Enantioselective desymmetrization

Recently, Erase et al reported a desymmetrizing enantioselective Mizoroki-Heck reaction producing tetracycle 138, again with three adjacent stereogenic centers (136—>138 Scheme 7.32) [83]. Interestingly, a Mizoroki-Heck reaction of 136 using conventional chiral ligands such as (R)-BINAP ((R)-74) or (S)-i-Pr-PHOX resulted in very low enantioselection and/or conversion. Conversely, (S,R)-... 

Desymmetrization of meso-bis-allylic alcohols is an effective method for the preparation of chiral functionalized intermediates from meso-substrates. Schreiber et al has shown that divinyl carbonyl 58 is epoxidized in good enantioselectivity. However, because the product epoxy alcohols 59 and 60 also contain a reactive allylic alcohol that are diastereomeric in nature, a second epoxidation would occur at different rates and thus affect the observed ee for the first AE reaction and the overall de. Indeed, the major diastereomeric product epoxide 59 resulting from the first AE is less reactive in the second epoxidation. Thus, high de is easily obtainable since the second epoxidation removes the minor diastereomer. 

Enantioselective desymmetrization of achiral or meso compounds with formation of enantiomerically enriched products, among them heterocycles 99JCS(P1)1765. 

NOL-based systems for addition of (substituted) anilines to meso epoxides. Hou found that a ytterbium-BI NO L complex catalyzed desymmetrization of cyclohexene oxide in up to 80% ee [15], Shibasaki demonstrated that a praseodymium-BINOL complex could promote addition of p-anisidine to several epoxides in moderate yields with modest enantioselectivities (Scheme 7.7) [16]. 

Subsequent to the development of the (salen)Cr-catalyzed desymmetrization of meso-epoxides with azide (Scheme 7.3), Jacobsen discovered that the analogous (salen)Co(n) complex 6 promoted the enantioselective addition of benzoic acids to meso-epoxides to afford valuable monoprotected C2-symmetric diols (Scheme 7.15) [26], Under the reaction conditions, complex 6 served as a precatalyst for the (salen) Co(iii)-OBz complex, which was fonned in situ by aerobic oxidation. While the enantioselectivity was moderate for certain substrates, the high crystallinity of the products allowed access to enantiopure materials by simple recrystallization. 

An impressive application of the (salen) Co-catalyzed intramolecular ARO of meso-epoxy alcohols in the context of total synthesis was reported recently by Danishefsky [33], Enantioselective desymmetrization of intermediate 9 by use of the cobalt acetate catalyst 8 at low temperatures afforded compound 10, which was obtained in 86% ee and >86% yield (Scheme 7.18). Straightforward manipulation of 10 eventually produced an intermediate that intersected Danishefsky s previ-... 

In contrast, Cozzi and Umani-Ronchi found the (salen)Cr-Cl complex 2 to be very effective for the desymmetrization of meso-slilbene oxide with use of substituted indoles as nucleophiles (Scheme 7.25) [49]. The reaction is high-yielding, highly enantioselective, and takes place exclusively at sp2-hybridized C3, independently of the indole substitution pattern at positions 1 and 2. The successful use of N-alkyl substrates (Scheme 7.25, entries 2 and 4) suggests that nucleophile activation does not occur in this reaction, in stark contrast with the highly enantioselective cooperative bimetallic mechanism of the (salen)Cr-Cl-catalyzed asymmetric azidolysis reaction (Scheme 7.5). However, no kinetic studies on this reaction were reported. 

The epoxidation of divinyl carbinol constitutes a special case of a dienol epoxida-tion, as the starting diene is not conjugated (Scheme 9.10). Desymmetrization by SAE, followed by a Payne rearrangement, furnishes the vinylepoxide in high yield and with excellent enantioselectivity (compare Table 9.2, Entry 1) [43]. 

CHMO is known to catalyze a number of enantioselective BV reactions, including the kinetic resolution of certain racemic ketones and desymmetrization of prochiral substrates [84—87]. An example is the desymmetrization of 4-methylcyclohexanone, which affords the (S)-configurated seven-membered lactone with 98% ee [84,87]. Of course, many ketones fail to react with acceptable levels of enantioselectivity, or are not even accepted by the enzyme. 

The initial results of an early directed evolution study are all the more significant, because no X-ray data or homology models were available then to serve as a possible guide [89]. In a model study using whole E. coU cells containing the CHMO from Adnetohacter sp. NCIM B9871,4-hydroxy-cydohexanone (3 5) was used as the substrate. The WT leads to the preferential formation of the primary product (i )-36, which spontaneously rearranges to the thermodynamically more stable lactone (R)-37. The enantiomeric excess of this desymmetrization is only 9%, and the sense of enantioselectivity (R) is opposite to the usually observed (S)-preference displayed by simple 4-alkyl-substituted cydohexanone derivatives (see Scheme 2.10) [84—87]. 

Enantioselective enzymatic desymmetrization is the transformation of a substrate that results in the loss of a symmetry element that precludes chirality (plane of... 

A [2 + 2] photoaddition-cycloreversion was applied to the enantioselective synthesis of the natural product byssocMamic add (Figure 6.11). Desymmetrization of a meso-cyclopentene dimethyl ester with PLE in pH 7 buffer-acetone (5 1) provided a monoacid, one of the photopartners. It is noteworthy that both enantiomers of this natural product were synthesized from the same monoacid [58]. 

The first asymmetric synthesis of (—)-Y-jasmolactone, a fruit fiavor constituent, vas achieved via the enantioselective lactonization (desymmetrization) of a prochiral hydroxy diester promoted by porcine pancreas lipase (PPL) (Figure 6.23) [71]. 

Podophyllotoxin, a plant lignan, is a potent antimitotic agent (Figure 6.61). An enantioselective synthesis of (—)-podophyllotoxin was achieved via the enzymatic desymmetrization of an advanced meso-diacetate, through PPL-mediated diester hydrolysis [157]. 

These different catalysts were first tested in the desymmetrization of the achiral triene 63 (Scheme 40). The best enantioselectivities (up to 39%) were obtained with complexes 60b and 61c-d bearing carbene ligands derived from 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-diaminoethane (R = Ph). ligands derived from 1,2-diaminocyclohexane gave poor enantioselectivities (< 9% ee). Replacement of the mesityl group in complex 60b by o-methyl- or o-isopropylphenyl groups (complexes 61c-d) slightly increases the enantioselectivity (from 13... 

Initial studies indicated that this ruthenium complex is an effective chiral catalyst for enantioselective metathesis. For example, desymmetrization of the anhydride 68 (Scheme 43) in the presence of 10 mol % of 65 and 10... 

Other reactions not described here are formal [3 -i- 2] cycloadditions of a,p-unsaturated acyl-fluorides with allylsilanes [116], or the desymmetrization of meso epoxides [117]. For many of the reactions shown above, the planar chiral Fe-sandwich complexes are the first catalysts allowing for broad substrate scope in combination with high enantioselectivities and yields. Clearly, these milestones in asymmetric Lewis-base catalysis are stimulating the still ongoing design of improved catalysts. 

Hodgson, D.M. Galano, J.M. (2005) Enantioselective Access to Isoquinuclidines by Tropen-one Desymmetrization and HomoaHylic Radical Rearrangement Synthesis of (-F)-Ibogamine. Organic Letters, 1, 2221-2224. 

The catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso compounds is a powerful tool for the construction of enantiomerically enriched functionalized products." Meso cyclic allylic diol derivatives are challenging substrates for the asymmetric allylic substitution reaction owing to the potential competition of several reaction pathways. In particular, S 2 and 5n2 substitutions can occur, and both with either retention or inversion of the stereochemistry. In the... 

Among recently described new Pd-catalysed enantioselective reactions, the ring opening of meso oxabicyclic alkenes with dialkyl zinc reagents in the presence of chiral P/P and P/N ligands reported by Tautens el al. constitutes a synthetically outstanding C-C bond-forming desymmetrization reaction. 

The synthesis in Scheme 13.41 is also built on the desymmetrization concept but uses a very different intermediate. cA-5,7-Dimethylcycloheptadiene was acetoxylated with Pd(OAc)2 and the resulting all-cA-diacetate intermediate was enantioselectively hydrolyzed with a lipase to give a monoacetate that was protected as the TBDMS ether. An anti Sw2 displacement by dimethyl cuprate established the correct configuration of the C(2) methyl substituent. Oxidative ring cleavage and lactonization gave the final product. 

Formal hydration of the double bond appeared by the hydroboration-oxidation sequence. Desymmetrization reactions with catalytic asymmetric hydroboration are not restricted to norbornene or nonfunctionalized substrates and can be successfully applied to meso bicyclic hydrazines. In the case of 157, hydroxy derivative 158 is formed with only moderate enantioselectivity both using Rh or Ir precatalysts. Interestingly, a reversal of enantioselectivity is observed for the catalytic desymmetrization reaction by exchanging these two transition metals. Rh-catalyzed hydroboration involves a metal-H insertion, and a boryl migration is involved when using an Ir precatalyst (Equation 17) <2002JA12098, 2002JOC3522>. 

Enantioselective desymmetrization of the seven-membered meso-cyclic disulfide 128 (n = 3, R = Me) by desulfurization with a chiral rert-aminophospine, gave 129 (n = 3, R = Me) in modest yields with up to 30% ee <00JCS(P1)1595>. 

Desymmetrization of 5-methylene-l,3-dioxanes using NiBr2(DIOP)/LiBHEt3 improved the enantioselectivity up to 92% ee (Equation (23)).82... 

Recently, Krische and co-workers developed an effective protocol for the catalytic desymmetrization and parallel kinetic resolution of enone-diones via tandem conjugate addition-aldol cyclization (Scheme 66).150 This transformation, involving enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition methodology, enabled the formation of two C-G bonds and four contiguous stereogenic centers from simple precursors with high diastereo- and enantiocontrol. 

Enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-succinic anhydrides with diphenylzinc is catalyzed by Pd(OAc)2/chiral diphosphine 209 (Equation (113)).470... 

Micouin investigated rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration as a means of desymmetrizing meso hydrazines 59 in an important new application.36 Enantiomeric excess of up to 84% was obtained after screening diphosphines such as DIOP and BDPP (Scheme 9). Interestingly, they noted an unprecedented reversal of enantioselectivity by changing from rhodium to iridium. 

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