An Efficient and Simple Entry to N-Substituted beta-Enamino Acid Derivatives from 2-Alkyl-2-oxazolines and 2-Alkyl-2-thiazolines

Binuclear Enamino-Oxazolinate Rare-Earth Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Their Catalytic Performance in Isoprene Polymerization

We have synthesized a series of binuclear rare-earth metal complexes bearing the newly designed enamino-oxazolinate ligands that feature bridging para-phenyl, meta-phenyl, 1,5-naphthalenyl, and 1,5-anthracenyl moieties. NMR and X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed the binuclear structures of the obtained complexes with two enamino-oxazolinate-metal units located at a trans position against the bridged aryl plane. After activation by [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4], all the rare-earth metal complexes served as efficient catalysts for isoprene polymerization, producing polymers with high cis-1,4 regularity (up to 96.1%) and high molecular weight. The steric and electronic effects exerted on the active metal centers, as well as the radius of metal centers, were the major contributing factors for determining both the catalytic activity and cis-1,4-selectivity of the binuclear catalytic systems. Compared to its mononuclear analogue, the binuclear yttrium catalytic system with a para-phenyl bridge exhibited a higher thermostability and catalytic efficiency during polymerization, revealing a special binuclear effect in this binuclear catalytic system.

Diastereoselective synthesis of S-tert-butyl-beta-(trifluoromethyl)isocysteine

Both diastereoisomers of S-tert-butyl-beta-(trifluoromethyl)isocysteine have been synthesized stereoselectively by the sequential reactions of trifluoroacetimidoyl chloride with the lithium enolate of tert-butyl alpha-tert-butylthioacetate, followed by the diastereoselective reduction of the imino group with sodium borohydride in the presence of zinc(II) or di(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether, and finally by the deprotection of N-aryl and tert-butyl ester groups.

Preparation of Heterocycle-Masked β-Enamino Acids

The preparation of masked N-substituted beta-enamino acid derivatives 3a-n by reaction of 2-alkyl-oxa(thia)zolines 2a,b with imidoylbenzotriazoles 1a-g in the presence of LDA was described.

New Strategies for the Synthesis of Fluorinated Vinylogous Amidines and beta-Enamino Ketones

Reaction of fluorinated imidoyl chlorides 3 with ketimines 1a provides fluorinated 1,3-diimines, which were exclusively isolated as vinylogous amidine tautomers 2beta, with good yields. Fluorinated beta-enamino ketones 4 are obtained by regioselective hydrolysis of 2. Complementary methods for the synthesis of regioisomeric beta-enamino ketones 4 and 5 are also reported. These methods include the reaction of azaenolates of ketimines with fluorinated esters 6 and reactions of ketone enolates with fluorinated imidoyl chlorides 3. The behavior of these systems in hydrolysis reactions was also tested.

Two Practical and Efficient Approaches to Fluorinated and Nonfluorinated Chiral beta-Imino Sulfoxides

Reaction of fluorinated and nonfluorinated N-substituted imidoyl chlorides 1 with lithium derivatives of enantiopure methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide 2a (or racemic methyl phenyl sulfoxide 2b) gave a wide variety of chiral N-substituted beta-imino sulfoxides 4 in good to excellent yields. The title compounds (R)-4 were also prepared by aza-Wittig reaction of gamma-fluoro-beta-keto sulfoxides (R)-5 and N-aryl iminophosphoranes 6. The imino-enamino equilibrium was studied, showing, in all instances, the imino form as the predominant tautomer independent of the nature of the N-substituent. The configuration of the C=N double bond was found to be Z for both N-alkyl and N-aryl derivatives on the basis of (1)H NMR NOE difference experiments performed over several compounds. Ab initio calculations (HF/6-31G) carried out on several representative examples of 1 and 4 are, in general, consistent with the experimental results.