Catalytic Asymmetric Reaction Research Articles

Mechanistic investigation of Rh(i)-catalysed asymmetric Suzuki–Miyaura coupling with racemic allyl halides

Understanding how catalytic asymmetric reactions with racemic starting materials can operate would enable new enantioselective cross-coupling reactions that give chiral products. Here we propose a catalytic cycle for the highly enantioselective Rh(i)-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of boronic acids and racemic allyl halides. Natural abundance 13C kinetic isotope effects provide quantitative information about the transition-state structures of two key elementary steps in the catalytic cycle, transmetallation and oxidative addition. Experiments with configurationally stable, deuterium-labelled substrates revealed that oxidative addition can happen via syn- or anti-pathways, which control diastereoselectivity. Density functional theory calculations attribute the extremely high enantioselectivity to reductive elimination from a common Rh complex formed from both allyl halide enantiomers. Our conclusions are supported by analysis of the reaction kinetics. These insights into the sequence of bond-forming steps and their transition-state structures will contribute to our understanding of asymmetric Rh–allyl chemistry and enable the discovery and application of asymmetric reactions with racemic substrates. A major drive in current chemistry research is to develop asymmetric versions of widely used carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions, such as Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings. Now, the origins of diastereo- and enantioselectivity in a Rh-catalysed cross-coupling of boronic acid and racemic allyl halides have been established.

Regiodivergent Desymmetrization Reaction of meso-Azabicycloheptene Providing Two Enantioenriched Structural Isomers.

A novel catalytic asymmetric reaction is reported where the regiodivergent desymmetrisation of meso-azabicycloheptene via allylic oxidation using a single chiral copper catalyst produced two different, enantioenriched structural isomers in high optical purity starting from a single compound. The enantioselectivity of the two structurally isomeric compounds was enriched to >99.5% ee after derivatization.

Remarkable Effect of tert‐Amine Additives in the Asymmetric Direct Michael Reaction of Ketones with β‐Arylnitroethenes Catalyzed by an L‐Hydroxyproline‐Based Amino Tf‐Amide Organocatalyst

AbstractA catalytic asymmetric direct Michael reaction of ketones with trans‐β‐arylnitroethenes can be achieved under the influence of optically pure L‐hydroxyproline‐based secondary‐amino aromatic Tf‐amide organocatalyst. The effect of the trialkylamine base additive such as diethylmethylamine is of paramount importance to accomplish high reactivity and enantioselectivity in this asymmetric Michael reaction.

Pyrazoleamides in Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions: Recent Advances

AbstractPyrazoleamides are a class of compounds which have received significant attention in the last years in asymmetric catalysis as more reactive and practical surrogates of esters or amides. These readily available reagents have served in a variety of diastereo‐ and enantioselective metal‐ and organocatalytic transformations, spanning from simple carbon‐carbon or carbon‐heteroatom bond formation to cascade and rearrangement reactions, to produce valuable classes of heterocyclic compounds. More recently, pyrazoleamides have proved to be pertinent reagents in asymmetric catalysis merged with photoredox catalysis, and in more challenging stereoselective bond‐forming reactions, occurring directly from a visible‐light activated substrate/catalyst complex without any charge separation. Both strategies enable new activation concepts useful for the production of difficult‐to‐access intermediates and pharmaceuticals. In this review, an overview of the progress achieved in asymmetric catalytic reactions of pyrazoleamides from 2015 up to middle 2020, is illustrated.magnified image

Advances in Catalytic Asymmetric Dearomatization.

Asymmetric catalysis has been recognized as the most enabling strategy for accessing chiral molecules in enantioenriched forms. Catalytic asymmetric dearomatization is an emerging and dynamic research subject in asymmetric catalysis, which has received considerable attention in recent years. The direct transformations from readily available aromatic feedstocks to structurally diverse three-dimensional polycyclic molecules make catalytic asymmetric dearomatization reactions of broad interest for both organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry. However, the inherent difficulty for the disruption of aromaticity demands a large energy input during the dearomatization process, which might be incompatible with the conditions generally required by asymmetric catalysis. In this Outlook, we will discuss representative strategies and examples of catalytic asymmetric dearomatization reactions of various aromatic compounds and try to convince readers that by overcoming the above obstacles, catalytic asymmetric dearomatization reactions could advance chemical sciences in many respects.

Recent Advances of Catalytic Enantioselective Heck Reactions and Reductive‐Heck Reactions

AbstractHeck reaction is one of the most important carbon‐carbon bond forming reactions with wide applications in organic synthesis. Considerable advances of enantioselective Heck reaction have been achieved in the past decades. This review focuses on recent development of catalytic asymmetric Heck reaction and reductive Heck reaction, which covers intermolecular and intramolecular versions since 2011. The article is organized in terms of the catalysts and olefin substrates.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Disubstituted 4-Oxocyclohexanecarbaldehydes from Acetone and Cinnamaldehyde Derivatives.

A first catalytic asymmetric reaction of acetone with cinnamaldehyde for the synthesis of disubstituted 4-oxocyclohexanecarbaldehyde is developed. A variety of substituted cinnamaldehydes are successfully tested under the optimized reaction conditions. Both the enantiomers of the same diastereomeric products are achieved in good yield and diastereoselectivity with an excellent enantioselectivity by changing the enantiomer of one of the two chiral catalysts. The practicality of this methodology is demonstrated by the gram-scale synthesis.

Asymmetric Hydrocyanation of N‐Phosphinoyl Aldimines with Acetone Cyanohydrin by Cooperative Lewis Acid/Onium Salt/Brønsted Base Catalysis

Abstractα‐Amino acids are of fundamental importance for life. Both natural and artificial α‐amino acids also play a crucial role for pharmaceutical purposes. The catalytic asymmetric Strecker reaction still provides one of the most attractive strategies to prepare scalemic α‐amino acids. Here we disclose a new concept for Strecker reactions, in which an achiral Brønsted base cooperates with a Lewis acid and an aprotic ammonium salt, which are both arranged in the same chiral catalyst entity. The described method could successfully address various long‐standing practical issues of this reaction type. The major practical advantages are that (1) the N‐protecting group is readily removable, (2) acetone cyanohydrin is attractive as cyanation reagent in terms of atom economy and cost efficiency, (3) an excess of the cyanation reagent is not necessary, (4) the new method does not require additives and (5) is performed at ambient temperature.

Chiral Cobalt-Salen Complexes: Ubiquitous Species in Asymmetric Catalysis.

Since the discovery of their extraordinary reactivity in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides about twenty years ago, chiral cobalt-salen complexes have been shown to be essential for many other asymmetric catalytic reactions. This account summarizes the inspiring works dedicated to the discovery of their new reactivity and their mode of action, as well as the new processes towards the optimization of their cooperativity for bimetallic activation and the implementation of their effective immobilization, including also our contribution on these topics.

Chiral Pd-Catalyzed Enantioselective Syntheses of Various N–C Axially Chiral Compounds and Their Synthetic Applications

Biaryl atropisomers are key structural components in chiral ligands, chiral functional materials, natural products, and bioactive compounds, and their asymmetric syntheses have been reported by many groups. In contrast, although the scientific community has long been aware of atropisomers due to rotational restriction around N-C bonds, they have attracted scant attention and have remained an unexplored research area. In particular, their catalytic asymmetric synthesis and the synthetic applications were unknown until recently. This Account describes studies conducted by our group on the catalytic enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral compounds and their applications in asymmetric reactions.In the presence of a chiral Pd catalyst, the reactions of achiral secondary ortho-tert-butylanilides with 4-iodonitrobenzene proceeded in a highly enantioselective manner (up to 96% ee), affording N-C axially chiral N-arylated ortho-tert-butylanilides in good yields. The application of the present chiral Pd-catalyzed N-arylation reaction to an intramolecular version gave N-C axially chiral lactams with high optical purity (up to 98% ee). These reactions were the first highly enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral compounds with a chiral catalyst. Since the publication of these reactions, N-C axially chiral compounds have been widely accepted as new target molecules for catalytic asymmetric reactions. Furthermore, chiral-Pd-catalyzed intramolecular N-arylations were applied to the enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral quinoline-4-one and phenanthridin-6-one derivatives. We also succeeded in the enantioselective syntheses of various N-C axially chiral compounds using other chiral Pd-catalyzed reactions. That is, optically active N-C axially chiral N-(2-tert-butylphenyl)indoles, 3-(2-bromophenyl)quinazolin-4-ones, and N-(2-tert-butylphenyl)sulfonamides were obtained through chiral Pd-catalyzed 5-endo-hydroaminocyclization, monohydrodebromination (reductive asymmetric desymmetrization), and Tsuji-Trost N-allylation, respectively. The study of the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of axially chiral indoles has contributed to the development of not only N-C axially chiral chemistry but also the chemistry of axially chiral indoles. Subsequently, the catalytic asymmetric syntheses of various indole derivatives bearing a C-C chiral axis as well as an N-C chiral axis have been reported by many groups. Moreover, axially chiral quinazlolin-4-one derivatives, which were obtained through chiral Pd-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization, are pharmaceutically attractive compounds; for example, 2-methyl-3-(2-bromophenyl)quinazolin-4-one product is a mebroqualone possessing GABA agonist activity.Most of the N-C axially chiral products have satisfactory rotational stability for synthetic applications, and their synthetic utility was also demonstrated through application to chiral enolate chemistry. That is, the reaction of various alkyl halides with the enolate prepared from the optically active anilide, lactam, and quinazolinone products proceeded with high diastereoselectivity by asymmetric induction due to the N-C axial chirality.At the present time, N-C axially chiral chemistry has become a popular research area, especially in synthetic organic chemistry, and original papers on the catalytic asymmetric syntheses of various N-C axially chiral compounds and their synthetic applications have been published.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric (4 + 2) Annulation of γ-Methylidene-δ-valerolactones with Alkenes: Enantioselective Synthesis of Functionalized Chiral Cyclohexyl Spirooxindoles.

An unprecedented asymmetric catalytic (4 + 2) annulation reaction of aryl-substituted γ-methylidene-δ-valerolactones (GMDVs) with isatin-derived para-quinone methides (p-QMs) has been developed under the catalysis of palladium(0) and (S,S,S)-(-)-Xyl-SKP, offering a new approach for the diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of chiral cyclohexadienone-fused cyclohexyl spirooxindoles. Significantly, three highly congested contiguous tetrasubstituted carbon atoms embedded in bispirocyclic skeleton, of which two are vicinal quaternary stereogenic centers, are forged in an effective and selective manner (up to 99% yield, up to 95% ee, >20/1 dr). The current reaction represents the first exploration of enantioselective catalytic (4 + 2) annulation forming the six-membered carbocycles in the chemistry of both GMDVs and p-QMs.

Chiral Bifunctional Sulfide‐Catalyzed Highly Enantioselective Bromolactonizations of 4‐Pentenoic Acids

AbstractDespite extensive studies into the design of effective chiral catalysts for asymmetric halolactonizations, the development of highly enantioselective catalytic bromolactonization of 4‐aryl‐4‐pentenoic acids, which is one of the benchmark reactions, has not been completely satisfactory. Herein, we report the use of BINOL‐derived chiral bifunctional sulfide catalysts to achieve highly enantioselective bromolactonizations of 4‐aryl‐4‐pentenoic acids. The importance of the bifunctional design of chiral sulfide catalysts was clearly demonstrated in the present study. Furthermore, the present catalytic asymmetric reaction system could be applied to highly stereoselective desymmetrizing bromolactonizations.

Catalytic asymmetric umpolung reaction of imines to synthesize isoindolinones and tetrahydroisoquinolines

Isoindolinone- and tetrahydroisoquinoline-based cyclic scaffolds comprise the key, structural feature of a wide range of biologically active molecules. Here we report an, approach for the synthesis of chiral isoindolinones and tetrahydroisoquinolines based, on the umpolung allylation of imines. The products contain a free N–H group, which is, primed for further derivatization.

A Type of Structurally Adaptable Aromatic Spiroketal Based Chiral Diphosphine Ligands in Asymmetric Catalysis.

ConspectusWhile spectacular successes have been achieved in homogeneous catalysis with the use of achiral diphosphine ligands featuring a wide natural bite angle, such as XantPhos, chiral diphosphines that can induce a large P-M-P bite angle in their transition metal complexes are conspicuously less explored in asymmetric catalysis, probably due to the challenges in the identification and efficient construction of a suitable chiral backbone. In the past decade, a highly efficient synthesis of chiral aromatic spiroketals and the corresponding diphosphine ligands (SKPs) has been developed in this group.Based on a one-pot catalytic tandem double asymmetric hydrogenation-spiroketalization ring-closure reaction sequence, these SKP ligands featuring an extraordinarily long P···P distance and a flexible backbone have been readily prepared in large scale. Remarkably versatile coordination modes have been found in the complexes of SKP with some catalysis-relevant transition metals, for example, Pd, Cu, Au, and Rh. Whereas SKP enforces an unusually large bite angle in [Pd(SKP)Cl2] and [Cu(SKP)Cl] complexes (160.1° and 132.8°, respectively), it also allows for a bimetallic Au-Au interaction (3.254 Å) in the complex of [Au2(SKP)Cl2] or a square-planar coordination geometry for the [Rh(SKP)(cod)]SbF6 complex. Such an adaptable nature of SKP ligands for transition metal coordination has profound consequences in homogeneous asymmetric catalysis, as demonstrated by their unique performance in several types of catalytic asymmetric reactions. One of the most exciting examples is SKP/Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts, in which SKP/Pd complexes demonstrated excellent control of regio- and enantioselectivities and exhibited exceptionally high efficiency (with a TON up to 4750) in the catalysis. SKP ligands have also found a diversity of successful applications in Cu-, Au-, or Rh-catalyzed asymmetric reactions, further attesting their wide utilities in asymmetric catalysis. Overall, this class of readily accessible SKP ligands featuring a chiral aromatic spiroketal skeleton have demonstrated unique adaptable structures in a variety of transition metal complexes and provided outstanding performance in some difficult asymmetric transformations. The works delineated herein would be expected to stimulate further research efforts on the application of this type of chiral ligand and to provide useful clues in the design of new chiral diphosphine ligands with adaptable bite angles for transition metal catalyzed asymmetric reactions.

Chitosan as a chiral ligand and organocatalyst: preparation conditions–property–catalytic performance relationships

Properties of chitosan prepared by alkaline deacetylation of chitin under various conditions were correlated with their performance as ligands or organocatalysts in asymmetric catalytic reactions.

Asymmetric desymmetrization of alkene-, alkyne- and allene-tethered cyclohexadienones using transition metal catalysis.

This review is covering the recent development of catalytic asymmetric domino reactions for the desymmetrization of alkene-, alkyne- and allene-tethered cyclohexadienones using transition metals and chiral ligands. This desymmetrization has emerged as an important strategy for the rapid construction of complex molecular skeletons, such as fused-polycycles or spirocyclic compounds in controlling multiple stereogenic centers.

Recent advances of chromone-based reactants in the catalytic asymmetric domino annulation reaction

Chiral polycyclic chromanones are important heterocyclic frameworks that constitute the core structures of many natural products and bioactive molecules.

Catalytic asymmetric umpolung reactions of imines via 2-azaallyl anion intermediates.

The imine umpolung is a relatively new and interesting strategy, especially in catalytic asymmetric synthesis. A significant development in organo- and transition metal-catalyzed umpolung of imines took place only in the recently concluded decade. A majority of the reports on the asymmetric umpolung of imines involve the initial generation of 2-azaallyl anion intermediates with the chiral catalysts, which serve as a significant driving force for the umpolung addition/substitution reactions. A variety of organocatalysts such as bifunctional cinchona alkaloids including squaramides and thioureas, chiral BINOL derived phosphoric acids, phase transfer catalysts (PTCs), phosphines, and transition metal-complexes of iridium, copper and palladium have been employed to achieve the excellent level of asymmetric induction in such types of umpolung reactions. The asymmetric imine umpolung strategy has been applied successfully to synthesize synthetic amino-acid derivatives and other useful chiral amines, including drugs and potentially bioactive molecules. This review summarizes all the significant recent development in catalytic umpolung reactions of imines involving a 2-azaallyl anion intermediate.

Catalytic asymmetric multicomponent reactions of isocyanide, isothiocyanate and alkylidene malonates.

Several unique chiral 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrole-2-thiones were made readily available by carrying out, in each case, a chiral-Mg(OTf)2/N,N'-dioxide-complex-promoted formal [2+1+2] cycloaddition in the presence of tetraethylenediamine. Control experiments revealed that in situ-generated ammonium thiocyanate was crucial for maintaining high enantioselectivity through its inhibition of the HNCS-induced racemization of the products.

2-Nitroallyl carbonate-based green bifunctional reagents for catalytic asymmetric annulation reactions

2-Nitroallylic carbonates, a new class of "green" 1,3-bielectrophilic reagents for organic synthesis and catalysis, have been prepared. The bifunctional tertiary amine-catalyzed asymmetric [3 + 3] annulations of cyclic enols with these reagents occur much faster than corresponding reactions with 2-nitroallylic esters and produce no acidic by-products poisoning the catalyst. Furthermore, 2-nitroallylic carbonates enable highly enantioselective one-pot synthesis of a variety of fused dihydropyrane derivatives from available precursors bearing pharmacophoric fragments.