Rhodium-Catalyzed (5 + 2) and (5 + 1) Cycloadditions Using 1,4-Enynes as Five-Carbon Building Blocks.

Cycloaddition reactions are a hallmark in organic synthesis because they provide an efficient way to construct highly substituted carbo- and heterocycles found in natural products and pharmaceutical agents. Most cycloadditions occur under thermal or photochemical conditions, but transition-metal complexes can promote reactions that occur beyond these circumstances. Transition-metal complexation with alkynes, alkenes, allenes, or dienes often alters the reactivity of those π-systems and facilitates access to diverse cycloaddition products. This Account describes our efforts toward the design of novel five-carbon synthons for use in rhodium-catalyzed (5 + n) cycloadditions, which include 3-acyloxy-1,4-enynes (ACEs) for (5 + 1) and (5 + 2) cycloadditions and 3-hydroxy-1,4-enynes (HYEs) for (5 + 1) cycloadditions. Furthermore, this Account includes relevant computational information, mechanistic insights, and applications of these cycloadditions in the synthesis of various highly substituted carbo- and heterocycles. The (5 + n) cycloaddition reactions presented herein share the following common mechanistic features: the 1,2-migration of an acyloxy group in propargyl esters or the ionization of a hydroxyl group in propargylic alcohols, oxidative cyclization to form a metallacycle, insertion of the one- or two-carbon component, and reductive elimination to yield the final product. In conjunction with a cationic rhodium catalyst, we used ACEs for the intramolecular (5 + 2) cycloaddition with tethered alkynes, alkenes, and allenes. In some cases, an electron-deficient phosphine ligand improved the reaction yields, especially when the ACE featured an internal alkyne. We also demonstrated that chirality could be efficiently transferred from a relatively simple starting material to a more complex bicyclic product. Products derived from ACEs with tethered alkenes and allenes contained one or more stereocenters, and high diastereoselectivity was achieved in most of these cases. For ACEs tethered to an allene, the reaction preferentially occurred at the internal alkene. We also switched the positions of the alkene and the alkyne in the 1,4-enyne of our original ACE to provide an inverted ACE variant, which produced products with complementary functionalities. After we successfully developed the Rh-catalyzed intramolecular (5 + 2) cycloaddition, we optimized conditions for the intermolecular version, which required a neutral rhodium catalyst and phosphine ligand. When a terminal alkyne was used as the two-carbon component, high regioselectivity was observed. While investigating the effect of esters on the rate of the intermolecular (5 + 2) cycloadditions, we determined that an electron-rich ester significantly accelerated the reaction. Subsequently, we demonstrated that (5 + 1) cycloadditions undergo this rate enhancement as well in the presence of an ester. Aside from ACEs, we synthesized HYEs in four steps from commercially available 2-aminobenzoic acid for use in the (5 + 1) cycloaddition. Mechanistically, HYEs were designed so that the aniline nitrogen could serve as the nucleophile and the -OH could serve as the leaving group. Using HYEs, we developed a novel method to make substituted carbazoles, dibenzofurans, and tricyclic compounds with a cyclohexadienone moiety. Although the occurrence of transition-metal-catalyzed acyloxy migrations has been known for decades, only recently has their synthetic value been realized. We hope our studies that employ readily available 1,4-enynes as the five-carbon components in (5 + n) cycloadditions can inspire the design of new two-component and multicomponent cycloadditions.

Chemical Synthesis and Biological Application of Modified Oligonucleotides.

RNA plays a myriad of roles in the body including the coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. RNA oligonucleotides have garnered significant interest as therapeutics via antisense oligonucleotides or small interfering RNA strategies for the treatment of diseases ranging from hyperlipidemia, HCV, and others. Additionally, the recently developed CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing strategy also relies on Cas9-associated RNA strands. However, RNA presents numerous challenges as both a synthetic target and a potential therapeutic. RNA is inherently unstable, difficult to deliver into cells, and potentially immunogenic by itself or upon modification. Despite these challenges, with the help of chemically modified oligonucleotides, multiple RNA-based drugs have been approved by the FDA. The progress is made possible due to the nature of chemically modified oligonucleotides bearing advantages of nuclease stability, stronger binding affinity, and some other unique properties. This review will focus on the chemical synthesis of RNA and its modified versions. How chemical modifications of the ribose units and of the phosphatediester backbone address the inherent issues with using native RNA for biological applications will be discussed along the way.

Intermolecular Regio- and Stereoselective Hetero-[5+2] Cycloaddition of Oxidopyrylium Ylides and Cyclic Imines.

We have developed the first intermolecular hetero-[5+2] cycloaddition reaction between oxidopyrylium ylides and cyclic imines with excellent control of regio- and stereoselectivity. Surprisingly, divergent stereochemistry was observed depending on the substitution pattern of the oxidopyrylium ylide. This new reaction provides quick access to highly substituted nitrogen-containing seven-membered rings-azepanes. Notably, a broad range of oxidopyrylium ylides and cyclic imines participate in this novel hetero-[5+2] cycloaddition reaction and the cycloadducts can be readily transformed into the core skeletons of bioactive natural products. DFT calculations revealed that the cycloaddition proceeds through a stepwise pathway and the imine nitrogen atom serves as the nucleophile to initiate the cycloaddition.

S-Adamantyl Group Directed Site-Selective Acylation: Applications in Streamlined Assembly of Oligosaccharides.

The site-selective functionalization of carbohydrates is an active area of research. Reported here is the surprising observation that the sterically encumbered adamantyl group directed site-selective acylation at the C2 position of S-glycosides through dispersion interactions between the adamantyl C-H bonds and the π system of the cationic acylated catalyst, which may have broad implications in many other chemical reactions. Because of their stability, chemical orthogonality, and ease of activation for glycosylation, the site-selective acylation of S-glycosides streamlines oligosaccharide synthesis and will have wide applications in complex carbohydrate synthesis.

Catalytic Site-Selective Acylation of Carbohydrates Directed by Cation-n Interaction.

Site-selective functionalization of hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates is one of the long-standing challenges in chemistry. Using a pair of chiral catalysts, we now can differentiate the most prevalent trans-1,2-diols in pyranoses systematically and predictably. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the key determining factor for the selectivity is the presence or absence of a cation-n interaction between the cation in the acylated catalyst and an appropriate lone pair in the substrate. DFT calculations also provided a predictive model for site-selectivity and this model is validated by various substrates.

Synthesis of Carbazoles and Carbazole-Containing Heterocycles via Rhodium-Catalyzed Tandem Carbonylative Benzannulations.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds are important constituents of pharmaceuticals and other materials. We have developed a series of Rh-catalyzed tandem carbonylative benzannulations for the synthesis of tri-, tetra-, and pentacyclic heterocycles from different types of aryl propargylic alcohols. These tandem reactions provide efficient access to highly substituted carbazoles, furocarbazoles, pyrrolocarbazoles, thiophenocarbazoles, and indolocarbazoles. While tricyclic heterocycles could be derived from vinyl aryl propargylic alcohols, tetra- and pentacyclic heterocycles were synthesized from diaryl propargylic alcohols. The tandem carbonylative benzannulation is initiated by a π-acidic rhodium(I) catalyst-mediated nucleophilic addition to alkyne to generate a key metal-carbene intermediate, which is then trapped by carbon monoxide to form a ketene species for 6π electrocyclization. Overall, three bonds and two rings are formed in all of these tandem carbonylative benzannulation reactions.

Chiral Catalyst-Directed Dynamic Kinetic Diastereoselective Acylation of Lactols for De Novo Synthesis of Carbohydrate.

The control of the stereochemistry at the anomeric position is still one of the major challenges of synthetic carbohydrate chemistry. We have developed a new strategy consisting of a chiral catalyst-directed acylation followed by a palladium-catalyzed glycosidation to achieve high α- and ß-stereoselectivity on the anomeric position. The former process involves a dynamic kinetic diastereoselective acylation of lactols derived from Achmatowicz rearrangement, while the latter is a stereospecific palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation.