Flash chemistry enables high productivity metalation-substitution of 5-alkyltetrazoles

Tetrazoles play a prominent role in medicinal chemistry due to their role as carboxylate bioisosteres but have largely been overlooked as C-H functionalisation substrates. We herein report the development of a high-yielding and general procedure for the heterobenzylic C-H functionalisation of 5-alkyltetrazoles in up to 97% yield under batch conditions using a metalation/electrophilic trapping strategy. Through the use of thermal imaging to identify potentially unsafe exotherms, a continuous flow procedure using a flash chemistry strategy has also been developed, allowing products to be accessed in up to 95% yield. This enabled an extremely high productivity rate of 141 g h-1 to be achieved on an entry-level flow system.

Regioselective and stereoselective copper(I)-promoted allylation and conjugate addition of N-Boc-2-lithiopyrrolidine and N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine

Copper salts have been screened for transmetalation and electrophilic quench of N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-lithiopyrrolidine (N-Boc-2-lithiopyrrolidine) and N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine, formed by deprotonation of N-Boc-pyrrolidine and N-Boc-piperidine, respectively. Transmetalation with zinc chloride then (lithium chloride solubilized) copper cyanide followed by allylation typically gives mixtures of regioisomers (S(N)2 and S(N)2' products), whereas transmetalation with copper iodide.TMEDA then allylation occurs regioselectively (S(N)2 mechanism). Addition to an enone or alpha,beta-unsaturated ester occurs by 1,4-addition. Asymmetric deprotonation of N-Boc-pyrrolidine or dynamic resolution in the presence of a chiral ligand of N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine followed by the zinc/copper chemistry was successful and gave the allylated pyrrolidine and piperidine products with good enantioselectivity, although use of the copper iodide chemistry resulted in some loss of enantiopurity. The chemistry provides formal syntheses of (+)-allosedridine, (+)-lasubine II, and (+)-pseudohygroline and has been used for the synthesis of (+)-coniine, (-)-pelletierine, (+)-coniceine, (-)-norhygrine, and the ant extract alkaloids cis- and trans-2-butyl-5-propylpyrrolidine.

Asymmetric substitutions of 2-lithiated N-boc-piperidine and N-Boc-azepine by dynamic resolution

Proton abstraction of N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-piperidine (N-Boc-piperidine) with sBuLi and TMEDA provides a racemic organolithium that can be resolved using a chiral ligand. The enantiomeric organolithiums can interconvert so that a dynamic resolution occurs. Two mechanisms for promoting enantioselectivity in the products are possible. Slow addition of an electrophile such as trimethylsilyl chloride allows dynamic resolution under kinetic control (DKR). This process occurs with high enantioselectivity and is successful by catalysis with substoichiometric chiral ligand (catalytic dynamic kinetic resolution). Alternatively, the two enantiomers of this organolithium can be resolved under thermodynamic control with good enantioselectivity (dynamic thermodynamic resolution, DTR). The best ligands found are based on chiral diamino-alkoxides. Using DTR, a variety of electrophiles can be used to provide an asymmetric synthesis of enantiomerically enriched 2-substituted piperidines, including (after Boc deprotection) the alkaloid (+)-beta-conhydrine. The chemistry was extended, albeit with lower yields, to the corresponding 2-substituted seven-membered azepine ring derivatives.

The barrier to enantiomerization and dynamic resolution of N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine and the effect of TMEDA

The kinetics of enantiomerization and dynamic thermodynamic resolution (DTR) of N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine have been measured, revealing significant differences in enthalpy and entropy for these processes and a role for the achiral ligand TMEDA; the racemization and the DTR are catalytic and first order in [TMEDA], and this has implications for asymmetric synthesis with chiral organolithiums.