VAPOL derivative, enantioselective

In 2007, AntiUa and coworkers described the Brpnsted add-catalyzed desymmetrization of me yo-aziridines giving vicinal diamines [75]. hi recent years, chiral phosphoric acids have been widely recognized as powerful catalysts for the activation of imines. However, prior to this work, electrophiles other than imines or related substrates like enecarbamates or enamides have been omitted. In the presence of VAPOL-derived phosphoric acid catalyst (5)-16 (10 mol%) and azidotrimethylsilane as the nucleophile, aziridines 129 were converted into the corresponding ring-opened prodncts 130 in good yields and enantioselectivities (49-97%, 70-95% ee) (Scheme 53). 

At the same time, Antilla et al. developed a vaulted biphenanthrol (VAPOL)-based magnesium phosphate 20b mediated asymmetric aza-Darzens reaction for the synthesis of chiral aziridine derivatives. The catalyst was prepared in an identical procedure to the previously described process with VAPOL-derived phosphate and magnesium fert-butoxide, and applied in the enantioselective aza-Darzens reaction of N-benzoyl imines 23 and ot-chloro-1,3-diketone 24. The process formed a series of substituted aziridines 25 bearing various substituents at the aromatic ring, with good... 

The Rawal group next applied diol catalysis to the enantioselective vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol (VMA) reaction of electron-deficient aldehydes [105]. Screening of various known chiral diol derivatives, including VANOL, VAPOL, BINOL, BAMOL, and TADDOL, revealed that 38a was the only catalyst capable of providing products in acceptable levels ofenantioselection (Scheme 5.55). Subsequent to this work, Scettri reported a similar study of TADDOL-promoted VMA reactions with Chan s diene [106]. 

Soon after these initial reports, the groups of Antilla [92] and You [93] indepen dently applied the chiral phosphoric acid catalysis to the enantioselective hydro genation of a imino esters. The method provides an alternative route to the enantioselective synthesis of a amino esters. Antilla and coworkers employed a new type of axially chiral phosphoric acid (9) derived from VAPOL originally developed by his research group (Scheme 3.42), whereas lg was used in You s case. In both cases, excellent enantioselectivities were achieved. You and coworkers further applied the method to the enantioselective reduction of a imino esters having an alkynyl substituent at the a position (Scheme 3.43) [94]. Both alkyne and imine moieties were reduced under transfer hydrogenation conditions with an excess amount of... 

In 2011, WulfTdescribed the first three-component catalytic asymmetric aziridi-nation reaction of an aldehyde 92, bis(dimethylanisyl)methylamine (163), and ethyl diazoacetate (164) to provide the corresponding chiral aziridine-2-carboxylic esters (165) [55]. When promoted by a chiral boroxinate catalyst in situ generated from B(OPh)3 and chiral Hgand (S)-VAPOL (2,2 -diphenyl-(4-biphenanthrol)), the reaction afforded products 165 with good yields and excellent diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities (Scheme 11.36). This novel methodology furnished an effective solution to the problem of unstable imines derived from aliphatic aldehydes that cannot be purified. 

Antilla and co-workers [141] have found that the Brpnsted acid 65 derived from R-VAPOL catalyzes efficiently the asymmetric amidation of aromatic iV-Boc imines to produce aminals (Scheme 11.53). Thus, a series of aromatic A-Boc imines react with different sulfonamides to afford the corresponding aminals in excellent yields (80-99%) and enantioselectivities (87-94% ee). When using o-toluenesulfonamide, due to steric factors, longer reaction times and lower enantioselectivity were obtained (50h, 73% ee). Unfortunately, the absolute configuration of the major enantiomer was not determined. 

Antilla and coworkers also developed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reaction by means of 50, derived from VAPOL (Scheme 11.13) [24]. They realized the highly enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of acyclic a-imino ester 51 by the combination of 39 and 50 to furnish synthetically useful a-amino acid derivatives 52 in excellent enantioselectivities (94—99% ee). They also achieved reductive ami-nation of alkyl-substituted kettmines (R = alkyl) in the presence of dehydrating agent (4A MS). 

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