti- and syn-Grignard allylation reaction by appropriately tuning the reaction conditions such as the solvent, the counterion of the Grignard reagent, the substrate, or a combination of these. The ring size could be precisely elaborated via a Lewis acid-mediated intramolecular transacetalation and Prins cyclization cascade reaction by varying the steric hindrance of olefin moiety. Namely, substrates bearing a terminally unsubstituted olefinic functionality afforded oxatricyclotridecanes with an overwhelming preference, while those bearing a dimethyl-substituted olefinic group produced exclusively oxatricyclododecanes. The wide utility and generality of the above key transformations are highlighted by the applications in the unified synthesis of (±)-toxicodenance A, (+)-toxicodenane A, (+)-8,11-epi-toxicodenane A, and other oxatricyclic cores with different stereochemistries and ring sizes.

Directed evolution of an alcohol dehydrogenase for the desymmetric reduction of 2,2-disubstituted cyclopenta-1,3-diones by enzymatic hydrogen transfer

Directed evolution of carbonyl reductase TbADH created mutant Tb2 with balanced activity toward ethyl secodione and isopropanol, enabling the desymmetric reduction of ethyl secodione to give (13R,17S)-ethyl secol with 94% yield, >99% ee and >99% de.

The Phosphinamide-Based Catalysts: Discovery, Methodology Development, and Applications in Natural Product Synthesis

In the total synthesis of natural products, synthetic efficiency has been an important driver for designing and developing new synthetic strategies and methodologies. To this end, the step, atom, and time economy and the overall yield are major factors to be considered. On the other hand, developing unified routes that can be used for synthesizing multiple molecules, specifically skeletally different classes of molecules, are also important aspects with which to be concerned. In the efforts toward efficient and flexible synthesis of structurally unique terpenoid and indole alkaloid natural products, we have designed and developed several phosphinamide-based new catalysts and reaction methodologies that have been compellingly demonstrated to be widely useful as strategic protocols for the diverse synthesis of various complex terpenoids and indole alkaloids. The important progress of these results will be summarized in this Account.In the first part, we present the stories of successful design and establishment of a novel method for the synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphinamides (P-SPhos) via a Pd-catalyzed C-H desymmetric enantioselective arylation, as well as the flexible derivatization of the P-stereogenic phosphinamides into various types of skeletally unique tricyclic and N,P-bidentate P-stereogenic compounds. Subsequently, the discovery of P-stereogenic phosphinamides as chiral organocatalysts for the desymmetric enantioselective reduction of cyclic 1,3-diketones and of phosphinamide-based cyclopalladium complex (C-Pd) as precatalysts for highly efficient Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of sterically congested nonactivated enolates is introduced. The notable features of the P-stereogenic phosphinamide-catalyzed desymmetric enantioselective reduction are highlighted by the broad substrate compatibility and excellent stereoselectivity, as well as most significantly, the good recoverability and reusability of catalysts. With regard to the sterically congested nonactivated enolates, such substrates are challenging for Suzuki cross-coupling reactions. We demonstrate that the phosphinamide-based cyclopalladium is a type of highly active precatalyst that allows the reaction to proceed under mild conditions and to be easily scaled up. Following the methodology development, the practical applications of these methods serving as strategic transformations are highlighted by the unified synthesis of four cyathane-type and two hamigeran-type terpenoids.In the second part, we describe the development of a robust method for oxidative Heck cross-coupling of indolyl amides by using the phosphinamide-based cyclopalladium as catalyst or phosphinamide as coligand. The method provides a general and straightforward method for diverse synthesis of indolyl δ-lactam derivatives, which present as a common core in a variety of Aspidosperma-derived indole alkaloids. The successful demonstration of this protocol for a concise and divergent synthesis of leuconodine-type indole alkaloids is also presented. We believe the results presented in this Account would have significant implications beyond our results and would find further applications in the field of synthetic methodology and natural product synthesis.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis and Absolute Configuration Assignment of (+)-Toxicodenane A

We present the first enantioselective total synthesis and absolute configuration assignment of (+)-toxicodenane A via a nine-step sequence from the readily available material. The synthesis features a desymmetric enantioselective reduction of 2,2-disubstituted 1,3-cyclohexanedione for the synthesis of a chiral 2,2-disubstituted 3-hydroxy cyclohexanone building block, a highly diastereoselective Grignard reaction for the incorporation of an allyl group, and a Lewis acid-mediated intramolecular transacetalation and Prins cascade reaction for the construction of oxa-bridged bicyclic rings.

Desymmetrization of Cyclic 1,3-Diketones under N-Heterocyclic Carbene Organocatalysis: Access to Organofluorines with Multiple Stereogenic Centers

Symmetric 1,3-diketones with fluorine or fluorinated substituents on the prochiral carbon remain to be established. Herein, we have developed a novel prochiral fluorinated oxindanyl 1,3-diketone and successfully applied these substrates in carbene-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization. Accordingly, a versatile strategy for asymmetric generation of organofluorines with fluorine or fluorinated methyl groups has been developed. Multiple stereogenic centers were selectively constructed with satisfactory outcomes. Structurally diverse enantioenriched organofluorines were generated with excellent results in terms of yields, diastereoselectivities, and enantioselectivities. Notably, exchanging fluorinated methyl groups to fluorine for this prochiral 1,3-diketones leads to switchable stereoselectivity. Mechanistic aspects and origin of stereoselectivity were studied by DFT calculations. Notably, some of the prepared organofluorines demonstrated competitive antibacterial activities.