A flexible strategy for the synthesis of bifunctional 6′-(thio)-urea containing Cinchona alkaloid ammonium salts

(Thio)urea containing chiral ammonium salt catalysts

(Thio)-urea-containing bifunctional quaternary ammonium salts emerged as powerful non-covalently interacting organocatalysts over the course of the last decade. The most commonly employed catalysts in this field are either based on Cinchona alkaloids, α-amino acids, or trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine. Our group has been heavily engaged in the design and use of such catalysts, i. e. trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-based ones for around 10 years now, and it is therefore the intention of this short personal account to provide an overview of the, at least in our opinion, most significant and pioneering achievements in this field by looking on catalyst design and asymmetric method development, with a special focus on our own contributions.

Assisted by Hydrogen-Bond Donors: Cinchona Quaternary Salts as Privileged Chiral Catalysts for Phase-Transfer Reactions

This short review is devoted to asymmetric phase-transfer reactions that employ hybrid ammonium Cinchona catalysts supported by possessing hydrogen-bond donor groups. We present recent advances utilizing this type of catalyst in the field of biphasic reaction systems. The main emphasis is placed on the advantages of additional functional groups present in the structure of the catalyst, such as hydroxy, amide, (thio)urea or squaramide.

1 Introduction

2 Phase-Transfer Hybrid Cinchona Catalysts with a Free Hydroxy Group

3 (Thio)urea Hybrid Cinchona Catalysts

4 Hybrid Amide-Based Catalysts Bearing a Cinchona Scaffold

5 Conclusions

Synergistic Ammonium (Hypo)Iodite/Imine Catalysis for the Asymmetric α-Hydroxylation of β-Ketoesters

The synergistic use of chiral bifunctional ammonium iodide catalysts in combination with simple catalytically relevant aldimines allows for an unprecedented asymmetric α-hydroxylation reaction of β-ketoesters using H2O2. The reaction proceeds via in situ formation of a hypervalent iodine species, which then reacts with the used aldimine to generate an activated electrophilic oxygen transfer reagent.

Chiral Phase Transfer Catalysis in the Asymmetric Synthesis of a 3,3-Disubstituted Isoindolinone and Determination of Its Absolute Configuration by VCD Spectroscopy

In this work we report our endeavors toward the development of an asymmetric synthesis of a 3,3-disubstituted isoindolinone, dimethyl 2-(1-methyl-3-oxoisoindolin-1-yl)malonate, via asymmetric cascade reaction of 2-acetylbenzonitrile with dimethylmalonate and the determination of its absolute configuration (AC) by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD). Bifunctional ammonium salts, derived from trans-1,2-cyclohexanediamine in combination with inorganic bases under phase transfer conditions, were the most effective catalytic systems, leading to the target in high yields and moderate enantioselectivity. An efficient process of heterochiral crystallization allowed the increase of the enantiopurity up to 96% ee and in an acceptable overall yield. An important aim of the present work is the comparison of different VCD methodologies for AC determination of the target compound.