Development of a Modified System to Provide Improved Diastereocontrol in the Linear-Selective Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Ketones and Allenamides.

Chiral γ-lactones are prevalent organic architectures found in a large array of natural products. In this work, we disclose the development of a modified catalytic system utilizing a commercially available Cu-phosphite catalyst for the diastereoselective reductive coupling of chiral allenamides and ketones to afford chiral γ-lactone precursors in 80:20 to 99:1 dr.

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.

Application of a Preformed Pd-BIDIME Precatalyst to Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction in Flow.

The application of a Buchwald's third generation palladacycle containing a dihydrobenzooxaphosphole-based ligand (e.g., BIDIME) was reported in the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction. Using flow technology, high yield and reproducible Suzuki cross-coupling reaction for one of our key intermediates was achieved with Pd loadings as low as 0.5 mol %. This continuous flow approach overcomes catalyst deactivation and scale dependence issues that can be a problem in some traditional batch-mode operations and responds to the challenge of improving process greenness.

Development of a Scalable, Chromatography-Free Synthesis of t-Bu-SMS-Phos and Application to the Synthesis of an Important Chiral CF3-Alcohol Derivative with High Enantioselectivity Using Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation.

A chromatography-free, asymmetric synthesis of the C2-symmetric P-chiral diphosphine t-Bu-SMS-Phos was developed using a chiral auxiliary-based approach in five steps from the chiral auxiliary in 36% overall yield. Separtion and recovery of the auxiliary were achieved with good yield (97%) to enable recycling of the chiral auxiliary. An air-stable crystalline form of the final ligand was identified to enable isolation of the final ligand by crystallization to avoid chromatography. This synthetic route was applied to prepare up to 4 kg of the final ligand. The utility of this material was demonstrated in the asymmetric hydrogenation of trifluoromethyl vinyl acetate at 0.1 mol % Rh loading to access a surrogate for the pharmaceutically relavent chiral trifluoroisopropanol fragment in excellent yield and enantiomeric excess (98.6%).

Ligand-Enabled Pd(II)-Catalyzed Bromination and Iodination of C(sp3)-H Bonds.

We herein report the palladium(II)-catalyzed bromination and iodination of a variety of α-hydrogen-containing carboxylic acid and amino acid-derived amides. These reactions are exclusively enabled by quinoline-type ligands. The halogenated products obtained in this reaction are highly versatile and rapidly undergo further diversification. Further, we report the first example of a free carboxylic acid-directed Pd(II)-catalyzed C(sp3)-H bromination, enabled by quinoline ligands.

Synthesis of P-Chiral Dihydrobenzooxaphospholes Through Negishi Cross-Coupling.

An efficient Negishi cross-coupling was developed for the synthesis of the biaryl axes present in useful P-chiral dihydrobenzooxaphosphole ligands. This approach has allowed for the synthesis of new derivatives of these ligands that were not accessible by the previous route employing Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. The use of Pd2(dba)3/BI-DIME as the catalyst system affords the desired biaryl compounds in good yields with excellent rates and with catalyst loadings as low as 0.25 mol %.

Ligand-Accelerated Stereoretentive Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Unprotected 3,3'-Dibromo-BINOL.

An efficient synthesis of the enantiomerically pure 3,3'-bis-arylated BINOL derivatives is accomplished through the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the unprotected 3,3'-dibromo-BINOL with complete retention of enantiopurity. The active catalyst system Pd(OAc)2/BI-DIME has enabled mild reaction conditions at palladium loads as low as 500 ppm.

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of structurally diverse P-stereogenic phosphinamides for catalyst design.

The use of chiral phosphinamides is relatively unexplored because of the lack of a general method for the synthesis. Reported herein is the development of a general, efficient, and highly enantioselective method for the synthesis of structurally diverse P-stereogenic phosphinamides. The method relies on nucleophilic substitution of a chiral phosphinate derived from the versatile chiral phosphinyl transfer agent 1,3,2-benzoxazaphosphinine-2-oxide. These chiral phosphinamides were utilized for the first synthesis of readily tunable P-stereogenic Lewis base organocatalysts, which were used successfully for highly enantioselective catalysis.

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of P-chiral phosphine oxides via properly designed and activated benzoxazaphosphinine-2-oxide agents.

A general, efficient, and highly diastereoselective method for the synthesis of structurally and sterically diverse P-chiral phosphine oxides was developed. The method relies on sequential nucleophilic substitution on the versatile chiral phosphinyl transfer agent 1,3,2-benzoxazaphosphinine-2-oxide, which features enhanced and differentiated P-N and P-O bond reactivity toward nucleophiles. The reactivities of both bonds are fine-tuned to allow cleavage to occur even with sterically hindered nucleophiles under mild conditions.

Studies Toward Improved Enantiocontrol in the Asymmetric Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Ketones and Allenamides: 1,2-Aminoalcohol Synthesis.

Herein, we report the development of an improved system for the Cu-catalyzed enantioselective reductive coupling of ketones and allenamides through the optimization of the allenamide to avoid an on-cycle rearrangement. High enantioselectivities could be obtained for a variety of ketones. Use of the acyclic allenamides described herein selectively generated anti-diastereomers in contrast to cyclic allenamides that were previously shown to favor the syn-form. A rationale for this change in diastereoselectivity is also presented.

Aminoalcohol Synthesis through Nonprecious Metal Catalysis: Enantioselective Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Aldehydes and Allenamides.

Herein, we report the development of a Cu-catalyzed aminoallylation of aldehyde electrophiles through reductive coupling by circumventing the problematic competitive reduction of the aldehyde electrophile by a CuH catalyst. This leads to a highly diastereo- and enantioselective process for the synthesis of chiral 1,2-aminoalcohols containing secondary alcohol substitution. Cleavage of the N substituents on the reaction products was performed, allowing access to the other diastereomer of the aminoalcohol, which was investigated in the context of a synthesis of eligulstat.

Development of regiodivergent asymmetric reductive coupling reactions of allenamides to access heteroatom-rich organic compounds.

Organic compounds of biological importance often contain multiple stereogenic C-heteroatom functional groups (e.g. amines, alcohols, and ethers). As a result, synthetic methods to access such compounds in a reliable and stereoselective fashion are important. In this feature article, we present a strategy to enable the introduction of multiple C-heteroatom functional groups in a regiodivergent cross-coupling approach through the use of reductive coupling chemistry employing allenamides. Such processes allow for opportunities to access different heteroatom substitution patterns from the same starting materials.

Asymmetric Access to Boryl-Substituted Vicinal Aminoalcohols through Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling.

Herein, we report the development of a Cu-catalyzed enantioselective borylative aminoallylation of aldehydes using a N-substituted allene to access boryl-substituted 1,2-aminoalcohol synthons for diversification to chiral heteroatom-rich organic compounds. The reported reaction provides access to several different substitution patterns of chiral 1,2-aminoalcohol products from the same readily available starting materials with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

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.

The palladium catalyzed asymmetric addition of oxindoles and allenes: an atom-economical versatile method for the construction of chiral indole alkaloids.

The Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) is one of the most useful and versatile methods for asymmetric synthesis known in organometallic chemistry. Development of this reaction over the past 30 years has typically relied on the use of an allylic electrophile bearing an appropriate leaving group to access the reactive Pd(π-allyl) intermediate that goes on to the desired coupling product after attack by the nucleophile present in the reaction. Our group has been interested in developing alternative approaches to access the reactive Pd(π-allyl) intermediate that does not require the use of an activated electrophile, which ultimately generates a stoichiometric byproduct in the reaction that is derived from the leftover leaving group. Along these lines, we have demonstrated that allenes can be used to generate the reactive Pd(π-allyl) intermediate in the presence of an acid cocatalyst, and this system is compatible with nucleophiles to allow for formation of formal AAA products by Pd-catalyzed additions to allenes. This article describes our work regarding the use of oxindoles as carbon-based nucleophiles in a Pd-catalyzed asymmetric addition of oxindoles to allenes (Pd-catalyzed hydrocarbonation of allenes). By using the chiral standard Trost ligand (L1) and 3-aryloxindoles as nucleophiles, this hydrocarbonation reaction provides products with two vicinal stereocenters, with one being quaternary, in excellent chemo-, regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities in high chemical yields.

Synthesis of 1,2-Aminoalcohols through Enantioselective Aminoallylation of Ketones by Cu-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling.

Herein, we report the development of a catalytic enantioselective addition of N-substituted allyl equivalents to ketone electrophiles through use of Cu-catalyzed reductive coupling to access important chiral 1,2-aminoalcohol synthons in high levels of regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity. Factors affecting enantioinduction are discussed including the identification of a reversible ketone allylation step that has not been previously reported in Cu-catalyzed reductive coupling.

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.