Regiodivergent Nucleophilic Fluorination under Hydrogen Bonding Catalysis: A Computational and Experimental Study.

The controlled programming of regiochemical outcomes in nucleophilic fluorination reactions with alkali metal fluoride is a problem yet to be solved. Herein, two synergistic approaches exploiting hydrogen bonding catalysis are presented. First, we demonstrate that modulating the charge density of fluoride with a hydrogen-bond donor urea catalyst directly influences the kinetic regioselectivity in the fluorination of dissymmetric aziridinium salts with aryl and ester substituents. Moreover, we report a urea-catalyzed formal dyotropic rearrangement, a thermodynamically controlled regiochemical editing process consisting of C-F bond scission followed by fluoride rebound. These findings offer a route to access enantioenriched fluoroamine regioisomers from a single chloroamine precursor, and more generally, new opportunities in regiodivergent asymmetric (bis)urea-based organocatalysis.

Asymmetric Azidation under Hydrogen Bonding Phase-Transfer Catalysis: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study.

Asymmetric catalytic azidation has increased in importance to access enantioenriched nitrogen containing molecules, but methods that employ inexpensive sodium azide remain scarce. This encouraged us to undertake a detailed study on the application of hydrogen bonding phase-transfer catalysis (HB-PTC) to enantioselective azidation with sodium azide. So far, this phase-transfer manifold has been applied exclusively to insoluble metal alkali fluorides for carbon-fluorine bond formation. Herein, we disclose the asymmetric ring opening of meso aziridinium electrophiles derived from ß-chloroamines with sodium azide in the presence of a chiral bisurea catalyst. The structure of novel hydrogen bonded azide complexes was analyzed computationally, in the solid state by X-ray diffraction, and in solution phase by 1H and 14N/15N NMR spectroscopy. With N-isopropylated BINAM-derived bisurea, end-on binding of azide in a tripodal fashion to all three NH bonds is energetically favorable, an arrangement reminiscent of the corresponding dynamically more rigid trifurcated hydrogen-bonded fluoride complex. Computational analysis informs that the most stable transition state leading to the major enantiomer displays attack from the hydrogen-bonded end of the azide anion. All three H-bonds are retained in the transition state; however, as seen in asymmetric HB-PTC fluorination, the H-bond between the nucleophile and the monodentate urea lengthens most noticeably along the reaction coordinate. Kinetic studies corroborate with the turnover rate limiting event resulting in a chiral ion pair containing an aziridinium cation and a catalyst-bound azide anion, along with catalyst inhibition incurred by accumulation of NaCl. This study demonstrates that HB-PTC can serve as an activation mode for inorganic salts other than metal alkali fluorides for applications in asymmetric synthesis.

De Novo Synthesis of the DEF-Ring Stereotriad Core of the Veratrum Alkaloids.

The synthesis of the stereotriad core in the eastern portion of the Veratrum alkaloids jervine (1), cyclopamine (2), and veratramine (3) is reported. Starting from a known ß-methyltyrosine derivative (8), the route utilizes a diastereoselective substrate-controlled 1,2-reduction to establish the stereochemistry of the vicinal amino alcohol motif embedded within the targets. Oxidative dearomatization is demonstrated to be a viable approach for the synthesis of the spirocyclic DE ring junction found in jervine and cyclopamine.

Asymmetric Organocatalytic Sulfa-Michael Addition to Enone Diesters.

An asymmetric sulfa-Michael addition of alkyl thiols to enone diesters is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by a bifunctional triaryliminophosphorane-thiourea organocatalyst and provides a range of α-sulfaketones in high yields and enantioselectivities. Leveraging the gem-diester functional handle via a subsequent diastereotopic group discrimination generates functionalized lactones with three contiguous stereocenters.

Diastereoselective Organocatalytic Addition of α-Angelica Lactone to ß-Halo-α-ketoesters.

A quinidine-catalyzed diastereoselective addition of α-angelica lactone to ß-halo-α-ketoesters is reported. The α-angelica lactone displays unusual regioselectivity in this reaction, acting as a nucleophile at the α-position to provide fully substituted glycolic esters with three contiguous stereocenters. Subsequent diastereoselective hydrogenation provides an additional stereocenter within the lactone.

Local Desymmetrization through Diastereotopic Group Selection: An Enabling Strategy for Natural Product Synthesis.

The application of desymmetrization strategies in chemical synthesis has allowed fundamentally new synthetic sequences that efficiently create dense and polyfunctional stereochemical arrays. Enantiotopic group discrimination has become a well-established method of global desymmetrization, while the conceptually unique strategy of local desymmetrization by diastereotopic group discrimination has its own advantages. This microreview focuses on the application of local desymmetrization in natural product synthesis and places a particular emphasis on the efficiency engendered by diastereotopic group discrimination. Local desymmetrization is subdivided into three distinct manifolds; examples under each paradigm are presented and compared.

Phosphazene-catalyzed desymmetrization of cyclohexadienones by dithiane addition.

We report a desymmetrization of cyclohexadienones by intramolecular conjugate addition of a tethered dithiane nucleophile. Mild reaction conditions allow the formation of diversely functionalized fused bicyclic lactones. The products participate in facially selective additions from the convex surface, leading to allylic alcohol derivatives.

A visible-light mediated three-component radical process using dithiocarbamate anion catalysis.

We report a photoinduced three-component radical process, which couples readily available alkyl chlorides, maleimides, and heteroaromatic fragments to rapidly generate complex chiral products with high diastereocontrol. This method generates radicals via an SN2-based photochemical catalytic mechanism, which is not reliant on the redox properties of the precursors. It therefore grants access to open-shell intermediates from substrates that would be incompatible with or inert to classical radical-generating strategies. The redox-neutral conditions of this process make it tolerant of redox-sensitive substrates and allow the installation of multiple biologically relevant heterocycles within the cascade products.

Photochemical generation of radicals from alkyl electrophiles using a nucleophilic organic catalyst.

Chemists extensively use free radical reactivity for applications in organic synthesis, materials science, and life science. Traditionally, generating radicals requires strategies that exploit the bond dissociation energy or the redox properties of the precursors. Here, we disclose a photochemical catalytic approach that harnesses different physical properties of the substrate to form carbon radicals. We use a nucleophilic dithiocarbamate anion catalyst, adorned with a well-tailored chromophoric unit, to activate alkyl electrophiles via an SN2 pathway. The resulting photon-absorbing intermediate affords radicals upon homolytic cleavage induced by visible light. This catalytic SN2-based strategy, which exploits a fundamental mechanistic process of ionic chemistry, grants access to open-shell intermediates from a variety of substrates that would be incompatible with or inert to classical radical-generating strategies. We also describe how the method's mild reaction conditions and high functional group tolerance could be advantageous for developing C-C bond-forming reactions, for streamlining the preparation of a marketed drug, for the late-stage elaboration of biorelevant compounds and for enantioselective radical catalysis.

Enantio- and Diastereoselective Organocatalytic Conjugate Additions of Nitroalkanes to Enone Diesters.

Enantio- and diastereoselective conjugate addition reactions between nitroethane or nitropropane and enone diesters are reported. A bifunctional triaryliminophosphorane catalyzed the addition reaction with consistently excellent stereoselectivities and yields across a wide range of substrates. By the use of the gem-diester functional handle present in the adducts, local desymmetrization via diastereotopic group discrimination was demonstrated, and a polyfunctionalized lactam with three contiguous stereocenters was synthesized.

Asymmetric Organocatalytic Reductive Coupling Reactions between Benzylidene Pyruvates and Aldehydes.

An organocatalytic three-component reductive coupling reaction between dimethyl phosphite, benzylidene pyruvates, and aldehydes is reported. A chiral triaryliminophosphorane catalyst promotes Pudovik addition, which is followed by phospha-Brook rearrangement to transiently generate enolates that are trapped stereoselectively by aldehydes. This reductive coupling provides vicinal polyfunctionalized stereocenters from readily available prochiral starting materials with excellent diastereoselectivity, enantioselectivity, and yield.

Enantioselective reductive multicomponent coupling reactions between isatins and aldehydes.

A metal-free stereoselective reductive coupling reaction between isatins and aldehydes is reported. The reaction relies on commercial diethyl phosphite (∼€70 kg-1) as the stoichiometric reductant. Base-catalyzed Pudovik addition and phosphonate/phosphate rearrangement achieved polarity inversion on the isatin, and the derived carbanions were trapped by aldehydes with subsequent dialkoxyphosphinyl migration. Chiral iminophosphoranes were used as basic catalysts to achieve high diastereo- and enantioselectivities with excellent yields.