Asymmetric Synthesis of Propargylic α-Stereogenic Tertiary Amines by Reductive Alkynylation of Tertiary Amides Using Ir/Cu Tandem Catalysis.

The development of an asymmetric protocol for the reductive alkynylation of amides to access important α-stereogenic tertiary propargylic amines is reported using a tandem Ir-catalyzed hydrosilylation/enantioselective Cu-catalyzed alkynylation. The reaction utilizes a Cu/PyBox catalyst system in the alkynylation step to achieve asymmetry and affords excellent yields with moderate to good levels of enantiocontrol while employing low Ir-catalyst loadings (0.5 mol %).

Access to Chiral Diamine Derivatives through Stereoselective Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Imines and Allenamides.

Chiral 1,2-diamino compounds are important building blocks in organic chemistry for biological applications and as asymmetric inducers in stereoselective synthesis that are challenging to prepare in a straightforward and stereoselective manner. Herein, we disclose a cost-effective and readily available Cu-catalyzed system for the reductive coupling of a chiral allenamide with N-alkyl substituted aldimines to access chiral 1,2-diamino synthons as single stereoisomers in high yields. The method shows broad reaction scope and high diastereoselectivity and can be easily scaled using standard Schlenk techniques. Mechanistic investigations by density functional theory calculations identified the mechanism and origin of stereoselectivity. In particular, the addition to the imine was shown to be reversible, which has implications toward development of catalyst-controlled stereoselective variants of the identified reductive coupling of imines and allenamides.

Practical and Scalable Two-Step Process for 6-(2-Fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-oxa-6-azaspiro[3.3]heptane: A Key Intermediate of the Potent Antibiotic Drug Candidate TBI-223.

A low-cost, protecting group-free route to 6-(2-fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-oxa-6-azaspiro[3.3]heptane (1), the starting material for the in-development tuberculosis treatment TBI-223, is described. The key bond forming step in this route is the creation of the azetidine ring through a hydroxide-facilitated alkylation of 2-fluoro-4-nitroaniline (2) with 3,3-bis(bromomethyl)oxetane (BBMO, 3). After optimization, this ring formation reaction was demonstrated at 100 g scale with isolated yield of 87% and final product purity of >99%. The alkylating agent 3 was synthesized using an optimized procedure that starts from tribromoneopentyl alcohol (TBNPA, 4), a commercially available flame retardant. Treatment of 4 with sodium hydroxide under Schotten-Baumann conditions closed the oxetane ring, and after distillation, 3 was recovered in 72% yield and >95% purity. This new approach to compound 1 avoids the previous drawbacks associated with the synthesis of 2-oxa-6-azaspiro[3,3]heptane (5), the major cost driver used in previous routes to TBI-223. The optimization and multigram scale-up results for this new route are reported herein.

Development of a Practical Synthesis of the 8-FDC Fragment of OPC-167832.

A concise and practical synthesis has been developed to provide the 8-fluoro-5-hydroxy-3,4-diydrocarbostyril (8-FDC) fragment of OPC-167832 in 41% yield and in >99% purity over four steps from 3-amino-4-fluorophenol. The key feature of this process is the development of a telescoped one-pot synthesis of the quinolone via a chemoselective amidation/acid-induced cyclization that allows for simple product isolation without the need for column chromatography.

Expanding Access to Remdesivir via an Improved Pyrrolotriazine Synthesis: Supply Centered Synthesis.

Pyrrolotriazine 1 is an important precursor to remdesivir. Initial results toward an efficient synthesis are disclosed consisting of sequential cyanation, amination, and triazine formation beginning from pyrrole. This route makes use of highly abundant, commoditized raw material inputs. The yield of triazine was doubled from 31% to 59%, and the synthetic step count was reduced from 4 to 2. These efforts help to secure the remdesivir supply chain.

Iron-catalyzed coupling of aryl sulfamates and aryl/vinyl tosylates with aryl Grignards.

The iron-catalyzed coupling of aryl sulfamates and tosylates with aryl Grignard reagents is reported for the first time. The methodology employs air-stable, low-cost FeF3·3H2O and the N-heterocyclic carbene ligand IPr·HCl as the preligand to form a long-lived catalyst upon treatment with aryl Grignards. The reaction provides a range of cross-coupled products in good-to-excellent yields. In contrast to previous reports with aryl chlorides, these reactions proceed with low levels of Grignard homocoupling regardless of the iron source.

Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl Grignards with aryl sulfamates and tosylates.

The iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl sulfamates and tosylates has been achieved with primary and secondary alkyl Grignards. This study of iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions also examines the isomerization and ß-hydride elimination problems that are associated with the use of isopropyl nucleophiles. While a variety of iron sources were competent in the reaction, the use of FeF(3)•3H(2)O was critical to minimize nucleophile isomerization.