Enantioselective synthesis of substituted indanones from silyloxyallenes.

A new approach for the synthesis of enantioenriched indanones by asymmetric carbonyl-ene/intramolecular Heck cyclization from racemic silyloxyallenes has been developed. The modular procedure affords highly substituted indenes and indanones with excellent chirality transfer from the optically active carbinols. Full transfer of stereochemical information is achieved in the presence of 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidine and PdCl(2)(PPh(3))(2) (1 mol %) in DMF under microwave heating.

Highly selective alpha-acylvinyl anion additions to imines.

alpha-Hydroxypropargylsilanes undergo rearrangement to form reactive lithium allenolates. The resulting alpha-acylvinyl anion equivalents undergo highly selective additions to N-tert-butanesulfinyl imines generating beta-substituted aza-MBH-type products. High yields are achieved for a wide range of alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes as well as for a diverse selection of imines.

Lewis acid-catalyzed conjugate additions of silyloxyallenes: a selective solution to the intermolecular Rauhut-Currier problem.

Silyloxyallenes serve as highly useful alpha-acylvinyl anion equivalents. These latent allenolates undergo conjugate additions to alkylidene malonates in the presence of 10 mol % Sc(OTf) 3. The reaction delivers intermolecular Rauhut-Currier products in excellent yields and regioselectivities for a wide scope of substrates.

N-heterocyclic carbene-initiated alpha-acylvinyl anion reactivity: additions of alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes to aldehydes.

Highly substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones are prepared by the N-heterocyclic carbene-initiated addition of alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes to aldehydes. This strategy serves as a highly efficient alternative to the standard Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) approaches for these types of compounds. In contrast to the MBH reaction, different substitution in the beta-position of the product (R1) can be accommodated in moderate to excellent yields with a high degree of control over the resulting alkene.

Synthesis of tertiary beta-hydroxy amides by enolate additions to acylsilanes.

The synthesis of tertiary beta-hydroxy amides from acylsilanes, acetamides, and electrophiles is described. The addition of amide enolates to acylsilanes generates beta-silyloxy homoenolate reactivity by undergoing a 1,2-Brook rearrangement. These unique nucleophiles formed in situ can then undergo smooth addition to alkyl halides, aldehydes, and ketones.

Stereoselective Lewis acid-catalyzed alpha-acylvinyl additions.

Silyloxyallenes derived from alpha-hydroxypropargylsilanes undergo efficient addition to aldehydes with catalytic amounts of Lewis acids. The allenes are accessed from the corresponding propargylsilanes in a base-catalyzed 1,2-Brook rearrangement/SE2' process. Enantioenriched propargylsilanes are synthesized by a new zinc-promoted addition of alkynes to acylsilanes in up to 74% ee.

Direct nucleophilic acylation of nitroalkenes promoted by a fluoride anion/thiourea combination.

The direct nucleophilic acylation of nitroalkenes is reported utilizing a fluoride-initiated rearrangement of protected thiazolium carbinols. The key combination of fluoride anion and thiourea accesses carbonyl anion reactivity without the use of amine or amide bases typically employed in the generation of these Umpolung nucleophiles. The mild reaction conditions used to generate the reactive carbonyl anion species in situ allow for conjugate additions in good yield to sensitive nitroalkene electrophiles.