Search

We introduce a new strategy for synthesis of chiral amines: couplings of α-aminoalkyl nucleophiles generated by enantioselective migratory insertion of 2-azadienes to a Cu-H. In this report, we demonstrate its application in catalytic reductive coupling of 2-azadienes and ketones to furnish 1,2-amino tertiary alcohols with vicinal stereogenic centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficientRh-catalyzed carbenoid addition to trifluoromethylthioetherfor the formation of trifluoromethyl-substituted sulfonium ylide isdescribed. The trifluoromethyl-substituted sulfonium ylide canact as an electrophilic trifluoromethylation reagent, as demonstratedby trifluoromethylation of β-ketoesters and aryl iodides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of robust d 3 -methylthiolating reagents represents an attractive synthetic method to access deuterated molecules in the field of drug discovery. Here, we report a straightforward strategy to prepare electrophilic S -methyl- d 3 arylsulfonothioates in one-step without column purification. These reagents exhibit good radical reactivity toward silver-catalyzed vicinal thiosulfonylation of alkenes or 1,6-enynes on water. As a result, simultaneous incorporation of both SCD 3 and ArSO 2 units into unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds with 100% atom economy has been established. Moreover, the ATRA adducts with >99% D incorporation can serve as nucleophilic d 3 -methylthiolating synthons via retro-Michael addition under mild basic conditions, providing a good alternative in trideuteromethylthiolating alkyl iodides to access corresponding trideuteromethyl sulfides with high efficiency.

A new, stable and scalable reagent based on a sulfoxide skeleton for direct deuteriodifluoromethylthiolation has been developed. The reagent displays excellent reactivities toward Tf 2 O promoted C-H deuteriodifluoromethylthiolation of electron-rich arenes, indoles, alkenes, and intramolecular lactonization of 2-alkynylbenzoates. Moreover, high deuteration rates and good to excellent yields were achieved under metal-free reaction conditions. As a result, a wide range of deuteriodifluoromethylthilolated compounds were prepared, enabling further applications in drug discovery.

A family of electrophilic deuterated methylthiolating reagents, S -(methyl- d 3 ) arylsulfonothioates, was developed in two or three steps from cheap d 4 -MeOH in high yields. S -(Methyl- d 3 ) arylsulfonothioates represent a kind of powerful deuterated methylthiolating reagent and allow modular trideuteromethylthiolation with a variety of nucleophiles or electrophiles including aryl(hetero) iodides, boronic acids esters, terminal alkynes, diazonium salts, β-ketoester, and oxindole under mild reaction conditions. A structure-reactivity research (SAR) study was conducted and provided a new avenue for the development of deuterated methylthiolating reagents and efficient methodology for trideuteromethylthiolation.

We introduce a new reagent class, 2-azatrienes, as a platform for catalytic enantioselective synthesis of allylic amines. Herein, we demonstrate their promise by a diastereodivergent synthesis of syn - and anti -1,2-diamines through their Cu-bis(phosphine)-catalyzed reductive couplings with imines. With Ph-BPE as the supporting ligand, anti -diamines are obtained (up to 91% yield, >20:1 dr, and >99:1 er), and with the rarely utilized t -Bu-BDPP, syn -diamines are generated (up to 76% yield, 1:>20 dr, and 97:3 er).

We describe a strategy for the enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of homoallylic α-trifluoromethyl amines by the catalytic hydroalkylation of terminal dienes. Trifluoromethyl-substituted isatin-derived azadienolate nucleophiles undergo γ-selective alkylation with a Pd-DTBM-SEGPHOS catalyst, which additionally promotes regioselective addition to the diene and delivers products in up to 86% yield, 10:1 dr, and 97.5:2.5 er.

We report the catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective preparation of aminocyclopropanes by the cyclopropanation of terminal and ( Z )-internal 2-azadienes with donor/acceptor carbenes derived from α-diazoesters. The resulting cyclopropanes bear quaternary carbon stereogenic centers vicinal to the amino-substituted carbon and are formed as a single diastereomer in up to 99:1 er and 97% yield with 0.5 mol % of Rh 2 (DOSP) 4 and only 1.5 equiv of the diazo reagent. Transformations with internal azadienes afford cyclopropanes with three contiguous stereogenic centers.

Here we report highly efficient and chemoselective azadiene-imine reductive couplings catalyzed by (Ph-BPE)Cu-H that afford anti-1,2-diamines. In all cases, reactions take place with either aldimine or ketimine electrophiles to deliver a single diastereomer of product in >95:5 er. The products' diamines are easily differentiable, facilitating downstream synthesis.

Fluorine, which is the most electronegative element and has a small atomic radius, plays a key role in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and materials sciences. One of the fluoroalkyl groups, the trifluoromethylthio group (CF3S-), has been well-recognized as an important structural motif in the design of lead compounds for new drug discovery because of its high lipophilicity (Hansch lipophilicity parameter π = 1.44) and strong electron-withdrawing properties, which could improve the drug molecule's cell-membrane permeability and enhance its chemical and metabolic stability. While classic methods for the preparation of trifluoromethylthiolated compounds typically involve halogen-fluorine exchange reactions of polyhalogenomethyl thioethers or trifluoromethylation of sulfur-containing compounds under harsh reaction conditions, an alternative but more attractive strategy is direct trifluoromethylthiolation of the substrate at a late stage by employing an electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent. Although several electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents have been reported previously, these reagents either require a strong Lewis acid/Brønsted acid as an activator or suffer from a toxic nature or limited substrate scope. To address these problems, in late 2011 we initiated a project with the aim to develop new, shelf-stable, and highly reactive electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents that could easily install the trifluoromethylthio group at the desired positions of the drug molecule at a late stage of drug development. Inspired by the broad reactivity of the hypervalent iodine reagent, we initially discovered a highly reactive trifluoromethylthiolating reagent, trifluoromethanesulfenate 1a. Structure-reactivity studies disclosed that the iodine atom of reagent 1a does not play an important role in this reagent's reactivity. Consequently, a simplified second-generation electrophilic reagent, trifluoromethanesulfenate 1b, was developed. In parallel, we developed another shelf-stable, highly reactive electrophilic reagent with a broad substrate scope, N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin (2). In this Account, we mainly describe our discovery of these two different types of electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagents, trifluoromethanesulfenates 1a and 1b and N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin 2. Systematic studies showed that both types of reagents are highly reactive toward a wide range of nucleophiles, yet the substrate scopes of these two different types of reagents are complementary. In particular, reagents 1a and 1b are more reliable in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions such as copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylthiolation of aryl/vinyl/alkylboronic acids and silver-catalyzed decarboxylative trifluoromethylthiolation of aliphatic carboxylic acids as well as in the organocatalytic asymmetric trifluoromethylthiolation of β-keto esters and oxindoles. Reagent 2 is more electrophilic than reagents 1a and 1b and is more efficient for direct trifluoromethylthiolation with nucleophiles such as alcohols, amines, thiols, and electron-rich arenes. The ease in preparation, broad scope, and mild reaction conditions make reagents 1a, 1b, and 2 very attractive as general reagents that allow rapid installation of the trifluoromethylthio group into small molecules.

A family of electrophilic trifluoromethanesulfenates was prepared. Structure-reactivity relationship studies showed that the substituted groups on the aryl ring of the trifluoromethylthiolating reagent did not have an obvious influence on their reactivities. A simplified electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent 1c was then identified that can react with a wide range of nucleophiles such as Grignard reagents, arylboronic acids, alkynes, indoles, β-ketoesters, oxindoles, and sodium sulfinates under mild reaction conditions. A variety of functional groups were tolerated under these conditions.

A Cu-catalyzed trifluoromethylthiolation of primary and secondary alkylboronic acids with an electrophilic trifluoromethylthiolating reagent is described. Tolerance for a variety of functional groups was observed.