Search

Our investigations of various aspects of organic chemistry over the past 43 years are reviewed in this paper. The following subjects are discussed: 1) the diastereoselective addition reaction to chiral imines and oxazolidines of organometallic reagents and its applications and 2) the reaction and synthesis of fluorine-containing compounds.

This review describes new syntheses of organofluorine compounds taking advantage of the special properties of fluorine compounds as synthones. The main reactions presented are as follows: 1) Trifluoromethylation of aryl or alkyl halides. Application of this reaction for the synthesis of fluorine analogues of nucleic acid bases is discussed. 2) Some syntheses of trifluoromethyl compounds using the Diels-Alder or the 1,3-dipolar reaction, trifluoromethylated carbene, and photoreaction. 3) The Friedel-Crafts reaction of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene, where linear alkylation occurs due to electronic effect of the trifluoromethyl group in good contrast with the Friedel-Crafts reaction of propene. 4) The ene reaction of trifluoromethylated carbonyl compounds, which work as good enophiles. Application of this reaction to the synthesis of trifluoro analogues of terpenes is discussed. 5) The ene reaction of trifluoromethylated imines. 6) Reaction of halothane, which has a highly acidic hydrogen and two halogens adjacent to the trifluoromethyl group and shows interesting reactivities with various bases and metals to give products with unexpected structures. 7) Reaction of 2-bromo-2,2-difluoroacetate with Cu, where the cross-coupling reaction, Michael-type reaction, and radical reaction for different types of difluoroacetates are presented. 8) Reaction of 2-bromo-2,2-difluoroacetate in the presence of Rh catalyst. This reaction provided a new methodology for the introduction of fluoroalkyl substituents to the alpha-position of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones. The Rh catalyst solved some difficulties in the introduction of difluoroacetate to carbonyl compounds (Reformatsky reaction). Application of this reaction to imines provided easy access to beta,beta-difluoro-beta-lactams.

Novel fluoroalkylated products where a CF(2)COOEt group was introduced at the alpha-position of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones or the Reformatsky-type products have been obtained selectively by the reaction of BrCF(2)COOEt and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones with Et(2)Zn in the presence of RhCl(PPh(3))(3) depending on the solvents. Furthermore, the novel alpha-fluoroalkylated products could synthesize by using various halofluoroalkyl compounds (R(f)-X) instead of BrCF(2)COOEt. On the other hand, this Reformatsky-type reaction by imines gave difluoro-beta-lactams or 3-amino-2,2-difluorocalboxylic esters without or with MgSO(4) . 7H(2)O, selectively.

The synthesis of chiral fluorinated molecules is important in the biological and medicinal chemistry fields in view of the influence of fluorine's unique properties on biological activity. In recent years, we have studied asymmetric synthesis focussing on such optically active compounds. This review describes 1) diastereoselective trifluoromethylation of chiral N-acyloxazolidinones, 2) catalytic enantioselective aldol reactions of fluorine-substituted ketene silyl acetals, and 3) catalytic enantioselective allylation of aldehydes mediated by chiral Lewis bases. The trifluoromethylation of lithium enolates of N-acyloxazolidinones with iodotrifluoromethane is mediated by triethylborane to give the corresponding trifluoromethylated products with up to 86% diastereomeric excess. The stereoselective reaction is considered to proceed through the attack of the trifluoromethyl radical on the less hindered face of the lithium imide. Difluoroketene and bromofluoroketene trimethylsilyl ethyl acetals react with various aldehydes in the presence of chiral Lewis acids to afford the corresponding desired aldols with up to 99% enantiomeric excess (ee). It is noteworthy that the aldol reactions of the fluorine-substituted acetals at -78 degrees C and at higher temperatures (-45 or -20 degrees C) provide the (+)- and (-)-aldols, respectively, with excellent-to-good enantioselectivity. Chiral phosphoramides newly prepared from (S)-proline were found to catalyze the allylation and crotylation of aromatic aldehydes with allylic trichlorosilanes in good enantioselective yields (up to 90% ee). (S,S)-Bis(alpha-methylbenzyl)formamide developed as an efficient catalyst for the allylation and crotylation of aliphatic aldehydes mediates the enantioselective addition with the assistance of hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) to afford the corresponding homoallylic alcohols in up to 98% ee.