Sulfa-Michael addition, conjugate additions catalysts

Several derivatives of cinchona alkaloids 1—4 were prepared and used in the asymmetric sulfa-Michael addition. The first highly efficient method, based on the catalyst (DHQD)2PYR 5, was presented by the Deng group in 2002 [18]. Especially high ees were observed in the conjugated addition of 2-thionaphthol to several six-to nine-membered cyclic enones at low temperature (Scheme 14.3). Although 2-cyclopentenone reacted with moderate enantioselectivity (41% ee), the ee was increased dramatically with 4,4-dimethyl-2-cyclopentenone (92% ee). 

Most reports on organocatalytic sulfa-Michael reactions are based on Br0nsted base catalysis, in order to activate pro-nucleophiles containing a S H or a Se—H bond. The early works, appeared in the lates 1970s, featured natural cinchona alkaloids 1-4 as basic catalysts (Figure 14.1). In their seminal works, Wynberg and co-workers employed less than 1 mol% of quinine 1 as chiral catalyst for the conjugated addition of arenethiols to 2-cyclohexen-l-ones. The enantiocontrol was unsatisfactory with benzyhnercaptan [6]. The quasi-enantiomeric catalyst quinidine 2 furnished the... 

As anticipated by the work of Wynberg [7], the presence of a protic group in the catalyst s structure, capable of activating and orienting the electrophile, had a positive impact on the enantioselectivity of the conjugate additions. On this basis, several Brpnsted acid/Brpnsted basic bifunctional catalysts has been applied in the sulfa-Michael addition. A list of them is reported in Figure 14.4. 

Enantioselective Michael reactions of thiols provide a convenient route to diverse chiral sulfides. Chen and coworkers have demonstrated that a chiral squaramide catalyst was effective in promoting a sulfa-Michael conjugated addition of various aromatic and aliphatic thiols to a wide range of trans-chalcones (Scheme 10.19) [97]. Moderate to excellent yields and enantioselectivities were achieved. Notably, the reactions between various benzylthiol and trans-chalcones bearing electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents proceeded with high enantioselectivities. 

In a manner largely complementary to secondary amine-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition to enals with heteroatom nucleophiles, chiral primary amines were recently found to be the catalysts of choice for similar Michael addition to a,p-unsaturated ketones. With their previously developed cinchona-type catalyst 91, Melchiorre and coworkers achieved the asymmetric sulfa-Michael addition to a,p-unsaturated ketones with either benzyl or tert-butyl mercaptane (Scheme 5.30) [58a]. The same catalyst could be further extended to oxa-Michael addition to enones by optimizing the ratio of acidic additive and solvents (Scheme 5.30) [58b]. 

---