Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Organosilicon Compounds by Organocatalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Boronic Acids to β-Silyl-α,β-Unsaturated Ketones

Chiral Binaphthol-Catalyzed Enantioselective Conjugate Addition of Alkenyl and Arylboronic Acids to α,β-Unsaturated Cyclic N-Sulfonyl Ketimines

The chiral binaphthol-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of alkenylboronic acids and heteroarylboronic acids to cyclic N-sulfonyl ketimines is reported, providing the 1,4-addition products in high yields and moderate to excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). This mild, scalable catalytic system exhibits high efficiency and broad substrate scopes. Additionally, arylboronic acids were viable nucleophiles under more forcing conditions.

Regio- and enantioselective synthesis of acyclic quaternary carbons via organocatalytic addition of organoborates to (Z)-Enediketones

The chemical synthesis of molecules with closely packed atoms having their bond coordination saturated is a challenge to synthetic chemists, especially when three-dimensional control is required. The organocatalyzed asymmetric synthesis of acyclic alkenylated, alkynylated and heteroarylated quaternary carbon stereocenters via 1,4-conjugate addition is here catalyzed by 3,3´-bisperfluorotoluyl-BINOL. The highly useful products (31 examples) are produced in up to 99% yield and 97:3 er using enediketone substrates and potassium trifluoroorganoborate nucleophiles. In addition, mechanistic experiments show that the (Z)-isomer is the reactive form, ketone rotation at the site of bond formation is needed for enantioselectivity, and quaternary carbon formation is favored over tertiary. Density functional theory-based calculations show that reactivity and selectivity depend on a key n→π* donation by the unbound ketone's oxygen lone pair to the boronate-coordinated ketone in a 5-exo-trig cyclic ouroboros transition state. Transformations of the conjugate addition products to key quaternary carbon-bearing synthetic building blocks proceed in good yield.