Chiral Copper Complexes Research Articles

Catalytic enantioselective Hosomi-Sakurai reaction of α-ketoesters promoted by chiral copper(ii) complexes.

A catalytic enantioselective Hosomi-Sakurai reaction of α-ketoesters has been developed. A copper(ii) complex with a chiral bis(oxazoline) ligand bearing methanesulfonamide groups shows excellent catalytic activity to give α,α-disubstituted α-hydroxyesters in high yields with high enantioselectivities. This is the first successful method for the catalytic enantioselective 1,2-addition of α-ketoesters with allylic silanes.

Biological evaluation of optically pure chiral binuclear copper(ii) complexes based on a rosin derivative as highly potential anticancer agents.

Two optically pure chiral binuclear copper(ii) complexes [Cu2(μ-Cl)2L2]·CH2Cl2 (1) and Cu2L4 (2) based on the natural product rosin derivative N-(5-dehydroabietyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole)-2-substituted pyridinecarboxamide (HL) were prepared, fully characterized and their biological activities were evaluated. The circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence spectroscopy, and DNA melting studies indicate that 1 and 2 interact with calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) via intercalation. It can be concluded that 1 and 2 have a strong affinity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) based on the fluorescence and CD spectral evidence. The MTT assay illustrates that the selective cytotoxic activity of 1 is better than that of HL, 2, cisplatin and oxaliplatin. The exposure of 1 to MCF-7 cells resulted in cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and an elevated ROS level. The western blot analysis results indicate that 1 might induce apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, autophagy and DNA damage in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the down-regulated VEGFR2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels indicate that 1 should have the ability to resist metastasis and angiogenesis. Thus, based on the above described results 1 has high potential value for anticancer applications.

Designing chiral amido-oxazolines as new chelating ligands devoted to direct Cu-catalyzed oxidation of allylic C[sbnd]H bonds in cyclic olefins

A new type of amido-oxazoline ligands was conveniently synthesized from inexpensive and commercially available materials in high yields and enantiomeric excesses. The corresponding chiral copper complexes with this class of ligands [C2 symmetric S,S-bis(amido-oxazoline-Cu(II) complex] were synthesized accordingly. The ORTEP diagram of ligand 6a and complex 6a-copper were compared and characterization of the complex confirmed the involvement of both dentate parts of the ligands, the oxygen and nitrogen atoms, in complexation with copper. The utilization of this amido-oxazoline ligands in the copper-catalyzed enantioselective esterification of allylic CH bonds of cyclic olefins with tert-butyl-4-nitrobenzoperoxoate resulted in the highest activities, yields (up to 95%) and enantioselectivities (up to 96%) in the presence of HZSM-5 zeolite. These new findings highlight the protocol as one of the most attractive and useful methods for the oxidation of the asymmetric allylic CH bond of cycloalkenes compared to other methodologies reported in the literature.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Cu-Catalyzed Enantioselective Allenyl Conjugate Addition.

A catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition with commercially available allenylboronic acid pinacol ester as nucleophile promoted by a chiral copper complex of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) is disclosed. This process constitutes an unprecedented instance of the conjugate addition that introduces an allenyl group into α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, affording products that are otherwise difficult to access in up to 92% yield, >98% allenyl addition selectivity and 96:4 enantiomeric ratio. DFT calculations were performed to elucidate the origins of enantioselectivity.

Synthesis of α-Aminophosphines by Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Hydroamination of Vinylphosphines.

A copper-catalyzed net hydroamination of vinylphosphine boranes with hydrosilanes and O-benzoylhydroxylamines has been developed. The reaction proceeds regioselectively to form the corresponding α-aminophosphine boranes of potent interest in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. This copper catalysis is based on an umpolung, electrophilic amination strategy and provides a new electrophilic amination approach to α-aminophosphine derivatives. Additionally, although still preliminary, asymmetric synthesis has also been achieved by judicious choice of a chiral bisphosphine-ligated copper complex.

Enantioselective Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction and the Synthesis of Spiropyrrolidone Derivatives.

An efficient enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reaction was developed under catalysis of a chiral copper complex. A variety of spiropyrrolidones, which bear a tetra-substituted carbon stereocenter, can be obtained in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities by virtue of this method. Furthermore, a substrate-dependent reaction pathway was proposed on the basis of the isolated intermediates.

Asymmetric Brominative Dearomatization of Naphthols Catalyzed by Chiral Copper Complexes

AbstractA fast and highly enantioselective brominative dearomatization of naphthols catalyzed by diphenylamine‐linked bis(oxazoline)‐Cu(OTf)2 complexes has been developed. The corresponding products of chiral naphthalenones bearing a Br‐containing tetrasubstituted stereogenic center could be obtained with good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee) in excellent yields (up to 97% yield) within short reaction times.magnified image

Divergent Control of Point and Axial Stereogenicity: Catalytic Enantioselective C-N Bond-Forming Cross-Coupling and Catalyst-Controlled Atroposelective Cyclodehydration.

Catalyst control over reactions that produce multiple stereoisomers is a challenge in synthesis. Control over reactions that involve stereogenic elements remote from one another is particularly uncommon. Additionally, catalytic reactions that address both stereogenic carbon centers and an element of axial chirality are also rare. Reported herein is a catalytic approach to each stereoisomer of a scaffold containing a stereogenic center remote from an axis of chirality. Newly developed peptidyl copper complexes catalyze an unprecedented remote desymmetrization involving enantioselective C-N bond-forming cross-coupling. Then, chiral phosphoric acid catalysts set an axis of chirality through an unprecedented atroposelective cyclodehydration to form a heterocycle with high diastereoselectivity. The application of chiral copper complexes and phosphoric acids provides access to each stereoisomer of a framework with two different elements of stereogenicity.

Divergent Control of Point and Axial Stereogenicity: Catalytic Enantioselective C−N Bond‐Forming Cross‐Coupling and Catalyst‐Controlled Atroposelective Cyclodehydration

AbstractCatalyst control over reactions that produce multiple stereoisomers is a challenge in synthesis. Control over reactions that involve stereogenic elements remote from one another is particularly uncommon. Additionally, catalytic reactions that address both stereogenic carbon centers and an element of axial chirality are also rare. Reported herein is a catalytic approach to each stereoisomer of a scaffold containing a stereogenic center remote from an axis of chirality. Newly developed peptidyl copper complexes catalyze an unprecedented remote desymmetrization involving enantioselective C−N bond‐forming cross‐coupling. Then, chiral phosphoric acid catalysts set an axis of chirality through an unprecedented atroposelective cyclodehydration to form a heterocycle with high diastereoselectivity. The application of chiral copper complexes and phosphoric acids provides access to each stereoisomer of a framework with two different elements of stereogenicity.

Stereodivergent Allylation of Azaaryl Acetamides and Acetates by Synergistic Iridium and Copper Catalysis.

We report stereodivergent allylic substitution reactions of allylic esters with prochiral enolates derived from azaaryl acetamides and acetates to form products from addition of the enolates at the most substituted carbon of an allyl moiety with two catalysts, a chiral metallacyclic iridium complex and a chiral bisphosphine-ligated copper(I) complex, which individually control the configuration of the electrophilic and nucleophilic carbon atoms, respectively. By simple permutations of enantiomers of the two catalysts, all four stereoisomers of products containing two stereogenic centers were synthesized individually with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. A variety of azaaryl acetamides and acetates bearing pyridyl, benzothiazolyl, benzoxazolyl, pyrazinyl, quinolinyl and isoquinolinyl moieties were all found to be suitable for this transformation.

Enantio- and Diastereoselective Cyclopropanation of 1-Alkenylboronates: Synthesis of 1-Boryl-2,3-Disubstituted Cyclopropanes.

A novel, highly enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of 1-boryl-2,3-disubstituted cyclopropanes has been developed by means of the cyclopropanation of alkenylboronates with ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of catalytic amounts of a chiral copper(I) complex. The products can also be directly accessed from alkynes through an operationally simple, sequential hydroboration-cyclopropanation protocol. The resulting enantioenriched 1-boryl-2,3-disubstituted cyclopropanes are versatile synthetic intermediates that undergo further transformations at the carbon-boron bond.

Enantio‐ and Diastereoselective Cyclopropanation of 1‐Alkenylboronates: Synthesis of 1‐Boryl‐2,3‐Disubstituted Cyclopropanes

AbstractA novel, highly enantio‐ and diastereoselective synthesis of 1‐boryl‐2,3‐disubstituted cyclopropanes has been developed by means of the cyclopropanation of alkenylboronates with ethyl diazoacetate in the presence of catalytic amounts of a chiral copper(I) complex. The products can also be directly accessed from alkynes through an operationally simple, sequential hydroboration–cyclopropanation protocol. The resulting enantioenriched 1‐boryl‐2,3‐disubstituted cyclopropanes are versatile synthetic intermediates that undergo further transformations at the carbon–boron bond.

Well-Defined Chiral Copper NHC Complex in the Asymmetric Conjugated β-Borylation and One-Pot Metathesis-Asymmetric β-Borylation Reactions.

Highly stereoselective conjugate β-borylation, using a new chiral NHC-based copper catalyst, has been achieved. The chiral NHC copper complex was prepared in gram scale and showed high enantioselectivity and activity (up to 10 000 turnovers at 100 ppm of catalyst loading). This method was employed in the synthesis of a chiral β-borylated ester from simple unconjugated alkenes though an unprecedented one-pot cross metathesis-asymmetric borylation sequence.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Henry Reaction of β,γ-Unsaturated α-Ketoesters with Nitromethane in Water.

A highly enantioselective Henry reaction of β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with nitromethane in water by virtue of chiral copper complexes has been developed. A series of unsaturated β-nitro-α-hydroxy esters bearing tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters were obtained exclusively with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. This method could avoid tedious anaerobic anhydrous manipulation and reduce the environmental pollution caused by organic solvents.

N-heterocyclic Carbene–Cu-Catalyzed Enantioselective Conjugate Additions with Alkenylboronic Esters as Nucleophiles

Catalytic enantioselective conjugate additions with easily accessible alkenylboronic acid pinacol esters as nucleophiles promoted by chiral copper complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes are presented. These processes constitute an unprecedented instance of conjugate additions of a variety of functionalized alkenyl groups and afford desired products that are otherwise difficult to access in up to 98% yield and 99.5:0.5 enantiomeric ratio. The origins of ligand-controlled enantioselectivity are elucidated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Preparation, characterization and biological evaluation of two chiral binuclear copper(II) complexes

Two chiral Cu(II) complexes of [Cu2(R‐L)2](PF6)2·2C2H5OH (1) and [Cu2(S‐L)2](PF6)2·2C2H5OH (2) (HL = 2‐(Bis(quinolin‐2‐ylmethyl)amino)‐1‐propanol) were designed and synthesized to serve as chemical nucleases and anticancer drugs. X‐ray crystallography revealed that two complexes contain chiral binuclear cations and PF6− anions. The interaction of two complexes with CT‐DNA was researched via various spectroscopic techniques and viscosity measurement, indicating that the complexes were bound to CT‐DNA by a classical intercalation binding mode. In addition, the two complexes exhibited remarkable DNA cleavage activity with an optimal dosage of 10 μM in the absence of any exogenous oxidant agent. Both of the complexes showed excellent in vitro cytotoxicity on A549 cell lines with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Moreover, complex 2 could damage DNA of A549 cells into fragmentation and then induced cell apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner, which was demonstrated by comet assay and Hoechst 33342 staining experiment. Further research showed that complex 2 could also induce G2 and S phase cell cycle arrest.

Asymmetric conjugate additions of 2-substituted benzofuran-3(2H)-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by chiral copper complexes.

A highly enantioselective conjugate addition of 2-substituted benzofuran-3(2H)-ones to α,β-unsaturated ketones promoted by chiral copper complexes has been developed, affording the Michael addition products with quaternary stereocenters in good to high yields (up to 95% yield) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The chiral Michael adducts could be readily converted to the polycyclic benzofuran-type framework via the Robinson annulation.

Fast, solvent-free and highly enantioselective fluorination of β-keto esters catalyzed by chiral copper complexes in a ball mill

A fast and highly enantioselective fluorination of β-keto esters catalyzed by diphenylamine linked bis(oxazoline)-Cu(OTf)2 complexes under solvent-free conditions has been developed using a planetary ball mill.

Cu(II), Ni(II) complexes derived from chiral Schiff-base ligands: Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity, protein and DNA–binding properties

A series of novel copper (II) and nickel (II) complexes derived from chiral Schiff-base ligands [(R)/(S)-H2L1=(R)/(S)-2-[(1-Hydroxymethyl-propylimino)-methyl]-5-methoxy-phenol and (R)/(S)-H2L2=(R)/(S)-2-[(1-Hydroxymethyl-2-phenyl-ethylimino)-methyl]-5-methoxy-phenol], were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, 1H NMR spectra, FT-IR spectrum. The crystal structures of complexes 1–5 were determined through single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD). The structures showed the ligands coordinated to the Cu/Ni (II) ion in a neutral manner via ONO donor atoms, and oxygen atoms of solvent molecules occupy the axial positions in Ni (II) complexes 3 and 4. The complexes interactions with BSA and CT-DNA were investigated by various spectroscopic methods (UV–Visible, circular dichroism spectrum, fluorescence spectroscopic and synchronous fluorescence spectra). Interactions of chiral copper (II) complexes are stronger than nickel (II) complexes. Further, the cytotoxicities of the complexes 1–6 towards three kinds of cancerous cell lines, were human lung adenocarcinoma (A549), human cervical carcinoma cell (HeLa) and human breast cancer cell (MCF-7) respectively, were evaluated by MTT assay. All complexes exhibited good cytotoxic activity. Furthermore, Cu (II) complex 5 derived from (R)-Schiff-base ligand was found to be more effective towards HeLa cancerous cell. The results showed that chirality and metal ion have important influence on their anticancer activities and interactions with DNA/BSA.

ChemInform Abstract: Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclobutylboronates via a Copper‐Catalyzed Desymmetrization Approach.

The first catalytic enantioselective synthesis of cyclobutylboronates, by using a chiral copper(I) complex, is reported. A broad variety of cyclobutanes have been prepared with consistently high levels of diastereo- and enantiocontrol. Moreover, this method constitutes the first report of an enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-cyclobutenes to prepare chiral cyclobutanes.