Cu-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation with organolithium reagents.

This protocol describes a method for the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of tertiary and quaternary carbon stereogenic centers, which are widely present in pharmaceutical and natural products. The method is based on the direct reaction between organolithium compounds, which are cheap, readily available and broadly used in chemical synthesis, and allylic electrophiles, using chiral copper catalysts. The methodology involves the asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) of allyl bromides, chlorides and ethers with organolithium compounds using catalyst systems based on Cu-Taniaphos and Cu-phosphoramidites.

Asymmetric allylic alkylation of acyclic allylic ethers with organolithium reagents.

A highly efficient, regio- and enantioselective Cu(I)/phosphoramidite-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of allyl ethers with organolithium reagents is reported (see scheme). The use of organolithium reagents is essential for this catalytic C-C bond formation due to their compatibility with different Lewis acids. The versatility of allylic ethers under the copper-catalyzed reaction conditions with organolithium reagents is demonstrated in the shortest synthesis of (S)-Arundic acid.

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric ring opening of oxabicyclic alkenes with organolithium reagents.

A highly efficient method is reported for the asymmetric ring opening of oxabicyclic alkenes with organolithium reagents. Using a copper/chiral phosphoramidite complex together with a Lewis acid (BF(3)·OEt(2)), full selectivity for the anti isomer and excellent enantioselectivities were obtained for the ring opened products.

Catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation via allylic alkylations with organolithium compounds.

Carbon-carbon bond formation is the basis for the biogenesis of nature's essential molecules. Consequently, it lies at the heart of the chemical sciences. Chiral catalysts have been developed for asymmetric C-C bond formation to yield single enantiomers from several organometallic reagents.

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of trans-1-alkyl-2-substituted cyclopropanes via tandem conjugate addition-intramolecular enolate trapping.

Cu-TolBINAP-catalyzed conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to 4-chloro-α,β-unsaturated esters, thioesters, and ketones leads to 4-chloro-3-alkyl-substituted thioesters and ketones in up to 84% yield and up to 96% ee upon protonation of the corresponding enolates at low temperature. Tandem conjugate addition-enolate trapping, however, yields trans-1-alkyl-2-substituted cyclopropanes in up to 92% yield and up to 98% ee. The versatility of this reaction is illustrated by the formation of key intermediates for the formal syntheses of cascarillic acid and grenadamide.

Secondary alkyl halides in transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions.

Enormous effort has gone into the development of metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with alkyl halides as electrophilic coupling partners. Whereas a wide array of primary alkyl halides can now be used effectively in cross-coupling reactions, the synthetic potential of secondary alkyl halides is just beginning to be revealed. This Minireview summarizes selected examples of the use of secondary alkyl halides as electrophiles in cross-coupling reactions.

Application of secondary alkyl halides to a domino aryl alkylation reaction for the synthesis of aromatic heterocycles.

A palladium-catalyzed, norbornene-mediated ortho-alkylation reaction of aryl iodides with secondary alkyl halides is described. Intermolecular or intramolecular ortho-alkylation proceeds in a domino process with various termination steps, generating two new carbon-carbon or carbon-nitrogen bonds in one pot, to afford an array of polycyclic heterocycles. The use of enantioenriched substrates has shown that this palladium-catalyzed reaction is stereospecific, proceeding with minimal erosion of ee.

Concise enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-homochelidonine, (+)-chelamidine, (+)-chelidonine, (+)-chelamine and (+)-norchelidonine by a Pd II-catalyzed ring-opening strategy.

New enantioselective syntheses of the B/C hexahydrobenzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (+)-homochelidonine, (+)-chelamidine, (+)-chelidonine, (+)-chelamine, and (+)-norchelidonine are described. Our rapid and convergent route to this class of natural products involved the development and application of a Pd II-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening reaction of a meso-azabicyclic alkene with an aryl boronic acid as the key step. By screening a variety of functionalized ortho-substituted aryl boronic acids, chiral ligands and reaction conditions we were able to prepare the requisite cis-1-amino-2-aryldihydronaphthalenes in high yield and in up to 90 % ee.

Synthesis of benzannulated N-heterocycles by a palladium-catalyzed C-C/C-N coupling of bromoalkylamines.

A palladium-catalyzed domino intermolecular alkylation/intramolecular amination of functionalized aryl iodides represents a new strategy for the synthesis of benzannulated N-heterocycles, affording functionalized indolines and tetrahydroquinolines from simple precursors.

Synthesis of tricyclic heterocycles via a tandem aryl alkylation/heck coupling sequence.

A norbornene-mediated palladium-catalyzed sequence is described in which two alkyl-aryl bonds and one alkenyl-aryl bond are formed in one pot with use of microwave irradiation. A variety of symmetrical and unsymmetrical oxygen-, nitrogen-, silicon-, and sulfur-containing tricyclic heterocycles were synthesized from a Heck acceptor and an aryl iodide containing two tethered alkyl halides. This approach was further applied to the synthesis of a tricyclic mescaline analogue.