Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitutions

Pd2(r -C3H5)2CI2 (2.5 mol%), ligand (10 mol%) Me02C C02Me CH2CI2, rt 

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As shown in Scheme 2.20, selective lithiation of substrate 2-87 by treatment with LDA in THF at -78 °C triggers an intramolecular Michael/intermolecular aldol addition process with benzaldehyde to give a mixture of diastereomers 2-90 and 2-91. 2-91 was afterwards transformed into 2-92, which is used as a chiral ligand for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions [29]. 

The synthesis of lycorane (13) by Mori and Shiba-saki121 is breathtaking for its use of three consecutive Pd catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions. Thus, Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution of a benzoate in meso 7 in the presence of the chiral bisphos-phine 8 leads to the regioselective formation of 10 in 40 % ee It is easy to overlook this low level of enantioselectivity when we are faced with the subsequent elegant Pd-catalyzed reactions Pd-catalyzed intramolecular animation is followed by a Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling to afford 12, which is then readily converted to the target molecule... 

Whereas Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions, with carbon as well as with heteronucleophiles, are widespread in stereoselective catalysis, it seems unusual that sulfur nucleophiles are less commonly used. Therefore we tested our ligands in such a reaction. We employed ligands 2 and 3 successfully in the reaction of racemic 3-methoxycarbonyloxyhept-4-ene with lithium t-butylsulfinate in the presence of 1.5 mol% of Pd2dba3 and 4.5 mol% of the ligands. In all cases full conversion was achieved, but with marked differences in the product selectivities (Scheme 1.4.9, Table 1.4.7). 

Scheme 3 NHC/Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution with dimethyl malonate...

Nemoto and Hamada [50] has described the development of a new class of chiral phosphorus ligand - aspartic acid-derived P-chirogenic diaminophosphine oxides, DIAPHOXs - and their application to several Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation was initially examined in detail using diaminophosphine oxides 77, resulting in the highly enantioselective construction of quaternary stereocenters. With the use of the Pd-DIAPHOX catalyst system, asymmetric allylic alkylation, asymmetric allylic amination, and enantioselective construction of quaternary carbons were achieved with high ee (up to 97-99% in many cases) (Scheme 24). 

Nemoto T, Hamada Y (2007) Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions using P-chirogenic diaminophosphine oxides DIAPHOXs. Chem Record 7 150-158... 

Transition metal (such as Pd, Ir, Mo and W)-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitutions with various nucleophiles are widely employed in organic synthesis and played an important role in the area of asymmetric C-C bond formation. Trost, Helmchen, Pfaltz and others have focused primarily on the direct allylation of malonates by prochiral electrophiles ... 

The Pd-catalyzed reactions of allylic electrophiles with metal nucleophiles can produce the corresponding allylmetal derivatives (Sect. V.233), which can, in turn, serve as allylic nucleophiles. This protocol provides a means of utilizing allylpalladium and related derivatives as nucleophiles rather than electrophiles (Sect. V.23.4). Many of the substitution reactions mentioned above can be asymmetric. Because of their special significance in organic synthesis, Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylation and related reactions are discussed in Sect. V.2.4. 

The first example of Pd-catalyzed asymmetric nucleophilic substitutions of chiral j8-sulfinyl allylic systems was reported in 1995. The reaction of a chiral olefinic sulfoxide (5s)-l with dimethyl sodiomalonate was carried out in THF at room temperature (r.t.) in the presence of Pd(OAc)2 (0.1 equiv) and a phosphine ligand (0.2 equiv), giving (5,5s)-(Z)-2 with 29-79% de (Scheme 1). The degree of the asymmetric induction was largely dependent on the phosphine ligand used. With dpph as a ligand, the highest enantioselectivity was obtained. 

A few intriguing developments in the area of tetrahydro-P-carboline synthetic methodology include the report of a catalytic asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction <06JACS1086> and an enantioselective Pd-catalyzed intramolecular allylic alkylation of indoles <06JACS1424>. A one-step synthesis of 1-substituted-P-carbolines from L-tryptophan has appeared that bypassed the tetrahydro intermediate <06T10900>. 

Trost and Hachiya [140] studied asymmetric molybdenum-catalyzed alkylations. Interestingly, they noticed that the regioselectivity of this transformation performed with a non-symmetric allylic substrate varied according to the nature of the metal Pd-catalyzed substitutions on aryl-substituted allyl systems led to attack at the less substituted carbon, whereas molybdenum catalysis afforded the more substituted product. They prepared the bis(pyridylamide) ligand 105 (Scheme 55) and synthesized the corresponding Mo-complex from (C2H5 - CN)3Mo(CO)3. With such a catalyst, the allylic... 

Asymmetric nucleophilic allylic substitution has rarely been studied in its heterogeneous version, probably because of the difficulties encoimtered in properly stabilizing and recycling Pd(0) species. Nevertheless, some promising examples have been pubhshed. Lemaire et al. [143] studied the activity and enantioselectivity of various chiral C2-diamines for the asymmetric Pd-catalyzed transformation of various allyl acetates. The structures tested are represented in Scheme 58. 

A review8 with more than 186 references discusses the synthesis of Rh and Pd complexes with optically active P,N-bidentate ligands and their applications in homogeneous asymmetric catalysis. The effect of the nature of the P,N-bidentate compounds on the structure of the metal complexes and on enantioselectivity in catalysis was examined. Allylic substitution, cross-coup-ling, hydroboration and hydrosilylation catalyzed by Rh or Pd complexes with optically active P,N-bidentate ligands are considered. 

Asymmetric synthesis of tricyclic nitro ergoline synthon (up to 70% ee) is accomplished by intramolecular cyclization of nitro compound Pd(0)-catalyzed complexes with classical C2 symmetry diphosphanes.94 Palladium complexes of 4,5-dihydrooxazoles are better chiral ligands to promote asymmetric allylic alkylation than classical catalysts. For example, allylic substitution with nitromethane gives enantioselectivity exceeding 99% ee (Eq. 5.62).95 Phosphi-noxazolines can induce very high enatioselectivity in other transition metal-catalyzed reactions.96 Diastereo- and enantioselective allylation of substituted nitroalkanes has also been reported.9513... 

Monoalkylation of a-isocyano esters by using tert-butyl isocyano acetate (R = fBu) has been reported by Schollkopf [28, 33]. Besides successful examples using primary halides, 2-iodopropane has been reported to produce the a-alkylated product (1) as well by this method (KOfBu in THF). In the years 1987-1991, Ito reported several methods for the monoalkylation of isocyano esters, including the Michael reaction under TBAF catalysis as described earlier [31], Claisen rearrangements [34], and asymmetric Pd-catalyzed allylation [35]. Finally, Zhu recently reported the first example of the introduction of an aromatic substituent by means of a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (Cs0H-H20, MeCN, 0°C) in the synthesis of methyl ot-isocyano p-nitrophenylacetate [36]. 

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