Organocatalysis as an enabling tool for enantioselective ring-opening reactions of cyclopropanes.

The rich reactivity profile of cyclopropanes has been extensively explored to trigger new organic transformations that enable unusual disconnective approaches to synthesize molecular motifs that are not easily reached through conventional reactions. In particular, the chemistry of cyclopropanes has received special attention in the last decade, with multiple new approaches that capitalize on the use of organocatalysis for the activation of the cyclopropane scaffold. This situation has also opened the possibility of developing enantioselective variants of many reactions that until now were only carried out in an enantiospecific or diastereoselective manner.

Recent Advances in the Prins Reaction.

The Prins reaction is a very convenient synthetic platform for the preparation of oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds, especially tetrahydropyrans and tetrahydrofurans. While this reaction has been extensively used by synthetic chemists since its discovery, the last years have witnessed impressive improvements in its performance and scope and especially in the development of new catalytic and enantioselective versions. This mini-review presents these recent advances through selected representative examples.

Brønsted Acid versus Phase-Transfer Catalysis in the Enantioselective Transannular Aminohalogenation of Enesultams.

We have studied the enantioselective transannular aminohalogenation reaction of unsaturated medium-sized cyclic benzosulfonamides by using both chiral Brønsted acid and phase-transfer catalysis. Under optimized conditions, a variety of bicyclic adducts can be obtained with good yields and high enantioselectivities. The mechanism of the reaction was also studied by using computational tools; we observed that the reaction involves the participation of a conformer of the nine-membered cyclic substrate with planar chirality in which the stereochemical outcome is controlled by the relative reactivity of the two pseudorotational enantiomers when interacting with the chiral catalyst.

Transannular Approach to 2,3-Dihydropyrrolo[1,2-]isoquinolin-5(1)-ones through Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Amidohalogenation.

A transannular approach has been developed for the construction of pyrrolo[1,2-]isoquinolinones starting from benzo-fused nine-membered enelactams. This process takes place in the presence of a halogenating agent and under Brønsted acid catalysis and proceeds via a transannular amidohalogenation, followed by elimination. The reaction has been found to be wide in scope, enabling the formation of a variety of tricyclic products in good overall yield, regardless of the substitution pattern in the initial lactam substrate.

Absence of Intermediates in the BINOL-Derived Mg(II)/Phosphate-Catalyzed Desymmetrizative Ring Expansion of 1-Vinylcyclobutanols.

The catalyzed desymmetrizative ring expansion of alkenylcyclobutanols promoted by halofunctionalization of the alkene moiety with -bromosuccinimide has been experimentally and computationally studied. The reaction yields highly enantioenriched cyclopentanones bearing two all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, one of them being generated in the rearrangement of the cyclobutane ring and the other by enantioselective desymmetrization. The reaction is competitive with the formation of a spiroepoxide, but it turns completely selective toward the cyclopentanone when a chiral bisphosphonium magnesium salt is employed as a catalyst.

Enantioselective construction of the 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane scaffold: application in the synthesis of tropane alkaloids.

The 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane scaffold is the central core of the family of tropane alkaloids, which display a wide array of interesting biological activities.

Brønsted Acid Catalyzed (4 + 2) Cyclocondensation of 3-Substituted Indoles with Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes.

Acylcyclopropanes are employed as useful donor-acceptor cyclopropanes that undergo formal (4 + 2) cyclocondensation with -unprotected 3-substituted indoles in the presence of a Brønsted acid catalyst. The reaction involves the simultaneous alkylation of both the N and C-2 positions of the indole and provides access to the 8,9-dihydropyrido[1,2-]indole scaffold that is the central core of several biologically relevant indole alkaloids in excellent yields and good selectivities.

Catalytic enantioselective domino Michael/transannular aldol reaction under bifunctional catalysis.

The enantioselective Michael reaction catalyzed by a bifunctional tertiary amine/squaramide has been used to trigger a Michael/transannular aldol cascade process that leads to densely substituted bicyclo[5.4.0]undecanes and in which three contiguous stereogenic centres, one of them a tertiary alcohol moiety, have been formed in a fully stereocontrolled fashion.

γ-Substituted Allenic Amides in the Phosphine-Catalyzed Enantioselective Higher Order Cycloaddition with Azaheptafulvenes.

Racemic γ-substituted allenes undergo enantioselective higher order [8 + 2]-cycloaddition with azaheptafulvenes using a chiral amino acid derived amidophosphine as catalyst, providing the corresponding azaazulenoid cycloadducts with excellent levels of regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities. In this reaction, the activated allylic phosphonium ylide intermediate participates as the C-component of the reaction, in contrast to the conventional reactivity of this type of zwitterionic intermediates as C-components in cycloaddition reactions.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Tropanes: Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Pseudotransannular Desymmetrization.

The enantioselective synthesis of tropanols has been accomplished through chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed pseudotransannular ring opening of 1-aminocyclohept-4-ene-derived epoxides. The reaction proceeds together with the desymmetrization of the starting material and leads to the direct formation of the 8-azabicyclo[3.2.

Catalytic Enantioselective Transannular Morita-Baylis-Hillman Reaction.

Catalytic and enantioselective approaches to transannular reactions are very limited and mostly are based on chiral Lewis acid catalyzed pericyclic reactions. In this report, we present an efficient and straightforward methodology to access bicyclic carbo- and heterocyclic scaffolds combining different ring sizes through transannular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction catalyzed by a chiral enantiopure bifunctional phosphine. The reaction is remarkably wide in scope and enables the use of a variety of medium and large size ketoenone substrates leading to the final products in high yields and providing excellent stereocontrol in the formation of a quaternary stereogenic center at the ring fusion.

Kinetic Resolution of Secondary Allyl Boronates and Their Application in the Synthesis of Homoallylic Amines.

Highly enantioenriched, chromatographically-stable secondary allyl boronates featuring a 1,1,2,2-tetraethyl-1,2-ethanediol fragment (Epin) were obtained by kinetic resolution of their racemic mixtures. The Epin group at boron considerably improved stability of allyl boronates allowing them to be readily isolated by chromatography on silica. The resolved reagents were applied in stereoselective synthesis of homoallylic amines with an internal double bond employing unprotected imines formed in situ from aldehydes and ammonia.

Ion-pairing catalysis in the enantioselective addition of hydrazones to N-acyldihydropyrrole derivatives.

We have demonstrated that dihydropyrrole-based enamide derivatives can act as efficient precursors of chiral quaternary N-acyliminium salts under Brønsted acid catalysis that undergo reactions with hydrazones, the latter participating as masked nucleophilic carbonyl group equivalents. The optimized methodology provides a variety of enantiopure α-substituted proline derivatives in excellent yields, being even compatible with disubstituted β-enamides that generate two contiguous stereocentres.

Catalytic Enantioselective Cloke-Wilson Rearrangement.

Racemic cyclopropyl ketones undergo enantioselective rearrangement to deliver the corresponding dihydrofurans in the presence of a chiral phosphoric acid as the catalyst. The reaction involves activation of the donor-acceptor cyclopropane substrate by the chiral Brønsted acid catalyst to promote the ring-opening event, thus generating a carbocationic intermediate that subsequently undergoes cyclization. Computational studies and control experiments support this mechanistic pathway.

Carboxylates as Nucleophiles in the Enantioselective Ring-Opening of Formylcyclopropanes under Iminium Ion Catalysis.

In this work, carboxylic acids, which are typically regarded as poor nucleophiles, are demonstrated to be competent reagents to promote the ring-opening of formylcyclopropanes after activation of the latter through iminium ion formation. Under optimized reaction conditions, a variety of γ-acyloxy-substituted aldehydes can be obtained in high yields and enantioselectivities through the desymmetrization of substituted meso-formylcyclopropanes in the presence of a chiral secondary amine as catalyst.

Organocatalytic Transannular Approach to Stereodefined Bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes.

A diastereodivergent approach to highly substituted bicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes has been developed through a transannular alkylation reaction that builds up the bicyclic core employing asymmetric organocatalysis as the tool for the installation of all stereocenters.

Enantioselective Oxidative (4+3) Cycloadditions between Allenamides and Furans through Bifunctional Hydrogen-Bonding/Ion-Pairing Interactions.

BINOL-based N-trifluoromethanesulfonyl phosphoramides catalyze the enantioselective (4+3) cycloaddition between furans and oxyallyl cations, the latter being generated in situ by oxidation of allenamides. The chiral organic phosphoramide counteranion is proposed to engage in the activation of the oxyallyl cation intermediate through cooperative hydrogen-bonding and ion-pairing interactions, enabling an efficient chirality transfer that provide the final adducts with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Remarkably, the reaction shows a wide substrate scope that includes a variety of substituted allenamides and furans.

Racemic hemiacetals as oxygen-centered pronucleophiles triggering cascade 1,4-addition/Michael reaction through dynamic kinetic resolution under iminium catalysis. Development and mechanistic insights.

2-Hydroxydihydropyran-5-ones behave as excellent polyfunctional reagents able to react with enals through oxa-Michael/Michael process cascade under the combination of iminium and enamine catalysis. These racemic hemiacetalic compounds are used as unconventional -pronucleophiles in the initial oxa-Michael reaction, also leading to the formation of a single stereoisomer under a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) process. Importantly, by using β-aryl or β-alkyl substituted α,β-unsaturated substrates as initial Michael acceptors either kinetically or thermodynamically controlled diastereoisomers were formed with high stereoselection through the careful selection of the reaction conditions.

Regioselectivity Change in the Organocatalytic Enantioselective (3+2) Cycloaddition with Nitrones through Cooperative Hydrogen-Bonding Catalysis/Iminium Activation.

The reaction of nitrones with enals through iminium activation can be modulated by using cooperative hydrogen-bonding catalysis to induce the participation of a nitrone ylide (C-N-C) instead of the classical C-N-O dipole. As a consequence, N-hydroxypyrrolidines are obtained, rather than the expected isoxazolidines. The reaction proceeds smoothly and high enantioselectivities are observed in all cases.

Organocatalytically Generated Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes in Domino Reactions. One-Step Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines.

An easy and straightforward procedure has been developed for the synthesis of highly enantioenriched pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinolines through a one-pot process that comprises a domino cyclopropane ring opening/aza-Michael/aldol reaction followed by acid-promoted lactamization. The key feature of the synthetic approach relies on the ability of conveniently functionalized cyclopropaneacetaldehydes to undergo organocatalytic activation by a chiral secondary amine that enables the catalytic generation of a donor-acceptor cyclopropane. This intermediate has the potential to undergo a ring opening that generates an electrophilic α,β-unsaturated iminium ion that subsequently reacts through the already mentioned domino sequence and in which stereochemical information is very efficiently transferred from the amine catalyst to the final products.

Organocatalytic and enantioselective Michael reaction between α-nitroesters and nitroalkenes. Syn/anti-selectivity control using catalysts with the same absolute backbone chirality.

The asymmetric and catalytic Michael reaction between α-nitroesters and nitroalkenes has been studied in the presence of two bifunctional catalysts both containing the same absolute chirality at the carbon backbone. The reaction performed in similar conditions allows us to control the syn or anti selectivity of the Michael adduct obtaining good yields and high enantiocontrol in all cases.

Organocatalytic enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted prolines.

The asymmetric synthesis of substituted pyrrolidines has been accomplished using a novel organocatalytic cyclization reaction promoted by a Cinchona alkaloid based primary amine. The reaction proceeds smoothly yielding pyrrolidine-2,2-dicarboxylates after in situ diastereoselective reduction with high levels of enantioselection. Furthermore, these adducts could be easily transformed into N-protected disubstituted prolines through the base-promoted diastereoselective C → N alkoxycarbonyl transfer reaction.

Mechanistic Insights into the Mode of Action of Bifunctional Pyrrolidine-Squaramide-Derived Organocatalysts.

The catalytic modes of action of three squaramide-derived bifunctional organocatalysts have been investigated using DFT methods. The [5+2] cycloaddition between oxidopyrylium ylides and enals was used as the model reaction. Two primary modes were possible for the different catalysts studied.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Tertiary Propargylic Alcohols under N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis.

A straightforward procedure to carry out the enantioselective benzoin reaction between aldehydes and ynones by employing a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) as catalyst was developed. Under the optimized reaction conditions, these ynones undergo a clean and selective 1,2-addition with the catalytically generated Breslow intermediate, not observing any byproduct arising from competitive Stetter-type reactivity. This procedure allows the preparation of tertiary alkynyl carbinols as highly enantioenriched materials, which have the remarkable potential to be used as chiral building blocks in organic synthesis.

Catalytic enantioselective [5+2] cycloaddition between oxidopyrylium ylides and enals under dienamine activation.

Benzopyrylium ylides generated in situ from 1-acetoxyisochroman-4-ones reacted with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of a bifunctional secondary-amine/squaramide catalyst to furnish [5+2] cycloaddition products in good yield with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. The reaction proceeds by dienamine activation and involves β,γ-functionalization of the enal. The dienamine intermediates showed exclusive β,γ-reactivity and provided direct access to compounds with the 8-oxabicyclo[3.