ChemInform Abstract: Enantioselective Ring Opening of meso‐Epoxides with Silicon Tetrachloride Catalyzed by Pyridine N‐Oxides Fused with the Bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane Framework.

Abstract

The synthesis of new chiral Lewis basic organocatalysts that contain pyridine N-oxide moieties fused with the bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane framework is reported. The obtained pyridine N-oxides were employed as catalysts in the enantioselective ring opening of meso-epoxides with silicon tetrachloride. Derivative 1b endowed with two 2,4-diaryl-substituted pyridine N-oxide moieties proved to be a particularly effective catalyst for desymmetrization of norbornene oxide 16i to furnish Wagner–Meerwein rearrangement product 20i in unprecedented 96 % ee. Difunctional congener 3, which is striped of the 4-aryl substituents, exhibited moderate to high levels of asymmetric induction (47–88 % ee) with alicyclic epoxide substrates.