Enantioselective Protonation: Hydrophosphinylation of 1,1-Vinyl Azaheterocycle N-Oxides Catalyzed by Chiral Bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane Organosuperbase.

Enantioselective protonation by hydrophosphinylation of diarylphosphine oxides with 2-vinyl azaheterocycle N-oxide derivatives was demonstrated using chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane as the higher-order organosuperbase catalyst. It was confirmed by several control experiments that a chiral weak conjugate acid of the chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane, instead of achiral diarylphosphine oxides, directly functioned as the proton source to afford the corresponding product in a highly enantioselective manner in most cases. Enantioselective protonation by a weak conjugate acid generated from the higher-order organosuperbase would broaden the scope of enantioselective reaction systems because of utilization of a range of less acidic pronucleophiles.

Enantioselective direct Mannich-type reactions of 2-benzylpyridine N-oxides catalyzed by chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane organosuperbase.

2-Benzylpyridine N-oxides possessing less acidic α-protons were utilized as pronucleophiles for the first time in enantioselective addition reactions under Brønsted base catalysis. A chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane was able to overcome the inherent issue of low acidity of the pronucleophiles, establishing the diastereo- and enantioselective direct Mannich-type reaction with -Boc imines. The control experiments indicated that the N-oxide moiety of the substrates played a critical role in achieving the high stereoselectivity.

Rh-Catalyzed Chemo- and Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Allylic Hydrazones.

A highly efficient P-stereogenic diphosphine-rhodium complex was applied to the chemo- and enantioselective hydrogenation of allylic hydrazones for the synthesis of chiral allylic hydrazines in 89-96 % yields and with 82-99 % ee values. This methodology was successfully applied to the preparation of versatile chiral allylic amine derivatives.

Rh-Catalyzed One-Pot Sequential Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α-Dehydroamino Ketones for the Synthesis of Chiral Cyclic trans-β-Amino Alcohols.

Catalyzed by a rhodium complex of P-stereogenic diphosphine ligand (R)-2-tert-butylmethylphosphino-3-(di-tert-butylphosphino)quinoxaline ((R)-3H-QuinoxP*), five-membered cyclic α-dehydroamino ketones bearing endocyclic vinyl and endocyclic keto-carbonyl groups were sequentially hydrogenated to give chiral cyclic trans-β-amino alcohols with two contiguous stereocenters in quantitative conversions, excellent enantioselectivities and good diastereoselectivities.

Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Cyclic α-Dehydroamino Ketones.

Catalyzed by a rhodium complex of P-stereogenic diphosphine trichickenfootphos, five-membered cyclic α-dehydroamino ketones bearing endocyclic acyl and endocyclic vinyl groups were hydrogenated to give chiral α-amino ketones with quantitative conversions and excellent enantioselectivities.

ZnCl2 -promoted asymmetric hydrogenation of β-secondary-amino ketones catalyzed by a P-chiral Rh-bisphosphine complex.

A new catalytic system has been developed for the asymmetric hydrogenation of β-secondary-amino ketones using a highly efficient P-chiral bisphosphine-rhodium complex in combination with ZnCl2 as the activator of the catalyst. The chiral γ-secondary-amino alcohols were obtained in 90-94 % yields, 90-99 % enantioselectivities, and with high turnover numbers (up to 2000 S/C; S/C=substrate/catalyst ratio). A mechanism for the promoting effect of ZnCl2 on the catalytic system has been proposed on the basis of NMR spectroscopy and HRMS studies.