Project description:The BINOL-amidine organic catalyst 1 was previously shown to promote highly efficient enantioselective halolactonization reactions of olefinic acids. As part of these studies, it was discovered that the enantioenriched iodolactones could be easily converted into enantioenriched cis-1,2-disubstituted epoxides. This halolactonization-epoxidation sequence was applied to the synthesis of (+)-disparlure, which resulted in the shortest catalytic enantioselective synthesis to date, requiring only five steps and proceeding in 33% yield.
Project description:The enantioselective iodolactonizations of a series of diversely substituted olefinic carboxylic acids are promoted by a BINOL-derived, bifunctional catalyst. Reactions involving 5-alkyl- and 5-aryl-4(Z)-pentenoic acids and 6-alkyl- and 6-aryl-5(Z)-hexenoic acids provide the corresponding γ- and δ-lactones having stereogenic C-I bonds in excellent yields and >97:3 er. Significantly, this represents the first organocatalyst that promotes both bromo- and iodolactonization with high enantioselectivities. The potential of this catalyst to induce kinetic resolutions of racemic unsaturated acids is also demonstrated.
Project description:Despite the rapid growth of enantioselective halolactonization reactions in recent years, most are effective only when forming smaller (6,5,4-membered) rings. Seven-membered ε-lactones, are rarely formed with high selectivity, and never without conformational bias. We describe the first highly enantioselective 7-exo-trig iodolactonizations of conformationally unbiased ε-unsaturated carboxylic acids, effected by an unusual combination of a bifunctional BAM catalyst, I2, and I(iii) reagent (PhI(OAc)2:PIDA).
Project description:The utilization of β-fluoroamines as pharmaceutical components for drug development has attracted a considerable amount of interest. However, direct access to tertiary β-fluoroamines is challenging. We herein report the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric amination of tertiary allylic trichloroacetimidates with anilines and cyclic aliphatic amines to access tertiary β-fluoroamines, where the α-carbon atom is bonded to four different substituents, in good yield with high levels of enantioselectivity.
Project description:The hydrocarbazole scaffold represents the core structure of numerous monoterpenoid indole alkaloids. The development of catalytic methods that provide efficient access to enantioenriched hydrocarbazole derivatives is central for the synthesis of these bioactive alkaloids. We report here a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective formal 5-endo arylative cyclization of enaminones, facilitating the construction of hexahydrocarbazol-4-ones containing contiguous C4a-quaternary and C9a-tertiary stereocenters with high enantioselectivities (86.5 : 13.5-99 : 1 er) and diastereoselectivities (>20 : 1 dr). Notably, enaminone substrates bearing an α-allyl group undertake an arylation/Cope rearrangement cascade, offering a unique route to C1-substituted tetrahydrocarbazol-4-ones. A stereodivergent approach to all four stereoisomers of the quaternary/tertiary chiral center set is achieved by combining the catalyst with Z/E allyl substituents, yielding excellent enantioselectivity. The N-methyl group of the hydrocarbazolone products is readily removed under oxidation conditions. The utility of the method is demonstrated by the access to a variety of hydrocarbazole derivatives and the efficient syntheses of four Aspidosperma alkaloids/analogs, (+)-N-methyl aspidospermidine, (+)-C20-epi-N-methyl aspidospermidine, (+)-N-methyl fendleridine, and (+)-N-methyl limaspermidine from a hexahydrocarbazol-4-one in 3-5 steps.
Project description:Highly enantioselective halolactonizations have been developed that employ a chiral proton catalyst-N-iodosuccinimide (NIS) reagent system in which the Brønsted acid is used at catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol %. An approach that modulates the achiral counterion (equimolar to the neutral chiral ligand-proton complex present at low catalyst loadings) to optimize the enantioselection is documented for the first time in this transformation. In this way, unsaturated carboxylic acids are converted to γ-lactones in high yields (up to 98% ee) using commercially available NIS.
Project description:The first Negishi nickel-catalyzed stereospecific cross-coupling reaction of secondary benzylic esters is reported. A series of traceless directing groups is evaluated for ability to promote cross-coupling with dimethylzinc. Esters with a chelating thioether derived from commercially available 2-(methylthio)acetic acid are most effective. The products are formed in high yield and with excellent stereospecificity. A variety of functional groups are tolerated in the reaction including alkenes, alkynes, esters, amines, imides, and O-, S-, and N-heterocycles. The utility of this transformation is highlighted in the enantioselective synthesis of a retinoic acid receptor agonist and a fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor.
Project description:The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of alkyl fluorides, particularly ?-fluorocarbonyl compounds, has been the focus of substantial effort in recent years. While significant progress has been described in the formation of enantioenriched secondary alkyl fluorides, advances in the generation of tertiary alkyl fluorides have been more limited. Here, we describe a method for the catalytic asymmetric coupling of aryl alkyl ketenes with commercially available N-fluorodibenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) and C6F5ONa to furnish tertiary ?-fluoroesters. Mechanistic studies are consistent with the hypothesis that the addition of an external nucleophile (C6F5ONa) is critical for turnover, releasing the catalyst (PPY*) from an N-acylated intermediate. The available data can be explained by a reaction pathway wherein the enantioselectivity is determined in the turnover-limiting transfer of fluorine from NFSI to a chiral enolate derived from the addition of PPY* to the ketene. The structure and the reactivity of the product of this proposed elementary step, an ?-fluoro-N-acylpyridinium salt, have been examined.
Project description:We report asymmetric potassium-isothiourea-boronate-catalyzed Wittig olefinations of 4-substituted cyclohexanones with non-stabilized phosphorus ylides to afford highly enantioenriched axially chiral alkenes. The optimal catalyst features an unusual macrocyclic amide-potassium-boronate chelate. Kinetic and spectroscopic analyses are consistent with a Lewis acid mechanism for the catalytic olefination that results in the formation of the oxaphosphetane adduct under cryogenic conditions. Thermal fragmentation of the oxaphosphetane to the alkene product occurs after the reaction is complete. Computational studies indicate that cycloaddition proceeds via a stepwise mechanism involving enantiodetermining polar 1,2-addition to afford an intermediate potassium betaine complex.