Bifunctional catalysis diamine

Another type of bifunctional catalysis has been noted with a,cn-diamines in which one of the amino groups is primary and the other tertiary. These substituted diamines are from several times to as much as 100 times more reactive toward imine formation than similar monofunctional amines. This is attributed to a catalytic intramolecular proton transfer. 

Highly functionalized 3,4-disubstituted lactones have been prepared in good delee via Michael addition of aryl methyl ketones to 2-furanones, using bifunctional catalysis by a simple chiral diamine and tosic acid ESI-MS suggests that a catalytic monosalt 0 forms. 0... 

Bifunctional catalysts have proven to be very powerful in asymmetric organic transformations [3], It is proposed that these chiral catalysts possess both Brpnsted base and acid character allowing for activation of both electrophile and nucleophile for enantioselective carbon-carbon bond formation [89], Pioneers Jacobsen, Takemoto, Johnston, Li, Wang and Tsogoeva have illustrated the synthetic utility of the bifunctional catalysts in various organic transformations with a class of cyclohexane-diamine derived catalysts (Fig. 6). In general, these catalysts contain a Brpnsted basic tertiary nitrogen, which activates the substrate for asymmetric catalysis, in conjunction with a Brpnsted acid moiety, such as urea or pyridinium proton. 

Later, Melchiorre and coworkers accomplished a challenging direct vinylogous aldol reaction of 3-methyl-2-(yclohexen-l-one with a-keto esters utilising a bifunctional primary amine-thiourea. Catalyst 48 based on the (l/ ,2/ )Kiiphenylethylene-l,2-diamine backbone combined with benzoic acid as cocatalyst promoted the reaction by means of a concomitant activation of both reacting partners (see TS in Scheme 19.55), the ketone via dienamine catalysis and the ester via hydrogen-bonding interactions (Scheme 19.55). 

Kokotos and coworkers investigated the use of prolinamide-based thioureas as bifunctional organocatalysts for the direct aldol reaction. The amide and the thiourea functionalities, tethered by a chiral diamine motif, offered multiple hydrogen bonding sites for electrophile activation, while the pyrrolidine skeleton served to activate the nucleophile via enamine catalysis. Thiourea 61 proved to provide the best catalyst in the presence of 4-nitrobenzoic acid as cocatalyst at low temperature and delivered the anti-aXAoX products in moderate to high yields and in high to excellent... 

---