Sequential catalytic role of bifunctional bicyclic guanidine in asymmetric phospha-Michael reaction

Asymmetric Hydrophosphinylation of Alkynes: Facile Access to Axially Chiral Styrene-Phosphines

A Cu/CPA co-catalytic system has been developed for achieving the direct hydrophosphinylation of alkynes with phosphine oxides in delivering novel axially chiral phosphorus-containing alkenes in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % yield and 99 % ee). DFT calculations were performed to elucidate the reaction pathway and the origin of enantiocontrol. This streamlined and modular methodology establishes a new platform for the design and application of new axially chiral styrene-phosphine ligands.

Organocatalyzed Phospha-Michael Addition: A Highly Efficient Synthesis of Customized Bis(acyl)phosphane Oxide Photoinitiators

Addition of the P-H bond in bis(mesitoyl)phosphine, HP(COMes)₂ (BAPH), to a wide variety of activated carbon-carbon double bonds as acceptors was investigated. While this phospha-Michael addition does not proceed in the absence of an additive or catalyst, excellent results were obtained with stoichiometric basic potassium or caesium salts. Simple amine bases can be employed in catalytic amounts, and tetramethylguanidine (TMG) in particular is an outstanding catalyst that allows the preparation of bis(acyl)phosphines, R-P(COMes)₂ , under very mild conditions in excellent yields after only a short time. All phosphines RP(COMes)₂ can subsequently be oxidized to the corresponding bis(acyl)phosphane oxides, RPO(COMes)₂ , a substance class belonging to the most potent photoinitiators for radical polymerizations known to date. Thus, a simple and highly atom economic method has been found that allows the preparation of a broad range of photoinitiators adapted to their specific field of application even on a large scale.

Exploring the Effects of Water on the Mechanism of the Catalyst-Free Reaction between Isatin and 3-Methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one from the Mixed Implicit/Explicit Multiple Types of Water Clusters

Density functional theory calculations with implicit/explicit water cluster models were conducted to pursue deeper understandings about the mechanism and the water effects in the reaction of isatin with 3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one. The proposed preferential mechanistic scenario here undergoes three major steps: first, 3-methyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one converts to its enol form and then, the aldol addition reaction takes place between isatin and enol to generate the intermediate INT2, followed finally by the tautomerization of INT2 to become the product 3-pyrazolone. The computed results indicate that the direct aldol reaction without the water auxiliary is feasible in the second step and the remaining tautomerization steps (steps 1, 3, and 4) assisted by tri-, tri-, and six-water cluster models, respectively, are the most favorable cases. It is further noted that more hydrogen bonding interactions in the tri-water auxiliary reaction are essential for the reduction of the free energy barrier ΔG^⧧ in the proton transfer largely than those assisted by the other types of water cluster models. The origin of the more stable transition state in the rate-determining step of the tri-water cluster model is ascribed to smaller cyclic strain and more global electron density transfer associated to its structure than the other types of water cluster models.

1,1-Diaminoazines as organocatalysts in phospha-Michael addition reactions

1,1-Diaminoazines can act as effective organocatalysts for the formation of phosphorus-carbon bonds between biphenylphosphine oxide and an activated alkene (Michael acceptor). These catalysts provide the P-C adducts at a faster rate and with relatively better yields in comparison to the organocatalysts employed earlier. The notable advantage is that 1,1-diaminoazines catalyse the reaction even in an aqueous medium with very good yields. Organocatalysis using 1,1-diaminoazines was also successfully carried out between dimethylphosphite and benzylidenemalononitrile under multicomponent conditions.

Asymmetric Sequential Michael Addition and Cyclization Reactions of 2-(2-Nitrovinyl)phenols Catalyzed by Bifunctional Amino-Squaramides

In this work, we describe the Michael addition–cyclization reaction of 2-(2-nitrovinyl)phenol with two different reactive Michael donors, which lead to chiral benzopyran derivatives. Specifically, bifunctional amino-squaramides with one or two chiral units in the side chains were evaluated as catalysts in these transformations. Furthermore, the utility of selected green solvents as reaction media for these processes was also tested. The best result was achieved with methyl-cyclopentanone-2-carboxylate as the Michael donor in ethyl (–)-l-lactate with quinine-based amino-squaramide as catalyst (yield 72%, dr >99:1, ee 99%).

Guanidine-Amide-Catalyzed Aza-Henry Reaction of Isatin-Derived Ketimines: Origin of Selectivity and New Catalyst Design

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the mechanism and the enantioselectivity of the aza-Henry reaction of isatin-derived ketimine catalyzed by chiral guanidine–amide catalysts at the M06-2X-D3/6-311+G(d,p)//M06-2X-D3/6-31G(d,p) (toluene, SMD) theoretical level. The catalytic reaction occurred via a three-step mechanism: (i) the deprotonation of nitromethane by a chiral guanidine–amide catalyst; (ii) formation of C–C bonds; (iii) H-transfer from guanidine to ketimine, accompanied with the regeneration of the catalyst. A dual activation model was proposed, in which the protonated guanidine activated the nitronate, and the amide moiety simultaneously interacted with the ketimine substrate by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The repulsion of CPh₃ group in guanidine as well as N-Boc group in ketimine raised the Pauli repulsion energy (∆E_Pauli) and the strain energy (∆E_strain) of reacting species in the unfavorable si-face pathway, contributing to a high level of stereoselectivity. A new catalyst with cyclopropenimine and 1,2-diphenylethylcarbamoyl as well as sulfonamide substituent was designed. The strong basicity of cyclopropenimine moiety accelerated the activation of CH₃NO₂ by decreasing the energy barrier in the deprotonation step. The repulsion between the N-Boc group in ketimine and cyclohexyl group as well as chiral backbone in the new catalyst raised the energy barrier in C–C bond formation along the si-face attack pathway, leading to the formation of R-configuration product. A possible synthetic route for the new catalyst is also suggested.

Bicyclic Guanidine-Catalyzed Asymmetric Cycloaddition Reaction of Anthrones-Bifunctional Binding Modes and Origin of Stereoselectivity

We report a computational analysis of the [5,5] bicyclic guanidine-catalyzed asymmetric cycloaddition reaction of anthrones. Based on extensive conformational search of key intermediates and transition states on the potential energy surface and density functional theory calculations, we studied five plausible binding modes between the guanidine catalyst and substrates for this reaction. Our results indicate that the most favorable pathway is a stepwise conjugate addition-Aldol sequence via the dual hydrogen-bond binding mode. The predicted level of enantioselectivity is in good agreement with experimental values. Trends in variation of substrates and catalysts have also been reproduced by our calculations. Decomposition analysis revealed the significance of aromatic interactions in stabilizing the key enantioselectivity-determining transition state structures.

Mechanistic details of metal-free cyclization reaction of organophosphorus oxide with alkynes mediated by 2,6-lutidine and Tf2 O

Theoretical investigations have elucidated the mechanism of metal-free electrophilic phosphinative cyclization of alkynes reaction reported by Miura and coworkers. Two competitive mechanisms I and II were explored without or with 2,6-lutidine. Both of I and II involve transformation of P(V) to P(III), electrophilic addition, ring opening and cyclization/cyclization, hydrogen-transfer, and oxidation. The rate-determining step of mechanism I and competitive less-step II is electrophilic [2 + 1] cycloaddition and electrophilic addition via single CP bond formation with activation barrier of 13.5 and 10.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Our calculation results suggested that the cumulative effect of the isomer of 2,6-lutidine and Tf₂ O as well as TfO^- affects the title reaction to some extent, and simultaneously activates key reaction sites and reverses the polarities of them via the formation of abundant noncovalent interactions to decrease activation barriers of TSs. In addition, the effects of two series substituents on reactivity of phosphine oxide were investigated. Therefore, our study will serve as useful guidance for more efficient metal-free synthesis of organophosphorus compounds mediated by pyridine reagents.

A mechanistic investigation into N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed umpolung of ketones and benzonitriles: is the cyano group better than the classical carbonyl group for the addition of NHC?

The cooperative participation of NHC-H₂O-activated cyano carbon is more preferred than the classical NHC-activated carbonyl carbon.

Mechanistic investigation on N → Cα → O relay via non-Brook rearrangement: reaction conditions promote synthesis of furo[3,2-c]pyridinones

A comprehensive density functional theory investigation was employed to disclose the effect of reaction conditions on the mechanism and effective anion relay sequence of a NaH promoted non-Brook rearrangement of benzaldehyde and 1-cinnamoylcyclopropanecarboxamides. Two main mechanisms were explored under four different reaction conditions: Na⁺-assisted and nH₂O-Na⁺, 2H₂O-DMSO-Na⁺, and Na⁺-DMSO co-assisted, and the difference relies on the reaction sequence between the concerted ring-opening and recyclization and electrophilic addition. Being different from previous reports, a cooperative participation of water, solvent DMSO and counterion Na⁺ is revealed in the preferential mechanism. The preferred scenario undergoes five major steps: deprotonation, aza-Michael addition, electrophilic addition, NaOH elimination and a concerted ring-opening and recyclization step. The rate-determining step is the concerted ring-opening and recyclization process with an energy barrier of 30.2 kcal mol^-1. We found that the effective anion relay of a non-Brook rearrangement order is N → C^α → O rather than the previously proposed aza-oxy-carbanion. Meanwhile, a mixed type of ARC chemistry through a novel non-Brook rearrangement was disclosed. Moreover, the non-covalent interactions between substrate and reactant extensively affect the anion relay process by hydrogen-bonding (O-HO and C-HO) and electrostatic (Na⁺O) interactions. Thus, our results provide insightful clues to the mechanism of the reaction condition catalyzed non-Brook rearrangement reaction.

Coupling Reactions of Alkynyl Indoles and CO2 by Bicyclic Guanidine: Origin of Catalytic Activity?

Density functional theory calculations were used to investigate the three possible modes of activation for the coupling of CO₂ with alkynyl indoles in the presence of a guanidine base. The first of these mechanisms, involving electrophilic activation, was originally proposed by Skrydstrup et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 6682). The second mechanism involves the nucleophilic activation of CO₂ . Both of these electrophilic and nucleophilic activation processes involve the formation of a guanidine-CO₂ zwitterion adduct. We have proposed a third mechanism involving the bifunctional activation of the bicyclic guanidine catalyst, allowing for the simultaneous activation of the indole and CO₂ by the catalyst. We demonstrated that a second molecule of catalyst is required to facilitate the final cyclization step. Based on the calculated turnover frequencies, our newly proposed bifunctional activation mechanism is the most plausible pathway for this reaction under these experimental conditions. Furthermore, we have shown that this bifunctional mode of activation is consistent with the experimental results. Thus, this guanidine-catalyzed reaction favors a specific-base catalyzed mechanism rather than the CO₂ activation mechanism. We therefore believe that this bifunctional mechanism for the activation of bicyclic guanidine is typical of most CO₂ coupling reactions.

Pentanidium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Conjugate Addition: Prediction of Stereoselectivity via DFT Calculations and Docking Sampling of Transition States, and Origin of Stereoselectivity

Density functional theory (DFT) study, at the M06–2X/6–311+G(d,p)//M06–2X/6–31G(d,p) level, was carried out to examine the catalytic mechanism and origin of stereoselectivity of pentanidium-catalyzed asymmetric phase-transfer conjugate addition. We employed a hybrid approach by combining automated conformation generation through molecular docking followed by subsequent DFT calculation to locate various possible transition states for the enantioselective conjugate addition. The calculated enantioselectivity (enantiomeric excess), based on the key diastereomeric C–C bond-forming transition states, is in good accord with experimental result. Non-covalent interaction analysis of the key transition states reveals extensive non-covalent interactions, including aromatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and non-classical C–H⋯O interactions between the pentanidium catalyst and substrates. The origin of stereoselectivity was analysed using a strain-interaction model.

Unconventional Bifunctional Lewis-Brønsted Acid Activation Mode in Bicyclic Guanidine-Catalyzed Conjugate Addition Reactions

DFT calculations have demonstrated that the unconventional bifunctional Brønsted-Lewis acid activation mode is generally applicable to a range of nucleophilic conjugate additions catalyzed by bicyclic guanidine catalysts. It competes readily with the conventional bifunctional Brønsted acid mode of activation. The optimal pro-nucleophiles for this unconventional bifunctional activation are acidic substrates with low pKa, while the best electrophiles are flexible 1,4-diamide and 1,4-diester conjugated systems.

Origin of the enantioselectivity in organocatalytic Michael additions of β-ketoamides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyls: a combined experimental, spectroscopic and theoretical study

The organocatalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of secondary β-ketoamides to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is reported. Use of bifunctional Takemoto's thiourea catalyst allows enantiocontrol of the reaction leading either to simple Michael adducts or spirocyclic aminals in up to 99 % ee. The origin of the enantioselectivity has been rationalised based on combined DFT calculations and kinetic analysis. This study provides a deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism, which involves a predominant role of the secondary amide proton, and clarifies the complex interactions occurring between substrates and the catalyst.

Asymmetric Michael Addition Using Bifunctional Bicyclic Guanidine Organocatalyst: A Theoretical Perspective

To illustrate the general principle of asymmetric organocatalysis of chiral bicyclic guanidine, a density functional theory study was carried out to examine the catalytic mechanism, activation mode, origin of stereoselectivity of a [5,5]-bicyclic guanidine-catalyzed Michael addition of dimethyl malonate to 2-cyclopenten-1-one. Two types of bifunctional activation modes were examined: Brønsted acid and Brønsted-Lewis acid. The calculated enantioselectivity (ee), based on eight C–C bond forming transition states and their pre-transition state complexes, is in excellent accord with experimental result. The ternary pre-transition state complexes are stable species, which strongly influence the stereoselectivity. Similar to enzyme catalysis, the bicyclic guanidinium catalyst plays an essential recognition role in assembling the substrates together via hydrogen bonds, multiple C–H···O interactions (as oxyanion hole), donor–acceptor, and electrostatic interactions.