Iridium catalysts enantioselective allylic substitutions

This chapter describes the development of iridium-catalyzed, enantioselective allylic substitution. It is organized to focus on how modifications to the catalyst, combined with mechanistic insights, have provided the foundation for a steady... 

Even oxygen nucleophiles have been introduced with good enantioselectivity using both palladium- and iridium-based catalysts. The conditions of the reaction need to be sufficiently mild that the product does not become a substrate for the allylic substitution, since this will ultimately lead to racemisation. Pivalate ( BuC02 ) and phenols have been used as nucleophiles, in the presence of palladium catalysts, with good results, while linear allylic carbonates are converted into chiral branched products with high ee using phenolates, aUcoxides and also hydroxylamines with iridium complexes. Sulfur nucleophiles have also been used in enantioselective allylic substitution reactions. ... 

Four reviews of allylic substitution reactions have been published. The first covers the metal-mediated allylic substitution reactions in water, the second discusses the mechanisms and scope of iridium-catalysed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions, the third ° reviews the development and use of iridium salt-phosphoramidite ligand catalysts for enantioselective allylic substitution reactions, and the fourth covers the transition metal-catalysed reactions of allylic alcohols. Special attention is focussed on the ar-allyl metal intermediates and their influence on the regio-, stereo-, and enantio-selectivities of these reactions. 

The first enantioselective, iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution was reported by Helmchen and coworkers soon after the initial report by Takeuchi. Helmchen studied catalysts generated from phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligands and [Ir(COD)Cl]2 for the reactions of sodium dimethylmalonate with cinnamyl acetates (Scheme 2) [50]. The alkylation products were isolated in nearly quantitative yield and were formed with ratios of branched-to-Unear products up to 99 1 and with enantioselectivities up to 95% ee. In this and subsequent studies with PHOX ligands [51,52], Helmchen et al. demonstrated that the highest yields and selectivities were obtained with a PHOX ligand containing electron-withdrawing substituents and... 

The scope of allylic electrophiles that react with amines was shown to encompass electron-neutral and electron-rich ciimamyl methyl carbonates, as well as furan-2-yl and alkyl-substituted allylic methyl carbonates. An ort/io-substituted cinnamyl carbonate was found to react with lower enantioselectivity, a trend that has been observed in later studies of reactions with other nucleophiles. The electron-poor p-nitrocinnamyl carbonate also reacted, but with reduced enantioselectivity. Allylic amination of dienyl carbonates also occur in some cases with high selectivity for formation of the product with the amino group at the y-position over the s-position of the pentadienyl unit [66]. Arylamines did not react with allylic carbonates under these conditions. However, they have been shown to react in the presence of the metalacyclic iridium-phosphoramidite catalysts that are discussed in Sect. 4. 

As previously discussed, activation of the iridium-phosphoramidite catalyst before addition of the reagents allows less basic nitrogen nucleophiles to be used in iridium-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions [70, 88]. Arylamines, which do not react with allylic carbonates in the presence of the combination of LI and [Ir(COD)Cl]2 as catalyst, form allylic amination products in excellent yields and selectivities when catalyzed by complex la generated in sim (Scheme 15). The scope of the reactions of aromatic amines is broad. Electron-rich and electron-neutral aromatic amines react with allylic carbonates to form allylic amines in high yields and excellent regio- and enantioselectivities as do hindered orlAo-substituted aromatic amines. Electron-poor aromatic amines require higher catalyst loadings, and the products from reactions of these substrates are formed with lower yields and selectivities. 

Much effort has been devoted to developing catalysts that control the enantioselectiv-ity of these substitution reactions, as well as the regioselectivity of reactions that proceed through unsymmetrical allylic intermediates. A majority of this effort has been spent on developing palladium complexes as catalysts. Increasingly, however, complexes of molybdenum, tungsten, ruthenium, rhodium, and iridium have been studied as catalysts for enantioselective and regioselective processes. In parallel with these studies of allylic substitution catalyzed by complexes of transition metals, studies on allylic substitution catalyzed by complexes of copper have been conducted. These reactions often occur to form products of Sj 2 substitution. As catalylic allylic substitution has been developed, this process has been applied in many different ways to the synthesis of natural products. ... 

A significant contribution to the use of iridium precursors for allylic alkylations has been provided by Takeuchi and co-workers, who demonstrated how the selectivity achieved by using iridium catalysts complements that obtained with palladium complexes. Fast combinatorial colorimetric screening has been used to individuate Ir(l) catalysts active for the allylic substitution reaction. Fundamental advancements in this field were achieved by Helmchen and co-workers who obtained high regio- and enantioselectivity in asymmetric allylic alkylations of achiral or racemic substrates with chiral phosphinooxazolines and phosphoramidites as... 

As an alternative, iridium complexes show exciting catalytic activities in various organic transformations for C-C bond formation. Iridium complexes have been known to be effective catalysts for hydrogenation [1—5] and hydrogen transfers [6-27], including in enantioselective synthesis [28-47]. The catalytic activity of iridium complexes also covers a wide range for dehydrogenation [48-54], metathesis [55], hydroamination [56-61], hydrosilylation [62], and hydroalkoxylation reactions [63] and has been employed in alkyne-alkyne and alkyne - alkene cyclizations and allylic substitution reactions [64-114]. In addition, Ir-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a,P-unsaturated nitriles with nitrone was reported [115]. 

Unstabilized enolates react with allylic carbonates in the presence of metalacyclic iridium-phosphoramidite catalysts. Although ketones and aldehydes have not yet been used directly as pronucleophiles with this catalyst system, silyl enol ethers [80] and enamines [81] react with linear allylic carbonates to form, after workup, p-branched, y-8 unsaturated ketones (Scheme 13). Both methods form products in high yield, branched selectivity, and enantioselectivity for a range of cinnamyl and alkyl-substituted allylic carbonates. However, the silyl enol ethers derived from aliphatic ketones reacted in lower yields than enamines derived from the same ketones. 

The iridium-catalysed substitution between allyl carbonates and hydroxamic acid derivatives occurs with an Sf 2 Sf 2 ratio of 88/12-99/1 and with an enantioselectivity of 94-99% ee. The catalyst was prepared in situ from [Ir(cod)Cl]2 or [Ir(dbcot)Cl]2, a phosphoramidite ligand, and a base. Yields range from 47 to 96%. 

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