Chiral allylic and allenic metal reagents for organic synthesis

Advances Toward Amphidinolides C, F and U: Isolations, Synthetic Studies and Total Syntheses

Amphidinolides C, F, and U, including C2-C4 analogs, are highly cytotoxic marine macrolides, mainly isolated from dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium. All these polyketides share a 75 % or more similar structure, highlighted by a macrolactone ring, at least one trans-2,5-substituted-THF motif and a characteristic polyenic side chain. From their isolation and absolute configurational assignment, the total synthesis of these marine macrolides represented an intense challenge to the organic synthesis community over the last 15 years, with around 14 research groups engaged in this inspiring task. In the first part of this review, we present the different approaches to the isolation and characterization of these natural products, including the most recent analogs, which may cast doubt on the biogenetic origin of these compounds. The various synthetic approaches to the total synthesis of C, F, and U amphidinolides are presented in a second part, focusing on key reactions and/or innovative strategies. The review concludes in a third section summarizing the successful approaches leading to the total synthesis of one of the members of this amphidinolide subfamily.

Stereoselective Hydrosilylation of 1,2-Diketones Catalyzed by Chiral Frustrated Lewis Pairs

The asymmetric reduction of 1,2-diketones for the synthesis of optically active 1,2-diols, especially 1,2-anti-diols, remains a formidable challenge. In this paper, we describe the first highly stereoselective hydrosilylation of unsymmetrical vicinal diketones with PhSiH3 by using a chiral frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyst, giving a variety of 1,2-diaryl-1,2-anti-diols in high yields with excellent d.r. values and up to 97 % ee. The chiral FLP catalyst exhibits the ability to control regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivites concurrently.

Catalyst-Free Propargylboration of Ketones with Allenyl-Bpins: Highly Stereoselective Synthesis of tert-Homopropargyl Alcohols Bearing Vicinal Stereocenters

A practical and efficient propargylboration of ketones is presented using general allenylboronic acid pinacol esters (allenyl-Bpins) without a catalyst. This reaction is triggered by in-situ activation of stable allenyl-Bpins through the sequential addition of 1.25 equiv. of n BuLi and the prerequisite 2.0 equiv. of TFAA. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the versatile trisubstituted allenyl-Bpins react with various ketones smoothly to afford a wide range of tert-homopropargyl alcohols bearing vicinal stereocenters in high yields with good to excellent diastereoselectivities. Furthermore, propargylboration of ketones with chiral trisubstituted allenyl-Bpins allows for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral tert-homopropargyl alcohols with a full chirality transfer.

Visible-Light Photoredox Catalyzed Regioselective 1,4-Hydroalkylation of 1,3-Enyne

Described herein is a visible-light photoredox-catalyzed regioselective 1,4-hydroalkylation of 1,3-enynes. Various of di- and tri-substituent allenes were really accessible under the present reaction conditions. The visible-light photoredox activation of the carbon nucleophile to generate its radical species, allowing the addition with un-activated enynes. The synthetic utility for the present protocol was demonstrated by a large-scale reaction, as well as the derivatization of the allene product.

1,2-Diborylsilanes: Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis and Site-Selective Cross-Coupling

A Pt-catalyzed enantioselective hydrosilylation of (Z)-1,2-diborylethylene provides a 1,2-diboryl-1-silylalkane that can be used in catalytic cross-coupling reactions. Depending on the catalyst employed and the cross-coupling reaction conditions, the coupling can occur at either α or β relative to the silane center.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Propargyl Derivatives, and Their Application as Synthetic Intermediates and Building Blocks

The propargyl group is a highly versatile moiety whose introduction into small-molecule building blocks opens up new synthetic pathways for further elaboration. The last decade has witnessed remarkable progress in both the synthesis of propargylation agents and their application in the synthesis and functionalization of more elaborate/complex building blocks and intermediates. The goal of this review is to highlight these exciting advances and to underscore their impact.

A General Strategy for the Asymmetric Preparation of α-Stereogenic Allyl Silanes, Germanes, and Boronate Esters via Dual Copper Hydride- and Palladium-Catalysis

α-Stereogenic allyl metalloids are versatile synthetic intermediates which can undergo various stereocontrolled transformations. Most existing methods to prepare α-stereogenic allyl metalloids involve multi-step sequences that curtail the number of compatible substrates and are limited to the synthesis of boronates. Here, we report a general method for the enantioselective preparation of α-stereogenic allyl metalloids utilizing dual CuH- and Pd-catalysis. This approach leverages a stereoretentive Cu-to-Pd transmetalation of an in situ generated alkyl copper species to allow access to enantioenriched allyl silanes, germanes, and boronate esters with broad functional group compatibility.

Zn-Catalyzed enantioselective allylation and allenylation of isatins by virtue of a proline-derived chiral ligand

An asymmetric allylation and allenylation of isatins with facile organoboron reagents was developed under the catalysis of a Lewis acid. A series of optically pure 3-allyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles and 3-allenyl-3-hydroxyoxindoles can be obtained in excellent yields (up to 99% yield) and high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). The possible transition state was supported by DFT calculation and the corresponding mechanism was proposed. A gram scale experiment and further functionalization of these chiral 3-hydroxyoxindoles are established.

Total Syntheses of Pladienolide-Derived Spliceosome Modulators

Pladienolides, an emerging class of naturally occurring spliceosome modulators, exhibit interesting structural features, such as highly substituted 12-membered macrocycles and epoxide-containing diene side chains. The potential of pladienolides as anti-cancer agents is confirmed by H3B-8800, a synthetic analog of this natural product class, which is currently under Phase I clinical trials. Since its isolation in 2004 and the first total synthesis in 2007, a dozen total syntheses and synthetic approaches toward the pladienolide class have been reported to date. This review focuses on the eight completed total syntheses of naturally occurring pladienolides or their synthetic analogs, in addition to a synthetic approach to the main framework of the natural product.

Reaction-based machine learning representations for predicting the enantioselectivity of organocatalysts

Hundreds of catalytic methods are developed each year to meet the demand for high-purity chiral compounds. The computational design of enantioselective organocatalysts remains a significant challenge, as catalysts are typically discovered through experimental screening. Recent advances in combining quantum chemical computations and machine learning (ML) hold great potential to propel the next leap forward in asymmetric catalysis. Within the context of quantum chemical machine learning (QML, or atomistic ML), the ML representations used to encode the three-dimensional structure of molecules and evaluate their similarity cannot easily capture the subtle energy differences that govern enantioselectivity. Here, we present a general strategy for improving molecular representations within an atomistic machine learning model to predict the DFT-computed enantiomeric excess of asymmetric propargylation organocatalysts solely from the structure of catalytic cycle intermediates. Mean absolute errors as low as 0.25 kcal mol-1 were achieved in predictions of the activation energy with respect to DFT computations. By virtue of its design, this strategy is generalisable to other ML models, to experimental data and to any catalytic asymmetric reaction, enabling the rapid screening of structurally diverse organocatalysts from available structural information.

Characterization of Highly Coordinated Allylgermanes: Pivotal Players for Enhanced Nucleophilicity and Stereoselectivity

Allylgermanes with a 4-, 5-, and 6-coordinated germanium center were characterized by X-ray crystallography. Cationic 6-coordinated group 14 allylmetals, which were hitherto assumed to be a transition-state structure of allylations, were successfully isolated. Forming high coordination states significantly enhanced the reactivity of the allylgermanes. In contrast to the 4-coordinated allylgermanes with low reactivity, the highly coordinated species readily reacted with several aldehydes. Furthermore, the high coordination states exerted a significant effect on the E/Z selectivity of allylation depending on external additives. The coordination structure had a dramatic influence on the electronic and steric environments around the Ge center, enabling the geometrically controlled allylation of aldehydes.

Design and Synthesis of Anti-Cancer Chimera Molecules Based on Marine Natural Products

In this paper, the chemical conjugation of marine natural products with other bioactive molecules for developing an advanced anti-cancer agent is described. Structural complexity and the extraordinary biological features of marine natural products have led to tremendous research in isolation, structural elucidation, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation. In addition, this basic scientific achievement has made it possible to hybridize two or more biologically important skeletons into a single compound. The hybridization strategy has been used to identify further opportunities to overcome certain limitations, such as structural complexity, scarcity problems, poor solubility, severe toxicity, and weak potency of marine natural products for advanced development in drug discovery. Further, well-designed marine chimera molecules can function as a platform for target discovery or degradation. In this review, the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of recent marine chimera molecules are presented.

A biosynthetically inspired synthesis of (-)-berkelic acid and analogs

We describe a complete account of our total synthesis and biological evaluation of (-)-berkelic acid and analogs. We delineate a synthetic strategy inspired by a potentially biomimetic union between the natural products spicifernin and pulvilloric acid. After defining optimal parameters, we executed a one-pot silver-mediated in situ dehydration of an isochroman lactol to methyl pulvillorate, the cycloisomerization of a spicifernin-like alkynol to the corresponding exocyclic enol ether, and a subsequent cycloaddition to deliver the tetracyclic core of berkelic acid. Our studies confirm that the original assigned berkelic acid structure is not stable and equilibrates into a mixture of 4 diastereomers, fully characterized by X-ray crystallography. In addition to berkelic acid, C22-epi-berkelic acid, and nor-berkelic acids, we synthesized C26-oxoberkelic acid analogs that were evaluated against human cancer cell lines. In contrast to data reported for natural berkelic acid, our synthetic material and analogs were found to be devoid of activity.

Stereospecific Allylic Functionalization: The Reactions of Allylboronate Complexes with Electrophiles

Allylboronic esters react readily with carbonyls and imines (π-electrophiles), but are unreactive toward a range of other electrophiles. By addition of an aryllithium, the corresponding allylboronate complexes display enhanced nucleophilicity, enabling addition to a range of electrophiles (tropylium, benzodithiolylium, activated pyridines, Eschenmoser's salt, Togni's reagent, Selectfluor, diisopropyl azodicarboxylate (DIAD), MeSX) in high regio- and stereocontrol. This protocol provides access to key new functionalities, including quaternary stereogenic centers bearing moieties such as fluorine and the trifluoromethyl group. The allylboronate complexes were determined to be 7 to 10 orders of magnitude more reactive than the parent boronic ester.

Oxazolidinones and 2,5-Dihydrofurans via Zinc-Catalyzed Regioselective Allenylation Reactions of l-α-Amino Aldehydes

The simultaneous control of diastereoselectivity and regioselectivity in Zn-catalyzed allenylation reactions of N-protected l-α-amino aldehydes is reported. A reversal in diastereoselectivity could be realized by variation of the α-amino aldehyde protecting groups. A range of 1-allenyl-2-amino alcohols were obtained with excellent regioselectivity and converted to oxazolidinones and dihydrofurans. Many of which could be isolated as single diastereoisomers and without significant erosion of ee, making this a practical catalytic synthesis of highly functionalized heterocycles.

(+)-Camphor-mediated kinetic resolution of allylalanes: a strategy towards enantio-enriched cyclohex-2-en-1-ylalane

An efficient (+)-camphor-mediated kinetic resolution of racemic cyclohex-2-en-1-ylalane is described. This approach provides an enantiomerically enriched form of the alane, in situ available for synthetic uses. Applied to the allylation of aldehydes, this protocol leads to the corresponding homoallylalcohols in a highly enantioselective manner.

Cyclobutenes: At a Crossroad between Diastereoselective Syntheses of Dienes and Unique Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitutions

The rich chemistry of cyclobutanes is underpinned by a large body of synthetic literature devoted to their synthesis and decoration. This is motivated by the widespread representation of cyclobutane moieties in biologically active natural products and man-made molecules. Surprisingly, this vast array of knowledge finds no parallel in the chemistry of cyclobutenes, their unsaturated analogues. In particular, a dearth of methods to synthesize enantioenriched cyclobutenes is apparent upon cursory investigation of the literature. As a leading example, the photocycloaddition of maleic anhydride to acetylene or dichloroethylene, probably a benchmark of cyclobutene synthesis, delivers a meso cyclic anhydride which can be further converted to a cyclobutene product by enantioselective desymmetrization by ring opening. Nonetheless, such an approach delivers products with a rather inflexible substitution pattern around the four-membered ring. The lack of general approaches has motivated our group and others to develop novel routes to cyclobutene scaffolds, leading to the development of a strategy that combines photochemistry and catalysis. Indeed, we have coupled the simple and efficient photochemical isomerization of 2-pyrone into a strained bicyclo[2.2.0] lactone with palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation as a simple and versatile access to functionalized cyclobutenes. Several nucleophiles can be added to the activated, strained intermediate, including malonate anions and azlactones. The products are mono- and bicyclic building blocks richly decorated with functional groups. Importantly, they are formed with high levels of diastereoselectivity as expected by the tenets of palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, which posit that the oxidative addition and nucleophilic capture steps proceed with inversion of configuration, resulting in overall retention (inversion + inversion). However, the transposition of the methodology to an asymmetric version subsequently led to the surprising discovery of a family of highly enantioselective, diastereodivergent catalytic processes. Indeed, we observed a ligand-dependent stereochemical outcome for a range of palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations affording either overall retention or overall inversion of configuration, and that with very high levels of enantio- and diastereoselectivity. The new family of diastereodivergent reactions enables the conversion of the aforementioned racemic bicyclo[2.2.0] lactone into each of 4 stereoisomeric products, at will. Although the mechanistic details at the origin of this unusual stereodivergence are not yet fully elucidated, it became clear through our studies that unique Pd-allyl complexes, residing preferentially as their σ-(monohapto)-bound isomers, are at the heart of the process. The cyclobutenes prepared can also engage in electrocyclic ring-opening reactions (often spontaneous depending on the substitution pattern) that link this chemistry with that of diene and polyene frameworks. Using the strategies laid out above, our group was then able to harness the high stereospecificity of electrocyclic reactions and design modular syntheses of several natural products and natural product fragments. We believe that the methods presented herein shall soon pave the way for the streamlined synthesis of more complex polyenic natural products.

Practical Stannylation of Allyl Acetates Catalyzed by Nickel with Bu3 SnOMe

A practical and scalable nickel-catalyzed allylic stannylation of allyl acetates with Bu3 SnOMe is described. A variety of acyclic and cyclic allyl acetates, even with base-sensitive moieties, undergoes the stannylation by using NiBr2 /4,4'-di-tert-butylbipyridine (dtbpy)/Mn catalyst system to afford highly functionalized allyl stannanes with excellent regioselectivity and yields. Furthermore, the scope of protocol is also extended by the reaction of propargyl acetates, giving rise to propargyl or allenyl stannanes. Additionally, a unique diastereoselectivity using the nickel catalyst different from the palladium was demonstrated for the stannylation of cyclic allyl acetates. In the reaction, inexpensive and stable nickel complexes, abundant reductant (Mn), and atom-economical stannyl source were used.

Diastereo- and Enantioselective Iridium Catalyzed Coupling of Vinyl Aziridines with Alcohols: Site-Selective Modification of Unprotected Diols and Synthesis of Substituted Piperidines

The chiral cyclometalated π-allyliridium ortho-C,O-benzoate complex (R)-Ir-VIb derived from [Ir(cod)Cl]2, allyl acetate, 4-cyano-3-nitro-benzoic acid, and (R)-MeO-BIPHEP catalyzes the coupling of N-(p-nitrophenylsulfonyl) protected vinyl aziridine 3a with primary alcohols 1a-1l to furnish branched products of C-C bond formation 4a-4l with good levels of anti-diastereo- and enantioselectivity. In the presence of 2-propanol, but under otherwise identical conditions, vinyl aziridine 3a and aldehydes 2a-2l engage in reductive coupling to furnish an equivalent set of adducts 4a-4l with roughly equivalent levels of anti-diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Using enantiomeric iridium catalysts, vinyl aziridine 3a reacts with unprotected chiral 1,3-diols 1m-1o in a site-selective manner to deliver the diastereomeric products of C-allylation syn-4m, -4n, -4o and anti-4m, -4n, -4o, respectively, with good isolated yields and excellent levels of catalyst-directed diastereoselectivity. These adducts were directly converted to the diastereomeric 2,4,5-trisubstituted piperidines syn-5m, -5n, -5o and anti-5m, -5n, -5o.

Sulfoxide-Directed Metal-Free ortho-Propargylation of Aromatics and Heteroaromatics

A sulfoxide-directed, metal-free ortho-propargylation of aromatics and heteroaromatics exploits intermolecular delivery of a propargyl nucleophile to sulfur followed by an intramolecular relay to carbon. The operationally simple cross-coupling procedure is general, regiospecific with regard to the propargyl nucleophile, and shows complete selectivity for products of ortho-propargylation over allenylation. The use of secondary propargyl silanes allows metal-free ortho-coupling to form carbon–carbon bonds between aromatic and heteroaromatic rings and secondary propargylic centres. The ‘safety-catch’ nature of the sulfoxide directing group is illustrated in a selective, iterative double cross-coupling process. The products of propargylation are versatile intermediates and they have been readily converted into substituted benzothiophenes.

Asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation using dialkylzinc reagents: a remarkable ligand effect

A serendipitously discovered palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction with diorganozinc reagents, which displays broad functional group compatibility, is reported. This novel transformation hinges on a remarkable ligand effect which overrides the standard "umpolung" reactivity of allyl-palladium intermediates in the presence of dialkylzincs. Owing to its mild conditions, enantioselective allylic alkylations of racemic allylic electrophiles are possible in the presence of sensitive functional groups.

Borylation of propargylic substrates by bimetallic catalysis. Synthesis of allenyl, propargylic, and butadienyl Bpin derivatives

Bimetallic Pd/Cu and Pd/Ag catalytic systems were used for borylation of propargylic alcohol derivatives. The substrate scope includes even terminal alkynes. The reactions proceed stererospecifically with formal SN2' pathways to give allenyl boronates. Opening of propargyl epoxides leads to 1,2-diborylated butadienes probably via en allenylboronate intermediate.

Flash chemistry: flow chemistry that cannot be done in batch

Flash chemistry based on high-resolution reaction time control using flow microreactors enables chemical reactions that cannot be done in batch and serves as a powerful tool for laboratory synthesis of organic compounds and for production in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Indium-assisted aluminium-based stereoselective allylation of prostereogenic α,α-disubstituted cycloalkanones and imines

Stereoselective allylation of prostereogenic cycloalkanone and imine systems using allylic halides, aluminium powder and a catalytic amount of InCl₃ is reported.

Stabilized cyclopropane analogs of the splicing inhibitor FD-895

Targeting the spliceosome with small molecule inhibitors provides a new avenue to target cancer by intercepting alternate splicing pathways. Although our understanding of alternate mRNA splicing remains poorly understood, it provides an escape pathway for many cancers resistant to current therapeutics. These findings have encouraged recent academic and industrial efforts to develop natural product spliceosome inhibitors, including FD-895 (1a), pladienolide B (1b), and pladienolide D (1c), into next-generation anticancer drugs. The present study describes the application of semisynthesis and total synthesis to reveal key structure-activity relationships for the spliceosome inhibition by 1a. This information is applied to deliver new analogs with improved stability and potent activity at inhibiting splicing in patient derived cell lines.