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Tetrahydropyran derivatives are found in bioactives, and introduction of the trifluoromethyl group into molecules often improves biofunctions. Here we report diastereo- and enantioselective oxa-hetero-Diels–Alder reactions catalyzed by amine-based catalyst systems that afford trifluoromethyl-substituted tetrahydropyranones. Catalyst systems and conditions suitable for the reactions to provide the desired diastereomer products with high enantioselectivities were identified, and various trifluoromethyl-substituted tetrahydropyranones were synthesized with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Mechanistic investigation suggested that the reactions involve a [4 + 2] cycloaddition pathway, in which the enamine of the enone acts as the diene and the ketone carbonyl group of the aryl trifluoromethyl ketone acts as the dienophile. In this study, tetrahydropyran derivatives with the desired stereochemistry that are difficult to synthesize by previously reported methods were concisely obtained, and the range of tetrahydropyran derivatives that can be synthesized was expanded.

Correction for ‘Synthesis of pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid derivatives via asymmetric Michael addition reactions of carboxylate-substituted enones’ by Feng Yin et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2017, 15, 6089–6092.

To concisely synthesize highly enantiomerically enriched 5-alkyl-substituted pyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acids, organocatalytic enantioselective Michael addition reactions of 4-alkyl-substituted 4-oxo-2-enoates with nitroalkanes have been developed. Using the developed reaction method, 5-methylpyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid with 97% ee was obtained in two steps.

The development of concise methods for the synthesis of functionalized small molecules is important in the search for new bioactive molecules. To contribute to this, we have developed oxa-hetero-Diels–Alder reactions of enones with isatins catalyzed by amine-based catalyst systems. Various spirooxindole tetrahydropyranones were synthesized either in enantiomerically enriched forms or as racemic forms depending on the catalyst system. The reaction products were further transformed at the ketone carbonyl group and the indole nitrogen. Using these reactions, functionalized spirooxindole tetrahydropyran derivatives with functional groups in four directions in a three-dimensional space were concisely obtained. From these synthesized compounds, an inhibitor of human ion channel Nav1.7 with μM-level activity was identified, indicating that the developed reaction methods are useful for providing molecules for the discovery of new biofunctional molecules.

One-pot syntheses of polysubstituted 3-acylpyrroles from readily available unsaturated ketones and N-substituted propargylated amines have been developed. An aza-Michael/alkyne carbocyclization cascade, by cooperative catalysis using pyrrolidine and a copper salt, followed by oxidation in situ gave 3-acylpyrroles, which were also transformed further to functionalized, highly substituted 3-acylpyrroles.