Catalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Reduction.

Enantioselective reduction reactions are privileged transformations for the construction of trisubstituted stereogenic centers. While these include established synthetic strategies, such as asymmetric hydrogenation, methods based on the enantioselective addition of hydridic reagents to electrophilic prochiral substrates have also gained importance. In this context, the asymmetric conjugate reduction (ACR) of α,ß-unsaturated compounds has become a convenient approach for the synthesis of chiral compounds with trisubstituted stereocenters in α-, ß-, or γ-position to electron-withdrawing functional groups. Because such activating groups are diverse and amenable of further derivatizations, ACRs provide a general and powerful synthetic entry towards a variety of valuable chiral building blocks. This Review provides a comprehensive collection of catalytic ACR methods involving transition-metal, organic, and enzymatic catalysis since its first versions dating back to the late 1970s.

Conjugate reduction of vinyl bisphosphonates.

Vinyl bisphosphonates can be readily prepared by condensation of an aromatic aldehyde with the tetraester of a methylenebisphosphonate, and reduction of the resulting olefin is an attractive strategy for the preparation of monoalkyl geminal bisphosphonates. Conjugate reduction through use of variations on the Stryker approach has proven to be an efficient method for that reduction, even in the presence of aromatic substituents that also could be reduced. Furthermore, remote olefins in an isoprenoid chain survive this conjugate reduction unaffected, allowing access to isoprenoid-substituted triazole bisphosphonates of interest as potential inhibitors of terpenoid biosynthesis.

Tosylhydrazine-promoted self-conjugate reduction-Michael/aldol reaction of 3-phenacylideneoxindoles towards dispirocyclopentanebisoxindole derivatives.

An efficient tosylhydrazine-mediated conjugate reduction of 3-phenacylideneoxindole and sequential Michael/intramolecular aldol reaction is reported under base-catalyzed conditions towards the formation of densely substituted dispirocyclopentanebisoxindole derivatives. The reaction proceeded in a diastereoselective manner to afford four chiral stereocenters. The method also has advantages of wide substrate scope, readily available starting materials and operational simplicity through one pot reaction.

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate reduction of α,ß-unsaturated esters with chiral phenol-carbene ligands.

A chiral phenol-NHC ligand enabled the copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate reduction of α,ß-unsaturated esters. The phenol moiety of the chiral NHC ligand played a critical role in producing the enantiomerically enriched products. The catalyst worked well for various (Z)-isomer substrates. Opposite enantiomers were obtained from (Z)- and (E)-isomers, with a higher enantiomeric excess from the (Z)-isomer.

Copper-catalyzed cascade reactions of α,ß-unsaturated esters with keto esters.

A copper-catalyzed cascade reaction of α,ß-unsaturated esters with keto esters is reported. It features a copper-catalyzed reductive aldolization followed by a lactonization. This method provides a facile approach to prepare γ-carboxymethyl-γ-lactones and δ-carboxymethyl-δ-lactones under mild reaction conditions.

Total synthesis of (-)-platensimycin by advancing oxocarbenium- and iminium-mediated catalytic methods.

(-)-Platensimycin is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthase that holds promise in the treatment of metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes and "fatty liver") and pathogenic infections (e.g., those caused by drug-resistant bacteria). Herein, we describe its total synthesis through a four-step preparation of the aromatic amine fragment and an improved stereocontrolled assembly of the ketolide fragment, (-)-platensic acid. Key synthetic advances include 1) a modified Lieben haloform reaction to directly convert an aryl methyl ketone into its methyl ester within 30 seconds, 2) an experimentally improved dialkylation protocol to form platensic acid, 3) a sterically controlled chemo- and diastereoselective organocatalytic conjugate reduction of a spiro-cyclized cyclohexadienone by using the trifluoroacetic acid salt of α-amino di-tert-butyl malonate, 4) a tetrabutylammonium fluoride promoted spiro-alkylative para dearomatization of a free phenol to assemble the cagelike ketolide core with the moderate leaving-group ability of an early tosylate intermediate, and 5) a bismuth(III)-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts cyclization of a free lactol, with LiClO4 as an additive to liberate a more active oxocarbenium perchlorate species and suppress the Lewis basicity of the sulfonyloxy group. The longest linear sequence is 21 steps with an overall yield of 3.8 % from commercially available eugenol.