Search

COAP-Pd-catalyzed asymmetric cascade formal [4 + 1] annulation was developed between racemic vinyl benzoxazinones and N-tosylhydrazone sodium salts, affording trans-2,3-disubstituted indolines in good yields with high stereoselectivity.

The chiral oxamide–phosphine (COAP) ligands were developed for the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination of vinyl benzoxazinones with alkylamines, affording a series of optically active diamines in good yields with high enantioselectivity.

Enantioselective copper-catalyzed cascade inter- and intramolecular amidation was achieved between ethynyl benzoxazinanones and α-halohydroxamates in the presence of an indapybox ligand. The one-pot cascade transformation was triggered by the attack of hydroxamates to dipolar copper–allenylidene intermediates, followed by a nucleophilic annulation reaction. Thus, a series of exo-methylene 3-aminoindoline derivatives were obtained in good yields with high enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions.

A bifunctional organocatalyst catalyzed tandem annulation reaction between β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with α-arylidene pyrazolinones was reported. The tandem Michael–aldol process allows access to optically active bi-spirocyclic pyrazolone and oxindole compounds in high yields with good to excellent enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. The resulting bi-spirocyclic compounds possess highly dense functionalized substituents, two all-carbon spiro quaternary stereocenters and one hemiketal stereogenic centers.

We have reported the 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO)-catalyzed [3 + 3] cycloaddition reaction of α-arylidene pyrazolinones and 2-benzylidenemalononitriles under mild reaction conditions, which afforded the spirocyclohexadiene-pyrazolones in good yields with moderate to good diastereoselectivities. By the use of a cinchona alkaloid derived bifunctional squaramide-tertiary amine catalyst, an asymmetric variant of this [3 + 3] cycloaddition reaction has also been developed to provide optically active spirocyclohexadiene-pyrazolones bearing an all-carbon quaternary chiral center in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities and moderate diastereoselectivities.

A combination of metal- and organo-catalysts sequentially catalyzing the Friedel-Crafts/aldol tandem reaction between 3-pyrrolyl-oxindoles and isatin-derived β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters has been reported, which leads to two types of diastereomeric enantio-enriched bispirooxindoles with three quaternary stereocentres and synthetically valuable functional groups in high yields with excellent enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity.

Based on oxindole-derived diketones as the substrates, asymmetric desymmetrizing intramolecular aldol or aldol condensation reactions are reported, which are catalyzed by a Trost bis-ProPhenol dinuclear zinc complex. The corresponding spiro[cyclohexanone-oxindole] derivatives were obtained in good yields with moderate to good enantioselectivities.

The enantioselective formal [3 + 3] annulation reaction of isatin-derived β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters with 3-hydroxy-4H-chromen-4-ones or 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone was successfully implemented under catalysis of quinine-derived bifunctional tertiary amine-thiourea catalysts. The efficient tandem Michael-cyclization has provided facile access to optically active spiro[oxindole-pyrano[3,2-b]chromenone] and spiro[oxindole-benzo[g]chromene-dione] derivatives in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities.

The regioselective and enantioselective Michael addition between azlactones and o-hydroxy chalcone derivatives is reported. Enantiomerically enriched N,O-aminals with two continuous stereogenic centers are exclusively obtained in moderate to good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and good to excellent enantioselectivities. The experimental results show that an o-hydroxy group on the cinnamenyl motif of chalcone derivatives plays a crucial role at the reaction sites for the regioselective Michael addition. In addition, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) are used to investigate the absolute configuration of N,O-aminals and the corresponding transition-state structures.

Computational studies have been performed to elucidate the activation mechanism of the Michael addition reactions containing bifunctional tertiary amine–thioureas and isatylidene malononitriles by density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Results showed a difference of 6.47 kcal mol−1 between M1-O and M1-N, which suggest that it is the carbonyl group, instead of the malononitrile moiety of isatylidene malononitriles, that plays a dominating role in the activation of the electrophile by the catalysts. The predicted mechanism also successfully explains the experimentally observed enantioselectivity.

Enantioselective phosphination and hydrophosphonylation reactions between azomethine imines and diarylphosphine oxides or dialkyl phosphites were respectively developed by the use of a chiral squaramide as the hydrogen bonding organocatalyst, which afforded two types of phosphorus containing product in high yields with good to excellent enantioselectivities.

A diastereo- and enantio-selective domino Michael-cyclization-tautomerization reaction of isatylidene malononitriles with α,α-dicyanoalkenes catalyzed by a cinchona alkaloid-derived bifunctional thiourea catalyst has been developed. A series of multi-functionalized spiro oxindole diene derivatives have been obtained in good to excellent yields (up to 97%) with good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96%) as well as good diastereoselectivities (up to 7.9 : 1). In addition, an anomalous temperature effect on the enantioselectivity has also been studied for this transformation.

The asymmetric Strecker-type reaction between azomethine imines and TMSCN was catalyzed by 1 mol% of a cinchona alkaloid-derived thiourea bearing multiple hydrogen-bonding donors to afford optically active amino nitriles in good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities.

Optically active spirocyclohexaneoxindole motifs are very important building blocks for preparations of biologically active complexes, natural products, and pharmaceutical compounds. Herein, we report the syntheses of enantiopure spirocyclohexaneoxindoles through domino Michael-Aldol reactions between isatin derived alkenes and pentane-1,5-dial in the presence of diphenylprolinol silyl ether as an aminocatalyst. As a result, a series of multistereogenic and functionalized spirocyclohexaneoxindoles have been obtained in good yields with moderate diastereoselectivities and excellent enantioselectivities. In addition, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) were used to investigate the rational structures of spirocyclohexaneoxindoles.

The asymmetric Friedel-Crafts amidoalkylation of indoles with aryl aldimines could be efficiently catalyzed by Trost's bis-ProPhenol dinuclear zinc complexes to attain 3-indolyl methanamine derivatives in good to excellent yields (85-98%) with moderate to high enantiomeric ratios (from 70 : 30 up to 95 : 5 er). Remarkably, this approach provides efficient access to enantiomerically enriched 3-indolyl methanamines, which avoids the formation of the undesirable bis- and tris(indolyl)methanes (BIMs and TIMs) byproduct.