Asymmetric Hydrocyanation of Imines

Since the pioneering work by Ojima et al. [653] the Strecker-type reaction of imines bearing a chiral auxihary with TMSCN has frequently been used for asymmetric synthesis of a-aminonitriles [654]. In recent years catalytic asymmetric hydrocyanation of imines with TMSCN has been intensively studied to establish a more efficient route to optically active a-aminonitriles [655]. 

Homochiral 3,3 -dimethyl-2,2 -bisquinoline N,N -dioxide serves as a Lewis base catalyst for asymmetric hydrocyanation of aromatic N-(diphenylmethyl)imines, although the enantioselectivity is still modest (37-77% ee) [659]. 

Jacobsen et al. have reported that peptide Schiff bases and an Al-salen complex are valuable for asymmetric hydrocyanation of imines with TBSCN [660] and TMSCN [661], respectively. It is, however, most likely that HCN arising from these cyanosilanes and adventitious water is the reactive nucleophile. Hoveyda et al. also have used TMSCN as a source of HCN in the hydrocyanation of imines catalyzed by a Ti-peptide Schiff base complex [662], 

Asymmetric hydrocyanation of ketimines with TMSCN, a more challenging subject, has been reported by Vallee et al. They investigated the utility of chiral Ti-BI-NOL complexes for hydrocyanation of the N-benzylketimine derived from acetophenone [663]. The best result (80% conversion, 56% ee) was obtained by catalytic use of Ti(Oi-Pr)2(BINOL) (10 mol%) in the presence of TMEDA (20 mol%). More recently they have found that Sc(BINOL)2Li works as an efficient chiral catalyst for the same hydrocyanation (10 mol% of the catalyst 95% conversion, 88% ee) [664]. 

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Fig. 11 Kunz s hypothesized pre-transition state for the asymmetric hydrocyanation of imines promoted by a novel paracyclophane imine catalyst...

Several organocatalysts have been recycled efficiently (selected examples are shown in Scheme 14.2). For example, the Jacobsen group has reported results from an impressive study of the recycling of the immobilized urea derivative 6, a highly efficient organocatalyst for asymmetric hydrocyanation of imines (Scheme 14.2) [11]. It was discovered that the catalyst can be recycled and re-used very efficiently - over ten reaction cycles the product was obtained with similar yield and enantioselectivity (96-98% yield, 92-93% ee). 

The asymmetric catalytic Strecker reaction is an elegant means of synthesis of optically active a-amino acids. The Jacobsen group developed optimized organocata-lysts [21, 44-48], optically active urea or thiourea derivatives, which were found to be the most efficient type of catalyst yet for asymmetric hydrocyanation of imines (see also Section 5.1 on the hydrocyanation of imines). Because of its high efficiency, Jacobsen hydrocyanation technology has already been used commercially at Rodia ChiRex [49]. The concept of the reaction is shown in Scheme 14.7. In the presence of a catalytic amount (2 mol%) of the readily available organocatalyst... 

Jacobsen et al. have also demonstrated the usefulness of this method for asymmetric hydrocyanation of cyclic imines [10]. An example is the efficient synthesis of (R)-14 in 88% yield and with 91% ee (Scheme 5.7). Thus, in addition to the hydrocyanation of acyclic imines which are mainly fc-isomcrs, Z-i mines can also be used efficiently. 

Recently, Kunz et al. reported a new organocatalyst for the asymmetric Strecker reaction [132]. The paracyclophane-derived imine catalyst (280) promotes the hydrocyanation of various imines, both aromatic and aliphatic (Scheme 79). 

While all of the aryl imine substrates examined for this Strecker methodology existed predominantly or exclusively as the E-isomers, this did not appear to be a requirement for high enantioselectivity as demonstrated in the asymmetric 42-cat-alyzed (2 mol% loading) hydrocyanation of the cyclic Z-imine 3,4-dihydroisoquino-line, which was converted to the corresponding adduct (88% yield, 91% cc) with the same sense of stereoinduction with respect to the benzylic stereogenic center as the examined acyclic E-imines (Schemes 6.41 and 6.42) [196]. 

The Strecker reaction [1] starting from an aldehyde, ammonia, and a cyanide source is an efficient method for the preparation of a-amino acids. A popular version for asymmetric purposes is based on the use of preformed imines 1 and a subsequent nucleophilic addition of HCN or TMSCN in the presence of a chiral catalyst [2], Besides asymmetric cyanations catalyzed by metal-complexes [3], several methods based on the use of organocatalysts have been developed [4-14]. The general organocatalytic asymmetric hydrocyanation reaction for the synthesis of a-amino nitriles 2 is shown in Scheme 5.1. 

In addition, acyclic aliphatic N-allyl imines and cycloalkylimines were acceptable starting materials for the asymmetric hydrocyanation and enantioselectivity of up to 95% ee was obtained by use of 10a as catalyst [10]. Representative examples of the range of substrates are summarized in Scheme 5.6. It should be added that as an alternative to the N-allyl imines the analogous N-benzyl imines can be efficiently used as starting material [10]. An optimized procedure for preparation of the catalyst 10a has recently been reported by the Jacobsen group [11]. 

The hydrocyanation reactions of electrophilic aldehydes, ketones and their corresponding imines gives direct access to synthetic derivatives of several important structures, including a-hydroxy carboxylic acids, / -amino alcohols and a-tertiary and a-quaternary-a-amino acids. The asymmetric hydrocyanation reaction provides access to chiral synthons, which have proven useful for the construction of many structurally complex and biologically active compounds. Catalysis of these reactions is especially attractive with respect to avoiding the cost and relative chemical inefficiency associated with the use of chiral auxiliaries. 

The Strecker reaction is defined as the addition of HCN to the condensation product of a carbonyl and amine component to give a-amino nitriles. Lipton and coworkers reported the first highly effective catalytic asymmetric Strecker reaction, using synthetic peptide 43, a modification of Inoue s catalyst (38), which was determined to be inactive for the Strecker reactions of aldimines (see Scheme 6.5) [62], Catalyst 43 provided chiral a-amino nitrile products for a number of N-benzhydryl imines (42) derived from substituted aromatic (71-97% yield 64->99% ee) and aliphatic (80-81% yield <10-17% ee) aldehydes, presumably through a similar mode of activation to that for hydrocyanations of aldehydes (Table 6.14). Electron-deficient aromatic imines were not suitable substrates for this catalyst, giving products in low optical purities (<10-32% ee). The a-amino nitrile product of benzaldehyde was converted to the corresponding a-amino acid in high yield (92%) and ee (>99%) via a one-step acid hydrolysis. 

The assymetric Strecker reaction of diverse imines, including aldimines as well as ketoimines, with HCN or TMSCN provides a direct access to various unnatural and natural amino acids in high enantiomeric excesses, using soluble or resin-linked non-metal Schiff bases the corresponding chiral catalysts are obtained and optimized by parallel combinatorial library synthesis [93]. A rather general asymmetric Strecker-type synthesis of various imines and a, 9-unsaturated derivatives is catalyzed by chiral bifunctional Lewis acid-Lewis base aluminum-containing complexes [94]. When chiral (salen)Al(III) complexes are employed for the hydrocyanation of aromatic substituted imines, excellent yields and enatio-selectivities are obtained [94]. 

Hydrocyanation to imines with HCN, the Strecker reaction, is one of the most direct and efficient methods for natural and unnatural a-amino acids. Asymmetric Strecker-type reaction with chiral aluminum Lewis acids has been developed. As shown in Scheme 6.48, the research group of Jacobsen reported chiral Al(salen)Cl complex (67a) as an effective asymmetric catalyst for catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of aromatic N-allylimines with HCN [62]. Compared to the reactions of aromatic imines, that of a-branched aliphatic imines (R = Cy and t-Bu) gave Strecker products in only moderate optical yield. Additionally, the use of TMSCN instead of HCN dramatically reduced in the enantioselectivity. 

Kee and coworkers reported that Al(salen) (73a) and Al(salan) (67b) complexes catalyze hydrophosphonylation of benzaldehyde derivatives [70]. Enantioselectivi-ties were modest in the reactions catalyzed by each catalyst. Interestingly, compared to Al(salen) complex (73a), Al(salan) complex (67) results in better enantioselectiv-ity (Scheme 6.55). The structure of (67b) in solution was identified as a dimeric hydroxyl-bridged structure with the twisted ligand geometry. In addition, Jacobsen s Al(salen)Cl (67a), which is well known as an excellent asymmetric catalyst for hydrocyanation of aromatic imines, was not an effective catalyst for this reaction [62]. 

The asymmetric reactions discussed in this chapter may be divided into three different types of reaction, as (1) hydrometallation of olefins followed by the C—C bond formation, (2) two C C bond formations on a formally divalent carbon atom, and (3) nucleophilic addition of cyanide or isocyanide anion to a carbonyl or its analogs (Scheme 4.1). For reaction type 1, here described are hydrocarbonyla-tion represented by hydroformylation and hydrocyanation. As for type 2, Pauson-Khand reaction and olefin/CO copolymerization are mentioned. Several nucleophilic additions to aldehydes and imines (or iminiums) are described as type 3. 

Building upon an early observation that a-oxonitriles readily react with imines to form the corresponding N-acylamino nitriles [26-28], List devised an asymmetric organocatalyzed acetylcyanation variant (Table 30.5) [29, 30]. Acetyl cyanide is commercially available and, as a Uquid, is convenient to use. In addition, the use of acetyl cyanide makes further derivatization of the hydrocyanation compounds with, for example, TFAA obsolete. Using catalyst 30, the reaction gave high enan-tioselectivities and high yields with aromatic, aliphatic, heteroaromatic, aUphatic-branched and -unbranched, and unsaturated imines. 

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