Development of an effective chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals

Organophotocatalytic dearomatization of indoles, pyrroles and benzo(thio)furans via a Giese-type transformation

Accessing fascinating organic and biological significant indolines via dearomatization of indoles represents one of the most efficient approaches. However, it has been difficult for the dearomatization of the electron deficient indoles. Here we report the studies leading to developing a photoredox mediated Giese-type transformation strategy for the dearomatization of the indoles. The reaction has been implemented for chemoselectively breaking indolyl C=C bonds embedded in the aromatic system. The synthetic power of this strategy has been demonstrated by using structurally diverse indoles bearing common electron-withdrawing groups including (thio)ester, amide, ketone, nitrile and even aromatics at either C₂ or C₃ positions and ubiquitous carboxylic acids as radical coupling partner with high trans-stereoselectivity (>20:1 dr). This manifold can also be applied to other aromatic heterocycles including pyrroles, benzofurans and benzothiophenes. Furthermore, enantioselective dearomatization of indoles has been achieved by a chiral camphorsultam auxiliary with high diastereoselectivity.

Carboxylic acids as a traceless activation group for conjugate additions: a three-step synthesis of (±)-pregabalin

The direct application of carboxylic acids as a traceless activation group for radical Michael additions has been accomplished via visible light-mediated photoredox catalysis. Photon-induced oxidation of a broad series of carboxylic acids, including hydrocarbon-substituted, α-oxy, and α-amino acids, provides a versatile CO2-extrusion platform to generate Michael donors without the requirement for organometallic activation or propagation. A diverse array of Michael acceptors is amenable to this new conjugate addition strategy. An application of this technology to a three-step synthesis of the medicinal agent pregabalin (commercialized by Pfizer under the trade name Lyrica) is also presented.

Barton esters for initiator-free radical cyclisation with heteroaromatic substitution

S-(1-Oxido-2-pyridinyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethylthiouronium hexafluorophosphate (HOTT) facilitates the first examples of efficient radical cyclisation with (hetero)aromatic substitution via Barton ester intermediates. Cyclopropyl and alkyl radicals allow access to five, six and seven-membered alicyclic-ring fused heterocycles with and without an additional fused cyclopropane, including the skeleton of the anti-cancer agent, cyclopropamitosene, expanded, and diazole analogues. Radical initiators are not required for cyclisation from carboxylic acid precursors.

Barton radical reactions of 2-C-branched carbohydrates

Barton esters have been introduced into the side chain of carbohydrates with high yields in only a few steps from easily available glycals. Their radical reactions afford 2-C-methyl and 2-C-bromomethyl hexoses, pentoses and disaccharides in good yields in analytically pure form. Since the Barton esters have been synthesized by an oxidative radical addition and their transformations by reductive radical processes, our results demonstrate the power of such reactions in carbohydrate chemistry.

5-Carboxy-2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes as Precursors of 5-Halo, Amino, Phenyl, and 2-Methoxycarbonylethyl Methanopyrrolidines

Novel 5-X-substituted-2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes (X = 5-syn-Cl, -Br, -I, -Ph, -NHCOOR (R = Me, Bn, t-Bu), -CH2CH2COOMe and X = 5-anti-Br, -I, -Ph) were synthesized from the X = 5-syn-carboxy derivative. New 5-anti-X-2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes, X = NHCOOR (R = Me, Bn), were prepared stereoselectively from the X = 5-anti-carboxy substrate.

Enantioselective H-Atom Transfer Reaction: A Strategy to Synthesize Formaldehyde Aldol Products

[reaction: see text] Enantioselective radical alkylation of Baylis-Hillman adducts furnished aldol products in good yield and selectivity. The results illustrate that the selectivity in the hydrogen atom transfer is dependent on the size of the ester substituent, with smaller substituents providing better enantioselectivity.

3-Fluoro-6-tert-butyltetrahydropyranosyl Trichloroacetamidates. “Chiral Auxiliary Donors” for Hydroxyalkyl Radicals

An improved THP-based chiral auxiliary for hydroxyalkyl radicals is reported. The key modifications involve introduction of a fluorine substituent at C-3 to make the acetal center more robust and the use of Schmidt's trichloroacetamidate glycosylation methodology for efficient attachment of the auxiliary to the radical precursor. The resulting chiral hydroxyalkyl radical equivalents add to methyl 2-trifluoroacetoxyacrylate with selectivities ranging from 9:1 (0 degrees C) to 15:1 (-78 degrees C). [structure: see text]