Organic synthesis asymmetric reactions

The search for biologically active compounds (natural and synthetic) continued to be a significant inspiration for organic synthesis. Asymmetric catalysis, new synthetic reactions, and advances in separation techniques (HPLC) and analytical techniques (NMR and mass spectrometry) support these advances. In 1995, Kyriacos Costa (K.C.) Nicolaou (1946- ) at Scripps Research Institute reported the total synthesis of brevetoxin B (see the figure on page 375). This toxic substance is produced by algae in red tide and is very deadly to fish. It binds to sodium channels in membranes of muscle and nerve cells producing an excessive influx of Na. ... 

In recent years there has been a proliferation of new reactions and reagents that have been so useful in organic synthesis that often people refer to them by name. Many of these are stereoselective or regioselecth/e methods. While the expert may know exactly what the Makosza vicarious nucleophilic substitution, or the Meyers asymmetric synthesis refers to, many students as well as researchers would appreciate guidance regarding such "Name Reactions". 

See e.g. (a) W. Cahhuthehs, Cycloaddition Reactions in Organic Synthesis, Tetrahedron Organic Chemistry Series Vol. 8 Pergamon Press Elmsford, NY 1990 (b) I. OjiMA, Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis, VCH Publishers. Inc. New York. 1993 ... 

Perhaps the most successful industrial process for the synthesis of menthol is employed by the Takasago Corporation in Japan.4 The elegant Takasago Process uses a most effective catalytic asymmetric reaction - the (S)-BINAP-Rh(i)-catalyzed asymmetric isomerization of an allylic amine to an enamine - and furnishes approximately 30% of the annual world supply of menthol. The asymmetric isomerization of an allylic amine is one of a large and growing number of catalytic asymmetric processes. Collectively, these catalytic asymmetric reactions have dramatically increased the power and scope of organic synthesis. Indeed, the discovery that certain chiral transition metal catalysts can dictate the stereo-... 

In a catalytic asymmetric reaction, a small amount of an enantio-merically pure catalyst, either an enzyme or a synthetic, soluble transition metal complex, is used to produce large quantities of an optically active compound from a precursor that may be chiral or achiral. In recent years, synthetic chemists have developed numerous catalytic asymmetric reaction processes that transform prochiral substrates into chiral products with impressive margins of enantio-selectivity, feats that were once the exclusive domain of enzymes.56 These developments have had an enormous impact on academic and industrial organic synthesis. In the pharmaceutical industry, where there is a great emphasis on the production of enantiomeri-cally pure compounds, effective catalytic asymmetric reactions are particularly valuable because one molecule of an enantiomerically pure catalyst can, in principle, direct the stereoselective formation of millions of chiral product molecules. Such reactions are thus highly productive and economical, and, when applicable, they make the wasteful practice of racemate resolution obsolete. 

The emergence of the powerful Sharpless asymmetric epoxida-tion (SAE) reaction in the 1980s has stimulated major advances in both academic and industrial organic synthesis.14 Through the action of an enantiomerically pure titanium/tartrate complex, a myriad of achiral and chiral allylic alcohols can be epoxidized with exceptional stereoselectivities (see Chapter 19 for a more detailed discussion). Interest in the SAE as a tool for industrial organic synthesis grew substantially after Sharpless et al. discovered that the asymmetric epoxidation process can be conducted with catalytic amounts of the enantiomerically pure titanium/tartrate complex simply by adding molecular sieves to the epoxidation reaction mix-... 

In 20 years of usage, a,/J-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes demonstrated their multitalented versatility in organic synthesis, yet new reaction types are still being discovered every year. In view of their facile preparation and multifold reactivity, their versatile chemistry will undoubtedly be further developed and applied in years to come. The application of chirally modified Fischer carbene complexes in asymmetric synthesis has only begun, and it will probably be an important area of research in the near future. 

Abstract Since its discovery the chromium-mediated benzannulation reaction has been developed into a unique and useful tool in organic synthesis. In this review, topical aspects of this reaction concerning its mechanism and the chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity are summerised and discussed in detail. Special attention is paid to the asymmetric benzannulation reaction and, finally, the importance of this reaction as a key step in the total synthesis of natural products is outlined. 

Of perhaps greater use for organic synthesis was the observation that photo-driven reactions of alkoxycarbenes with unsubstituted optically active ene carbamates [65] produced aminocyclobutanones in fair yield with high dia-stereoselectivity (Table 12) [66]. In contrast, with a gem-disubstituted ene carbamate, the syn-anti selectivity was low but high asymmetric induction a to nitrogen was observed (Eq. 16). Trans-monosubstituted ene carbamates failed to react, as did a,/J-unsaturated chromium carbene complexes. 

Nishiyama H., Motoyama Y. Other Transition Metal Reagents Chiral Transition-Metal Lewis Acid Catalysis for Asymmetric Organic Synthesis in Lewis Acid Reagents 1999 225, Ed Yamamoto H., Pb. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford Keywords asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions, chiral transition metal Lewis-acid catalysis, asymmetric synthesis... 

Desimoni G. and Faita G. Asymmetric Diels-Alder Reactions A Rapid Growing Field in Organic Synthesis in Seminars in Organic Synthesis 22th Summer Sch A. Corbella 1997 71, Ed. Trombini, Pb. Soc. Chim. Ital. 

Dell C. P. Cycloaddition in Synthesis Contemporary Organic Synthesis 1997 4 87 Keywords natural products, metal catalyzed, asymmetric reactions, Ionic reactions, transannular reactions, tethered reactions, tandem reactions, benzo-qulnones, quinodimethanes, hefero-Dlels-Alder reactions... 

CARRUTHERS Cycloaddition Reactions in Organic Synthesis GAWLEY AUBE Principies of Asymmetric Synthesis HASSNER STUMER Organic Syntheses based on Name Reactions and Unnamed Reactions... 

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]. 

Asymmetric hydrosilylation can be extended to 1,3-diynes for the synthesis of optically active allenes, which are of great importance in organic synthesis, and few synthetic methods are known for their asymmetric synthesis with chiral catalysts. Catalytic asymmetric hydrosilylation of butadiynes provides a possible way to optically allenes, though the selectivity and scope of this reaction are relatively low. A chiral rhodium complex coordinated with (2S,4S)-PPM turned out to be the best catalyst for the asymmetric hydrosilylation of butadiyne to give an allene of 22% ee (Scheme 3-20) [59]. 

Metal-catalyzed hydrophosphination has been explored with only a few metals and with a limited array of substrates. Although these reactions usually proceed more quickly and with improved selectivity than their uncatalyzed counterparts, their potential for organic synthesis has not yet been exploited fully because of some drawbacks to the known reactions. The selectivity of Pt-catalyzed reactions is not sufficiently high in many cases, and only activated substrates can be used. Lanthanide-catalyzed reactions have been reported only for intramolecular cases and also sulfer from the formation of by-products. Recent studies of the mechanisms of these reactions may lead to improved selectivity and rate profiles. Further work on asymmetric hydrophosphination can be expected, since it is unlikely that good stereocontrol can be obtained in radical or acid/base-catalyzed processes. 

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