Project description:Axially chiral 5-methyl-2-(o-aryl)imino-3-(o-aryl)-thiazolidine-4-ones have been subjected to aldol reactions with benzaldehyde to produce secondary carbinols which have been found to be separable by HPLC on a chiral stationary phase. Based on the reaction done on a single enantiomer resolved via a chromatographic separation from a racemic mixture of 5-methyl-2-(α-naphthyl)imino-3-(α-naphthyl)-thiazolidine-4-one by HPLC on a chiral stationary phase, the aldol reaction was shown to proceed via an enolate intermediate. The axially chiral enolate of the thiazolidine-4-one was found to shield one face of the heterocyclic ring rendering face selectivity with respect to the enolate. The selectivities observed at C-5 of the ring varied from none to 11.5:1 depending on the size of the ortho substituent. Although the aldol reaction proceeded with a lack of face selectivity with respect to benzaldehyde, recrystallization returned highly diastereomerically enriched products.
Project description:Catalytic, enantioselective, directed cross-aldol reactions of aldehydes are described. The addition of isobutyraldehyde trichlorosilyl enolate 2 to various aldehydes in the presence of 10 mol % bisphosphoramide 4 provides aldol products in high yields with moderate to good enantioselectivities. The reaction works well with a wide range of aromatic, olefinic, and aliphatic aldehydes. Enantioselectivities are highly dependent on the electronic nature of the aldehyde substituent. Hammett studies reveal that enantioselectivity increases as aldehydes become either more electron rich or more electron poor.
Project description:Chirality typically arises in molecules because of a rigidly chiral arrangement of covalently bonded atoms. Less generally appreciated is that chirality can arise when molecules are threaded through one another to create a mechanical bond. For example, when two macrocycles with chemically distinct faces are joined to form a catenane, the structure is chiral, although the rings themselves are not. However, enantiopure mechanically axially chiral catenanes in which the mechanical bond provides the sole source of stereochemistry have not been reported. Here we re-examine the symmetry properties of these molecules and in doing so identify a straightforward route to access them from simple chiral building blocks. Our analysis also led us to identify an analogous but previously unremarked upon rotaxane stereogenic unit, which also yielded to our co-conformational auxiliary approach. With methods to access mechanically axially chiral molecules in hand, their properties and applications can now be explored.
Project description:l-Prolinamides 2, prepared from l-proline and simple aliphatic and aromatic amines, have been found to be active catalysts for the direct aldol reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with neat acetone at room temperature. They give moderate enantioselectivities of up to 46% enantiomeric excess (ee). The enantioselectivity increases as the amide N-H becomes a better hydrogen bond donor. l-Prolinamides 3, derived from the reaction of l-proline with alpha,beta-hydroxyamines such that there is a terminal hydroxyl group, show more efficient catalysis and higher enantioselectivities. In particular, catalyst 3h, prepared from l-proline and (1S,2S)-diphenyl-2-aminoethanol, exhibits high enantioselectivities of up to 93% ee for aromatic aldehydes and up to >99% ee for aliphatic aldehydes under -25 degrees C. Model reactions of benzaldehyde with three enamines derived from the condensation of prolinamides with acetone have been studied by quantum mechanics calculations. The calculations reveal that the amide N-H and the terminal hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds with the benzaldehyde substrate. These hydrogen bonds reduce the activation energy and cause high enantioselectivity. Our results suggest a new strategy in the design of new organic catalysts for direct asymmetric aldol reactions and related transformations.
Project description:A direct and asymmetric aldol reaction of N-acyl thiazinanethiones with aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by chiral nickel(II) complexes is reported. The reaction gives the corresponding O-TIPS-protected anti-aldol adducts in high yields and with remarkable stereocontrol and atom economy. Furthermore, the straightforward removal of the achiral scaffold provides enantiomerically pure intermediates of synthetic interest, which involve precursors for anti-α-amino-β-hydroxy and α,β-dihydroxy carboxylic derivatives. Theoretical calculations explain the observed high stereocontrol.
Project description:An N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed atroposelective annulation reaction is disclosed for quick and efficient access to thiazine derivatives. A series of axially chiral thiazine derivatives bearing various substituents and substitution patterns were produced in moderate to high yields with moderate to excellent optical purities. Preliminary studies revealed that some of our products exhibit promising antibacterial activities against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) that causes rice bacterial blight.
Project description:A chiral seven-membered N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) has been synthesized from its phenol adduct (NHC-HOPh) by a novel base-induced alpha-elimination method, and its donor strength has been determined from the IR stretching frequencies of the NHC-Rh(CO)(2)Cl complex.
Project description:Atropisomeric biaryl motifs are ubiquitous in chiral catalysts and ligands. Numerous efficient strategies have been developed for the synthesis of axially chiral biaryls. In contrast, the asymmetric construction of o-quinone-aryl atropisomers has yet to be realized. Inspired by the rapid progress of the chemistry of biaryls, here we present our initial investigations about the atroposelective construction of axially chiral arylquinones by a bifunctional chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition and central-to-axial chirality conversion. With o-naphthoquinone as both the electrophile and the oxidant, three types of arylation counterparts, namely 2-naphthylamines, 2-naphthols and indoles, are utilized to assemble a series of atropisomeric scaffolds in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. This approach not only expands the axially chiral library but also offers a route to a class of potential, chiral biomimetic catalysts.
Project description:Axially chiral compounds are widespread in biologically active compounds and are useful chiral ligands or organocatalysts in asymmetric catalysis. It is well-known that styrenes are one of the most abundant and principal feedstocks and thus represent excellent prospective building blocks for chemical synthesis. Driven by the development of atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral styrene derivatives, we discovered herein the asymmetric organocatalytic approach via direct Michael addition reaction of substituted diones/ketone esters/malononitrile to alkynals. The axially chiral styrene compounds were produced with good chemical yields, enantioselectivities and almost complete E/Z-selectivities through a secondary amine-catalysed iminium activation strategy under mild conditions. Such structural motifs are important precursors for further transformations into biologically active compounds and synthetic useful intermediates and may have potential applications in asymmetric synthesis as olefin ligands or organocatalysts.
Project description:Three enzymatic routes toward γ-hydroxy-α-amino acids by tandem aldol addition-transamination one-pot two-step reactions are reported. The approaches feature an enantioselective aldol addition of pyruvate to various nonaromatic aldehydes catalyzed by trans-o-hydroxybenzylidene pyruvate hydratase-aldolase (HBPA) from Pseudomonas putida. This affords chiral 4-hydroxy-2-oxo acids, which were subsequently enantioselectively aminated using S-selective transaminases. Three transamination processes were investigated involving different amine donors and transaminases: (i) l-Ala as an amine donor with pyruvate recycling, (ii) a benzylamine donor using benzaldehyde lyase from Pseudomonas fluorescens Biovar I (BAL) to transform the benzaldehyde formed into benzoin, minimizing equilibrium limitations, and (iii) l-Glu as an amine donor with a double cascade comprising branched-chain α-amino acid aminotransferase (BCAT) and aspartate amino transferase (AspAT), both from E. coli, using l-Asp as a substrate to regenerate l-Glu. The γ-hydroxy-α-amino acids thus obtained were transformed into chiral α-amino-γ-butyrolactones, structural motifs found in many biologically active compounds and valuable intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceutical agents.