Iridium-catalyzed Allylic Substitution Research Articles

Enantioselective α-Functionalization of 1,3-Dithianes by Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution.

An iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reaction with 2-alkoxy carbonyl-1,3-dithianes has been achieved with high regio- and enantioselectivities. The transformation provides a new method for the enantioselective α-functionalization of dithianes. The corresponding dithiane-containing products are easily converted into many other derivatives with high yields and enantioselectivities.

An Extraordinary Catalyst Allowing Time-Dependent Enantiodivergent Synthesis

Highly efficient access to both enantiomers of chiral molecules is a long-standing challenge in synthetic chemistry. In a recent paper published in <i>Nature Chemistry</i>, Shu-Li You and coworkers reported a time-dependent enantiodivergent synthesis of chiral amines through an iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reaction involving two kinetic resolutions.

Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Aromatization Reaction.

Described herein is an asymmetric allylic aromatization (AAAr) strategy that employs readily accessible equivalents of benzylic nucleophiles in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions with the concomitant formation of aromatic rings by aromatization. The optimized reaction conditions involving a catalyst derived from a commercially available iridium precursor and the Carreira ligand are compatible with equivalents of benzylic nucleophiles derived from 4- or 5-methyloxazoles, 5-methylthiazoles, 4- or 5-methylfurans, 2- or 3-methylbenzofurans, 3-methylbenzothiophene, 3-methylindole, 1-methylnaphthalene, and methylbenzene. This strategy provides straightforward accesses to valuable heterocyclic aromatic compounds, bearing a homobenzylic stereogenic center, in an enantiopure form and would be difficult to access otherwise. The versatility of the reaction was showcased by the further elaboration of the products into useful building blocks and a drug analogue.

Chemoselective, Regioselective, and Enantioselective Allylations of NH2OH under Iridium Catalysis.

The utilization of unprotected NH2OH, which is not only an oxygen nucleophile but also a nitrogen nucleophile, in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution is realized under mild conditions. The chemoselectivity, stereoselectivity, and multiple allylation are controlled by adjusting the reaction conditions. This method produces the N-(1-allyl)hydroxylamines in good to high yields with high level of chemoselectivities, regioselectivities, and enantioselectivities. The application of allylated hydroxylamine (R)-3a in the synthesis of diallylated hydroxylamine 6 is achieved, along with an excellent diastereomeric ratio.

Applications of Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution Reactions in Target-Oriented Synthesis.

Metal catalyzed allylic substitution is a cornerstone of organometallic and synthetic chemistry. Enantioselective versions have been developed with catalysts derived from transition metals, most notably molybdenum, nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, and copper. The palladium- and the iridium-catalyzed versions have turned out to be particularly versatile in organic synthesis because of the very broad scope of the nucleophile and great functional group compatibility. Assets of the iridium-catalyzed reaction are the formation of branched, chiral products from simple monosubstituted allylic substrates, high degrees of regio- and enantioselectivity, and use of modular, readily available chiral ligands. The possibility to use carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur compounds as well as fluoride as nucleophiles allows a wide range of chiral building blocks to be prepared. Our Account begins with the presentation of fundamental reaction schemes and chiral ligands. We will focus our discussion on reactions promoted by phosphoramidite ligands, though numerous chiral ligands have been employed. The subsequent section presents a brief overview of reaction mechanism and experimental conditions. Two versions of the iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution have emerged. In type 1 reactions (introduced in 1997), linear allylic esters are commonly used as substrates under basic reaction conditions. In type 2 reactions (introduced in 2007), environmentally friendly branched allylic alcohols can be reacted under acidic conditions; occasionally, derivatives of allylic alcohols have also been applied. A unique feature of the type 2 reactions is that highly electrophilic allylic intermediates can be brought to reaction with weakly activated alkenes. The subsequent text is ordered according to the strategies followed to transform allylic substitution products to desired targets, most of which are natural products or drugs. Syntheses starting with an intermolecular allylic substitution are discussed first. Some fairly complex targets, for example, the potent nitric oxide inhibitor (-)-nyasol and the drug (-)-protrifenbute, have been synthesized via less than five steps from simple starting materials. Most targets discussed are cyclic compounds. Intermolecular allylic substitution with subsequent ring closing metathesis is a powerful strategy for their synthesis. Highlights are stereodivergent syntheses of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), wherein iridium- and organocatalysis are combined (dual catalysis). The combination of allylic alkylation with a Diels-Alder reaction was utilized to synthesize the ketide apiosporic acid and the drug fesoterodine (Toviaz). Sequential allylic amination, hydroboration and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling generates enones suitable for conjugate addition reactions; this strategy was employed in syntheses of a variety of alkaloids, for example, the poison frog alkaloid (+)-cis-195A (pumiliotoxin C). Intramolecular substitutions offer interesting possibilities to build up stereochemical complexity via short synthetic routes. For example, in diastereoselective cyclizations of chiral compounds, substrate control can be overruled by catalyst control in order to generate cis- and trans-isomers selectively from a given precursor. This approach was used to prepare a variety of piperidine and pyrrolidine alkaloids. Finally, complex polycyclic structures, including the structurally unusual indolosesquiterpenoid mycoleptodiscin A, have been generated diastereo- and enantioselectively from olefins by polyene cyclizations and from electron-rich arenes, such as indoles, in dearomatization reactions.

Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Cyclizations.

A method for the enantioselective synthesis of carbo- and heterocyclic ring systems enabled through the combination of Lewis acid activation and iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution is described. The reaction proceeds with branched, allylic alcohols and carbon nucleophiles as well as heteronucleophiles to give a diverse set of ring systems in good yields and with high enantioselectivities. The utility of the method is highlighted by the asymmetric syntheses of erythrococcamides A and B.

Enantioselective Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with 2‐Methylpyridines

An enantioselective iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution with a set of highly unstabilized nucleophiles generated in situ from 2-methylpyridines is described. Enantioenriched 2-substituted pyridines, which are frequently encountered in natural products and pharmaceuticals, could be easily constructed by this simple method in good yields and excellent enantioselectivity. The synthetic utility of the pyridine products is demonstrated through the synthesis of a key intermediate of a reported Na+ /H+ exchanger inhibitor and the total synthesis of (-)-lycopladine A.

Enantioselective synthesis of 10-allylanthrones via iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reaction

Abstract A highly enantioselective allylic substitution reaction of anthrones with aromatic or aliphatic allyl carbonates was realized by using iridium catalyst prepared from [Ir(COD)Cl]2 and BHPphos. Substituted 10-allylanthrones were obtained in excellent yields and with excellent enantioselectivity and regioselectivity (up to 98% yield, 99% ee) under mild conditions.

ChemInform Abstract: Highly Regioselective Allylic Substitution Reactions Catalyzed by an Air‐Stable (π‐Allyl)iridium Complex Derived from Dinaphthocyclooctatetraene and a Phosphoramidite Ligand.

An air-stable (pi-allyl)iridium complex derived from naphthocyclooctatetraene and a phosphoramidite ligand has been synthesized and found to be highly efficient in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions. This catalyst features excellent regiosel

Enantioselective functionalization of allylic C-H bonds following a strategy of functionalization and diversification.

We report the enantioselective functionalization of allylic C-H bonds in terminal alkenes by a strategy involving the installation of a temporary functional group at the terminal carbon atom by C-H bond functionalization, followed by the catalytic diversification of this intermediate with a broad scope of reagents. The method consists of a one-pot sequence of palladium-catalyzed allylic C-H bond oxidation under neutral conditions to form linear allyl benzoates, followed by iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution. This overall transformation forms a variety of chiral products containing a new C-N, C-O, C-S, or C-C bond at the allylic position in good yield with a high branched-to-linear selectivity and excellent enantioselectivity (ee ≤97%). The broad scope of the overall process results from separating the oxidation and functionalization steps; by doing so, the scope of nucleophile encompasses those sensitive to direct oxidative functionalization. The high enantioselectivity of the overall process is achieved by developing an allylic oxidation that occurs without acid to form the linear isomer with high selectivity. These allylic functionalization processes are amenable to an iterative sequence leading to (1,n)-functionalized products with catalyst-controlled diastereo- and enantioselectivity. The utility of the method in the synthesis of biologically active molecules has been demonstrated.

Addition of Organometallic Reagents to Chiral N‐Methoxylactams: Enantioselective Syntheses of Pyrrolidines and Piperidines

Enantioselective iridium-catalyzed allylic substitutions were used to prepare N-allyl hydroxamic acid derivatives that were suitable for ring-closing metathesis, giving N-methoxylactams. Reactions of these derivatives with Grignard or organolithium compounds gave hemiaminals, which could be reduced diastereoselectively via acyliminium intermediates to give cis-piperidines or cis-pyrrolidines with substituents in the 2,6- or 2,5-positions, respectively. In addition, compounds with a quaternary carbon center could be synthesized by corresponding reactions with potassium cyanide/AcOH. The procedures were applied in the syntheses of alkaloids (-)-209D and (+)-prosophylline.

Highly Regioselective Allylic Substitution Reactions Catalyzed by an Air-Stable (π-Allyl)iridium Complex Derived from Dinaphthocyclooctatetraene and a Phosphoramidite Ligand

An air-stable (π-allyl)iridium complex derived from dinaphthocyclooctatetraene and a phosphoramidite ligand has been synthesized and found to be highly efficient in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions. This catalyst features excellent regioselectivity and high stability. When NaCH(CO₂Me)₂ was used as the nucleophile, the catalyst loading in allylic alkylation reactions can be as low as 0.01 mol%.

Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Polyene Cyclization

A highly enantioselective polycyclization method has been developed using the combination of Lewis acid activation with iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution. This strategy relies on direct use of branched, racemic allylic alcohols and furnishes a diverse and unique set of carbo- and heteropolycyclic ring systems in good yields and ≥99% ee.

Origins of enantioselectivity during allylic substitution reactions catalyzed by metallacyclic iridium complexes.

In depth mechanistic studies of iridium catalyzed regioselective and enantioselective allylic substitution reactions are presented. A series of cyclometalated allyliridium complexes that are kinetically and chemically competent to be intermediates in the allylic substitution reactions was prepared and characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies and single-crystal X-ray difraction. The rates of epimerization of the less thermodynamically stable diastereomeric allyliridium complexes to the thermodynamically more stable allyliridium stereoisomers were measured. The rates of nucleophilic attack by aniline and by N-methylaniline on the isolated allyliridium complexes were also measured. Attack on the thermodynamically less stable allyliridium complex was found to be orders of magnitude faster than attack on the thermodynamically more stable complex, yet the major enantiomer of the catalytic reaction is formed from the more stable diastereomer. Comparison of the rates of nucleophilic attack to the rates of epimerization of the diastereomeric allyliridium complexes containing a weakly coordinating counterion showed that nucleophilic attack on the less stable allyliridium species is much faster than conversion of the less stable isomer to the more stable isomer. These observations imply that Curtin-Hammett conditions are not met during iridium catalyzed allylic substitution reactions by η(3)-η(1)-η(3) interconversion. Rather, these data imply that when these conditions exist for this reaction, they are created by reversible oxidative addition, and the high selectivity of this oxidative addition step to form the more stable diastereomeric allyl complex leads to the high enantioselectivity. The stereochemical outcome of the individual steps of allylic substitution was assessed by reactions of deuterium-labeled substrates. The allylic substitution was shown to occur by oxidative addition with inversion of configuration, followed by an outer sphere nucleophilic attack that leads to a second inversion of configuration. This result contrasts the changes in configuration that occur during reactions of molybdenum complexes studied with these substrates previously. In short, these studies show that the factors that control the enantioselectivity of iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution are distinct from those that control enantioselectivity during allylic substitution catalyzed by palladium or molybdenum complexes and lead to the unique combination of high regioselectivity, enantioselectivity, and scope of reactive nucleophile.

ChemInform Abstract: Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylic Substitution

AbstractReview: 107 refs.

ChemInform Abstract: Bicyclic Cyclopentenones via the Combination of an Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with a Diastereoselective Intramolecular Pauson—Khand Reaction.

Enantioselective syntheses of bicyclic cyclopentenones are described. Key steps are an iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution and an intramolecular diastereoselective Pauson–Khand reaction. The diastereoselectivity of the Pauson–Khand reaction was found to be crucially dependent on the unit connecting the propargylic and the olefinic parts of the precursor. Very high degrees of diastereoselection were obtained with an NBoc unit as connector. This methodology has been illustrated by application within an enantioselective formal total synthesis of (−)--kainic acid.

Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitutions with Hydroxamic Acid Derivatives as N-Nucleophiles

Enantioselective Ir-catalyzed allylic aminations with hydroxamic acid derivatives are described. Catalysts were prepared in situ from [Ir(cod)Cl](2) or [Ir(dbcot)Cl](2), a phosphoramidite and base. In addition, pure (π-allyl)Ir complexes containing cod or dbcot as auxiliary ligands were used. Very high degrees of regio- and enantioselectivity were achieved. The reaction products were transformed into piperidine derivatives suited as precursors for aza-sugars.

Mechanistically Driven Development of Iridium Catalysts for Asymmetric Allylic Substitution

Enantioselective allylic substitution reactions comprise some of the most versatile methods for preparing enantiomerically enriched materials. These reactions form products that contain multiple functionalities by creating carbon-nitrogen, carbon-oxygen, carbon-carbon, and carbon-sulfur bonds. For many years, the development of catalysts for allylic substitution focused on palladium complexes. However, studies of complexes of other metals have revealed selectivities that often complement those of palladium systems. Most striking is the observation that reactions with unsymmetrical allylic electrophiles that typically occur with palladium catalysts at the less hindered site of an allylic electrophile occur at the more hindered site with catalysts based on other metals. In this Account, we describe the combination of an iridium precursor and a phosphoramidite ligand that catalyzes enantioselective allylic substitution reactions with a particularly broad scope of nucleophiles. The active form of this iridium catalyst is not generated by the simple binding of the phosphoramidite ligand to the metal precursor. Instead, the initial phosphoramidite and iridium precursor react in the presence of base to form a metallacyclic species that is the active catalyst. This species is generated either in situ or separately in isolated form by reactions with added base. The identification of the structure of the active catalyst led to the development of simplified catalysts as well as the most active form of the catalyst now available, which is stabilized by a loosely bound ethylene. Most recently, this structure was used to prepare intermediates containing allyl ligands, the structures of which provide a model for the enantioselectivities discussed here. Initial studies from our laboratory on the scope of iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution showed that reactions of primary and secondary amines, including alkylamines, benzylamines, and allylamines, and reactions of phenoxides and alkoxides occurred in high yields, with high branched-to-linear ratios and high enantioselectivities. Parallel mechanistic studies had revealed the metallacyclic structure of the active catalyst, and subsequent experiments with the purposefully formed metallacycle increased the reaction scope dramatically. Aromatic amines, azoles, ammonia, and amides and carbamates as ammonia equivalents all reacted with high selectivities and yields. Moreover, weakly basic enolates (such as silyl enol ethers) and enolate equivalents (such as enamines) also reacted, and other research groups have used this catalyst to conduct reactions of stabilized carbon nucleophiles in the absence of additional base. One hallmark of the reactions catalyzed by this iridium system is the invariably high enantioselectivity, which reflects a high stereoselectivity for formation of the allyl intermediate. Enantioselectivity typically exceeds 95%, regioselectivity for formation of branched over linear products is usually near 20:1, and yields generally exceed 75% and are often greater than 90%. Thus, the development of iridium catalysts for enantioselective allylic substitution shows how studies of reaction mechanism can lead to a particularly active and a remarkably general system for an enantioselective process. In this case, a readily accessible catalyst effects allylic substitution, with high enantioselectivity and regioselectivity complementary to that of the venerable palladium systems.

Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with Aromatic and Aliphatic Sulfinates

Iridium-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution with Aromatic and Aliphatic Sulfinates

Synthesis of Chiral Benzoazepines through Allylic Substitution

The authors describe an efficient synthesis of chiral benzoazepines through a double allylic substitution reaction. This work further demonstrates the wide applicability and utility of asymmetric iridium-catalyzed allylic substitutions as pioneered by Helmchen and Hartwig (see Review below). Compounds featuring this structural motif possess diverse biological activity and asymmetric methods towards their synthesis are noteworthy.