Enantioselectivity synthetic reactions

Enzymes are widely recognized as valuable tools for the synthesis of optically active compounds [22]. Thus, lipase-catalyzed acylation or deacylation is one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of optically active alcohols, acids, and esters. Because lipases retain activity and selectivity in non-conventional media such as organic liquids, their use as biocatalysts in enantioselective synthetic reactions has considerably increased. 

Synthetic highlights The synthesis of 1,2-DQs exemplifies asymmetric organo-catalysis in which enantioselective synthetic reactions are catalyzed by small organic molecules. To generate 1,2-DQs, achiral thiourea and axially chiral biphenols are used as catalysts for the enantioselective Petasis reaction. This is an illustration of a multicomponent reaction (MCR), for which the general concept and examples are also described. 

There are a number of powerful synthetic reactions which join two trigonal carbons to form a CC single bond in a stereocontrolled way under proper reaction conditions. Included in this group are the aldol, Michael, Claisen rearrangement, ene and metalloallyl-carbonyl addition reactions. The corresponding transforms are powerfully stereosimplifying, especially when rendered enantioselective as well as diastereoselective by the use of chiral controller groups. Some examples are listed in Chart 20. 

The catalytic enantioselective cycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds with conjugated dienes has been in intensive development in recent years with the main focus on synthetic aspects the number of mechanistic studies has been limited. This chapter will focus on the development and understanding of cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl compounds with chiral Lewis acid catalysts for the preparation of optically active six-membered ring systems. 

Metal-assisted enantioselective catalytic reactions are one of the most important areas in organic chemistry [1-3]. They require the appropriate design and the preparation of chiral transition metal complexes, a field also of major importance in modern synthetic chemistry. These complexes are selected on both their ability to catalyze a given reaction and their potential as asymmetric inducers. To fulfill the first function, it is absolutely required that the catalysts display accessible metal coordination sites where reactants can bind since activation would result from a direct interaction between the metal ion... 

In addition to the enhanced rate of hydroalumination reactions in the presence of metal catalysts, tuning of the metal catalyst by the choice of appropriate ligands offers the possibility to influence the regio- and stereochemical outcome of the overall reaction. In particular, the use of chiral ligands has the potential to control the absolute stereochemistry of newly formed stereogenic centers. While asymmetric versions of other hydrometaUation reactions, in particular hydroboration and hydrosi-lylation, are already weU established in organic synthesis, the scope and synthetic utiHty of enantioselective hydroalumination reactions are only just emerging [72]. 

Although the application of carboalumination to the synthesis of natural products is still in its infancy, a few preliminary results shown in Scheme 1.50 [167,168,171,172] suggest that it promises to become a major asymmetric synthetic reaction, provided that (i) the singularly important case of methylalumination can be made to proceed with S90% ee, and (ii) satisfactory and convenient methods for enantiomeric and diastereo-meric separation/purification can be developed. In this context, significant increases in ee in the synthesis of methyl-substituted alkanols from around 75 % to 90—93 % achieved through some strategic modifications are noteworthy (Scheme 1.50) [168]. Shortly before the discovery of the Zr-catalyzed enantioselective carboalumination, a fundamentally discrete Zr-catalyzed asymmetric reaction of allylically heterosubstituted alkenes proceeding via cyclic carbozirconation was reported, as discussed later in this section. 

Among the various methods proposed to produce selectively isolated enantiomers, the use of enantioselective catalysis is by far the most attractive one. The control of stereochemistry by use of a minute amount of an asymmetric catalyst offers clear advantages. Therefore, the design and development of catalytic enantioselective organic reactions is considered as one of the most attractive and challenging frontiers in synthetic organic chemistry. 

Radical chemistry has seen tremendous progress in the past two decades and can now be considered as an eminent sub discipline in synthetic organic chemistry [1-6]. Diastereoselective radical chemistry is well established and many examples of enantioselective radical reactions have appeared in the recent literature. For reviews on diastereoselective radical chemistry see [7-11] for reviews on enantioselective radical chemistry see [12-16] and for reviews on conjugate additions, see [17,18]. This review will detail different ways to introduce asymmetry during a radical reaction. These transformations can be broadly classified into atom transfer reactions, reductive alkylations, fragmentations, addition and trapping experiments, and electron transfer reactions. 

The aldol reaction is one of the most important reactions in synthetic organic chemistry. Many traditional ionic routes are currently available for diastereo- and enantioselective aldol reaction [97-99]. In contrast to highly basic ionic processes, development of radical methods for preparation of aldols using neutral conditions is attractive [100-102]. With the exception of intramolecular cyclization reactions, radical approaches towards aldol products remain largely unexplored [103-109]. 

Cyclopropanation is an important synthetic method, and enantioselective catalytic reactions of olefins and diazoacetates provide access to valuable products with biological activity. In general, these reactions are conducted in anhydrous solvents and in several cases water was found to diminish the rate or selectivity (or both) of a given process. Therefore it came as a surprise, that the Cyclopropanation of styrene with (+)- or (-)-menthyl diazoacetates, catalyzed by a water-soluble Ru-complex with a chiral bis(hydroxymethyldihydrooxazolyl)pyridine (hm-pybox) ligand proceeded not only faster but with much Wgher enantioselectivity (up to 97 % e.e.) than the analogous reactions in neat THF or toluene(8-28 % e.e.) (Scheme 6.34) [72]. The fine yields and enantioselectivities may be the results of an accidental favourable match of the steric and electronic properties of hm-pybox and those of the menthyl-dizaoacetates, since the hydroxyethyl or isopropyl derivatives of the ligand proved to be inferior to the hydroxymethyl compound. Nevertheless, this is the first catalytic aqueous cyclopropanation which may open the way to other similar reactions in aqueous media. 

Synthetic transformations which are parts of total syntheses of natural products are outlined by a general retrosynthetic outline. For each retrosynthetic disconnection, suggest a reagent or short sequence of reactions which could accomplish the forward synthetic reaction. The proposed route should be diastereoselective but need not be enantioselective. 

Enantioselective hydrogenation of imines to produce optically active amines is an important synthetic reaction. The imine of acetophenone is hydrogenated in the presence of chiral phosphine-Rh(I) complexes in... 

Aldol-type reactions comprise one of the most important classes of synthetic reactions. Although direct enantioselective condensation of aldehydes and unmodified ketones is not easy (280), it is highly desirable. A partly successful example is given in Scheme 115 (281). 

As discussed earlier, the generally accepted mechanism for the Heck reaction involves the steps of oxidative addition, coordination of the alkene, migratory insertion, and P-hydride elimination [2,3], With the intramolecular Heck reaction emerging as an important synthetic reaction over the past decade, the individual steps of this mechanism have come under closer scrutiny, and attention is beginning to be directed at determining the identity of the enantioselective step [41],... 

Nevertheless, the use of chirally modified Lewis acids as catalysts for enantioselective aminoalkylation reactions proved to be an extraordinary fertile research area [3b-d, 16]. Meanwhile, numerous publications demonstrate their exceptional potential for the activation and chiral modification of Mannich reagents (generally imino compounds). In this way, not only HCN or its synthetic equivalents but also various other nucleophiles could be ami-noalkylated asymmetrically (e.g., trimethylsilyl enol ethers derived from esters or ketones, alkenes, allyltributylstannane, allyltrimethylsilanes, and ketones). This way efficient routes for the enantioselective synthesis of a variety of valuable synthetic building blocks were created (e.g., a-amino nitriles, a- or //-amino acid derivatives, homoallylic amines or //-amino ketones) [3b-d]. 

The LLB catalysts described above served an important role in demonstrating the proof of principle for catalysis with lanthanide-BINOL complexes. In addition, they were the first catalysts for the enantioselective nitroaldol reaction and gave respectable selectivities in synthetically useful yields. However, the reactions required at least 3.3 mol % of the catalysts for efficient conversion, and at that loading the reactions are rather slow. Clearly, the need for more effective catalysts is indicated. Consideration of the mechanism for the catalytic asymmetric... 

In order to preserve enzyme activity during the reaction process, special attention must be paid on the substrates that cause direct or indirect enzyme inactivation. Since peroxide is a strong peroxidase inhibitor, a low peroxide/enzyme ratio must be selected. When treating phenolic compounds, the polymeric products obtained from the action of peroxidases also cause enzyme inactivation [9]. If the enzyme is inactivated, not only is the reaction hindered but, sometimes, there is a direct oxidation of the substrate by the peroxide, which causes an enantioselective reduction in some synthetic reactions [10, 11]. In these cases, an appropriate enzyme concentration and usually an adequate enzyme addition strategy are considered [8],... 

Efficient biochemical processes were developed for the preparation of the two optically active pyrethroid insecticides by a combination of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and chemical transformations. These are based on the findings that a lipase from Arthrobacter species hydrolyzes the acetates of the two important secondary alcohols of synthetic pyrethroids with high enantioselectivity and reaction rate. The two alcohols are 4-hydroxy-3-methy1-2-(2 -propynyl)-2-cyclopentenone (HMPC) and a-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol (CPBA). The enzyme gave optically pure (R)-HMPC or (S)-CPBA and the unhydrolyzed esters of their respective antipodes. 

There are many synthetic applications of epoxide formation. Titanium alkoxides in the presence of diethyltartrate as a chiral ligand catalyze the epoxidation of allylic alcohols enantioselectively (Sharpless reaction). In the presence of singlet... 

As pointed out in the introduction, a particular feature of hydrosilylation reactions is that they require catalysis. Arguably the most valuable of enantioselective synthetic methods are those in which asymmetric induction occurs from small quantities of enantiomerically pure catalysts. It is natural, therefore, that considerable effort has been directed towards the catalytic enantioselective hydrosilylation-oxidation of C —C double bonds. Some degree of success has been met in the hydrosilylation of simple alkenes and 1,3-dienes, and in intramolecular hydrosilyla-tions. Also, as discussed at end of this section, a catalytic enantioselective disilylation (effectively the same as a hydrosilylation) has been developed for a,)3-unsaturated ketones. 

Enantioselective fluorination reactions catalyzed by chiral palladium enolate complexes have been the subject of considerable research . For instance, the fluorination of acyclic /S-ketoester (88, equation 24) using Af-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) gave product 89 in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivity (ee up to 94%) . This reaction can be carried out in environmentally benign alcoholic solvents and provides valuable synthetic building blocks that find applications in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology and material sciences. 

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