Chiral Nickel Research Articles

Nickel‐Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Unactivated Alkenes via Enantio‐, Diastereo‐, and Regioselective Hydroamination

AbstractKinetic resolution is a powerful strategy for the isolation of enantioenriched compounds from racemic mixtures, and the development of selective catalytic processes is an active area of research. Here, we present a nickel‐catalyzed kinetic resolution of racemic α‐substituted unconjugated carbonyl alkenes via the enantio‐, diastereo‐, and regioselective hydroamination. This protocol affords both chiral α‐substituted butenamides and syn‐β2,3‐amino acid derivatives with high enantiomeric purity (up to 99 % ee) and selectivity factor up to >684. The key to the excellent kinetic resolution efficiency is the distinctive architecture of the chiral nickel complex, which enables successful resolution and enantioselective C−N bond construction. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the unique structure of the chiral ligand facilitates a rapid migratory insertion step with one enantiomer. This strategy provides a practical and versatile approach to prepare a wide range of chiral compounds.

Nickel-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Unactivated Alkenes via Enantio-, Diastereo-, and Regioselective Hydroamination.

Kinetic resolution is a powerful strategy for the isolation of enantioenriched compounds from racemic mixtures, and the development of selective catalytic processes is an active area of research. Here, we present a nickel-catalyzed kinetic resolution of racemic α-substituted unconjugated carbonyl alkenes via the enantio-, diastereo-, and regioselective hydroamination. This protocol affords both chiral α-substituted butenamides and syn-β2,3 -amino acid derivatives with high enantiomeric purity (up to 99 % ee) and selectivity factor up to >684. The key to the excellent kinetic resolution efficiency is the distinctive architecture of the chiral nickel complex, which enables successful resolution and enantioselective C-N bond construction. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the unique structure of the chiral ligand facilitates a rapid migratory insertion step with one enantiomer. This strategy provides a practical and versatile approach to prepare a wide range of chiral compounds.

Enantioselective Alkylation of Unactivated C–O Bond: Solvent Molecule Affects Competing β-H Elimination and Reductive Elimination Dynamics

Despite the fact that metal-catalyzed asymmetric alkylative cross-couplings have been well-established, enantioselective alkylative substitution of an unactivated C–O bond remains a challenge due to the lack of strategies to cleave the C–O bond and suppress β-H elimination as well as control stereochemistry simultaneously. Herein, the enantioselective alkylative activation of an unactivated C–O bond with β-H-containing alkylating reagents was described using a chiral nickel catalyst, and versatile axially chiral biaryls bearing alkyl moieties with different chain lengths were delivered in good yields and with high ee. Control experiments demonstrated the significant role of the solvent tetrahydrofuran to facilitate this transformation. DFT calculations revealed that the coordination of THF to Mg(II) is pivotal for suppressing β-H elimination during reductive elimination, thus unlocking how the solvent molecule affects the competing β-H elimination and reductive elimination dynamics in transition-metal-catalyzed alkylative cross-coupling reactions.

Site- and enantioselective cross-coupling of saturated N-heterocycles with carboxylic acids by cooperative Ni/photoredox catalysis

Site- and enantioselective cross-coupling of saturated N-heterocycles and carboxylic acids—two of the most abundant and versatile functionalities—to form pharmaceutically relevant α-acylated amine derivatives remains a major challenge in organic synthesis. Here, we report a general strategy for the highly site- and enantioselective α-acylation of saturated N-heterocycles with in situ-activated carboxylic acids. This modular approach exploits the hydrogen-atom-transfer reactivity of photocatalytically generated chlorine radicals in combination with asymmetric nickel catalysis to selectively functionalize cyclic α-amino C−H bonds in the presence of benzylic, allylic, acyclic α-amino, and α-oxy methylene groups. The mild and scalable protocol requires no organometallic reagents, displays excellent chemo-, site- and enantioselectivity, and is amenable to late-stage diversification, including a modular synthesis of previously inaccessible Taxol derivatives. Mechanistic studies highlight the exceptional versatility of the chiral nickel catalyst in orchestrating (i) catalytic chlorine elimination, (ii) alkyl radical capture, (iii) cross-coupling, and (iv) asymmetric induction.

Late‐Stage Modification of Oligopeptides by Nickel‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Radical Addition to Dehydroalanine

AbstractRadical addition to dehydroalanine (Dha) represents an appealing, modular strategy to access non‐canonical peptide analogues for drug discovery. Prior studies on radical addition to the Dha residue of peptides and proteins have demonstrated outstanding functional group compatibility, but the lack of stereoselectivity has limited the synthetic utility of this approach. Herein, we address this challenge by employing chiral nickel catalysts to control the stereoselectivity of radical addition to Dha on oligopeptides. The conditions accommodate a variety of primary and secondary electrophiles to introduce polyethylene glycol, biotin, halo‐tag, and hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains to the peptide. The reaction features catalyst control to largely override substrate‐based control of stereochemical outcome for modification of short peptides. We anticipate that the discovery of chiral nickel complexes that confer catalyst control will allow rapid, late‐stage modification of peptides featuring nonnatural sidechains.

Late-Stage Modification of Oligopeptides by Nickel-Catalyzed Stereoselective Radical Addition to Dehydroalanine.

Radical addition to dehydroalanine (Dha) represents an appealing, modular strategy to access non-canonical peptide analogues for drug discovery. Prior studies on radical addition to the Dha residue of peptides and proteins have demonstrated outstanding functional group compatibility, but the lack of stereoselectivity has limited the synthetic utility of this approach. Herein, we address this challenge by employing chiral nickel catalysts to control the stereoselectivity of radical addition to Dha on oligopeptides. The conditions accommodate a variety of primary and secondary electrophiles to introduce polyethylene glycol, biotin, halo-tag, and hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains to the peptide. The reaction features catalyst control to largely override substrate-based control of stereochemical outcome for modification of short peptides. We anticipate that the discovery of chiral nickel complexes that confer catalyst control will allow rapid, late-stage modification of peptides featuring nonnatural sidechains.

Ligand Development for Copper-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Radical Cross-Coupling of Racemic Alkyl Halides.

The enantioconvergent cross-coupling of racemic alkyl halides represents a powerful tool for the synthesis of enantioenriched molecules. In this regard, the first-row transition metal catalysis provides a suitable mechanism for stereoconvergence by converting racemic alkyl halides to prochiral radical intermediates owing to their good single-electron transfer ability. In contrast to the noble development of chiral nickel catalyst, copper-catalyzed enantioconvergent radical cross-coupling of alkyl halides is less studied. Besides the enantiocontrol issue, the major challenge arises from the weak reducing capability of copper that slows the reaction initiation. Recently, significant efforts have been dedicated to basic research aimed at developing chiral ligands for copper-catalyzed enantioconvergent radical cross-coupling of racemic alkyl halides. This perspective will discuss the advances in this burgeoning area with particular emphasis on the strategic chiral anionic ligand design to tune the reducing capability of copper for the reaction initiation under thermal conditions from our research group.

Chiral nickel(II) complex catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α‐diazo pyrazoleamides with 2‐siloxy‐1‐alkenes

A highly efficient asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition of α-diazo pyrazoleamides with silyl enol ethers was realized by employing a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Ni(II) complex catalyst. The process includes the formation of chiral nickel carbenoid intermediate and the following enantioselective cycloaddition reaction. The desired dihydrofuran O,O-acetal derivatives were obtained in good yields (up to 90%) with high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under mild reaction conditions within short reaction time. On the basis of the determination of the catalyst structure, a possible transition state mode was proposed.

Gram-Scale Asymmetric Synthesis of Fluorinated Amino Acids Using a Chiral Nickel(II) Complex.

Fluorinated amino acids play an important role in the field of peptide and protein engineering. Although numerous syntheses have been published in recent decades, strategies that allow routine access to fluorinated amino acids on a gram-scale have been poorly described. Furthermore, the described pathways that gain fluorinated amino acids are based on different synthetic strategies, making a uniform approach that uses similar starting materials highly beneficial. Chiral Ni(II) complexes were introduced as powerful tools in the synthesis of noncanonical amino acids. In this work, we present a strategy for the synthesis of a diverse range of fluorinated amino acids based on the corresponding Ni(II) complex from which the products can be obtained in enantiopure form (99% ee) on a gram-scale. In addition, we describe an optimized procedure for the synthesis of alkyl iodide building blocks that are required for the alkylation reactions with the corresponding Ni(II) complex. Finally, we characterized the synthesized fluorinated amino acids with regard to their hydrophobicity and α-helix propensity.

Synthesis of New Precursors of Radiotracers for Positron Emission Tomography

The sequential chemical transformations of a chiral nickel(II) complex Ni-BPB-D-Ala affords new derivatives of fluoroglutamic acid that can be used as radiotracers in positron emission tomography.

Direct and Asymmetric Aldol Reactions of N‐Azidoacetyl‐1,3‐thiazolidine‐2‐thione Catalyzed by Chiral Nickel(II) Complexes. A New Approach to the Synthesis of β‐Hydroxy‐α‐Amino Acids

A direct and asymmetric triisopropylsilyltrifluoromethanesulfonate (TIPSOTf) mediated aldol reaction of N‐azidoacetyl‐1,3‐thiazolidine‐2‐thione with aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by a chiral nickel(II)‐Tol‐BINAP complex has been developed (BINAP=2,2’‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1’‐binaphthyl). The catalytic protocol gives the corresponding anti α‐azido‐β‐silyloxy adducts with outstanding stereocontrol and in high yields. Theoretical calculations account for the stereochemical outcome of the reaction and lay the foundations for a mechanistic model. In turn, the easy removal of the thiazolidinethione yields a wide array of enantiomerically pure derivatives in a straightforward and efficient manner. Such a noteworthy character of the heterocyclic scaffold together with the appropriate manipulation of the azido group open a new route to the synthesis of di‐ and tripeptide blocks containing a β‐aryl‐β‐hydroxy‐α‐amino acid.

Nickel-Catalyzed Intermolecular Asymmetric Addition of Aryl Iodides across Aldehydes.

Enantioenriched alcohols comprise much of the framework of organic molecules. Here, we first report that chiral nickel complexes can catalyze the intermolecular enantioselective addition of aryl iodides across aldehydes to provide diverse optically active secondary alcohols using zinc metal as the reducing agent. This method shows a broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions and precludes the traditional strategy through the pre-generation of organometallic reagents. Mechanistic studies indicate that an in situ formed arylnickel, instead of an arylzinc, adds efficiently to aldehydes, forming a new C-C bond and a chiral nickel alkoxide that may be turned over by zinc powder.

Nickel‐Catalyzed Intermolecular Asymmetric Addition of Aryl Iodides across Aldehydes

AbstractEnantioenriched alcohols comprise much of the framework of organic molecules. Here, we first report that chiral nickel complexes can catalyze the intermolecular enantioselective addition of aryl iodides across aldehydes to provide diverse optically active secondary alcohols using zinc metal as the reducing agent. This method shows a broad substrate scope under mild reaction conditions and precludes the traditional strategy through the pre‐generation of organometallic reagents. Mechanistic studies indicate that an in situ formed arylnickel, instead of an arylzinc, adds efficiently to aldehydes, forming a new C−C bond and a chiral nickel alkoxide that may be turned over by zinc powder.

Proton‐Promoted Nickel‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Aliphatic Ketoacids

AbstractA robust and highly active homogeneous chiral nickel–phosphine complex for the asymmetric hydrogenation of aliphatic γ‐ and δ‐ketoacids has been discovered. The hydrogenation could proceed smoothly in the presence of 0.0133 mol% catalyst loading (S/C=7500). The coordination chemistry and catalytic behavior of Ni(OTf)2with (S,S)‐Ph‐BPE were explored by1H NMR and HRMS. The mechanistic studies revealed that a proton promoted the activation of the substrate C=O bond and controlled the stereoselectivity through hydrogen bonds. A series of chiral γ‐ and δ‐alkyl substituted lactones were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % yield and 99 % ee). In addition, this catalytic system also demonstrated that levulinic acid produced from a biomass feedstock was converted into chiral γ‐valerolactone without loss of ee value.

Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp 3 )–H Arylation of Ketones with Aryl Ethers via Selective C Ar –O Cleavage to Construct All-Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters

Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioselective C(sp ³ )–H Arylation of Ketones with Aryl Ethers via Selective C _Ar –O Cleavage to Construct All-Carbon Quaternary Stereocenters

Nickel‐Mediated Enantioselective Photoredox Allylation of Aldehydes with Visible Light

AbstractHere we report a practical, highly enantioselective photoredox allylation of aldehydes mediated by chiral nickel complexes with commercially available allyl acetate as the allylating agent. The methodology allows the clean stereoselective allylation of aldehydes in good to excellent yields and up to 93 % e.e. using a catalytic amount of NiCl2(glyme) in the presence of the chiral aminoindanol‐derived bis(oxazoline) as the chiral ligand. The photoredox system is constituted by the organic dye 3DPAFIPN and a Hantzsch's ester as the sacrificial reductant. The reaction proceeds under visible‐light irradiation (blue LEDs, 456 nm) at 8–12 °C. Compared to other published procedures, no metal reductants (such as Zn or Mn), additives (e.g. CuI) or air‐sensitive Ni(COD)2 are necessary for this reaction. Accurate DFT calculations and photophysical experiments have clarified the mechanistic picture of this stereoselective allylation reaction.

Nickel-Mediated Enantioselective Photoredox Allylation of Aldehydes with Visible Light.

Here we report a practical, highly enantioselective photoredox allylation of aldehydes mediated by chiral nickel complexes with commercially available allyl acetate as the allylating agent. The methodology allows the clean stereoselective allylation of aldehydes in good to excellent yields and up to 93 % e.e. using a catalytic amount of NiCl2 (glyme) in the presence of the chiral aminoindanol-derived bis(oxazoline) as the chiral ligand. The photoredox system is constituted by the organic dye 3DPAFIPN and a Hantzsch's ester as the sacrificial reductant. The reaction proceeds under visible-light irradiation (blue LEDs, 456 nm) at 8-12 °C. Compared to other published procedures, no metal reductants (such as Zn or Mn), additives (e.g. CuI) or air-sensitive Ni(COD)2 are necessary for this reaction. Accurate DFT calculations and photophysical experiments have clarified the mechanistic picture of this stereoselective allylation reaction.

Nickel‐Catalyzed Stereo‐ and Enantioselective Cross‐Coupling of gem‐Difluoroalkenes with Carbon Electrophiles by C−F Bond Activation

AbstractStereo‐ and enantioselective cross‐electrophile coupling involving C−F bond activation is reported. Treatment of gem‐difluoroalkenes with racemic benzyl electrophiles in the presence of a chiral nickel complex using B2pin2 as a stoichiometric reductant allows the construction of a C(sp2)−C(sp3) bond under mild conditions, affording a broad range of monofluoroalkenes bearing stereogenic allylic centers. Initial mechanistic studies indicate that a radical chain pathway may be operating, wherein the ester group in the gem‐difluoroalkene promotes C−F bond activation through oxidative addition to a Ni species.

Nickel‐Catalyzed Stereo‐ and Enantioselective Cross‐Coupling of gem‐Difluoroalkenes with Carbon Electrophiles by C−F Bond Activation

AbstractStereo‐ and enantioselective cross‐electrophile coupling involving C−F bond activation is reported. Treatment of gem‐difluoroalkenes with racemic benzyl electrophiles in the presence of a chiral nickel complex using B2pin2 as a stoichiometric reductant allows the construction of a C(sp2)−C(sp3) bond under mild conditions, affording a broad range of monofluoroalkenes bearing stereogenic allylic centers. Initial mechanistic studies indicate that a radical chain pathway may be operating, wherein the ester group in the gem‐difluoroalkene promotes C−F bond activation through oxidative addition to a Ni species.

Nickel-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Asymmetric Cycloadditions of α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds

Nickel-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Asymmetric Cycloadditions of α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds