A practical synthesis of racemic vinylglycine from (z)-2-butene-1,4-diol

A stereo-electronic interpretation of a challenging orthoamide Overman rearrangement rationalized by molecular modelling

The Overman rearrangement difficulties are tentatively explained using stereo-electronic considerations, helping chemists to understand their troubles in this process.

Recent advances in the Overman rearrangement: synthesis of natural products and valuable compounds

This review documents the reports since 2005 on the Overman rearrangement, an important C–N bond forming reaction that has been profoundly used in the synthesis of natural products, synthetic intermediates, building blocks and valuable compounds.

Continuous-flow thermolysis for the preparation of vinylglycine derivatives

Syn sulfoxide elimination was carried out under continuous-flow conditions in a mesofluidic thermolysis reactor. The design of the reactor enabled accurate control of reaction time and conditions, affording a convenient scale-independent procedure for the production of N,C-protected vinylglycine derivatives. Thermolysis at 270 °C under 1000 psi of pressure in superheated toluene enabled typical daily outputs ranging from 11 to 46 g per day with excellent selectivities and ee (>97%). The various competitive reaction pathways were studied and rationalized according to a computational study.

N-Bromoacetamide-mediated domino cyclization and elimination of homoallylic trichloroacetimidates: a novel approach toward the synthesis of 1-bromo-2-amino-3-butene derivatives

A practical synthesis of 1-bromo-2-amino-3-butene derivatives from homoallylic trichloroacetimidates was reported. Simply heating the mixture of substrates and N-bromoacetamide in DMF at 90 °C would give the desired products in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction may proceed through a domino bromo-cyclization and elimination pathway. The synthesis of 4,5-dihydrooxazoles from 1-bromo-2-amino-3-butene derivatives was also investigated.

Cascade- and orthoamide-type Overman rearrangements of allylic vicinal diols

This article describes the details of two new types of Overman rearrangement from allylic vicinal diols. Starting from identical diols, both bis(imidate)s and cyclic orthoamides were selectively synthesized by simply changing the reaction conditions. Whilst exposure of the bis(imidate)s to thermal conditions initiated the double Overman rearrangement to introduce two identical nitrogen groups in a single operation (the cascade-type Overman rearrangement), the reaction of cyclic orthoamides resulted in a single rearrangement (the orthoamide-type Overman rearrangement). The newly generated allylic alcohols from the orthoamide-type reaction can potentially undergo a variety of further transformations. For instance, we demonstrated an Overman/Claisen sequence in one pot. The most conspicuous feature of this method is that it offers precise control over the number of Overman rearrangements from the same allylic vicinal diols. This method also excludes the tedious protecting-group manipulations of the homoallylic alcohols, which are necessary in conventional Overman rearrangements. All of the performed rearrangements proceeded in a completely diastereoselective fashion through a chair-like transition state.

Scope and limitations of ether-directed, metal-catalysed aza-Claisen rearrangements; improved stereoselectivity using non-coordinating solvents

In an effort to understand and enhance the stereochemical outcome of the MOM-ether directed rearrangement of allylic trichloroacetimidates we have investigated various reaction conditions for this process. A range of Pd(ii) and other metal catalysts have been shown to effectively catalyse the rearrangement providing the subsequent allylic amides in high selectivity (up to 11 : 1 ratio of diastereomers). The replacement of THF as a solvent in this reaction with non-coordinating solvents such as toluene has led to an enhancement of the directing effect resulting in a significant increase in the diastereoselective outcome (15 : 1 ratio). The reaction was also carried out for the first time, using a highly coordinating ionic solvent which disrupts binding of the Pd(ii)-catalyst to the MOM-ether yielding the allylic amide in only moderate diastereoselectivity. These results provide further evidence for the ether directed aza-Claisen rearrangement of allylic trichloroacetimidates.

Synthesis of unnatural amino acids via Suzuki cross-coupling of enantiopure vinyloxazolidine derivatives

[formula: see text] (R and S)-alpha-Amino alcohols and alpha-amino acids, including 4-methoxyhomophenylalanine, with a variety of unnatural side chains have been synthesized via palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling Suzuki reactions. The key building blocks 1 and 2, synthesized from the common achiral precursor 2-butene-1,4-diol, were made enantiopure utilizing a Pseudomonas cepacia lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution. The optimal conditions for the Suzuki cross-coupling and the subsequent oxidations of the resultant alpha-amino alcohols are described.