Iron-Catalyzed Highly Enantioselective Addition of Silyl Enol Ethers to α,ß-Unsaturated 2-Acyl Imidazoles.

A chiral FeII(N4) complex (N4 = (R,R)-N,N'-bis(2-isopropylquinolin-8-yl)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine) was developed for the asymmetric conjugate addition of silyl enol ethers, including both acyclic ones and cyclohexenone-derived ones, to α,ß-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles. This FeII complex is an effective chiral Lewis acid and was applied in the synthesis of an array of chiral 1,5-dicarbonyl synthons and cyclohexenone derivatives with high yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee).

Photoinduced Palladium-Catalyzed Intermolecular Radical Cascade Cyclization of N-Arylacrylamides with Unactivated Alkyl Bromides.

A mild visible-light-induced Pd-catalyzed intermolecular radical cascade reaction of N-arylacrylamides with unactivated alkyl bromides is disclosed. Photoexcited Pd complexes transfer a single electron in this protocol, and hybrid alkyl Pd-radical species are involved as the key reaction intermediates. Sophisticated bioactive oxindole derivatives bearing various substituents and substitution patterns can be efficiently afforded through this approach.

Iron-Catalyzed Highly Enantioselective cis-Dihydroxylation of Trisubstituted Alkenes with Aqueous H2 O2.

Reliable methods for enantioselective cis-dihydroxylation of trisubstituted alkenes are scarce. The iron(II) complex cis-α-[FeII (2-Me2 -BQPN)(OTf)2 ], which bears a tetradentate N4 ligand (Me2 -BQPN=(R,R)-N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-methylquinolin-8-yl)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine), was prepared and characterized. With this complex as the catalyst, a broad range of trisubstituted electron-deficient alkenes were efficiently oxidized to chiral cis-diols in yields of up to 98 % and up to 99.9 % ee when using hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) as oxidant under mild conditions. Experimental studies (including 18 O-labeling, ESI-MS, NMR, EPR, and UV/Vis analyses) and DFT calculations were performed to gain mechanistic insight, which suggested possible involvement of a chiral cis-FeV (O)2 reaction intermediate as an active oxidant. This cis-[FeII (chiral N4 ligand)]2+ /H2 O2 method could be a viable green alternative/complement to the existing OsO4 -based methods for asymmetric alkene dihydroxylation reactions.

Chiral cis-iron(ii) complexes with metal- and ligand-centered chirality for highly regio- and enantioselective alkylation of N-heteroaromatics.

Iron-catalyzed highly regio- and enantioselective organic transformations with generality and broad substrate scope have profound applications in modern synthetic chemistry; an example is herein described based on cis-FeII complexes having metal- and ligand-centered chirality. The cis-ß FeII(N4) complex [FeII(L)(OTf)2] (L = N,N'-bis(2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta-[b]quinoline-5-yl)-N,N'-dimethylcyclohexane-1,2-diamine) is an effective chiral catalyst for highly regio- and enantioselective alkylation of N-heteroaromatics with α,ß-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles, including asymmetric N1, C2, C3 alkylations of a broad range of indoles (34 examples) and alkylation of pyrroles and anilines (14 examples), all with high product yields (up to 98%), high enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee) and high regioselectivity. DFT calculations revealed that the "chiral-at-metal" cis-ß configuration of the iron complex and a secondary π-π interaction are responsible for the high enantioselectivity.

Highly Enantioselective Iron-Catalyzed cis-Dihydroxylation of Alkenes with Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidant via an Fe(III) -OOH Reactive Intermediate.

The development of environmentally benign catalysts for highly enantioselective asymmetric cis-dihydroxylation (AD) of alkenes with broad substrate scope remains a challenge. By employing [Fe(II) (L)(OTf)2 ] (L=N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-methyl-8-quinolyl)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine) as a catalyst, cis-diols in up to 99.8 % ee with 85 % isolated yield have been achieved in AD of alkenes with H2 O2 as an oxidant and alkenes in a limiting amount. This "[Fe(II) (L)(OTf)2 ]+H2 O2 " method is applicable to both (E)-alkenes and terminal alkenes (24 examples >80 % ee, up to 1 g scale). Mechanistic studies, including (18) O-labeling, UV/Vis, EPR, ESI-MS analyses, and DFT calculations lend evidence for the involvement of chiral Fe(III) -OOH active species in enantioselective formation of the two C-O bonds.

Ruthenium-porphyrin-catalyzed diastereoselective intramolecular alkyl carbene insertion into C-H bonds of alkyl diazomethanes generated in situ from N-tosylhydrazones.

With a ruthenium-porphyrin catalyst, alkyl diazomethanes generated in situ from N-tosylhydrazones efficiently underwent intramolecular C(sp(3))-H insertion of an alkyl carbene to give substituted tetrahydrofurans and pyrrolidines in up to 99% yield and with up to 99:1 cis selectivity. The reaction displays good tolerance of many functionalities, and the procedure is simple without the need for slow addition with a syringe pump. From a synthetic point of view, the C-H insertion of N-tosylhydrazones can be viewed as reductive coupling between a C=O bond and a C-H bond to form a new C-C bond, since N-tosylhydrazones can be readily prepared from carbonyl compounds. This reaction was successfully applied in a concise synthesis of (±)-pseudoheliotridane.

Ruthenium porphyrin catalyzed diimination of indoles with aryl azides as the nitrene source.

By using [Ru(TTP)CO] [H2TTP = meso-tetrakis(4-tolyl)porphyrin] as catalyst and aryl azides as the nitrene source, the sp(2)(C-H) bonds of a series of indoles undergo oxidative C-N bond formation to give unique 2,3-diimination products in good to high yields.

[Ru(IV)(F20-TPP)Cl2] efficiently catalysed inter- and intra-molecular nitrene insertion into sp3 C-H bonds of hydrocarbons using phosphoryl azides as nitrene sources.

[Ru(IV)(F20-TPP)Cl2][H2(F20-TPP) = meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin] is an active catalyst for both inter- and intra-molecular nitrene insertion into sp(3) C-H bonds of hydrocarbons in good to high product yields using phosphoryl azides as nitrene sources.

Dirhodium carboxylates catalyzed enantioselective coupling reactions of α-diazophosphonates, anilines, and electron-deficient aldehydes.

Chiral dirhodium carboxylate complexes ([Rh(2)(S-PTAD)(4)] or [Rh(2)(S-PTTL)(4)]) efficiently catalyze asymmetric three-component coupling reactions of α-diazophosphonates, anilines, and electron-deficient aldehydes to give α-amino-ß-hydroxyphosphonates. The high level of enantiocontrol provides evidence for the intermediacy of metal-bound ammonium ylide in the product-forming step.

[Fe(F(20)TPP)Cl] catalyzed intramolecular C-N bond formation for alkaloid synthesis using aryl azides as nitrogen source.

The syntheses of alkaloids including indoles, indolines, tetrahydroquinolines, dihydroquinazolinones and quinazolinones have been accomplished in moderate to excellent yields via [Fe(F(20)TPP)Cl] catalyzed intramolecular C-N bond formation using aryl azides as nitrogen source.