Magic Blue-Initiated SN2-Type Ring Opening of Activated Aziridines: Friedel-Crafts-Type Alkylation of Electron-Rich Arenes/Heteroarenes.

A transition metal-free, atom-economical, and highly stereospecific synthetic approach to Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of arenes/heteroarenes has been developed. The protocol involves the catalytic aminium radical-cation salt (Magic Blue)-initiated SN2-type nucleophilic ring opening of activated aziridines with arenes/heteroarenes to give the corresponding 2,2-diarylethylamines up to 99% yield and 85% ee (for nonracemic aziridines) in a very short reaction time. Moreover, on reaction with 1,3-dimethylindole and benzofuran, aziridines undergo domino-ring-opening cyclization (DROC) to give the various biologically significant heterocyclic scaffolds in moderate to good yields.

A Synthetic Route to Tetrahydro-1H-azepino[4,3,2-cd]indoles via Ring-Opening Cyclization of Activated Azetidines with 4-Bromoindole: Toward a Vasopressin V2 Receptor Antagonist.

A simple one-pot, two-step strategy for the synthesis of tetrahydro-1H-azepino[4,3,2-cd]indoles via Lewis acid-catalyzed SN2-type ring opening of activated azetidines with 4-bromoindole, followed by a Pd-catalyzed intramolecular C-N cyclization reaction, with good to excellent yields is described. Utilizing this protocol, the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist precursor has been synthesized easily. Enantioenriched tetrahydro-1H-azepino[4,3,2-cd]indoles were obtained by starting from enantiopure azetidine.

Catalytic Aminium Radical-Cation Salt (Magic Blue)-Initiated SN2-Type Nucleophilic Ring-Opening Transformations of Aziridines.

A simple and atom economic protocol for the construction of C-X/C-C bonds via catalytic aminium radical-cation salt (Magic Blue)-initiated SN2-type nucleophilic ring-opening transformations of racemic and nonracemic aziridines with different hetero and carbon nucleophiles to afford various amino ethers, thioethers, and amines in up to 99% yield, and with perfect enantiospecificity for some substrates but reduced ee with others (for nonracemic aziridines), is developed. This aminium radical-cation salt-initiated, SN2-type nucleophilic ring-opening strategy, along with various cyclization protocols, is employed to synthesize various biologically significant compounds.

Ring-Opening Cyclization (ROC) of Aziridines with Propargyl Alcohols: Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydro-2H-1,4-oxazines.

Activated aziridines react with propargyl alcohols in the presence of Zn(OTf)2 as the Lewis acid catalyst following an SN2-type ring-opening mechanism to furnish the corresponding amino ether derivatives. Those amino ethers further undergo intramolecular hydroamination via 6-exo-dig cyclization in the presence of Zn(OTf)2 as the catalyst and tetrabutylammonium triflate salt as an additive under one-pot two-step reaction conditions. However, for nonracemic examples, ring-opening and cyclization steps were conducted under two-pot conditions. The reaction works well without any additional solvents. The final 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-oxazine products were obtained with 13 to 84% yield and 78 to 98% enantiomeric excess (for nonracemic examples).

Stereoselective Syntheses of Highly Functionalized Imidazolidines and Oxazolidines via Ring-Opening Cyclization of Activated Aziridines and Epoxides with Amines and Aldehydes.

A mild one-pot stereospecific synthetic route to highly functionalized imidazolidines and oxazolidines via SN2-type ring-opening of the corresponding activated aziridines and epoxides with amines followed by p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA)-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization with aldehydes has been developed. The methodology tolerates a variety of functional groups and furnishes the desired products in high yields (up to 92%) with excellent stereoselectivities (de, ee > 99%). Interestingly, imidazolidines were formed as the cis-isomers, whereas oxazolidines were produced as trans-isomers exclusively.

A synthetic route to 1,4-disubstituted tetrahydro-ß-carbolines and tetrahydropyranoindoles via ring-opening/Pictet-Spengler reaction of aziridines and epoxides with indoles/aldehydes.

A simple and efficient synthetic route to various 1,4-disubstituted tetrahydro-ß-carbolines and tetrahydropyrano[3,4-b]indoles in high yields and stereoselectivity via LiClO4-catalyzed SN2-type ring opening of aziridines and epoxides with indoles followed by p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) catalyzed Pictet-Spengler reaction is described.

Stereospecific Synthesis of Highly Substituted Piperazines via an One-Pot Three Component Ring-Opening Cyclization from N-Activated Aziridines, Anilines, and Propargyl Carbonates.

A simple and efficient one-pot three-component synthetic route to highly substituted and functionalizable piperazines in high yields with excellent stereoselectivity (de, ee >99%) is reported. The SN2-type ring-opening of N-activated aziridines by anilines followed by Pd-catalyzed annulation with propargyl carbonates gives rise to the final piperazine products.

Stereospecific Syntheses of Enaminonitriles and ß-Enaminoesters via Domino Ring-Opening Cyclization (DROC) of Activated Cyclopropanes with Pronucleophilic Malononitriles.

Two novel synthetic protocols for the syntheses of highly functionalized five-membered carbocyclic enaminonitriles and ß-enaminoesters have been developed via domino ring-opening cyclization (DROC) and DROC/decarboxylative tautomerization of activated cyclopropanes with malononitrile pronucleophiles, respectively. Both of the efficient strategies (yield up to 93%) have been generalized with various donor-acceptor and acceptor cyclopropanes as well as with malononitrile derivatives. The stereospecific variants of the two SN2-type DROC strategies have also been developed by employing enantiopure donor-acceptor (DA) cyclopropanes to synthesize the corresponding nonracemic products with excellent stereoselectivities (dr up to >99:1, ee up to >99%).

Synthesis of Nonracemic 1,4-Benzoxazines via Ring Opening/Cyclization of Activated Aziridines with 2-Halophenols: Formal Synthesis of Levofloxacin.

Novel 3,4-dihydro-1,4-benzoxazine derivatives have been synthesized by an efficient and simple method in excellent enantio- and diastereospecificity (ee > 99%, de > 99%). The reaction proceeds via Lewis acid-catalyzed SN2-type ring opening of activated aziridines with 2-halophenols followed by Cu(I)-catalyzed intramolecular C-N cyclization in a stepwise fashion under one-pot conditions to furnish the 3,4-dihydro-1,4-benzoxazine derivatives in excellent yields (up to 95%). The strategy offers a short and efficient synthesis to ( S)-3-methyl-1,4-benzoxazine ( S)-3v, a late stage intermediate in the synthesis of levofloxacin.

Stereoselective Construction of Pyrazinoindoles and Oxazinoindoles via Ring-Opening/Pictet-Spengler Reaction of Aziridines and Epoxides with 3-Methylindoles and Carbonyls.

A highly efficient and stereoselective route to access 1,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2- a]indoles and 3,4-dihydro-1H-[1,4]oxazino[4,3- a]indoles with excellent stereoselectivity (de, ee >99%) via base mediated ring opening of aziridines/epoxides with 3-methylindoles followed by BF3·OEt2 catalyzed Pictet-Spengler reaction is accomplished. Interestingly, PTSA promoted cyclization led to the formation of oxidized 3,4-dihydropyrazino[1,2- a]indoles in excellent yields via an unprecedented Pictet-Spengler-detosylation cascade.

Memory of Chirality Concept in Asymmetric Intermolecular Michael Addition of α-Amino Ester Enolates to Enones and Nitroalkenes.

A highly stereoselective asymmetric intermolecular conjugate addition of α-amino ester derivatives to cyclic enones via the memory of chirality (MOC) concept in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity (dr >99:1, up to 99% ee) is reported. The applicability and the generality of the strategy was demonstrated by its further exploration to acyclic α,ß-unsaturated ketone and aromatic nitroalkenes, resulting in the formation of δ-keto-α-amino ester derivative and γ-nitro-α-amino ester derivatives, respectively, with excellent ee and dr.

Temperature-modulated diastereoselective transformations of 2-vinylindoles to tetrahydrocarbazoles and tetrahydrocycloheptadiindoles.

Direct and expedient access to densely substituted tetrahydrocarbazoles and tetrahydrocycloheptadiindoles bearing multiple contiguous stereocentres has been achieved via a two-fold divergent diastereoselective (dr up to >99 : 1) transformation of 2-vinylindoles. The high-yielding conversions (yield up to 87%) that are amenable for a wide range of substituted 2-vinylindoles proceed through Lewis acid-catalyzed [4 + 2] and [4 + 3] cyclization-aromatization cascade reactions, respectively, involving a heretofore-unprecedented reversal of the polarity (umpolung) of 2-vinylindoles. The two synthetic routes are effortlessly transposable into each other by merely modulating the temperature to furnish the corresponding products in a selective and exclusive fashion. In addition, another novel synthetic route to tetrahydroindolocarbazoles has been developed that advances via a formal [4 + 2] cyclization of 4-vinylindoles involving sequential C3 Michael addition-dearomatization-aromatization cascade reactions.

A Stereoselective Route to Tetrahydrobenzoxazepines and Tetrahydrobenzodiazepines via Ring-Opening and Aza-Michael Addition of Activated Aziridines with 2-Hydroxyphenyl and 2-Aminophenyl Acrylates.

A simple and efficient synthetic route to 2,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenzoxazepines and -benzodiazepines bearing easily functionalizable appendages has been developed by ring-opening of activated aziridines with 2-hydroxyphenyl acrylates and 2-aminophenyl acrylate, respectively, and subsequent intramolecular C-N bond formation through palladium-catalyzed aza-Michael reaction. The straightforward synthetic approach delivers the desired molecular scaffolds in high yields (up to 82%) with excellent stereoselectivity (ee up to 94%).

Domino Ring-Opening Cyclization of Activated Aziridines with Indoles: Synthesis of Chiral Hexahydropyrroloindoles.

A highly enantioselective synthetic route to hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles via Lewis acid-catalyzed SN2-type ring opening of activated aziridines with indoles having substitutions at 3- and other positions followed by cyclization in a domino fashion has been developed. Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles have been detosylated in the same pot to afford the corresponding products with free NH group in excellent yields (up to 95%) and enantioselectivity (up to >99%).

A Synthetic Route to Chiral 1,4-Disubstituted Tetrahydro-ß-Carbolines via Domino Ring-Opening Cyclization of Activated Aziridines with 2-Vinylindoles.

A simple and efficient strategy for the synthesis of various 1,4-disubstituted tetrahydro-ß-carbolines with excellent stereoselectivity (de, ee up to >99%) via domino ring opening cyclization (DROC) of activated aziridines with 2-vinylindoles is described. The reaction proceeds through LiClO4-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of 2-vinylindoles with activated aziridines followed by an intramolecular aza-Michael reaction in a domino fashion.

A Synthetic Route to Chiral Tetrahydropyrroloindoles via Ring Opening of Activated Aziridines with 2-Bromoindoles Followed by Copper-Catalyzed C-N Cyclization.

A new synthetic route to nonracemic tetrahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles has been developed via SN2-type ring opening of enantiopure N-activated aziridines with 2-bromoindoles followed by copper-catalyzed C-N cyclization. A series of N-activated aziridines and 2-bromoindole derivatives with different substitution patterns were studied to afford the corresponding tetrahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles in good yields and excellent ee (up to 99%). Highly substituted tetrahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole was synthesized as a single stereoisomer (de, ee >99%) from enantiopure trans-disubstituted aziridine.

Stereospecific Synthesis of 2-Iminothiazolidines via Domino Ring-Opening Cyclization of Activated Aziridines with Aryl- and Alkyl Isothiocyanates.

Lewis acid catalyzed domino ring-opening cyclization of activated aziridines with aryl and alkyl isothiocyanates has been accomplished leading to the formation of a wide variety of highly substituted and functionalized 2-iminothiazolidines with excellent diastereo- and enantiospecificity (de, ee up to >99%). The reaction proceeds via a Lewis acid catalyzed SN2-type ring-opening of the activated aziridine followed by a concomitant 5-exo-dig cyclization in a domino fashion to furnish the 2-iminothiazolidine derivative in excellent yields (up to 99%).

Domino Michael-Michael and Aldol-Aldol Reactions: Diastereoselective Synthesis of Functionalized Cyclohexanone Derivatives Containing Quaternary Carbon Center.

A simple strategy for the synthesis of highly functionalized cyclohexanone derivatives containing an all-carbon quaternary center from α-(aryl/alkyl)methylidene-ß-keto esters or ß-diketones via a K-enolate mediated domino Michael-Michael reaction sequence with moderate to good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity (de > 99%) is described. Interestingly, Li-base mediated reaction of α-arylmethylidene-ß-diketones affords functionalized 3,5-dihydroxy cyclohexane derivatives as the kinetically controlled products via a domino aldol-aldol reaction sequence with excellent diastereoselectivity. Li-enolates of the ß-keto esters or ß-diketones undergo facile domino Michael-Michael reaction with nitro-olefins to afford the corresponding nitrocyclohexane derivatives in good yields and excellent diastereoselectivity (de > 99%). The formation of the products and the observed stereoselectivity were explained by plausible mechanisms and supported by extensive computational study. An asymmetric version of the protocol was explored with (L)-menthol derived nonracemic substrates, and the corresponding nonracemic cyclohexanone derivatives containing an all-carbon quaternary center were obtained with excellent stereoselectivity (de, ee > 99%).

A Synthetic Route to 2-Alkyl Indoles via Thiophenol-Mediated Ring-Opening of N-Tosylaziridines Followed by Copper Powder-Mediated C-N Cyclization/Aromatization.

A simple strategy for the syntheses of 2-alkyl indoles via regioselective ring-opening of 2-(2-haloaryl)-3-alkyl-N-tosylaziridines with thiophenol, followed by copper powder-mediated intramolecular C-N cyclization and subsequent aromatization by the elimination of thiophenol, with good yields is described. Utilizing this protocol, 2-carboxyindole has been synthesized easily.

Stereoselective synthesis of activated 2-arylazetidines via imino-aldol reaction.

A simple and efficient synthetic route to substituted N-sulfinyl and N-sulfonyl azetidines is described involving imino-aldol reaction of ester enolates with racemic and non-racemic aldimines for obtaining ß-amino esters as a key step. These ß-amino esters on subsequent reduction followed by TsCl/KOH mediated cyclization produced the corresponding racemic and non-racemic azetidines with high yield and stereoselectivity.