Enantioselective N -Acylation of Biginelli Dihydropyrimidines by Oxidative NHC Catalysis

Oxidative N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis is a by now consolidated organocatalytic platform for a number of synthetic (asymmetric) transformations via diverse reaction modes/intermediates. In addition to the typical umpolung processes involving acyl anion/homoenolate equivalent species, implementation of protocols under oxidative conditions greatly expands the possibilities of this methodology. Oxidative NHC-catalysis allows for oxidative and oxygenative transformations through specific manipulations of Breslow-type species depending upon the oxidant used (external oxidant or O2 /air), the derived NHC-bound intermediates paving the way to non-umpolung processes through activation of carbon atoms and heteroatoms. This review is intended to update the state of the art in oxidative NHC-catalyzed reactions that appeared in the literature from 2014 to present, with a strong focus to crucial intermediates and their mechanistic implications.

Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin(thio)one Containing Scaffold: Biginelli-like Reactions

The interest in 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1H)-(thio)ones is increasing every day, mainly due to their paramount biological relevance. The Biginelli reaction is the classical approach to reaching these scaffolds, although the product diversity suffers from some limitations. In order to overcome these restrictions, two main approaches have been devised. The first one involves the modification of the conventional components of the Biginelli reaction and the second one refers to the postmodification of the Biginelli products. Both strategies have been extensively revised in this manuscript. Regarding the first one, initially, the modification of one of the components was covered. Although examples of modifications of the three of them were described, by far the modification of the keto ester counterpart was the most popular approach, and a wide variety of different enolizable carbonylic compounds were used; moreover, changes in two or the three components were also described, broadening the substitution of the final dihydropyrimidines. Together with these modifications, the use of Biginelli adducts as a starting point for further modification was also a very useful strategy to decorate the final heterocyclic structure.

Hydrogen-Bonding Assisted Catalytic Kinetic Resolution of Acyclic β-Hydroxy Amides

Enantioenriched acyclic α-substituted β-hydroxy amides are valuable compounds in chemical, material and medicinal sciences, but their enantioselective synthesis remains challenging. A catalytic kinetic resolution (KR) of such amides with selectivity factor(s) up to >200 is developed via enantioselective acylation of primary alcohol with N-heterocyclic carbene. An enhanced selectivity for the catalytic KR process is realized using cyclic tertiary amine as base additive. Diastereomeric transition state models for the process are proposed to rationalize the origin of enantioselectivity.