Asymmetric syntheses of (−)-hastanecine, (−)-turneforcidine and (−)-platynecine

New Advances in the Synthetic Application of Enantiomeric 1-Phenylethylamine (α-PEA): Privileged Chiral Inducer and Auxiliary

New developments in the synthesis, resolution, and synthetic applications of chiral 1-phenylethylamine (α-PEA) reported in the last decade have been reviewed. In particular, improvements in the synthesis of α-PEA and its derivatives and chiral resolution, as well as their applications in the resolution of other compounds, were discussed. α-PEA was used as a chiral auxiliary in the diastereoselective synthesis of medicinal substances and natural products. Chiral ligands with α-PEA moieties were applied in asymmetric reactions, and effective modular chiral organocatalysts were constructed with α-PEA fragments and used in important synthetic reactions.

Homoallylic amines as efficient chiral inducing frameworks in the conjugate addition of amides to α,β-unsaturated esters. An entry to enantio-enriched diversely substituted amines

The diastereoselective conjugate addition of secondary homoallylamines, obtained in the enantioenriched form via allylmetallation of imines, to α,β-unsaturated esters is reported. This method allows access to valuable building blocks as well as heterocyclic skeletons, providing tertiary amines bearing two chains integrating a stereogenic center adjacent to the nitrogen atom.

Enantiopure 4-oxazolin-2-ones and 4-methylene-2-oxazolidinones as chiral building blocks in a divergent asymmetric synthesis of heterocycles

Enantiopure 3-((R)- and 3-((S)-1-phenylethyl)-4-oxazoline-2-ones were evaluated as chiral building blocks for the divergent construction of heterocycles with stereogenic quaternary centers. The N-(R)- or N-(S)-1-phenylethyl group of these compounds proved to be an efficient chiral auxiliary for the asymmetric induction of the 4- and 5-positions of the 4-oxazolin-2-one ring through thermal and MW-promoted nucleophilic conjugated addition to Michael acceptors and alkyl halides. The resulting adducts were transformed via a cascade process into fused six-membered carbo- and heterocycles. The structure of the reaction products depended on the electrophiles and reaction conditions used. Alternative isomeric 4-methylene-2-oxazolidinones served as chiral precursors for a versatile and divergent approach to highly substituted cyclic carbamates. DFT quantum calculations showed that the formation of bicyclic pyranyl compounds was generated by a diastereoselective concerted hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition.

Formal syntheses of (-)-isoretronecanol, (+)-laburnine, and a concise enantioselective synthesis of (+)-turneforcidine

The synthesis of functionalized pyroglutamates 15 and 16 could be achieved by the application of recently developed diastereodivergent asymmetric Michael addition reaction of iminoglycinate 7 to ethyl γ-silyloxycrotonate with >98:<2 diastereoselectivity followed by hydrolysis and lactamization. Formal syntheses of (-)-isoretronecanol and (+)-laburnine as well as a concise enantioselective synthesis of (+)-turneforcidine could be achieved from functionalized pyroglutamates 15 or 16.

Strain-Release Heteroatom Functionalization: Development, Scope, and Stereospecificity

Driven by the ever-increasing pace of drug discovery and the need to push the boundaries of unexplored chemical space, medicinal chemists are routinely turning to unusual strained bioisosteres such as bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, azetidine, and cyclobutane to modify their lead compounds. Too often, however, the difficulty of installing these fragments surpasses the challenges posed even by the construction of the parent drug scaffold. This full account describes the development and application of a general strategy where spring-loaded, strained C–C and C–N bonds react with amines to allow for the “any-stage” installation of small, strained ring systems. In addition to the functionalization of small building blocks and late-stage intermediates, the methodology has been applied to bioconjugation and peptide labeling. For the first time, the stereospecific strain-release “cyclopentylation” of amines, alcohols, thiols, carboxylic acids, and other heteroatoms is introduced. This report describes the development, synthesis, scope of reaction, bioconjugation, and synthetic comparisons of four new chiral “cyclopentylation” reagents.