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A Rh-catalysed asymmetric conjugate addition of aryl boronic acids to β-substituted nitroalkenes was developed employing a P-chiral P-alkene hybrid bidentate ligand with enantioselectivities of up to 94:6 er. DFT modelling of the transition state for the addition reaction was consistent with our previous model for stereocontrol employing this family of chiral ligands. Application of the β-chiral nitroalkanes was demonstrated in the intramolecular Buchwald–Hartwig amination and aminocarbonylation to provide 5- and 6-membered chiral heterocycles.

A practical and cost-effective synthesis of (2-aminopyrimidin-5-yl) boronic acid 1b has been developed. Key features of the synthesis include the inexpensive in situ protection of the amine via bis-silylation using TMSCl followed by metal–halogen exchange using n-BuLi and trapping with B(Oi-Pr)3. The water-soluble boronic acid is isolated by a well-designed acid–base sequence providing the target in 80% yield and high purity for the two-step process. The large-scale (15 kg) implementation of a Suzuki–Miyaura borylation to form the pinacol boronic ester is also described.

An enantioselective copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of Me2Zn to (Z)-nitroalkenes led to the formation of all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers with high stereoselectivity. The key features of the new method are the unprecedented use of [(MeCN)4Cu]PF6 in conjunction with the Hoveyda ligand L1 and the use of (Z)-nitroalkene substrates so that undesired nitroalkene isomerization is minimized and enantioselectivity is enhanced dramatically. We also describe a novel, practical, and highly (Z)-selective nitroalkene synthesis.

A series of efficient ruthenium catalysts has been developed for the asymmetric hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation of ketones with high reactivities and selectivities. The new chiral bisdihydrobenzooxaphosphole (BIBOP)/diamine-ruthenium complexes catalyzed the enantioselective hydrogenation of substrates such as aryl and heteroaryl cyclic and alkyl ketones with substrate/catalyst (S/C) ratios of up to 100,000. The opposite sense of enantioselectivity can be obtained by proper selection of a diamine with a given chirality of the phosphine. The usefulness of the new system has been demonstrated in the asymmetric hydrogenation of a complex synthetic intermediate towards cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors at S/C 20,000 on large-scale operation.

A general, scalable, and highly diastereoselective aziridination of N-tert-butanesulfinyl ketimino esters is described. The methodology has been utilized to provide straightforward access to previously unobtainable, biologically relevant α-quaternary amino esters and derivatives starting from readily available precursors.

A new class of organocatalysts is reported that incorporates an N-sulfinyl amide in place of the carboxylic acid of proline to serve as a hydrogen bond donor, chiral directing group, and solubilizing element. The successful application of this type of catalyst to the asymmetric aldol reaction of acetone and aryl aldehydes, for which proline performs poorly, is also described.

An enantioselective copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of Me2Zn to (Z)-nitroalkenes led to the formation of all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers with high stereoselectivity. The key features of the new method are the unprecedented use of [(MeCN)4Cu]PF6 in conjunction with the Hoveyda ligand L1 and the use of (Z)-nitroalkene substrates so that undesired nitroalkene isomerization is minimized and enantioselectivity is enhanced dramatically. We also describe a novel, practical, and highly (Z)-selective nitroalkene synthesis.

In reactions of electron-rich imines LGA proved to be very efficient whereas LGB gives better results with electron-deficient imines.

Carbamoyl anions, generated from N,N-disubstituted formamides and lithium diisopropylamide, add with high diastereoselectivity to chiral N-sulfinyl aldimines and ketimines to provide α-amino amides. The methodology enables the direct introduction of a carbonyl group without the requirement of unmasking steps as with other nucleophiles. The products may be converted to α-amino esters or 1,2-diamines. Iterative application of the reaction enabled the stereoselective synthesis of a dipeptide. Spectroscopic and computational studies support an anion structure with η(2) coordination of lithium by the carbonyl group.

A general, efficient, and highly diastereoselective method for the synthesis of structurally and sterically diverse P-chiral phosphine oxides was developed. The method relies on sequential nucleophilic substitution on the versatile chiral phosphinyl transfer agent 1,3,2-benzoxazaphosphinine-2-oxide, which features enhanced and differentiated P–N and P–O bond reactivity toward nucleophiles. The reactivities of both bonds are fine-tuned to allow cleavage to occur even with sterically hindered nucleophiles under mild conditions.

Herein we describe the first use of disubstituted donors in the palladium-catalyzed trimethylenemethane (TMM) cycloaddition resulting in an enantioselective synthesis of highly substituted pyrrolidines. These cyanoalkyl donors 1 form all-carbon quaternary centers in a catalytic, asymmetric, and intermolecular manner uniquely using diamidophosphite ligands L2 and L3, generating synthetically important chiral building blocks in good yields and selectivities.

Among 6 derivatives, which incorporate an N-sulfinyl prolinamide moiety to serve as a hydrogen bond donor, chiral directing group, and solubilizing element, SPA efficiently catalyzes the title reaction.