Stereoselective Iridium-N,P-Catalyzed Double Hydrogenation of Conjugated Enones to Saturated Alcohols.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral substrates such as ketones and olefins constitutes an important instrument for the construction of stereogenic centers, and a multitude of catalytic systems have been developed for this purpose. However, due to the different nature of the π-system, the hydrogenation of olefins and ketones is normally catalyzed by different metal complexes. Herein, a study on the effect of additives on the Ir-N,P-catalyzed hydrogenation of enones is described. The combination of benzamide and the development of a reactive catalyst unlocked a novel reactivity mode of Crabtree-type complexes toward C═O bond hydrogenation. The role of benzamide is suggested to extend the lifetime of the dihydridic iridium intermediate, which is prone to undergo irreversible trimerization, deactivating the catalyst. This unique reactivity is then coupled with C═C bond hydrogenation for the facile installation of two contiguous stereogenic centers in high yield and stereoselectivity (up to 99% ee, 99/1 d.r.) resulting in a highly stereoselective reduction of enones.

Combined Theoretical and Experimental Studies Unravel Multiple Pathways to Convergent Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Enamides.

We present a highly efficient convergent asymmetric hydrogenation of E/Z mixtures of enamides catalyzed by N,P-iridium complexes supported by mechanistic studies. It was found that reduction of the olefinic isomers (E and Z geometries) produces chiral amides with the same absolute configuration (enantioconvergent hydrogenation). This allowed the hydrogenation of a wide range of E/Z mixtures of trisubstituted enamides with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). A detailed mechanistic study using deuterium labeling and kinetic experiments revealed two different pathways for the observed enantioconvergence. For α-aryl enamides, fast isomerization of the double bond takes place, and the overall process results in kinetic resolution of the two isomers. For α-alkyl enamides, no double bond isomerization is detected, and competition experiments suggested that substrate chelation is responsible for the enantioconvergent stereochemical outcome. DFT calculations were performed to predict the correct absolute configuration of the products and strengthen the proposed mechanism of the iridium-catalyzed isomerization pathway.

Highly Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Conjugated Trisubstituted Enones.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of conjugated enones is one of the most efficient and straightforward methods to prepare optically active ketones. In this study, chiral bidentate Ir-N,P complexes were utilized to access these scaffolds for ketones bearing the stereogenic center at both the α- and ß-positions. Excellent enantiomeric excesses, of up to 99%, were obtained, accompanied with good to high isolated yields. Challenging dialkyl substituted substrates, which are difficult to hydrogenate with satisfactory chiral induction, were hydrogenated in a highly enantioselective fashion.

Cationic NHC-Phosphine Iridium Complexes: Highly Active Catalysts for Base-Free Hydrogenation of Ketones.

Novel bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene-phosphine iridium complexes have been synthesized and evaluated in the hydrogenation of ketones. Reported catalytic systems require base additives and, if excluded, need elevated temperature or high pressure of hydrogen gas to achieve satisfactory reactivity. The developed catalysts showed extremely high reactivity and good enantioselectivity under base-free and mild conditions. In the presence of 1 mol % catalyst under 1 bar hydrogen pressure at room temperature, hydrogenation was complete in 30 minutes giving up to 96 % ee. Again, this high reactivity was achieved in additive-free conditions. Mechanistic experiments demonstrated that balloon pressure of hydrogen was sufficient to form the activate species by reducing and eliminating the 1,5-cyclooctadiene ligand. The pre-activated catalyst was able to hydrogenate acetophenone with 89 % conversion in 5 min.

Stereodivergent Synthesis of Trisubstituted Enamides: Direct Access to Both Pure Geometrical Isomers.

A stereodivergent strategy has been developed to access either (E)- or (Z)-isomers of trisubstituted enamides. Starting from an extensive range of ketones, it was possible to synthesize and isolate the desired pure isomer by switching the reaction conditions. Lewis acid activation enables the formation of the (E)-isomers in high stereoselectivity (>90:10) and good yields. On the other hand, the use of a Brønsted acid allows the preparation of the (Z)-isomers, again in high selectivity (up to 99:1), with moderate yields.

Tandem Peterson olefination and chemoselective asymmetric hydrogenation of ß-hydroxy silanes.

Here, we report the first Ir-N,P complex catalyzed tandem Peterson olefination and asymmetric hydrogenation of ß-hydroxy silanes. This reaction resulted in the formation of chiral alkanes in high isolated yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under mild conditions. Modification of the reaction conditions provides a choice to transform either an olefin or the ß-hydroxy silane in a chemoselective manner. Additionally, based on this method, an expedient enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(+)-α-curcumene, from a simple ketone, was accomplished in two steps with 75% overall yield and 95% ee.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (-)-Juvabione via Sequential Ir-Catalyzed Hydrogenations.

(-)-Juvabione, a natural sesquiterpene exhibiting juvenile insect hormone activity, was synthesized constructing the two adjacent stereogenic centers via sequential Ir-catalyzed hydrogenations. The first center is generated by hydrogenation of a styrene-type double bond (99% ee). The successive monohydrogenation of a diene intermediate constitutes the key step, granting high levels of regio- and stereocontrol (94:6 dr). This novel strategy allowed the preparation of (-)-juvabione from simple starting materials in 9 steps and 17% total yield.

Regioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Monohydrogenation of 1,4-Dienes.

A highly efficient regio- and enantioselective monohydrogenation of 1,4-dienes has been realized using an iridium catalyst with a chiral N,P-ligand under mild conditions. The substrate scope was studied and included both unfunctionalized as well as functionalized substituents on the meta- or para-position. Substrates having substituents with functionalities such as silyl protected alcohols or ketals were monohydrogenated in high regioselectivity and high enantiomeric excess (up to 98% ee).

Synthesis of isocryptolepine analogues and their structure-activity relationship studies as antiplasmodial and antiproliferative agents.

Novel isocryptolepine analogues have been conveniently synthesized and evaluated for antimalarial and antiproliferative activities. We have found 3-fluoro-8-bromo-isocryptolepine (1n) to have the highest activities against chloroquine-resistant K1, chloroquine-sensitive 3D7, and chloroquine- and mefloquine-resistant SKF58 and SRIV35 strains. Several fluorine-substituted analogues (1b, 1n, and 1q) also showed excellent selectivities while maintaining good to excellent activities against all four Plasmodium falciparum strains. Additionally, antiproliferative properties of isocryptolepine derivatives against HepG2, HuCCA-1, MOLT-3 and A549 cancer cell lines are reported for the first time in this study. 2-Chloroisocryptolepine (1c) and benzo-fused-2-chloroisocryptolepine (1i) showed significant bioactivities whereas several novel fluorinated compounds and 2-chloro-8-bromoisocryptolepine (1f) displayed excellent selectivities.

A new synthetic approach to 6-unsubstituted phenanthridine and phenanthridine-like compounds under mild and metal-free conditions.

A new and mild synthetic approach for the synthesis of 6-unsubstituted phenanthridine and phenanthridine-like compounds under metal-free conditions at room temperature has been developed. The strategy involved a tandem azide rearrangement/intramolecular annulation and oxidation reactions of biarylmethyl azide precursors to obtain the desired products in up to 99% yields with high regioselectivity.