Asymmetric carbocycle synthesis

The identification of novel ways to incorporate an asymmetric intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck reaction as part of a cascade cyclization sequence has led to attractive approaches for assembling complex polycyclic molecules. Keay and coworkers [54] reported the use of a double Mizoroki-Heck cyclization as the pivotal step in the asymmetric total synthesis of xestoquinone (93), a reduced congener of halenaquinone (Scheme 16.20). In this step, naphthyl triflate 90 was cyclized with Pd2(dba)3 (dba = dibenzylideneace-tone), (5 )-BINAP and 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidine (PMP) in toluene at 110°C to give pentacyclic product 92 with impressive efficiency and moderate enantioselectivity. This conversion proceeds by initial asymmetric 6-exo Mizoroki-Heck cyclization to form the central six-membered carbocycle and install the benzylic quaternary stereocentre. The first cyclization event is followed by a second Mizoroki-Heck reaction in which neopentyl... 

Trost and co-workers have explored asymmetric transidon metal-catalyzed allylic alkyla-dons. Details on this subject have been well reviewed by Trost and others. With the use of asymmetric palladium-catalyzed desymmetrizadon of meso-2-ene-l,4-diols, cii -l,4-dibenzoy-loxy-2-cyclopentene can be converted to the enandometrically pure cii -4-rfirr-butoxycar-bamoyl-l-methoxycarbonyl-2-cyclopentene. The product is a usefid and general building block for synthesis of carbocyclic analogs of nucleosides as presented in Scheme 5.12. 

The biomimetic approach to total synthesis draws inspiration from the enzyme-catalyzed conversion of squalene oxide (2) to lanosterol (3) (through polyolefinic cyclization and subsequent rearrangement), a biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol, and the related conversion of squalene oxide (2) to the plant triterpenoid dammaradienol (4) (see Scheme la).3 The dramatic productivity of these enzyme-mediated transformations is obvious in one impressive step, squalene oxide (2), a molecule harboring only a single asymmetric carbon atom, is converted into a stereochemically complex polycyclic framework in a manner that is stereospecific. In both cases, four carbocyclic rings are created at the expense of a single oxirane ring. 

The asymmetric Michael addition of chiral nonracemic ketone enolates has most frequently been used as part of the Robinson annulation methodology in the synthesis of natural products171-172. The enolates are then derived from carbocyclic chiral ketones such as (+)-nopinone, (-)-dihydrocarvone, or (-)-3-methylsabinaketone. 

Casas R., Chen Z., Diaz M., Hanafi N., Ibarzo J., Jimenez J. M., Ortuno R. M. Some Versatile and Useful Strategies for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Polyfunctional Carbocyclic Derivatives An. Quim. 1995 91 42-49... 

Hydrosilylation of dienes accompanied by cyclization is emerging as a potential route to the synthesis of functionalized carbocycles. However, the utility of cycliza-tion/hydrosilylation has been Umited because of the absence of an asymmetric protocol. One example of asymmetric cycUzation/hydrosilylation has been reported very recently using a chiral pyridine-oxazoUne ligand instead of 1,10-phenanthroline of the cationic palladium complex (53) [60]. As shown in Scheme 3-21, the pyridine-oxazoUne Ugand is more effective than the bisoxazoUne ligand in this asymmetric cyclization/hydrosilylation of a 1,6-diene. 

Hydrosilylation of 1,6-dienes accompanied by cyclization giving a five-membered ring system is emerging as a potential route to the synthesis of functionalized carbocycles.81,81a,81b 82 As its asymmetric version, diallylmalonates 86 were treated with trialkylsilane in the presence of a cationic palladium catalyst 88, which is coordinated with a chiral pyridine-oxazoline ligand. As the cyclization-hydrosilylation products, //ww-disubstituted cyclopentanes 87 were obtained with high diastereoselectivity (>95%), whose enantioselectivity ranged between 87% and 90% (Scheme 25).83 83a... 

The chemistry described in this review article demonstrates the impressive positive influence that catalytic RCM has had on our research in connection to the development of other catalytic and enantioselective C-C bond forming reactions. There is no doubt that in the absence of pioneering work by Schrock and Grubbs, the Zr-catalyzed alkylation and kinetic resolution would be of less utility in synthesis. The number of unsaturated heterocyclic and carbocyclic substrates available for Zr-catalyzed asymmetric carbomagnesation would be far more limited without catalytic RCM. 

Miscellaneous Iminium Catalyzed Transformations The enantioselective construction of three-membered hetero- or carbocyclic ring systems is an important objective for practitioners of chemical synthesis in academic and industrial settings. To date, important advances have been made in the iminium activation realm, which enable asymmetric entry to a-formyl cyclopropanes and epoxides. In terms of cyclopropane synthesis, a new class of iminium catalyst has been introduced, providing the enantioselective stepwise [2 + 1] union of sulfonium ylides and ot,p-unsaturated aldehydes.As shown in Scheme 11.6a, the zwitterionic hydro-indoline-derived catalyst (19) enables both iminium geometry control and directed electrostatic activation of sulfonium ylides in proximity to the incipient iminium reaction partner. This combination of geometric and stereoelectronic effects has been proposed as being essential for enantio- and diastereocontrol in forming two of the three cyclopropyl bonds. 

The asymmetric synthesis of (+)-Codeine 432 devised by White and colleagues included a Beckmann rearrangement to introduce the nitrogen atom in the carbocyclic structure (equation 182). Even though two isomeric lactams 430 and 431 were obtained as a result of the rearrangement, the preferential migration of the bridgehead carbon atom produced 430 as the predominant isomer. The synthesis of the non-natural enantiomer of Codeine was completed after oxidation, olefin formation and reduction. 

Scheme 15. Enantioselective synthesis of carbocyclic tertiary ethers and spirocycles through Mo-catalyzed asymmetric olefin metathesis...

Rhodium-catalysed asymmetric cyclization/hydroboration followed either by Pd-catalysed arylation or by oxidation was applied to the synthesis of a number of chiral, non-racemic carbocycles and heterocycles. Thus, reaction of enyne (28) with catecholborane, catalysed by a 1 1 mixture of [Rh(COD)2]+ Sbly,- and (S)-BINAP (5 mol%), followed by Pd-catalysed arylation with /7-IC6H4CF3, afforded benzyli-denecyclopentane (29) in 65% yield with 88% ee.46... 

Several other important compounds found in the common aromatic amino acid pathway whose overproduction has been studied are shikimic acid (61) and, to a lesser extent, quinic acid (62) (Scheme 19.41).323 Both 61 and 62 are naturally occurring, highly functionalized carbocyclic rings with asymmetric centers, which can be used as starting material for the synthesis of GS4104 (63), a neuraminidase inhibitor discovered by Gilead Sciences and developed by Roche Pharmaceuticals under the trade name of Tamiflu .324 325 Manipulation of the aromatic amino acid pathway in E. coli has allowed for numerous strains to be assembled that produce both 61 and 62 as well as other intermediates.326 327 As reported by Chandran and co-workers, an E. coli strain has been constructed that synthesized 87 g/L (0.5m) of 61 in 36% (mol/mol) yield with a maximum productivity of 5.2 gL- lr1.328... 

A common procedure used to forge carbocyclic systems is represented by the ring-closing metathesis reactions exploiting various Grubbs-type carbene catalysts. Based on this cyclization technology, Skaanderup and Madsen [71], on the way to polyhydroxy-nortropane calystegines, reported the asymmetric synthesis of aminated 6a-carbahexoseptanose derivatives 311. 

J. Marco-Contelles, C. Destabel, P. Gallego, J. L. Chiara, and M. Bemabe, A new synthetic approach to the carbocyclic core of cyclopentane-type glycosidase inhibitors Asymmetric synthesis of amino-cyclopentitols via free radical cycloisomerization of enantiomerically pure alkyne-tethered oxime ethers derived from carbohydrates, J. Org. Chem., 61 (1996) 1354-1362. 

Chiral bicyclic lactams are excellent precursors to a wide variety of chiral, non-racemic carbocycles including cyclopentenones, cyclohexenones, cyclopropanes, indanones, naphthalenones, and asymmetric keto acids.3 Recently they have been applied to the synthesis of chiral, non-racemic pyrrolidines and pyrroiidinones,4 that are medicinally and synthetically important molecules.5 The three-step procedure described here provides an efficient route (overall yield 46%) to (S)-5-heptyl-2-pyrrolidinone of high enantiomeric purity. The scheme below illustrates this reaction. 

Asymmetric [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction affords a practical means of synthesis of optically active cyclobutanes, which can be used as useful intermediates in organic synthesis [138]. Narasaka reported that asymmetric [2 -i- 2] cycloaddition between acryloyl oxazolidinone derivatives and bis(methylthio)ethylene proceeded with high enantios-electivity when catalyzed by TADDOL-derived titanium complex (Sch. 58) [139]. The cyclobutane product was transformed into carbocyclic oxetanocin analogs or (-n)-grand-isol [140]... 

Horton et al. were interested in the synthesis of tetra-C-substituted carbocycles, and extensively studied asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions employing acyclic unsaturated carbohydrate derivatives. Thus, the thermal cycloaddition of the D-arabinose-derived c/i-dienophile (Z)-100 with cyclopentadiene gave endo-adduct 101 in excellent optical purity. The high diastereo-facial differentiation in this reaction arises from a highly favored conformation at the allylic center [76,77] (Scheme 10.33). Therefore, conformer 102 seems to be more favored than 103, where the latter suffers from severe allylic strain between the methoxycarbonyl and the C4-acetoxy group... 

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