Unprecedented copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of organometallic reagents to α,β-unsaturated lactams

Syntheses of Substituted α,β-Unsaturated δ-Lactams from N-Boc-2,4-dioxopiperidine

A method for the syntheses of substituted α,β-unsaturated δ-lactams (2) from the commercially available compound N-Boc-2,4-dioxopiperidine (1) has been developed. The α-substituents were introduced by a reductive Knoevenagel condensation reaction, and the β-substituents were installed by palladium-catalyzed cross coupling reactions. More than 20 diverse examples were prepared in 2-3 steps. The synthesis was operationally simple, user-friendly, and easy to scale up.

Stereodivergent Construction of 1,3-Chiral Centers via Tandem Asymmetric Conjugate Addition and Allylic Substitution Reaction

Herein, we report a synthesis of cyclohexanones bearing multi-continuous stereocenters by combining copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkylzinc reagents to cyclic enones with iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reaction. Good to excellent yields, diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity can be obtained. Unlike the stereodivergent construction of adjacent stereocenters (1,2-position) reported in the literature, the current reaction can achieve the stereodivergent construction of nonadjacent stereocenters (1,3-position) by a proper combination of two chiral catalysts with different enantiomers.

Copper-catalysed alkylation of heterocyclic acceptors with organometallic reagents

Copper-catalysed asymmetric C–C bond-forming reactions using organometallic reagents have developed into a powerful tool for the synthesis of complex molecules with single or multiple stereogenic centres over the past decades. Among the various acceptors employed in such reactions, those with a heterocyclic core are of particular importance because of the frequent occurrence of heterocyclic scaffolds in the structures of chiral natural products and bioactive molecules. Hence, this review focuses on the progress made over the past 20 years for heterocyclic acceptors.

Platinum-Catalyzed Desaturation of Lactams, Ketones, and Lactones

The development of a general platinum-catalyzed desaturation of N-protected lactams, ketones, and lactones to their conjugated α,β-unsaturated counterparts is reported. The reaction operates under mildly acidic conditions at room temperature or 50 °C. It is scalable and tolerates a wide range of functional groups. The complementary reactivity to the palladium-catalyzed desaturation is demonstrated in the efficient conversion of iodide, bromide, and sulfur-containing substrates.

Enantioselective Hydroamidation of Enals by Trapping of a Transient Acyl Species

An enantioselective synthesis of β-chiral amides through asymmetric and redox-neutral hydroamidation of enals is reported. In this reaction, a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyst reacts with enals to generate the homoenolate intermediate. Upon highly enantioselective β-protonation through proton-shuttle catalysis, the resulting azolium intermediate reacts with imidazole to yield the key β-chiral acyl species. This transient intermediate provides access to diversified β-chiral carbonyl derivatives, such as amides, hydrazides, acids, esters, and thioesters. In particular, β-chiral amides can be prepared in excellent yield and ee (40 chiral amides, up to 95 % yield and 99 % ee). This modular strategy overcomes the challenge of disruption of the highly selective proton-shuttling process by basic amines.

Lewis Acid Enabled Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral β-Substituted Amides

Here we report that readily available silyl- and boron-based Lewis acids in combination with chiral copper catalysts are able to overcome the reactivity issues of unactivated enamides, known as the least reactive carboxylic acid derivatives, toward alkylation with organomagnesium reagents. Allowing unequaled chemo-reactivity and stereocontrol in catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition to enamides, the method is distinguished by its unprecedented reaction scope, allowing even the most challenging and synthetically important methylations to be accomplished with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. This catalytic protocol tolerates a broad temperature range (−78 °C to ambient) and scale up (10 g), while the chiral catalyst can be reused without affecting overall efficiency. Mechanistic studies revealed the fate of the Lewis acid in each elementary step of the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to enamides, allowing us to identify the most likely catalytic cycle of the reaction.

Catalytic Allylic Oxidation of Cyclic Enamides and 3,4-Dihydro-2H-Pyrans by TBHP

Allylic oxidation of heteroatom substituted cyclic alkenes by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (70% TBHP in water) using catalytic dirhodium caprolactamate [Rh₂(cap)₄] forms enone products with a variety of 2-substituted cyclic enamides and 3,4-dihyro-2H-pyrans. These reactions occur under mild reaction conditions, are operationally convenient to execute, and are effective for product formation with as low as 0.25 mol% catalyst loading. With heteroatom stabilization of the intermediate allylic free radical two sites for oxidative product formation are possible, and the selectivity of the oxidative process varies with the heteroatom when R = H. Cyclic enamides produce 4-piperidones in good yields when R = alkyl or aryl, but oxidation of 2H-pyrans also gives alkyl cleavage products. Alternative catalysts for TBHP oxidations show comparable selectivities but give lower product yields.

Palladium-catalyzed β-(hetero)arylation of α,β-unsaturated valerolactams

A method for the palladium-catalyzed arylation of α,β-unsaturated valerolactams is reported.

Diastereoselective and enantioselective conjugate addition reactions utilizing α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams

The conjugate addition reaction has been a useful tool in the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. The utility of this reaction has been demonstrated in the synthesis of many natural products, materials, and pharmacological agents. In the last three decades, there has been a significant increase in the development of asymmetric variants of this reaction. Unfortunately, conjugate addition reactions using α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams remain underdeveloped due to their inherently low reactivity. This review highlights the work that has been done on both diastereoselective and enantioselective conjugate addition reactions utilizing α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams.

Catalytic asymmetric β,γ activation of α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactams: direct approach to β,γ-functionalized dihydropyranopyrrolidin-2-ones

Skeleton in the closet: The title reaction enables the development of the first catalytic β,γ-selective Diels-Alder [4+2] annulation of α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactams (see scheme; Boc=tert-butoxycarbonyl, Ts=4-toluenesulfonyl). This process provides a direct method for the enantioselective construction of bi- or tricyclic dihydropyranopyrrolidin-2-one skeletons in only one step.

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of alkenyl- and alkylalanes to α,β-unsaturated lactams

Alkenyl and alkyl groups have been successfully introduced to six-membered α,β-unsaturated lactams via a copper-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of the corresponding alanes. Moderate to good yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities are achieved by using a combination of the very cheap copper(II) naphthenate and a readily available phosphine amine ligand. The creation of an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center, via Michael addition to a trisubstituted conjugated lactam, is also disclosed for the first time.

Phosphoramidites: privileged ligands in asymmetric catalysis

Asymmetric catalysis with transition-metal complexes is the basis for a vast array of stereoselective transformations and has changed the face of modern synthetic chemistry. Key to this success has been the design of chiral ligands to control the regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity. Phosphoramidites have emerged as a highly versatile and readily accessible class of chiral ligands. Their modular structure enables the formation of ligand libraries and easy fine-tuning for a specific catalytic reaction. Phosphoramidites frequently show exceptional levels of stereocontrol, and their monodentate nature is essential in combinatorial catalysis, where a ligand-mixture approach is used. In this Review, recent developments in asymmetric catalysis with phosphoramidites used as ligands are discussed, with a focus on the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds.

Recent advances in enantioselective copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition

A comprehensive overview of recent literature from 2003 concerning advances in enantioselective copper catalysed 1,4-addition of organometallic reagents to alpha,beta-unsaturated compounds is given in this critical review. About 200 ligands and catalysts are presented, with a focus on stereoselectivities, catalyst loading, ligand structure and substrate scope. A major part is devoted to trapping and tandem reactions and a variety of recent synthetic applications are used to illustrate the practicality and current state of the art of 1,4-addition of organometallic reagents. Finally several mechanistic studies are discussed (162 references).

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the alkaloid (+)-myrtine

A new protocol for the asymmetric synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted-4-piperidones has been developed using a catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition reaction in combination with a diastereoselective lithiation-substitution sequence; an efficient synthesis of (+)-myrtine has been achieved via this route.

Influence of Copper Salts, Solvents, and Ligands on the Structures of Precatalytic Phosphoramidite Copper Complexes for Conjugate Addition Reactions

For copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition reactions of organozinc reagents, the available knowledge about the mechanism and the structures involved is still insufficient to understand in detail the strong influences of solvent, salt, and ligand size, or to enable a rational control of this reaction. Screening with three phosphoramidite ligands and four copper(I) salts using NMR spectroscopy has revealed a binuclear copper complex with mixed trigonal/tetrahedral stereochemistry as the basic structural motif of the ground state of precatalysts with highly stereoselective ligands. Ligands with smaller amine moieties allow higher coordination numbers and higher aggregation levels, leading to reduced ee values. Since the ESI mass spectra of several precatalytic copper halide complexes show a striking correlation with the structures observed in solution, ESI-MS may be used as a fast tool to determine the maximum number of phosphoramidite ligands attached to copper.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Intramolecular Conjugate Addition/Trapping Reactions: Synthesis of Cyclic Compounds with Multichiral Centers

The Cu-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of dialkylzinc to bis-alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds followed by the intramolecular trapping of the zinc enolate in the presence of chiral phosphoramidite ligands was investigated. Cyclic and heterocyclic compounds with multichiral centers were formed as a mixture of two diastereomers with excellent diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1) and enantioselectivities (up to 94 % ee, ee=enantiomeric excess). The stereochemistry was determined to be trans,trans for the major products and trans,cis for the minor products. The absolute configuration of the cyclic compounds was assigned by comparison with the analogous adduct derived from trans-3-nonen-2-one and Et(2)Zn or the adduct obtained through conjugate addition of Me(2)Zn to trans-1-phenyl-non-2-en-1-one. Further transformation of these cyclic products into more complex compounds is under investigation in our laboratory.

Diastereoselective Conjugate Addition of Organocuprates to 3,4-Dimethyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyridinones. A Concise Synthesis oftrans-3,4-Dimethyl-4-phenylpiperidines

[reaction: see text] Conjugate addition of aryl or alkyl cuprates to 3,4-dimethyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyridinones led to diastereoisomerically pure 3,4,4-trisubstituted 2-piperidinones in 39-78% yields. The yields and the diastereochemistry of piperidinones depended on both the N-protecting group and the organocuprate. Reduction then deprotection of the trans-3,4-dimethyl-4-phenyl product provided the corresponding piperidine, analogue of a key precursor of opioid receptor antagonists.

General Strategy for the Syntheses of Corynanthe, Tacaman, and Oxindole Alkaloids

We report herein the total synthesis of the corynanthe alkaloid dihydrocorynantheol and the formal syntheses of the indole alkaloids tacamonine, rhynchophylline, and hirsutine. The strategies for assembling the corynanthe and tacaman skeletal frameworks comprised of both the classical ABD --> ABCD and ABC --> ABCD approaches wherein the variously substituted piperidinone D-rings were formed via ring-closing metathesis (RCM) followed by a 1,4-addition to introduce the requisite side chain at C(15). Since 1,4-additions to alpha,beta-unsaturated lactams represent an underdeveloped field, we conducted a series of studies with two unsaturated lactams employing organocuprates and metal enolates as the nucleophiles. These studies revealed that organocuprates derived from Grignard reagents and either stoichiometric amounts of CuCN or catalytic amounts of CuBr.DMS complex are excellent nucleophiles for such additions; TMSCl was a crucial additive for optimizing these reactions. The anion derived from ethyl 1,3-dithiolane-2-carboxylate was also an excellent nucleophile in these 1,4-additions, although the stereochemistry of such 1,4-additions to carboline-derived, unsaturated lactams was sensitive to substitution on the indole nitrogen atom. The ABD --> ABCD approach to these alkaloids featured a novel one-pot sequence of an RCM reaction and a zirconocene-catalyzed carbomagnesation followed by a second RCM to generate the D-ring.

Catalytic Asymmetric Tandem Transformations Triggered by Conjugate Additions

The development of efficient methods to access complex molecules with multistereogenic centers has been a substantial challenge in both academic research and industrial applications. One approach to this challenge is catalytic asymmetric tandem transformations, which allow a rapid increase in molecular complexity from readily available starting materials to produce enantiopure compounds. In recent years, considerable efforts have been directed towards the development of asymmetric tandem transformations. This Minireview highlights recent developments and the applications of metal-catalyzed and organocatalytic asymmetric tandem transformations triggered by conjugate additions.