An N-aryl-substituted oxazolidinone-containing ketone-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide as the primary oxidant

Stereoselective Shi-type epoxidation with 3-oxo-4,6-O-benzylidene pyranoside catalysts: unveiling the role of carbohydrate skeletons

Asymmetric epoxidation represents a hot topic in organic synthesis. In recent years, organocatalysts based on sugar skeletons have been exploited in asymmetric epoxidation to achieve enantiomeric pure epoxides. In this work, two different endocyclic ketones derived from glucose and galactose protected with a 4,6-O-benzylidene group have been prepared and exploited for Shi-type epoxidation. The two carbohydrates show an opposite preferential stereoselective epoxidation on various olefins, affording the epoxides in high conversions and modest enantioselectivities. DFT calculations disclosed the reasons behind the inversion of selectivity achieved by the two catalysts, showing that a delicate balance between the catalyst conformation, its protecting groups, and the secondary interactions with the substrate govern the final observed results.

Synthesis and evaluation of phenylalanine-derived trifluoromethyl ketones for peptide-based oxidation catalysis

We report the synthesis of phenylalanine-derived trifluoromethyl ketones for the in situ generation of dioxiranes for the purpose of oxidation catalysis. The key features of this synthesis include the use of a masked ketone strategy and a Negishi cross-coupling to access the parent amino acid. The derivatives can be readily incorporated into a peptide for use in oxidation chemistry and exhibit good stability and reactivity.

Asymmetric Epoxidation Using Hydrogen Peroxide as Oxidant

Asymmetric epoxidation is one of the most important transformations in organic synthesis. Although tremendous progress was achieved in this field in the 1980s and 1990s, it is still desirable from both economical and ecological views to develop environmentally friendly catalytic epoxidation with a broad substrate scope. Hydrogen peroxide is a safe and cheap oxidant, which is easy to handle and generates water as the sole byproduct. Therefore, asymmetric epoxidation of olefins using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant has been a very active research field and has been investigated by many research groups in recent years. In this review, the exciting very recent developments of this rapidly growing area are surveyed and organized according to the catalyst systems.

Asymmetric organocatalytic epoxidations: reactions, scope, mechanisms, and applications

Chiral epoxides serve as versatile building blocks in the synthesis of complex organic frameworks. The high strain imposed by the three-membered ring system makes epoxides prone to a variety of nucleophilic ring-opening reactions. Since the development of the Sharpless epoxidation, there have been many important contributions and advances in this area. With the rapid development of the field of asymmetric organocatalysis, a wide range of organocatalysts is now able to catalyze the epoxidation of broad class of unsaturated carbonyl compounds. In this Minireview, recent progress in the development of organocatalytic asymmetric epoxidation methods, the proposed mechanisms of these reactions and their applications as intermediates is reported.

A peptide-embedded trifluoromethyl ketone catalyst for enantioselective epoxidation

The development of peptide-based oxidation catalysts that use a transiently generated dioxirane as the chemically active species is reported. The active catalyst is a chiral trifluoromethyl ketone (Tfk) with a pendant carboxylic acid that can be readily incorporated into a peptide. These peptides were capable of epoxidizing alkenes in high yield (up to 89%) and enantiomeric ratios (er) ranging from 69.0:31.0 to 91.0:9.0, depending on the alkene substitution pattern.

Recent advances in catalytic asymmetric epoxidation using the environmentally benign oxidant hydrogen peroxide and its derivatives

There has been a recent drive to develop asymmetric catalytic methods to produce epoxides using environmentally benign oxidants, especially hydrogen peroxide. This critical review discusses the advances that have been made using both metal-based and organocatalytic homogeneous catalysts (142 references).

Scalable and efficient synthesis of the mycolactone core

A highly efficient, scalable, and stereoselective synthesis of the mycolactone core is reported. The synthesis consists of 14 longest linear steps, with 19% overall yield.

Enantioselective epoxidation of nonconjugated cis-olefins by chiral dioxirane

A variety of nonconjugated cis-olefins has been enantioselectively epoxidized with chiral ketones 2, and up to 92% ee has been obtained. The two prochiral faces of an olefin are likely stereodifferentiated by the relative hydrophobicity of the olefin substituents and/or allylic oxygen functionality.

Chiral ketone and iminium catalysts for olefin epoxidation

Organo-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation has received much attention in the past 30 years and significant progress has been made for various types of olefins. This review will cover the advancement made in the field of chiral ketone and chiral iminium salt-catalyzed epoxidations.

Asymmetric epoxidation of 1,1-disubstituted terminal olefins by chiral dioxirane via a planar-like transition state

Various 1,1-disubstituted terminal olefins have been investigated for asymmetric epoxidation using chiral ketone catalysts. Up to 88% ee has been achieved with a lactam ketone, and a planar transition state is likely to be a major reaction pathway.

Asymmetric epoxidation of olefins catalyzed by Ti(salan) complexes using aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant

Ti(salan) complexes were found to be efficient catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. In the presence of pH 7.4 phosphate buffer, the reaction of various conjugate olefins proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding epoxides in high yield with high enantioselectivity, even on a multigram scale. Ti(salan) complexes could be prepared from Ti(OiPr)4 and the corresponding salan ligand and directly used without isolation and purification.