Synthesis of chiral bisphosphines with tunable bite angles and their applications in asymmetric hydrogenation of beta-ketoesters

Phosphonium-Catalyzed Monoreduction of Bisphosphine Dioxides: Origin of Selectivity and Synthetic Applications

Controlling product selectivity in successive reactions of the same type is challenging owing to the comparable thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the reactions involved. Here, the synergistic interaction of the two phosphoryl groups in bisphosphine dioxides (BPDOs) with a bromo-phosphonium cation was studied experimentally to provide a practical tool for substrate-catalyst recognition. As the eventual result, we have developed a phosphonium-catalyzed monoreduction of chiral BPDOs to access an array of synthetically useful bisphosphine monoxides (BPMOs) with axial, spiro, and planar chirality, which are otherwise challenging to synthesize before. The reaction features excellent selectivity and impressive reactivity. It proceeds under mild conditions, avoiding the use of superstoichiometric amounts of additives and metal catalysts to simplify the synthetic procedure. The accessibility and scalability of the reaction allowed for the rapid construction of a ligand library for optimization of asymmetric Heck-type cyclization, laying the foundation for a broad range of applications of chiral BPMOs in catalysis.

Design and Synthesis of Diphosphine Ligands Based on the Chiral Biindolyl Scaffold and Their Application in Transition-Metal Catalysis

An extremely concise, scalable, and stereoselective synthesis of a privileged chiral skeleton based on 2,2'-biindolyl and commercially available chiral building blocks has been developed. This novel skeleton allows for easy access to a range of bisphosphine ligands (decagram scale, up to 58% total yield, only three steps). The synthetic method is characterized by an efficient central-to-axial chirality transfer strategy. In particular, the superior performance of the ligands has been demonstrated in diverse reactions, including several asymmetric hydrogenations, asymmetric conjugate reductions, and cycloisomerization reactions, indicating a great potential for the application of the newly developed chiral backbones in further modifications and exploration of novel chiral ligands and catalysts.

Enantioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Domino Carbonylative Heck Esterification of o-Iodoalkenylbenzenes with Arylboronic Acids

The current investigation presents an innovative palladium-catalyzed asymmetric carbonylative Heck esterification method. This approach facilitates the efficient synthesis of various chiral γ-ketoacid esters by utilizing o-alkenyliodobenzenes and arylboronic acids as primary substrates. This reaction achieves the creation of three carbon-carbon bonds, two carbon-oxygen bonds, and the establishment of a quaternary carbon center within a single step. The α-chiral γ-ketoacid esters were obtained in yields ranging from good to high yields, displaying enantiomeric excesses (ee's) levels up to 92% under mild reaction conditions.

Rh-Catalyzed Enantioselective Desymmetric Hydrogenation of α-Acetamido-1,3-indanediones Using Ether-Bridged Biphenyl Diphosphine Ligands

Novel axially chiral biphenyl diphosphine ligands Enm-BridgePhos, bearing an ether chain bridge at the 5,5'-position of the biphenyl backbone, have been developed and successfully applied in the Rh-catalyzed enantioselective desymmetric hydrogenation of α-acetamido-1,3-indanediones, providing chiral α-acetamido-β-hydroxybenzocyclic pentones in high yields (up to 97%) and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The reaction could be carried out on a gram scale, and the corresponding products were used as vital intermediates for the synthesis of analogues of chiral spirobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Both the crystal structure analysis and the DFT calculations revealed that the large dihedral angle of the Enm-BridgePhos-Rh complexes is highly related to the excellent enantioselectivities.

Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Simple Ketones with Tridentate PNN Ligands Bearing Unsymmetrical Vicinal Diamines

An iridium catalytic system with a ferrocene-based phosphine ligand bearing a modular and tunable unsymmetrical vicinal diamine scaffold was developed for the asymmetric hydrogenation of aryl ketones. This approach provided a powerful tool for the enantioselective synthesis of diverse chiral alcohols with excellent reactivity and enantioselectivity (up to 99% yield, up to 99% ee, and up to 50,000 turnover number). The substituents and chirality of unsymmetrical diamines in ligands played an important role in the satisfactory results.

Enantioseparation of amino acid and mandelic acid enantiomers using Garphos derivatives as chiral extractants

In this paper, Garphos with different substituents were employed as chiral extractants to enantioseparate racemic amino acid and mandelic acid. The influences of metal precursors, pH of aqueous solution, Garphos-metal concentration, extraction temperature, and substituent effect on extraction were investigated. The results indicated that the substituent groups significantly affected the π-π interaction between extractant and substrate. And the separation factors (α) for Garphos could be remarkably improved by regulating substituent groups. Garphos-II-Pd, Garphos-VI-Pd, Garphos-III-Pd, Garphos-I-Cu, Garphos-VI-Cu, and Garphos-V-Pd were the most efficient extractants for phenylalanine (Phe), homophenylalanine (Hphe), 4-nitrophenylalanine (Nphe), 3-chlorophenylglycine (Cpheg), mandelic acid (MA), and 2-chlormandelic acid (CMA) with α values of 2.40, 2.37, 5.37, 1.59, 5.98, and 3.69, respectively. This work provided an important reference for the design of efficient chiral extractants in future work.

Synthesis of 1,3-Dioxepine-Fused (Tricyclic) Bispyrazoles Involved with Pyrazolone Derivatives and Dichloromethane

A simple and novel method for the synthesis of novel 1,3-dioxepine-fused (tricyclic) bispyrazoles is described. It involves a Cs₂CO₃-mediated O-alkylation of readily available pyrazolone derivatives with dichloromethane as the methylene source followed by PhI(OAc)₂-mediated intramolecular oxidative biheteroaryl coupling under mild conditions. This scalable protocol was applied for the preparation of valuable and novel 1,3-dioxepine-fused (tricyclic) bispyrazoles that could find applications in medicinal or material chemistry.

Tuning StackPhim Ligands: Applications in Enantioselective Borylation and Alkynylation

Here we present a new stack ligand with a modified imidazoline backbone prepared from cyclohexanediamine. This new stack ligand­, Cy-StackPhim, has been found to complement the parent StackPhim ligand in an enantioselective borylation reaction. Additionally, a correlation between the nature of substituents on the imidazoline ring and the substituents on the electrophile is also discussed.

Configuration Sampling With Five-Membered Atropisomeric P,N-Ligands

Here we report a strategy for the systematic variation of atropisomeric C₁ -symmetric P,N ligands to incrementally change the position of the groups within the chiral pocket without modifying their steric parameters. More specifically, the effects of systematic modification of the nitrogen heterocycle in atropisomeric C₁ -symmetric stack ligands have been investigated in this study. The versatility and applicability of this approach has been demonstrated in mechanistically distinct catalytic enantioselective transformations, resulting in the identification of a P,N-ligand for a highly enantioselective synthesis of organoboranes.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective 1,2-Reduction of Cycloalkenones

We report an asymmetric 1,2-reduction of cyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones to access various enantiomerically enriched cyclic allylic alcohols under mild conditions, catalyzed by in situ generated copper hydride ligated with (R)-DTBM-C₃*-TunePhos. α-Brominated cycloalkenones were reduced with excellent enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee, while substrates that were without α-substituents were reduced chemoselectively, with moderate enantioselectivities.

Mechanochemical Regulation of Oxidative Addition to a Palladium(0) Bisphosphine Complex

Here, we report the effect of force applied to the biaryl backbone of a bisphosphine ligand on the rate of oxidative addition of bromobenzene to a ligand-coordinated palladium center. Local compressive and tensile forces on the order of 100 pN were generated using a stiff stilbene force probe. A compressive force increases the rate of oxidative addition, whereas a tensile force decreases the rate, relative to that of the parent complex of strain-free ligand. Rates vary by a factor of ∼6 across ∼340 pN of force applied to the complexes. The crystal structures and DFT calculations support that force-induced perturbation of the geometry of the reactant is negligible. The force-rate relationship observed is mainly attributed to the coupling of force to nuclear motion comprising the reaction coordinate. These observations inform the development of catalysts whose activity can be tuned by an external force that is adjusted within a catalytic cycle.

Photoswitchable catalysis using organometallic complexes

Photoswitchable catalysis using organometallic complexes: a ligand design perspective.

Atropselective Synthesis of N,C-Bis(diphenylphosphanes) from Bridged 2-Arylindoles Based on Effective Point-to-Axial Asymmetric Inductions after an Unusual Dilithiation ⊥

An asymmetric methanolysis of glutaric anhydride and 6 ensuing steps gave veratrol-annulated dimethylcyclo-heptenone diastereomers with 99% ee; ring closures occurred by Friedel-Crafts acylations of carboxylic acids obtained by stereospecific hydrogenolyses of a pair of diastereomeric δ-lactones. The mentioned cycloheptenones and Ph-NH-NH₂ underwent Fischer indole syntheses providing the tetracyclic indoles cis- and trans-14a, respectively. Double lithiations with BuLi and quenchings with ClPPh₂ furnished the diphosphanes cis- and trans-15 with perfect (P)- and (M)-atropselectivity, respectively.

Ru-Catalyzed Chemo- and Enantioselective Hydrogenation of β-Diketones Assisted by the Neighboring Heteroatoms

A highly chemo- and enantioselective hydrogenation of β-diketones was achieved by using [Ru(benzene)(S)-SunPhosCl]Cl for consistency in THF. The neighboring heteroatoms played important roles in guaranteeing the reactivity and controlling the chemoselectivity. These results suggested a potential approach for the clean and facile synthesis of functionalized chiral β-hydroxy ketones, which could otherwise be prepared through much less step-economic transformations.

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.

Axially Chiral Cyclic Diphosphine Ligand-Enabled Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Asymmetric Hydroarylation

In transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric synthesis, enantioselectivity strongly depends on the structures of chiral ligands, so the development of new chiral ligands is crucial. Here, an efficient and highly enantioselective palladium-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation has been developed, and a new kind of N-heterocycles, 1H-pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindol-2(8H)-ones containing a quaternary stereocenter, was prepared in high yields and excellent enantiomeric excess values. The reaction was effectively catalyzed by palladium-diphosphine complexes with numerous functional group tolerance, in which the newly developed axially chiral cyclic diphosphine ligands played key roles in the reactivity and enantioselectivity of the substrates. We believe that the cyclic diphosphine ligands with adjustable dihedral angles will find wide application in asymmetric synthesis.

Synthesis and application of a new hexamethyl-1,1′-spirobiindane-based chiral bisphosphine (HMSI-PHOS) ligand in asymmetric allylic alkylation

A new class of hexamethyl-1,1′-spirobiindane-based chiral bisphosphine ligand was synthesized and used in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions.

Total Synthesis of (-)-Lasonolide A

The lasonolides are novel polyketides that have displayed remarkable biological activity in vitro against a variety of cancer cell lines. Herein we describe our first-generation approach to the formal synthesis of lasonolide A. The key findings from these studies ultimately allowed us to go on and complete a total synthesis of lasonolide A. The convergent approach unites two highly complex fragments utilizing a Ru-catalyzed alkene-alkyne coupling. This type of coupling typically generates branched products; however, through a detailed investigation, we are now able to demonstrate that subtle structural changes to the substrates can alter the selectivity to favor the formation of the linear product. The synthesis of the fragments features a number of atom-economical transformations which are highlighted by the discovery of an engineered enzyme to perform a dynamic kinetic reduction of a β-ketoester to establish the absolute stereochemistry of the southern tetrahydropyran ring with high levels of enantioselectivity.

Chiral Ligands for Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroformylation: A Personal Account

Asymmetric hydroformylation represents one of the most efficient routes for the preparation of chiral aldehydes from alkenes in the presence of syngas in a perfect atom-economic way. During the past few decades, a variety of chiral ligands have been developed for the asymmetric hydroformylation. However, only a few ligands exhibit good performance in terms of the regio- and enantioselectivities. Additionally, for the chiral ligands developed up to now, only limited substrates were tolerated and no examples have led to the application of the asymmetric hydroformylation reaction on a commercial scale due to several technical challenges. This account provides a brief introduction of the current efficient chiral ligands for asymmetric hydroformylation and the ongoing efforts we have made in this field.

A supramolecularly tunable chiral diphosphine ligand: application to Rh and Ir-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation

A supramolecularly tunable chiral bisphosphine ligand bearing two pyridyl-containing crown ethers, (-) or (+)-Xyl-P16C6-Phos, was fabricated and utilized in the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of α-dehydroamino acid esters and Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of quinolines in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (90-99% ee). Up to a 22% enhancement in enantioselectivity was achieved by the addition of certain amounts of alkali ions (Li+, Na+ or K+), which could be selectively recognized and effectively complexed by the crown ethers on the chiral Xyl-P16C6-Phos.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Intramolecular C-H Silylation by Silacyclobutanes

Silacyclobutane was discovered to be an efficient C-H bond silylation reagent. Under the catalysis of Rh(I) /TMS-segphos, silacyclobutane undergoes sequential C-Si/C-H bond activations, affording a series of π-conjugated siloles in high yields and regioselectivities. The catalytic cycle was proposed to involve a rarely documented endocyclic β-hydride elimination of five-membered metallacycles, which after reductive elimination gave rise to a Si-Rh(I) species that is capable of C-H activation.

Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of δ-keto Weinreb amides: enantioselective synthesis of (+)-Centrolobine

An efficient asymmetric hydrogenation of δ-keto Weinreb amides catalyzed by a Ru-Xyl-SunPhos-Daipen bifunctional catalyst has been achieved.