Alkenes asymmetric aziridination

In 1995, aziridination with 1,3-dienes 10 by treatment with PhI=NTs 9 was developed (Scheme 2.4) [10] on the foundation of pioneering works by Jacobsen and Evans on copper-catalyzed asymmetric aziridination of isolated alkenes [11]. 

Jacobsen and co-workers (61) demonstrated that diimine-copper complexes are moderately selective for the asymmetric cyclopropanation of 1,2-dihydro-naphthalene, Eq. 44. A correlation was found between selectivities in the asymmetric aziridination and the asymmetric cyclopropanation catalyzed by the same species. Jacobsen argues that this supports the notion that the two processes follow similar mechanistic pathways. These workers also studied the complexation event between alkenes and Cu(I)-diimine complexes by NMR and by crystallographic characterization (62). For a thorough treatment of these results, see Section II.B.3. 

In a study published concurrently with the Evans bis(oxazoline) results, Jacobsen and co-workers (82) demonstrated that diimine complexes of Cu(I) are effective catalysts for the asymmetric aziridination of cis alkenes, Eq. 66. These authors found that salen-Cu [salen = bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine] complexes such as 88b Cu are ineffective in the aziridination reaction, in spite of the success of these ligands in oxo-transfer reactions. Alkylation of the aryloxides provided catalysts that exhibit good selectivities but no turnover. The optimal catalyst was found to involve ligands that were capable only of bidentate coordination to copper. 

The first catalytic, asymmetric aziridination of an alkene in good yield and high enantioselectivity was recently reported56. Thus styrene (63) was treated with [N-(p-toluenesulphonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (64) and an asymmetric copper catalyst to yield (/ )-Ar-(p-toluenesulphonyl)-2-phenylaziridine [(/ )-65] in 97% yield with an ee of 61%, the catalyst being the complex formed in situ in chloroform from the chiral bis[(5 ) 4-ferf-butyloxazoline] [(S,S)-66] and copper triflate (CuOTf)56, the reaction proceeding by way of a nitrene transfer57. 

Benzylidene derivatives of the enantiomers of 1,2-diaminocyclohexane are also excellent ligands for the Cu(I)-catalyzcd asymmetric aziridination of olefins with 64, but the enantioselectivities using acyclic alkenes were about the same as those using ligand (S, S )-6658. When (5, 5 )-bis-(2,4-dichlorobenzylidenediamino)cyclohexane [(S,S)-67] was employed with C.u(I) triflate, 6-cyano-2,2-dimethylchromene (68) was converted to (R,R) 69 in a 75% yield with an ee greater than 98%58. 

There have also been significant advances in the imido chemistry of ruthenium and osmium. A variety of imido complexes in oxidation states +8 to +6 have been reported. Notably, osmium (VIII) imido complexes are active intermediates in osmium-catalyzed asymmetric aminohydroxyl-ations of alkenes. Ruthenium(VI) imido complexes with porphyrin ligands can effect stoichiometric and catalytic aziridination of alkenes. With chiral porphyrins, asymmetric aziridination of alkenes has also been achieved. Some of these imido species may also serve as models for biological processes. An imido species has been postulated as an intermediate in the nitrite reductase cycle. " ... 

Similar catalytic asymmetric approach has been successfully used in the reaction of a sulfonium ylide with electron-deficient imines" " and alkenes," " giving aziridines 135 and cyclopropane 136 with high enantioselectivity, respectively (Scheme 15). 

For example, Jacobsen has studied the asymmetric aziridination of alkenes using (diimine)-copper(I)-catalysts 85. The results support the intermediacy of a discrete Cu(III)-nitrene intermediate and thus suggests mechanistic similarity (particularly regarding transition state geometry) to asymmetric cyclopropanation [95JA5889]. 

For the aziridination of 1,3-dienes, copper catalysis gave better yields of A-tosyl-2-alkenyl aziridines with 1,3-cyclooctadiene, 1,4-addition occurred exclusively (50%) [46]. Good results were also obtained on rhodium catalysed decomposition of PhI=NNs (Ns = p-nitrophenylsulphonyl) with some alkenes the aziridination was stereospecific, whereas with chiral catalysts asymmetric induction (up to 73% ee) was achieved. However, cyclohexene gave predominantly (70%) a product derived from nitrene insertion into an allylic carbon-hydrogen bond [47]. 

In addition to epoxides, three-membered nitrogen heterocycles, aziridines, can be obtained by means of catalytic asymmetric aziridinations (Eq. 30). To this aim, chiral ruthenium(salen) complexes 67 [56] and 68 [57] were useful (Fig. 1). The former phosphine complexes 67 gave the aziridine from two cy-cloalkenes with 19-83% ee [56]. On the other hand, terminal alkenes selectively underwent aziridination in the presence of the latter carbonyl complex 68 with 87-95% ee [57]. In these examples, N-tosyliminophenyliodinane or N-tosyl azide were used as nitrene sources. Quite recently, catalytic intramolecular ami-dation of saturated C-H bonds was achieved by the use of a ruthenium(por-phyrin) complex (Eq. 31) [58]. In the presence of the ruthenium catalyst and 2 equiv iodosobenzene diacetate, sulfamate esters 69 were converted into cyclic sulfamidates 70 in moderate-to-good yields. 

Heterogeneous asymmetric aziridination of alkenes with CuHY... 

Terminal epoxides of high enantiopurity are among the most important chiral building blocks in enantioselective synthesis, because they are easily opened through nucleophilic substitution reactions. Furthermore, this procedure can be scaled to industrial levels with low catalyst loading. Chiral metal salen complexes have also been successfully applied to the asymmetric hydroxylation of C H bonds, asymmetric oxidation of sulfides, asymmetric aziridination of alkenes, and the asymmetric alkylation of keto esters to name a few. 

Although asymmetric aziridination of styrenes was attempted by Burrow and Katsuki and their coworkers using manganese salen complexes in the presence of PhI=NTs, low asymmetric induction was observed ". Nishikori and Katsuki later employed a salen complex synthesized from (/ ,/f)-2,3-diaminobutane and ( i-biphenol, and found that the chirality at the 3,3 -positions is more important for the asymmetric induction (equation 85) . Carreira conducted the stoichiometric amination of enol ethers and alkenes using a manganese nitride salen complex. Komatsu extended the methodology to the catalytic process and attained 94% ee for aziridination of / -isopropylstyrene. ... 

Given the significant existing knowledge-base in asymmetric catalytic cyclo-propanation (Chap. 16), the discovery that metal ions useful for catalysis of carbene transfer to alkenes were also effective for nitrene transfer to the same substrates opened a clear new direction for research in asymmetric aziridination. Brief mention of the asymmetric catalysis of the aziridination of styrene was made in two early reports on (bisoxazoline)copper-catalyzed asymmetric cyclopropanations [20,21], and subsequently new methods for copper-catalyzed asymmetric aziridination were revealed in two independent studies published simultaneously by Jacobsen and Evans [22,23]. 

Significant recent interest in the transition metal catalyzed reactions of imidoiodanes was initiated in the 1990s by the pioneering works of Evans [586, 763, 764] and Jacobsen [765,766] on the asymmetric aziridination of olefins using copper catalysts (2-10 mol%) with chiral dinitrogen ligands and PhD JTs as the nitrene precursor. Since these initial publications, research activity in this area has surged and the copper-catalyzed aziridination of alkenes has been utilized in numerous syntheses. For example, Dodd and coworkers applied the Evans aziridination procedure to 2-substituted acrylates and cinnamates 649 [767] and to steroids 650 (Scheme 3.257) [768]. 

Particularly important are enantioselecUve aziridinations of alkenes using PhINTs and copper catalysts with chiral dinitrogen ligands [777-781]. In a representative example, the PhINTs-promoted asymmetric aziridination of alkene 655 affords chiral aziridine 656 with excellent enantioselectivity (Scheme 3.260) [777]. 

Chiral biaryl Schiff base-CuOTf complexes also efficiently catalyze asymmetric aziridination. ortho Substituents prove once more to be crucial since ligands derived from 2,6-disubstituted benzaldehyde and particularly from 2,6-dichlorobenzaldehyde provide, by reaction with CuOTf, monomeric species of high reactivity and selectivity. Under these conditions, asymmetric aziri-dination of trans- and c/s alkenes occurs with very good enantio-selectivities (eqs 92 and 93). 

Asymmetric Aziridination of Alkenes. The copper-catalyzed aziridination reaction can be rendered enantioselective by the addition of chiral ligands. The first example of an enantioselective aziridination of an alkene employed the bis(oxazoline) ligand (4) (R = f-Bu) and copper(I) trifluoromethanesulfonate as the metal catalyst (eq 14). This catalyst system affords the aziridine in 97% yield and 61% ee. Other reports have appeared subsequently regarding the extended scope of this reaction. " Important contributions to this area include the copper/bis-(oxazoline)-catalyzed aziridination of aryl acrylate esters (eq 15) and the copper/bis(imine)-catalyzed aziridination of cyclic cis-alkenes with the bis(imine) ligand (5) (eqs 16 and 17). ... 

Reactions of A-tosyliminophenyliodinanes (PhI=NTs) as nitrene source with alkenes in the presence of chiral ligands also present a valuable method to achieve asymmetric aziridination reactions. Cinnamate esters 73 yield enantiomeric aziridinate products in good selectivities on reaction with chiral bisoxazolines 23 and Al-tosyliminophenyliodinanes in the presence of copper salts (Scheme 29) [87]. Biaryl Schiff bases 74 can also be used as ligands in the enantioselective aziridination of ciimamate esters, chromenes and st5renes [88]. Chiral C2-symmetric salen-type ligands 75 were also found to be highly effective for the... 

Nitridomanganese complex was first applied to asymmetric aziridination reactions of alkenes by Komatsu and coworkers in 1998 [9]. The reaction of styrene with the chiral nitridomanganese 3 [10] in the presence of pyridine, TS2O,... 

Zhang and coworkers also developed an efficient asymmetric aziridination protocol using trichloroethoxysulfonyl azide (TcesN3) as a new nitrene source and Co(ll) complexes of D2-symmetiical chiral porphyrins 5 as a catalyst (Scheme 2.10) [15]. In some cases, the addition of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2, which would activate alkenes by its... 

Lewis acidity, dramatically improved the product yields without loss of the enantioselectivities. These results demonstrated that TcesNs is one of the most efficient reagents for the asymmetric aziridination reactions of a wide range of simple alkenes. 

Instead of using chloramine-T (pKa 13.5), the employment of more nucleophilic chloramine salt, A-chloro-A-sodiobenzyloxycarbamate (pKa 15.3), allows for an efficient aziridination of electron-deficient olefins (Michael acceptors) in the presence of a solid-liquid phase-transfer catalyst (Scheme 2.38) [57]. The reaction would involve an ionic pathway where the Michael-addition of chloramine salt to alkenes and the following back-attack of the resulting enolate at the electrophilic N-center to cyclize. This reaction was successfully extended to the asymmetric aziridination of the enones that have an auxiliary, to produce chiral aziridines with good enantioselectivities up to 87% ee. Another option to aziridinate electron-deficient alkenes is the utilization of... 

Li Z, Quan RW, Jacobsen EN. Mechanism of the (diimine) copper-catalyzed asymmetric aziridination of alkenes. Nitrene transfer via ligand-accelerated catalysis. 7. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995 117(21) 5889-5890. 

The cis alkenes are more reactive and more selective than their trans counterparts. As with the Evans system, this reaction is not stereospecific. Acyclic cis alkenes provide mixtures of cis and trans aziridines. cis-p-Methylstyrene affords a 3 1 ratio of aziridines favoring the cis isomer, Eq. 67, although selectivity is higher in the trans isomer. A fascinating discussion of this phenomenon, observed in this system as well as the Mn-catalyzed asymmetric oxo-transfer reaction, has been advanced by Jacobsen and co-workers (83). Styrene provides the aziridine in moderate selectivity, Eq. 68, not altogether surprising since bond rotation in this case would lead to enantiomeric products. 

Oxidative amination of carbamates, sulfamates, and sulfonamides has broad utility for the preparation of value-added heterocyclic structures. Both dimeric rhodium complexes and ruthenium porphyrins are effective catalysts for saturated C-H bond functionalization, affording products in high yields and with excellent chemo-, regio-, and diastereocontrol. Initial efforts to develop these methods into practical asymmetric processes give promise that such achievements will someday be realized. Alkene aziridina-tion using sulfamates and sulfonamides has witnessed dramatic improvement with the advent of protocols that obviate use of capricious iminoiodinanes. Complexes of rhodium, ruthenium, and copper all enjoy application in this context and will continue to evolve as both achiral and chiral catalysts for aziridine synthesis. The invention of new methods for the selective and efficient intermolecular amination of saturated C-H bonds still stands, however, as one of the great challenges. 

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