3 substituted quinolines asymmetric reduction

Additions to quinoline derivatives also continued to be reported last year. Chiral dihydroquinoline-2-nitriles 55 were prepared in up to 91% ee via a catalytic, asymmetric Reissert-type reaction promoted by a Lewis acid-Lewis base bifunctional catalyst. The dihydroquinoline-2-nitrile derivatives can be converted to tetrahydroquinoline-2-carboxylates without any loss of enantiomeric purity <00JA6327>. In addition the cyanomethyl group was introduced selectively at the C2-position of quinoline derivatives by reaction of trimethylsilylacetonitrile with quinolinium methiodides in the presence of CsF <00JOC907>. The reaction of quinolylmethyl and l-(quinolyl)ethylacetates with dimethylmalonate anion in the presence of Pd(0) was reported. Products of nucleophilic substitution and elimination and reduction products were obtained . Pyridoquinolines were prepared in one step from quinolines and 6-substituted quinolines under Friedel-Crafts conditions <00JCS(P1)2898>. 

Scheme 10.25 Asymmetric reduction of 3 substituted quinolines by Rueping.

More recent efforts to effect metal-free hydrogenations have fallen in the realm of organo-catalysts. For example, the hydrogenation of enones, imines, unsaturated a,P-aldehydes, and quinolines have been achieved without a metal, however, in these cases the stoichiometric source of H2 was a Hantzsch ester (Scheme 11.3) [10-14], Such a protocol can be applied to asymmetric reductions, as substituted enones can be reduced with reasonable enantiomer excesses between 73 and 91%. A variety of organocatalyst systems have been reviewed [15, 16]. 

Rueping and co-workers have recently developed a highly enantioselective synthesis of differently substituted tetrahydroquinolines 40 via a first photocyclization of substituted 2-aminochalcones 38 and subsequent Br0nsted acid catalyzed asymmetric reduction of the in situ generated quinoline 39, to give final products in moderate to high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities (Scheme 15) [106,107]. 

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