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We describe the design, synthesis, and characterization of a chiral hexacoordinated phosphate ion that features an octahedral P(V) core consisting of two N,N,O-tridentate backbones. We further demonstrate that the corresponding hydrogen phosphate acts as an effective catalyst for a highly enantioselective Pictet-Spengler-type reaction, wherein the relationship between the structure of the chiral phosphate ion and its ability to dictate the absolute stereochemistry is revealed in conjunction with precise structural elucidation of the phosphate ion.

A novel class of chiral N-sulfonyl oxaziridines is introduced for use as structurally modifiable chiral oxidants. These oxaziridines are readily prepared from N-sulfonyl α-imino esters in a highly enantioenriched form by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide using l-isoleucine-derived triaminoiminophosphorane as a catalyst. The distinct advantage of their structural modularity is demonstrated through the identification of an optimal oxaziridine that exhibits high reactivity and enantiospecificity in the asymmetric oxidation of a silyl enol ether and N-sulfonyl allylic and homoallylic amines.

A highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective 1,6-addition of azlactone to various alkenyl dienyl ketones has been achieved under P-spiro chiral triaminoiminophosphorane catalysis. This site-selectivity control relies on the distinct ability of the conjugate acids of iminophosphoranes, aminophosphonium ions, to precisely differentiate between the three electrophilic reaction sites of alkenyl dienyl ketones, which is further demonstrated by the discriminative asymmetric 1,6-addition of azlactone to dienyl ketones, leaving the coexisting alkenyl ketone intact.

Catalytic systems that allow selective generation of any diastereomer of a reaction product bearing multiple stereocentres through minimal modification of a single catalyst scaffold remain elusive, particularly for carbon-carbon bond formations requiring simultaneous control of multiple selectivity factors. Here, we report a catalyst-directed pinpoint inversion of diastereochemical preference in the 1,6-addition of azlactones to δ-aryl dienyl carbonyl compounds with full control over other selectivities preserved. This rigorous diastereodivergence is enabled by the slight structural adjustment of a chiral iminophosphorane catalyst, providing access to all the stereoisomers with high regio-, distereo- and enantioselectivity. The utility of this method is demonstrated in the facile stereodivergent preparation of densely functionalized proline derivatives. The experimental and computational elucidation of the origin of the diastereodivergence is also reported.

Chiral P-spiro triaminoiminophosphorane (1) was developed to promote the highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective 1,6- and 1,8-additions of azlactones (2·H) to dienyl and trienyl N-acylpyrroles (3 and 4). DFT calculations enabled us to gain deep insight into the whole reaction mechanism as well as the origin of the high regio- and stereoselectivities. The present reaction consists of three steps: (1) formation of the phosphonium-enolate ion-pair complex by deprotonation of 2·H with 1, (2) C-C bond formation of 2 with 3 and 4, and (3) protonation of the resulting enolate anion. The C-C bond formation is irreversible, and the rate- and stereodetermining step. The C α -protonation preferentially proceeds rather than the thermodynamically and kinetically disfavored O- and C γ -protonation, respectively. The high regio- and enantioselectivities are mainly attributed to the steric and electronic features of 1·H and 3/4. The hydrogen bonds (NH-O and CH-O) and the attractive CH-π interaction between 1·H and 2 and 3 play a key role in achieving high stereocontrol. The high regioselectivity is mainly controlled by the structural distortion of 1·H and the disruption of the π-conjugated system of 3 (1,4-system) and 4 (1,4- and 1,6-systems).

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective Mannich-type reaction of 3-aryloxindoles with N -Boc aldimines was achieved under the catalysis of axially chiral ammonium betaines. This catalytic method provides a new tool for the construction of consecutive quaternary and tertiary stereogenic carbon centers on biologically intriguing molecular frameworks with high fidelity.

A catalytic cycle initiated by the oxidative quenching of the excited photosensitizer (Ir*(ppy)3) is established for the enantioselective coupling between (N-arylamino)methanes and (N-methanesulfonyl)aldimines catalyzed by Ir-based photosensitizer and a chiral (arylamino)phosphonium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate under visible light irradiation. This achievement clearly demonstrates the insensitivity of this redox-neutral asymmetric reaction to the sequence of the key redox events involved in the synergistic catalysis.

Site-selectivity in conjugate addition reactions is tightly associated with the principle of vinylogy. Various vinylogous nucleophiles and electrophiles have been applied to stereoselective conjugate additions directed by chiral small-molecule catalysts. This chapter focuses on the systems that control site- and stereoselectivity via chiral ion-pairing intermediates under organocatalytic conditions and describes individual vinylogous substrates in a separate section. Although site-selectivity originates largely from the intrinsic stereoelectronic nature of individual substrates, catalyst-controlled site-selectivity can be attained in certain cases.

A redox neutral, highly enantioselective coupling between N-arylaminomethanes and N-sulfonyl aldimines was developed by harnessing the efficient catalysis of P-spiro chiral arylaminophosphonium barfate and a transition-metal photosensitizer under visible light irradiation. This mode of synergistic catalysis provides a powerful strategy for controlling the bond-forming processes of reactive radical intermediates.

A metal-free stereoselective reductive coupling reaction between isatins and aldehydes is reported. The reaction relies on commercial diethyl phosphite (∼€70 kg -1 ) as the stoichiometric reductant. Base-catalyzed Pudovik addition and phosphonate/phosphate rearrangement achieved polarity inversion on the isatin, and the derived carbanions were trapped by aldehydes with subsequent dialkoxyphosphinyl migration. Chiral iminophosphoranes were used as basic catalysts to achieve high diastereo- and enantioselectivities with excellent yields.

A highly E-selective and enantioselective conjugate addition of 2-benzyloxythiazol-5(4H)-ones to β-substituted alkynyl N-acyl pyrazoles is achieved under the catalysis of a P-spiro chiral iminophosphorane. Simultaneous control of the newly generated central chirality and olefin geometry is possible with a wide array of the alkynyl Michael acceptors possessing different aromatic and aliphatic β-substituents, as well as the various α-amino acid-derived thiazolone nucleophiles. This protocol provides access to structurally diverse, optically active α-amino acids bearing a geometrically defined trisubstituted olefinic component at the α-position., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The vinylogous reactivity of α,β-disubstituted nitroolefins was uncovered through the facile generation of the corresponding α-substituted vinylogous nitronates and their use in the development of a highly diastereo- and enantioselective aza-Henry reaction with N-Boc aldimines under the catalysis of chiral ammonium betaines. The novel vinylogous nitronates undergo stereoselective bond formation at the sterically encumbered α-position exclusively, allowing the construction of contiguous tertiary-quaternary stereogenic carbon centers.

Highly enantioselective protonation of α-halo and alkoxy carboxylic acid-derived ketene disilyl acetals is achieved by using P-spiro chiral diaminodioxaphosphonium barfate as a Brønsted acid catalyst, where the enantiofacial discrimination by the catalyst mainly stems from the recognition of the electronic difference between two substituents on the ketene disilyl acetal.

Chiral diaminodioxaphosphonium salts have been developed and their unique abilities as a chiral proton have been revealed through the establishment of a highly enantioselective protonation of alpha-amino acid-derived ketene disilyl acetals.

Research to develop structurally discrete, chiral supramolecular catalysts for asymmetric organic transformations has met with limited success. Here, we report that a chiral tetraaminophosphonium cation, two phenols, and a phenoxide anion appear to self-assemble into a catalytically active supramolecular architecture through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The structure of the resulting molecular assembly was determined in the solid state by means of x-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, in solution the complex promotes a highly stereoselective conjugate addition of acyl anion equivalents to alpha,beta-unsaturated ester surrogates with a broad substrate scope. All structural components of the catalyst cooperatively participate in the stereocontrolling event.

Ni-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of benzene and naphthalene using aryl halides was investigated. For the first time, the arylation was successfully catalyzed by Cp(2)Ni (5 mol %) in the presence of KOt-Bu and BEt(3). This Ni catalyst system was also applied to direct C-H arylation of pyridine, an electron-deficient heteroarene; PPh(3) was used instead of BEt(3) in this case.

Heterochiral [7.7]-P-spirocyclic arylaminophosphonium barfates have been designed as a novel charged, cationic Brønsted acid catalyst, and their catalytic and stereocontrolling abilities have been clearly demonstrated in the development of the unprecedented, highly enantioselective conjugate addition of arylamines to nitroolefins. This study uncovers a new function of chiral tetraaminophosphonium cations and its potential synthetic utility, thereby providing a new avenue to the molecular design of chiral charged Brønsted acid catalysts and their applications.

The cooperative asymmetric catalysis of chiral tetraaminophosphonium carboxylate (P,S)-1.OCOR has been established, and its synthetic utility has been successfully demonstrated by application to the highly enantioselective direct Mannich-type reaction of azlactones with N-sulfonyl imines. The present study stimulates the cultivation of the potential of the chiral quaternary onium salt catalysis by the structural modification of organic anion.

A chiral ammonium betaine, an intramolecular ion-pairing quaternary ammonium aryloxide 3, has been designed and its vast potential as an enantioselective organic base catalyst has been successfully demonstrated in the highly enantioselective direct Mannich-type reaction of alpha-substituted alpha-nitrocarboxylates 2 with various N-Boc imines 1. The present study provides a conceptually new approach toward the design of bifunctional, chiral quaternary ammonium salts and their utilizations as a homogeneous organic molecular catalyst.

A new asymmetric entry of the 1,2-aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid is described. The present reaction has provided an atom-economical route to furan-2-ylamine derivatives in a highly enantioselective fashion. The synthetic utility of these products was displayed by oxidative cleavage of the furan ring (aza-Achmatowicz reaction) to form a 1,4-dicarbonyl compound that could be further derivatized to a chiral gamma-butenolid.

It was found that the phosphoric acid derivatives of general structure 1 serve as highly effective catalysts for the direct addition of acetyl acetone to N-Boc-protected arylimines. The beneficial effects of the 3,3'-bisaryl substituents of the catalysts on the enantioselectivity are greatly appreciated, and thus 1d functions as an excellent catalyst. The Brønsted acid-catalyzed direct Mannich reactions presented herein provide an attractive way to construct beta-aminoketones under extremely mild conditions. The stereochemical course of this reaction was established through the synthesis of Boc-(S)-phenylglycine methylester. The transformation thus demonstrated is applicable to a useful method for the synthesis of various phenylglycine derivatives.

A new, chiral bis-Ti(IV) oxide of type 3 has been designed and can be utilized for strong activation of aldehyde carbonyls, thereby allowing a new catalytic enantioselective allylation of aldehydes with allyltributyltin. The chiral bis-Ti(IV) catalyst (S,S)-3 can be readily prepared either by treatment of bis(triisopropoxy)titanium oxide with (S)-BINOL or by treatment of ((S)-binaphthoxy)isopropoxytitanium chloride with silver(I) oxide. Treatment of hydrocinnamaldehyde with allyltributyltin under the influence of chiral bis-Ti(IV) oxide (S,S)-3 generated in situ (10 mol %) in CH(2)Cl(2) afforded an allylation product in 84 % yield and with 99 % ee. This asymmetric allylation with non-racemic bis-Ti(IV) oxide 3 and partially resolved (S)-BINOL shows a positive nonlinear effect in correlation of the enantiopurity of the allylation product with the ee of the (S)-BINOL. Chiral bis-Ti(IV) oxide (S,S)-3 can also be utilized for related reactions such as asymmetric methallylation and propargylation of aldehydes with high enantioselectivity. This asymmetric approach provides a very useful way of obtaining high reactivity and selectivity through the simple introduction of the M-O-M unit into the design of chiral Lewis acid catalysts.

The transition metal-catalyzed allylic substitution with unstabilized carbon nucleophiles represents an important cross-coupling reaction for the construction of ternary carbon stereogenic centers. We have developed a new regio- and enantiospecific rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of acyclic unsymmetrical chiral nonracemic allylic alcohol derivatives with aryl zinc bromides. This study demonstrates that the hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate rhodium catalyst and zinc(II) halide salt are crucial for efficiency, while the addition of lithium bromide to the catalyst is necessary for obtaining optimal regiospecificity. The stereochemical course of this reaction was established through the synthesis of (S)-ibuprofen, which demonstrated that the alkylation proceeds with net inversion of absolute configuration consistent with direct addition of the nucleophile to the metal center followed by reductive elimination.