Enantioselectively functionalised phenytoin derivatives by auxiliary-directed N to C aryl migration in lithiated α-amino nitriles

Enantioselective Synthesis of Arylglycines via Pd-Catalyzed Coupling of Schöllkopf Bis-Lactim Ethers with Aryl Chlorides

Arylglycines are important pharmacophores present in several top-selling drugs. This compound class has now been made accessible from abundant aryl chlorides by a Pd-catalyzed Schöllkopf-type amino acid synthesis. In the presence of the catalyst methylnaphthyl(XPhos)-palladium bromide, the base lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyrrolidide and the additive ZnCl2 , tert-leucine-derived bis-lactim ethers were efficiently arylated at room temperature, reaching yields of 95 % and diastereoselectivities of 98 : 2. Hydrolysis gave the corresponding arylglycines in high enantiomeric excess.

C(sp3)-Arylation by Conformationally Accelerated Intramolecular Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution (SNAr)

The asymmetric synthesis of heavily substituted benzylic stereogenic centers, prevalent in natural products, therapeutics, agrochemicals, and catalysts, is an ongoing challenge. In this Account, we outline our contribution to this endeavor, describing our discovery of a series of new reactions that not only have synthetic applicability but also present significant mechanistic intrigue. The story originated from our longstanding interest in the stereochemistry and reactivity of functionalized organolithiums. While investigating the lithiation chemistry of ureas (a “Cinderella” sister of the more established amides and carbamates), we noted an unexpected Truce–Smiles (T-S) rearrangement involving the 1,4-N → C transposition of a urea N′-aryl group to the α-carbanion of an adjacent N-benzyl group. Despite this reaction formally constituting an S_NAr substitution, we found it to be remarkably tolerant of the electronic properties of the migrating aryl substituent and the degree of substitution at the carbanion. Moreover, in contrast to classical S_NAr reactions, the rearrangement was sufficiently rapid that it took place under conditions compatible with configurational stability in an organolithium intermediate, enabling enantiospecific arylation at benzylic stereogenic centers. Experimental and computational studies confirmed a low kinetic barrier to the aryl migration arising from the strong preference for a trans arrangement of the urea N′-aryl and carbonyl groups, populating a reactive conformer in which spatial proximity was enforced between the carbanion and N′-aryl group, hugely accelerating ipso-substitution.

This discovery led us to uncover a whole series of conformationally accelerated intramolecular N → C aryl transfers using different anilide-based functional groups, including a diverse range of urea, carbamate, and thiocarbamate-substituted anions. Products included enantioenriched α-tertiary amines (including α-arylated N-heterocycles) and alcohols, as well as rare α-tertiary thiols. Synthetically challenging diarylated centers with differentiated aryl groups featured heavily in all product sets. The absolute enantiospecificity (retention versus inversion) of the reaction was dependent on the heteroatom α to the lithiation site: the origin of this stereodivergence was probed both experimentally and computationally. Asymmetric variants of the rearrangement were realized by enantioselective deprotonation, and connective strategies were developed in which an intermolecular C–C bond-forming event preceded the anionic rearrangement. Substrates where the N′-nucleofuge (at the aryl ipso position) was tethered to the migrating arene allowed us to use the rearrangement as a ring expansion method to generate 8- to 12-membered medium-ring N-heterocycles from very simple precursors. Stabilized carbon nucleophiles such as alkali metal enolates also readily promoted intramolecular N → C aryl transfer in N′-arylureas, opening up access to biologically relevant hydantoins, and enabling a “chiral memory” approach for the (hetero)arylation of chiral α-amino acids with programmable retention or inversion of configuration. Collectively, our studies of electronically versatile T-S rearrangements in anilide-based systems have culminated in a practical and general strategy for transition metal-free C(sp³)-arylation. More broadly, our results highlight the power of conformational activation to achieve unprecedented reactivity in the construction of challenging C–C bonds.

Radical and Ionic Mechanisms in Rearrangements of o-Tolyl Aryl Ethers and Amines Initiated by the Grubbs-Stoltz Reagent, Et3SiH/KOtBu

Rearrangements of o-tolyl aryl ethers, amines, and sulfides with the Grubbs–Stoltz reagent (Et₃SiH + KO^tBu) were recently announced, in which the ethers were converted to o-hydroxydiarylmethanes, while the (o-tol)(Ar)NH amines were transformed into dihydroacridines. Radical mechanisms were proposed, based on prior evidence for triethylsilyl radicals in this reagent system. A detailed computational investigation of the rearrangements of the aryl tolyl ethers now instead supports an anionic Truce–Smiles rearrangement, where the initial benzyl anion can be formed by either of two pathways: (i) direct deprotonation of the tolyl methyl group under basic conditions or (ii) electron transfer to an initially formed benzyl radical. By contrast, the rearrangements of o-tolyl aryl amines depend on the nature of the amine. Secondary amines undergo deprotonation of the N-H followed by a radical rearrangement, to form dihydroacridines, while tertiary amines form both dihydroacridines and diarylmethanes through radical and/or anionic pathways. Overall, this study highlights the competition between the reactive intermediates formed by the Et₃SiH/KO^tBu system.

Hydantoin-bridged medium ring scaffolds by migratory insertion of urea-tethered nitrile anions into aromatic C-N bonds

Bicyclic or tricyclic nitrogen-containing heterocyclic scaffolds were constructed rapidly by intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution of metallated nitriles tethered by a urea linkage to a series of electronically unactivated heterocyclic precursors. The substitution reaction constitutes a ring expansion, enabled by the conformationally constrained tether between the nitrile and the heterocycle. Attack of the metallated urea leaving group on the nitrile generates a hydantoin that bridges the polycyclic products. X-ray crystallography reveals ring-dependant strain within the hydantoin.