Enantioselective Formation of Substituted 3,4-Dihydrocoumarins by a Multicatalytic One-Pot Process

One-Pot Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydrocoumarins via C-H Oxidation/Conjugate Addition/Cyclization Cascade Reaction

The 3,4-dihydrocoumarin derivatives were obtained from 2-alkyl phenols and oxazolones via C-H oxidation and cyclization cascade in the presence of silver oxide (Ag2O) and p-toluenesulfonic acid as a Brønsted acid catalyst. This approach provides a one-pot strategy to synthesize the multisubstituted 3,4-dihydrocoumarins with moderate to high yields (64-81%) and excellent diastereoselectivity (>20:1).

Modern metal-catalyzed and organocatalytic methods for synthesis of coumarin derivatives: a review

Coumarin is an important pharmaceutical structural motif, abundantly found in numerous commonly used drugs. Compounds containing this core show a broad spectrum of medicinal properties and biological activities. The increasing importance and wide usages of coumarin derivatives have drawn attention to its synthetic methods, among which metal-catalyzed and organocatalytic methods have proved the most effective. Several metal-catalyzed and/or organocatalytic synthetic strategies for coumarin have been investigated and reported in recent decades. This review focuses on more recent reports on catalysis methods for synthesizing coumarin and coumarin-like structures (including light-mediated methods and nano-catalysts), exploring the mechanistic aspects, simplicity, efficiency, repeatability, and other advantages and disadvantages of these methods.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-Catalyzed Transformations Involving Azolium Enolates

The recent advances in the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-organocatalyzed generation of azolium enolate intermediates and their subsequent interception with electrophiles are highlighted. The NHC-bound azolium intermediates are generated by the addition of NHCs to suitably substituted aldehydes, acid derivatives or ketenes. A broad range of coupling partners can intercept the azolium enolates to form [2+n] cycloadducts (n=2,3,4) and various α-functionalized compounds. The enantioselective synthesis of the target compounds are achieved with the use of chiral NHCs. Herein, we summarized the development that occurred in this subclass of NHC catalysis.

Recent developments on NHC-driven dual catalytic approaches

This article takes an in depth look at the early relay combination of NHC and other catalysts, and the latest progress in dual catalysis, analyzing the breakthroughs and limitations.

Enantioselective synthesis of cis-hydrobenzofurans bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters and application to total synthesis of (‒)-morphine

(‒)-Morphine, which is selected as an essential medicine by World Health Organization, is widely applied in the treatment of the pain-related diseases. Due to its synthetically challenging molecular architecture and important clinical role, extensive synthetic studies of morphine-type alkaloids have been conducted. However, catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (‒)-morphine remains a long-standing challenge. Here, we disclose an efficient enantioselective total synthesis of (‒)-morphine in a longest linear sequence of 16 steps. The key transformation features a highly enantioselective Robinson annulation enabled by our spiro-pyrrolidine catalyst to rapidly construct the densely functionalized cis-hydrodibenzofuran framework containing vicinal stereocenters with an all-carbon quaternary center. This asymmetric approach provides an alternative strategy for the synthesis of (‒)-morphine and its analogues.

(‒)-Morphine is an essential medicine selected by the World Health Organization, however its catalytic asymmetric syntheses have been rarely reported. Here, the authors developed an intramolecular enantioselective Michael addition leading to (‒)-morphine in a longest linear sequence of 16 steps.

Asymmetric Synthesis of cis-3,4-Dihydrocoumarins via [4 + 2] Cycloadditions Catalyzed by Amidine Derivatives

A highly efficient chiral amidine derivative-catalyzed tandem Michael addition/lactonization of carboxylic acids and o-quinone methides (o-QMs) has been developed that enables the asymmetric synthesis of cis-3,4-dihydrocoumarins bearing contiguous tertiary stereogenic centers in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities.

Catalytic cross-benzoin/Michael/acetalization cascade for asymmetric synthesis of trifluoromethylated γ-butyrolactones

A sequential NHC-amine catalytic cascade reaction has been developed. This approach incorporates a highly chemoselective intermolecular cross-benzoin reaction and a highly regioselective Michael-acetalization cascade.

Enantioselective synthesis of dihydrocoumarin derivatives by chiral scandium(III)-complex catalyzed inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction

An asymmetric inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction between o-quinone methides and azlactones to generate potentially pharmacological active dihydrocoumarins has been achieved efficiently by using a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Sc(III) complex as the catalyst. The desired products were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities and diastereoselectivities (up to 94% yield, 96% ee and >19 : 1 dr) under mild reaction conditions. A concerted reaction pathway was confirmed by Operando IR and control experiments.

N-Heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed enantioselective annulations: a dual activation strategy for a formal [4+2] addition for dihydrocoumarins

A highly efficient asymmetric formal [4+2] annulation for the synthesis of dihydrocoumarins has been developed via an in situ activated NHC catalysis. Both electrophilic and nucleophilic species are generated in situ simultaneously whereby acyl imidazoles facilitated rapid formation of an NHC-enolate intermediate to afford the [4+2] dihydrocoumarin adducts.

A Cooperative N-Heterocyclic Carbene/Palladium Catalysis System

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) have been extensively studied as organocatalysts and ligands for transition metals, but the successful integration of NHCs and late transition metals in cooperative catalysis remains an underexplored area. We have developed a cooperative palladium-catalyzed allylation of NHC-activated aldehydes to access a variety of 3-allyl dihydrocoumarin derivatives. Kinetic experiments support a cooperative pathway for this transformation.

Enantioselective sulfonation of enones with sulfonyl imines by cooperative N-heterocyclic-carbene/thiourea/tertiary-amine multicatalysis

Many hands make light work: In an organocatalytic asymmetric sulfonation of enones, the activation of a sulfonyl imine by an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyst led to the release of a sulfinic anion, which underwent nucleophilic addition to the enone. The enantioselectivity of the process was controlled by a chiral thiourea/amine co-catalyst through anion recognition and hydrogen-bonding interactions. Tol=p-tolyl.

SNAr-Derived Decomposition By-products Involving Pentafluorophenyl Triazolium Carbenes

Pentafluorophenyl triazolium carbenes, widely used in NHC-catalysis, can decompose by several mechanisms. Under high concentration conditions, the azolium may undergo a pentafluorophenyl exchange by a proposed S_NAr mechanism to give an inactive salt. In the presence of appropriate substrates, cyclization on the ortho-position of the arene can occur, also by S_NAr. These adducts provide a potential pathway for catalyst decomposition and serve as a caveat to the development of new reactions and catalysts.