Pd-Catalyzed umpolung asymmetric allylic alkylation of hydrazones to vicinal tertiary and quaternary chiral carbon centers.

Diastereo- and enantioselective construction of vicinal tertiary and quaternary carbon centers is a great challenge in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we report a facile and efficient protocol to construct vicinal tertiary and quaternary chiral carbon centers in high yields with high regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivities via Pd-catalyzed umpolung asymmetric allylic alkylation of hydrazones with monosubstituted allyl reagents by using Kündig-type chiral N-heterocyclic carbene as the ligand. The control experiments revealed that the reaction proceeds via the inner-sphere mechanism.

Regio- and enantioselective umpolung gem-difluoroallylation of hydrazones via palladium catalysis enabled by N-heterocyclic carbene ligand.

The enantioselective construction of C-CF2R (R: alkyl or fluoroalkyl) bonds has attracted the attention of synthetic chemists because of the importance of chiral fluorinated compounds in life and materials sciences. Catalytic asymmetric fluoroalkylation has mainly been realized under organocatalysis and Lewis acid catalysis, with substrates limited to carbonyl compounds. Few examples using transition-metal catalysis exist, owing to side reactions including decomposition and isomerization of fluoroalkylating reagents. Herein we report umpolung asymmetric difluoroallylation of hydrazones with 3-bromo-3,3-difluoropropene (BDFP) under palladium catalysis. Difluoroallylation products having quaternary chiral carbon centers are afforded in good yields with high α/γ- and enantioselectivities. The usefulness of the reaction products is demonstrated and an inner-sphere mechanism of the reaction is proposed. The use of chiral N-heterocyclic carbene as ligand is the key for the selectivities as well as the productivity of the reaction.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Decarboxylative [4+2] Dipolar Cycloaddition of 4-Vinyl-1,3-dioxan-2-ones with α,ß-Disubstituted Nitroalkenes Enabled by a Benzylic Substituted P,N-Ligand.

The Pd-catalyzed asymmetric [4+2] cycloaddition reaction of an aliphatic 1,4-dipole with singly activated electron-deficient alkenes is realized for the first time, enabled by using a newly developed benzylic substituted P,N-ligand, affording tetrahydropyrans having three continuous chiral centers in high yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The rational transition states of the reaction as well as the role of the benzylic chiral center are proposed.

Pd-catalyzed enantioselective cyclopropanation of nitriles with mono substituted allyl carbonates enabled by the bulky N-heterocyclic carbene ligand.

A highly efficient catalyst for Pd-catalyzed cyclopropanation was developed using a bulkier N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, with which the nitriles reacted with mono substituted allyl reagents to afford cyclopropanes in high yields with high cyclopropanation/allylation and enantioselectivities. The reasons for cyclopropanation were investigated and the usefulness of the products was demonstrated.

Electron-Deficient Alkynes as Dipolarophile in Pd-Catalyzed Enantioselective (3 + 2) Cycloaddition Reaction with Vinyl Cyclopropanes.

The activated alkynes have been used successfully for the first time as the dipolarophile in the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric (3 + 2) cycloaddition, affording highly functionalized cyclopentenes in good to high yields with high chemoselectivities and good to high enantioselectivities. The introduction of an additional carbonyl group at the α-position of the alkynyl esters is the key to activating the carbon-carbon triple bond. The reaction process was investigated, and an inverse process of Pd-catalyzed (3 + 2) cycloaddition was observed.

Trisubstituted alkenes with a single activator as dipolarophiles in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective [3+2] cycloaddition with vinyl epoxides under Pd-catalysis.

1,1,2-Trisubstituted alkenes with a single strongly electronic withdrawing activator, which are unreactive electron-deficient alkenes in transition metal-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition with vinyl three-membered heterocycles, were used in the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric cycloaddition of vinyl epoxides, affording multifunctionalized tetrahydrofurans in high yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation of Alkyl-Substituted Allyl Reagents with Acyclic Amides.

A wide range of alkyl-substituted allyl reagents, as well as nonstabilized carbon nucleophiles, was successfully used for the first time in the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction, affording the corresponding allylic alkylated products in high yields with high enantioselectivities. The usefulness of the protocol has been demonstrated by the enantioselective synthesis of an important chiral building block and enantiomer of Dubiusamine A.