Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of quaternary trifluoromethyl α- to ε-amino acid derivatives umpolung allylation/2-aza-Cope rearrangement.

In this study, we developed an efficient Ir-catalyzed cascade umpolung allylation/2-aza-Cope rearrangement of tertiary α-trifluoromethyl α-amino acid derivatives for the preparation of a variety of quaternary α-trifluoromethyl α-amino acids in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities. The umpolung reactivity empowered by the activation of the key isatin-ketoimine moiety obviates the intractable enantioselectivity control in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric linear α-allylation. In combination with quasi parallel kinetic resolution or kinetic resolution, the generality of this method is further demonstrated by the first preparation of enantioenriched quaternary trifluoromethyl β-, γ-, δ- and ε-amino acid derivatives.

β-Substituted Alkenyl Heteroarenes as Dipolarophiles in the Cu(I)-Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylides Empowered by a Dual Activation Strategy: Stereoselectivity and Mechanistic Insight.

The catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of azomethine ylides with various electron-deficient alkenes provide the most straightforward protocol for the preparation of enantioenriched pyrrolidines in organic synthesis. However, the employment of conjugated alkenyl heteroarenes as dipolarophiles in such protocols to afford a class of particularly important molecules in medicinal chemistry is still a great challenge. Herein, we report that various β-substituted alkenyl heteroarenes, challenging internal alkene substrates without a strong electron-withdrawing substituent, were successfully employed as dipolarophiles for the first time in the Cu(I)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides.

A new entry to highly functionalized pyrroles via a cascade reaction of α-amino esters and alkynals.

Here, we developed an expedient access route to highly functionalized pyrroles from readily available α-amino acid ester hydrochlorides and alkynals via a cascade condensation/intramolecular cyclization followed by a unique C-N ester migration process. A variety of 1,2,3-trisubstituted pyrroles, which were difficult to acquire with the common methodologies, were successfully prepared in good yields under mild conditions.

Asymmetric synthesis of quaternary α-trifluoromethyl α-amino acids by Ir-catalyzed allylation followed by kinetic resolution.

Facile access to quaternary α-trifluoromethyl α-amino acids has been developed. This sequential reaction involves an Ir-catalyzed asymmetric allylation of α-trifluoromethyl aldimine esters followed by an unprecedented kinetic resolution.

Stereodivergent assembly of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines via synergistic catalytic asymmetric cascade reaction.

Enantiomerically enriched indole-containing heterocycles play a vital role in bioscience, medicine, and chemistry. As one of the most attractive subtypes of indole alkaloids, highly substituted tetrahydro-γ-carbolines are the basic structural unit in many natural products and pharmaceuticals. However, the syntheses of tetrahydro-γ-carbolines with high functionalities from readily available reagents are significant challenging.

Catalytic Asymmetric Umpolung Allylation/2-Aza-Cope Rearrangement for the Construction of α-Tetrasubstituted α-Trifluoromethyl Homoallylic Amines.

A general protocol for the preparation of enantioenriched α-tetrasubstituted α-trifluoromethyl homoallylic amines is disclosed. Despite the significant challenge in stereoselectivity control, Ir-catalyzed asymmetric cascade umpolung allylation/2-aza-Cope rearrangement of trifluoromethylated fluorenone imines with allylic carbonates was realized with excellent efficiency and remarkable stereoselectivity. These were enabled by the suitable protective imino moiety and an unexpectedly exclusive -geometrical imine of the allylation intermediate.

Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Trifluoromethyl Homoallylic Amines via Umpolung Allylation/2-Aza-Cope Rearrangement: Stereoselectivity and Mechanistic Insight.

An unprecedented Ir-catalyzed asymmetric cascade umpolung allylation/2-aza-Cope rearrangement of trifluoroethylisatin ketimines has been realized. The current method provides a facile access to biologically important α-trifluoromethyl-containing homoallylic amines in high yields with excellent enantioselectivity. Notably, umpolung reactivity of trifluoroethylisatin ketimine was discovered for the first time.

Enantioselective synthesis of multi-nitrogen-containing heterocycles using azoalkenes as key intermediates.

Chiral multi-nitrogen-containing heterocycles, such as pyrazole, imidazole and pyridazine, are widely found in naturally occurring organic compounds and pharmaceuticals, and hence, their stereoselective and efficient synthesis is an important issue in organic synthesis. Out of the variety of methods that have been developed over the past century, the catalytic asymmetric cyclization and cycloaddition reactions are recognized as the most synthetically useful strategies due to their step-, atom- and redox-economic nature. In particular, the recently developed annulation reactions using azoalkenes as key intermediates show their great ability to construct diverse types of multi-nitrogen-containing heterocycles.

Synergistic Cu/Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allenylic Alkylation of Azomethine Ylides for the Construction of α-Allene-Substituted Nonproteinogenic α-Amino Acids.

An unprecedented asymmetric allenylic alkylation of readily available imine esters, which was enabled by a synergistic Cu/Pd catalysis, has been developed. This dual catalytic system possesses good substrate compatibility, delivering a diverse array of nonproteinogenic α-allenylic α-mono- or α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids (α-AAs) with high yields and generally excellent enantioselectivities. Furthermore, the scalability and practicability of the current synthetic protocol were proven by performing gram-scale reactions and by the first catalytic asymmetric synthesis of naturally occurring (S)-γ-allenic α-amino acid, respectively.

Synergistic catalysis for cascade allylation and 2-aza-cope rearrangement of azomethine ylides.

The efficient construction of enantiomerically enriched molecules from simple starting materials via catalytic asymmetric synthesis strategies is a key challenge in synthetic chemistry. Metallated azomethine ylides are commonly-used synthons for the preparation of N-heterocycles and α-amino acids. Remarkably, to date, the utilization of azomethine ylides for the facile access to chiral amines has proven elusive.

Copper(I)-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of exo-3-Oxodicyclopentadienes and endo-3-Oxodicyclopentadiene.

The first example of highly efficient kinetic resolution of exo-3-oxodicyclopentadienes and endo-3-oxodicyclopentadiene has been developed by means of Cu(I)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylide. Compared with the existing methodologies for those synthetically important optically active convex molecules, the current protocol provides an alternative but more practical approach from the readily available racemic starting materials, which is free from the repetitive reduction/oxidation steps in the enzymatic resolution or the indispensable stoichiometric amount of chirality-induction reagents.

Ag(I)-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Cyclopentene-1,3-diones.

An efficient kinetic resolution of readily available racemic cyclopentene-1,3-diones has been developed via a Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides. This methodology shows good functional-group tolerance, delivering an array of synthetically valuable cyclopentene-1,3-diones with excellent stereoselectivity and generally high resolution efficiency ( s = 48-226) accompanied by the biologically important fused pyrrolidine derivatives. Notably, this strategy allows facile access to the key intermediates for the synthesis of (+)-madindolines A and B.

Catalytic Asymmetric Desymmetrization of Cyclopentendiones via Diels-Alder Reaction of 3-Hydroxy-2-pyrones: Construction of Multifunctional Bridged Tricyclic Lactones.

An unprecedented asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of 3-hydroxy-2-pyrones with prochiral cyclopentene-1,3-diones via desymmetrization was efficiently realized with high stereoselective control with the aid of fine-tunable cinchona alkaloid derived bifunctional amine-thiourea catalysts bearing multiple hydrogen-bonding donors. This protocol provides an expedient access to the multifunctional-bridged tricyclic lactones featuring four contiguous stereogenic centers and one remote quaternary stereogenic center with a broad substrate scope. The cycloadduct can be readily elaborated into enantioenriched cyclopentane-1,3-diones via ring opening/aromatization.

Copper(I)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Desymmetrization through Inverse-Electron-Demand aza-Diels-Alder Reaction: Efficient Access to Tetrahydropyridazines Bearing a Unique α-Chiral Silane Moiety.

An unprecedented copper(I)-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization of 5-silylcyclopentadienes with in situ formed azoalkene was realized through an inverse-electron-demand aza-Diels-Alder reaction (IEDDA) pathway, in which 5-silylcyclopentadienes served as efficient enophiles. This new protocol provides a facile access to the biologically important heterocyclic tetrahydropyridazines containing a unique α-chiral silane motif and three adjoining stereogenic centers in generally good yield (up to 92 %) with exclusive regioselectivity, high diastereoselectivity (>20:1 diastereomeric ratio), and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 98 % enantiomeric excess). DFT calculations and control experiments further confirmed the proposed reaction mechanism.

PPh-Mediated [4 + 2]- and [4 + 1]-Annulations of Maleimides with Azoalkenes: Access to Fused Tetrahydropyridazine/Pyrrolidinedione and Spiro-dihydropyrazole/Pyrrolidinedione Derivatives.

Unprecedented PPh-mediated [4 + 2]- and [4 + 1]-annulation of maleimides with in situ formed azoalkenes have been successfully developed, affording fused tetrahydropyridazine/pyrrolidinedione and spiro-dihydropyrazole/pyrrolidinedione derivatives in good yields under mild reaction conditions. Maleimides serve as C2 synthons in the [4 + 2]-annulation using 1,2-dichloroethane as the solvent in the presence of 20 mol % of PPh. With a stoichiometric amount of PPh in acetone, maleimides serve as C1 synthons, and the in situ formed phosphorus ylide is the key intermediate to realize this [4 + 1]-annulation.

Copper(i)/TF-BiphamPhos catalyzed asymmetric nitroso Diels-Alder reaction.

A highly efficient enantioselective nitroso Diels-Alder reaction of 6-methyl-2-nitroso pyridine with various 1,3-dienes was successfully developed using a Cu(i)/(S)-TF-BiphamPhos complex as the catalyst. For most of the cyclic dienes, synthetically important heterocyclic 3,6-dihydro-1,2-oxazines were obtained in high yields with excellent regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Acyclic 2-silyloxy-1,3-diene also worked well in the reaction.

Ligand-controlled stereodivergent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with 3-methyl-4-nitro-5-styrylisoxazoles.

An unprecedented Ag(i)-catalyzed ligand-controlled stereodivergent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with 3-methyl-4-nitro-5-styrylisoxazoles has been developed to afford heterocycles bearing both methylisoxazole and pyrrolidine moieties. The endo- and exo-cycloadducts were obtained in good yields with excellent stereoselectivities, assisted by (t)Bu-Phosferrox and phosphoramidite as chiral ligands, respectively.

Silver(I)-Catalyzed Atroposelective Desymmetrization of N-Arylmaleimide via 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylides: Access to Octahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole Derivatives.

A highly efficient Ag(I)-catalyzed atroposelective desymmetrization of N-(2-t-butylphenyl)maleimide via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of in situ generated azomethine ylides has been established successfully, affording a facile access to a series of biologically important and enantioenriched octahydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole derivatives in generally high yields (up to 99%) with excellent levels of diastereo-/enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee, >20:1 dr). Subsequent transformations led to fascinating 2H-pyrrole and polysubstituted pyrrole compounds without loss of stereoselectivity. The absolute configuration of the generated chiral axis has been unambiguously identified as (M) through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Catalytic Asymmetric Cascade Vinylogous Mukaiyama 1,6-Michael/Michael Addition of 2-Silyloxyfurans with Azoalkenes: Direct Approach to Fused Butyrolactones.

An unprecedented cascade vinylogous Mukaiyama 1,6-MA/MA of 2-silyloxyfurans and azoalkenes was realized with a Cu(II)/(t)Bu-Box complex. An array of fused butyrolactones containing multiple stereocenters was generally obtained in good yield (up to 90% yield) with exclusive diastereoselectivity (>20:1 dr) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). Carbon isotope effects measured by (13)C NMR revealed a stepwise mechanism for this annulation process.

Highly diastereoselective DABCO-catalyzed [3 + 3]-cycloaddition of 1,4-dithiane-2,5-diol with azomethine imines.

An effective diastereoselective [3 + 3] cycloaddition of 1,4-dithiane-2,5-diol with azomethine imines catalyzed by DABCO is described. A variety of highly functionalized six-membered dinitrogen-fused heterocycles can be obtained in good yield with excellent diastereoselectivity, which was controlled by anomeric effect.

Catalytic asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of two different ylides: facile access to chiral 1,2,4-triazinane frameworks.

Ylides at a crossing: An unprecedented 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (cross-cycloaddition) between two different ylides was realized by using the chiral Cu(I) /tBu-Phosferrox complex as the catalyst under mild reaction conditions. This catalytic system provides an expeditious approach to the construction of highly functionalized 1,2,4-triazinane derivatives in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities.

exo-Selective construction of spiro-[butyrolactone-pyrrolidine] via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides with α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone catalyzed by Cu(I)/DTBM-BIPHEP.

An expedient access to optically active spiro-[butyrolactone-pyrrolidine] was successfully developed via an unprecedented Cu(I)-catalyzed exo-selective 1,3-DC of azomethine ylides with α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, which exhibited high diastereoselectivity (>98 : 2), excellent enantioselectivity (96->99% ee) and a broad substrate scope under mild conditions.

Organocatalytic asymmetric desymmetrization: efficient construction of spirocyclic oxindoles bearing a unique all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center via sulfa-Michael addition.

An unprecedented enantioselective desymmetrization of spiro cyclohexadienone oxindoles has been developed successfully via organocatalyzed asymmetric SMA, which provides facile access to spirocyclic oxindoles bearing a unique all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center with excellent levels of stereoselectivity.

Silver-catalyzed enantioselective desymmetrization: facile access to spirolactone-pyrrolidines containing a spiro quaternary stereogenic center.

An unprecedented Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization of spiro cyclohexadienone lactones has been developed successfully, which performs well over a broad scope of substrates and provides a facile access to optically active spirolactone-pyrrolidines in high yields with excellent levels of diastereo-/enantioselectivities.

A strategy for efficient discovery of new natural compounds by integrating orthogonal column chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis: Its application in Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolium and Panax notoginseng to characterize 437 potential new ginsenosides.

To discover new natural compounds from herbal medicines tends to be more and more difficult. In this paper, a strategy integrating orthogonal column chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis was proposed, and was applied for rapid discovery of new ginsenosides from Panax ginseng (PG), Panax quinquefolium (PQ), and Panax notoginseng (PN). The ginsenosides extracts were fractionated by MCI gel×silica gel orthogonal column chromatography.