N-sulfinyl amines as a nitrogen source in the asymmetric intramolecular aza-Michael reaction: total synthesis of (-)-pinidinol

N-Sulfinyl amines have been successfully employed as nitrogen nucleophiles for the asymmetric intramolecular aza-Michael reaction. The synthetic strategy involves a cross-metathesis reaction followed by the Michael-type cyclization, either in a base-catalyzed two-step procedure or in a tandem fashion. The developed methodology allows access to chiral substituted pyrrolidines and piperidines bearing one or two stereocenters and it has been applied to the synthesis of the piperidine alkaloid (-)-pinidinol.

Asymmetric synthesis of acyclic 1,3-amino alcohols by reduction of N-sulfinyl beta-amino ketones. Formal synthesis of (-)-pinidinol and (+)- epipinidinol

Stereoselective reduction of acyclic N-sulfinyl beta-amino ketones with (LiEt(3)BH) and Li(t-BuO)(3)AlH, respectively, gave anti- and syn-1,3-amino alcohols with excellent selectivity. A formal asymmetric synthesis of the hydroxy piperidine alkaloids (-)-pinidinol and (+)-epipinidinol from a common N-sulfinyl beta-amino ketone ketal precursor was developed. The pinidinol piperidine ring was formed via a novel acid-catalyzed cascade reaction of a N-sulfinylamino silyl protected alcohol ketal.