Evaluation of helicene-derived 2,2'-bipyridine N-monoxide catalyst for the enantioselective propargylation of N-acylhydrazones with allenyltrichlorosilane.

Helicene-derived 2,2'-bipyridine N-monoxide was evaluated as a Lewis base catalyst for the enantioselective propargylation of N-acylhydrazones with allenyltrichlorosilane. The helicene-derived catalyst provided moderate-to-good reactivity and enantioselectivity for a range of acylhydrazones. This study represents the first example of the catalytic asymmetric propargylation of non-activated acylhydrazones.

Concise Syntheses of Microsomal Metabolites of a Potent OXE (Oxoeicosanoid) Receptor Antagonist.

5-Oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-ETE) is the most potent eosinophil chemoattractant among lipid mediators, and its actions are mediated by the selective oxoeicosanoid (OXE) receptor. Our group previously developed a highly potent indole-based OXE antagonist, S-C025, with an IC50 value of 120 pM. S-C025 was converted to a number of metabolites in the presence of monkey liver microsomes. Complete chemical syntheses of authentic standards enabled us to identify that the four major metabolites were derived by the oxidation at its benzylic and N-methyl carbon atoms. Herein we report concise syntheses of the four major metabolites of S-C025.

Design and synthesis of 3,3'-triazolyl biisoquinoline N,N'-dioxides via Hiyama cross-coupling of 4-trimethylsilyl-1,2,3-triazoles.

A new strategy to effectively lock the conformation of substituents at the 3,3'-positions of axial-chiral biisoquinoline N,N'-dioxides was developed based on the strong dipole-dipole interaction between 1,2,3-triazole and pyridine N-oxide rings. The crystal structure and the DFT calculations of 3,3'-bis(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-yl)-1,1'-biisoquinoline N,N'-dioxide (3a) provided strong support for this strategy. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrated that readily available 4-trimethylsilyl-1,2,3-triazoles are viable nucleophiles for Hiyama cross-coupling.

Applications of helical-chiral pyridines as organocatalysts in asymmetric synthesis.

A new family of chiral pyridines has been designed and synthesized for use in asymmetric organocatalysis. Thus, helical-chiral pyridines induce high enantioselectivity in a range of mechanistically unrelated, synthetically significant transformations, including Friedel-Crafts alkylation with nitroalkenes, periselective Diels-Alder reactions with nitroalkenes, the ring-opening of epoxides with a chloride nucleophile, and the propargylation of aldehydes.

Enantio- and periselective nitroalkene Diels-Alder reactions catalyzed by helical-chiral hydrogen bond donor catalysts.

Helical-chiral double hydrogen bond donor catalysts promote the nitroalkene Diels-Alder reaction in an enantio- and periselective manner. This represents the first asymmetric catalytic nitroalkene Diels-Alder reaction via LUMO-lowering catalysis. To gain an insight into this new process, the substrate scope of our catalyst was investigated by exploiting readily available 5-substituted pentamethylcyclopentadienes. The catalyst was found to tolerate dienes with different steric demands as well as dienes substituted with heteroatoms. The synthetic utility of 5-substituted pentamethylcyclopentadienes is rather limited, and thus we have developed a three-step route to 1,4,5,5-tetrasubstituted cyclopentadienes from commercially available ketones.

Enantio- and periselective nitroalkene Diels-Alder reaction.

The periselective Diels-Alder reaction of 5-substituted pentamethylcyclopentadienes and nitroethylene has been realized by helical-chiral hydrogen bond donor catalysts. To our knowledge, this represents the first asymmetric catalytic nitroalkene Diels-Alder reaction via activation of nitroalkene, and thus establishes its proof-of-principle.

Steps toward Rationalization of the Enantiomeric Excess of the Sakurai-Hosomi-Denmark Allylation Catalyzed by Biisoquinoline N,N'-Dioxides Using Computations.

Allylation reactions of aldehydes are chemical transformations of fundamental interest, as they give direct access to chiral homoallylic alcohols. In this work, we focus on the full computational characterization of the catalytic activity of substituted biisoquinoline-N,N'-dioxides for the allylation of 2-naphthaldehyde. We characterized the structure of all transition states as well as identified the π stacking interactions that are responsible for their relative energies. Motivated by disagreement with the experimental results, we also performed an assessment of 34 different density functional methods, with the goal of assessing DFT as a general tool for understanding this chemistry. We found that the DFT results are generally consistent as long as functionals that correctly account for dispersion interactions are used. However, agreement with the experimental results is not always guaranteed. We suggest the need for a careful synergy between computations and experiments to correctly interpret the data and use them as a design tool for new and improved asymmetric catalysts.

Asymmetric Catalytic Ketimine Mannich Reactions and Related Transformations.

The catalytic enantioselective ketimine Mannich and its related reactions provide direct access to chiral building blocks bearing an α-tertiary amine stereogenic center, a ubiquitous structural motif in nature. Although ketimines are often viewed as challenging electrophiles, various approaches/strategies to circumvent or overcome the adverse properties of ketimines have been developed for these transformations. This review showcases the selected examples that highlight the benefits and utilities of various ketimines and remaining challenges associated with them in the context of Mannich, allylation, and aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions as well as their variants.

Evaluation of 3,3'-Triazolyl Biisoquinoline N,N'-Dioxide Catalysts for Asymmetric Hydrosilylation of Hydrazones with Trichlorosilane.

A new class of axial-chiral biisoquinoline N,N'-dioxides was evaluated as catalysts for the enantioselective hydrosilylation of acyl hydrazones with trichlorosilane. While these catalysts provided poor to moderate reactivity and enantioselectivity, this study represents the first example of the organocatalytic asymmetric reduction of acyl hydrazones. In addition, the structures and energies of two possible diastereomeric catalyst-trichlorosilane complexes (2a-HSiCl3) were analyzed using density functional theory calculations.

Helical chiral 2-aminopyridinium ions: a new class of hydrogen bond donor catalysts.

Helical chiral 2-aminopyridinium ions were designed as a significantly more acidic (active) dual hydrogen-bonding catalyst than commonly used (thio)urea-based systems. The helicene framework was specifically utilized to position an inherently chiral barrier on the hydrogen-bonding side of the catalyst. The catalyst reactivity and enantioselectivity were successfully demonstrated in additions of 4,7-dihydroindoles to nitroalkenes (0.5-2 mol % catalyst loadings, up to 98:2 er).

Helical chiral pyridine N-oxides: a new family of asymmetric catalysts.

Optically active chiral alkyl chlorides are valuable compounds because of their bioactivity and versatile synthetic utility. Accordingly, the ring opening of epoxides with a chloride nucleophile stands as an important goal in asymmetric catalysis. We describe herein recent advances in the design and development of chiral pyridine N-oxide catalysts for the enantioselective synthesis of chlorohydrins.

Axial-Chiral Biisoquinoline N, N'-Dioxides Bearing Polar Aromatic C-H Bonds as Catalysts in Sakurai-Hosomi-Denmark Allylation.

The design, synthesis, and evaluation of axial-chiral biisoquinolines bearing polar aromatic C-H bonds as Lewis base catalysts are reported. Lewis bases containing the 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl group were found to be significantly more enantioselective for a wider range of substrates than those bearing aromatic residues that are not strongly electron-deficient in the allylation of aldehydes with allyltrichlorosilane. Also, optically pure 3,3'-dibromo-1,1'-biisoquinoline N, N'-dioxide that has not been previously reported was synthesized as a common catalyst precursor to facilitate the study.

2-Aminopyridinium ions activate nitroalkenes through hydrogen bonding.

2-Aminopyridinium ions were found to activate nitroalkenes toward conjugate addition of heteroaromatic compounds with low catalyst loadings and the Diels-Alder reaction with the periselectivity opposite to that observed with metal Lewis acids, raising the possibility that a 2-aminopyridinium core might be a promising catalaphore for the asymmetric catalyst design.

Helical chiral 2,2'-bipyridine N-monoxides as catalysts in the enantioselective propargylation of aldehydes with allenyltrichlorosilane.

A highly enantioselective synthesis of homopropargylic alcohols is achieved by using the new helical chiral 2,2'-bipyridine N-monoxide catalyst and allenyltrichlorosilane. This method can be further extended to the enantio- and regioselective propargylation of N-acylhydrazones.

Axially chiral biaryl diols catalyze highly enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions through hydrogen bonding.

Axially chiral 1,1'-biaryl-2,2'-dimethanol (3, BAMOL) family of diols are highly effective catalysts for enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions between aminosiloxydiene 1 and a wide variety of unactivated aldehydes. The reactions proceed in useful yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The diols function in the same capacity as Lewis acids, by activating the aldehyde carbonyl group through hydrogen bonding.

Catalytic, highly enantio- and diastereoselective pinacol coupling reaction with a new tethered bis(8-quinolinolato) ligand.

A new class of chiral ligand, tethered bis(8-quinolinol) (TBOxH), is developed. Its chromium complex, TBOxCrCl (3 mol %), effectively catalyzes the pinacol coupling reaction of aromatic aldehydes at room temperature with high yield (up to 94%), high diastereoselectivity (up to dl:meso = 98:2), and high enantioselectivity (up to 98%). The scope of the present method turns out not to be limited to aromatic aldehyde derivatives, as cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde undergoes pinacolization as well (44% yield, dl:meso = 93:7, 84% ee). The method provides an efficient access to enantioenriched 1,2-diols.

Asymmetric crotylation reactions in synthesis of polypropionate-derived macrolides: application to total synthesis of oleandolide.

Complete details of a convergent asymmetric synthesis of oleandolide (1), the aglycon of the macrolide antibiotic oleandomycin, is described. The synthesis has been achieved through the assembly and coupling of the left- and right-hand subunits 12 and 38, respectively. These subunits were prepared from chiral silane-based asymmetric crotylation reactions to control the stereochemical relationships. The left- and right-hand subunits (C1-C7 and C8-C14) were brought together through a Pd(0)-catalyzed sp3-sp2 cross-coupling reaction between the zinc intermediate 40 and vinyl triflate 38 to give 27. This product was converted to seco acid 42a and cyclized to lactone 35 under Yamaguchi conditions. This material was then epoxidized with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) to install the correct C8 epoxide as a single diastereomer, which after a short deprotection sequence completed the synthesis of oleandolide.