Iuliana Atodiresei

Unifying metal and Brønsted acid catalysis--concepts, mechanisms, and classifications.

Asymmetric catalysis is a key feature of modern synthetic organic chemistry. Traditionally, different combinations of ligands and metals are used to perform highly enantioselective reactions. Since the renaissance of organocatalysis in the early 2000s, tremendous improvement in the field of metal-free catalysis has been achieved. Recently, the combination of transition metals and organocatalysts has allowed the development of new protocols enabling transformations that could not previously be realized. This article aims to present the latest contributions in the field of combined chiral Brønsted acid and metal catalyzed reactions, highlighting the advantages of these catalytic systems as well as describing the uncertainties regarding the molecular structure of the catalytically active species and the reaction mechanisms.

Modulating the Acidity: Highly Acidic Brønsted Acids in Asymmetric Catalysis

Recently, chiral highly acidic Brønsted acids have emerged as powerful catalysts for enantioselective C-C and C-X bond-forming reactions. Their strong acidity renders them valuable tools for the activation of imines, carbonyl compounds, and other weakly basic substrates. As a result, new perspectives are opened and highly stereoselective transformations based on the concept of chiral contact-ion-pair catalysis can be realized. This Minireview gives an overview of the design and application of these new organocatalysts and presents recent results in this rapidly growing field.

N-Trifluoromethylthiophthalimide: A Stable Electrophilic SCF3-Reagent and its Application in the Catalytic Asymmetric Trifluoromethylsulfenylation†

Cinchona alkaloid catalysts in combination with air- and moisture-stable N-trifluoromethylthiophthalimide as electrophilic SCF3 source enabled the catalytic enantioselective trifluoromethylsulfenylation. Thus, a series of α-SCF3 esters that bear a quaternary carbon stereogenic center were obtained with excellent yield and enantioselectivity. Moreover, the products can be readily converted into valuable α-SCF3 β-hydroxyesters.

Chiral Organic Contact Ion Pairs in Metal-Free Catalytic Asymmetric Allylic Substitutions

Chiral contact ion-pair catalysis with particular focus on metal-free processes is gaining in interest. As a result, new perspectives are opened, and highly stereoselective transformations, traditionally performed under metal catalysis, can be realized. Herein, we report the development of an unprecedented asymmetric Brønsted acid-catalyzed allylic alkylation. The concept relies on chiral contact ion-pair catalysis, in which the chiral organic counteranion of an allylic carbocation induces high enantioselectivities and allows access to biologically relevant chromenes in good yields and with excellent enantioselection.

Ortho‐Quinone Methides as Reactive Intermediates in Asymmetric Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Cycloadditions with Unactivated Alkenes by Exclusive Activation of the Electrophile

An efficient method for the highly enantioselective synthesis of chiral chromanes bearing multiple stereogenic centers was developed. A chiral BINOL-based N-triflylphosphoramide proved to be an effective catalyst for the in situ generation of ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) and their subsequent cycloaddition reaction with unactivated alkenes provided chromanes with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Indolines by Catalytic Enantioselective Reduction of 3H-Indoles

A highly enantioselective metal-free reduction of 3H-indoles has been developed. This Brønsted acid catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of indole derivatives with Hantzsch dihydropyridine as the hydrogen source constitutes an efficient method for the synthesis of various optically active indolines with high enantioselectivities.

An alkaloid-mediated desymmetrization of meso-anhydrides via a nucleophilic ring opening with benzyl alcohol and its application in the synthesis of highly enantiomerically enriched β-amino acids

The cinchona alkaloid-mediated opening of prochiral cyclic anhydrides in the presence of benzyl alcohol leading to optically active hemiesters is described. Structurally diverse anhydrides are converted into their corresponding benzyl monoesters with either enantiomer being obtained with up to 99% e.e. by using quinine or quinidine as the directing additive. A simple aqueous work-up protocol permits the isolation of the products in analytically pure form and the recovery of the alkaloids almost quantitatively. These hemiesters can be converted to N-protected β-amino esters by means of Curtius degradation of the corresponding acyl azides. Subsequent cleavage of both protecting groups by a single reaction step leads to the free β-amino acids in excellent yields. The efficiency of this procedure is demonstrated by the short asymmetric synthesis of the fungicide cis-pentacin delivering the amino acid with >99.7% enantiomeric excess.

C1-Symmetric Aminosulfoximines in Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric Vinylogous Mukaiyama Aldol Reactions

Vinylogous Mukaiyama-type aldol reactions have been catalyzed by a combination of Cu(OTf)2 and readily available C1-symmetric aminosulfoximines. After a fine-tuning of the reaction conditions and an optimization of the modularly assembled ligand structure, high stereoselectivities and excellent yields have been achieved in catalyzed reactions involving various electrophile/nucleophile combinations. The relative and absolute configurations of two products were assigned by X-ray single crystal structure analysis and a comparison of calculated and experimental CD spectra.

Catalytic Asymmetric Addition of Aldehydes to Oxocarbenium Ions: A Dual Catalytic System for the Synthesis of Chromenes

A synergistic catalytic system for the first asymmetric addition of aldehydes to in situ generated prochiral oxocarbenium ions has been developed. The dual catalytic protocol allows the simultaneous activation of both electrophile and nucleophile and provides access to a variety of valuable chiral 2H-chromenes with excellent enantioselectivities.

Shedding light on organocatalysis-light-assisted asymmetric ion-pair catalysis for the enantioselective hydrogenation of pyrylium ions.

A new light-driven asymmetric ion-pair catalysis procedure for the metal-free enantioselective hydrogenation of in situ generated pyrylium ions from readily available chalcones was developed (see scheme). The photo-assisted Brønsted acid catalyzed procedure has broad scope and allows, for the first time, access to valuable 4H-chromenes in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.