James Frost

Strategic Application and Transformation of ortho-Disubstituted Phenyl and Cyclopropyl Ketones To Expand the Scope of Hydrogen Borrowing Catalysis

The application of an iridium-catalyzed hydrogen borrowing process to enable the formation of α-branched ketones with higher alcohols is described. In order to facilitate this reaction, ortho-disubstituted phenyl and cyclopropyl ketones were recognized as crucial structural motifs for C-C bond formation. Having optimized the key catalysis step, the ortho-disubstituted phenyl products could be further manipulated by a retro-Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction to produce synthetically useful carboxylic acid derivatives. In contrast, the cyclopropyl ketones underwent homoconjugate addition with several nucleophiles to provide further functionalized branched ketone products.

Hydrogen Borrowing Catalysis with Secondary Alcohols: A New Route for the Generation of β-Branched Carbonyl Compounds

A hydrogen borrowing reaction employing secondary alcohols and Ph* (Me5C6) ketones to give β-branched carbonyl products is described (21 examples). This new C-C bond forming process requires low loadings of [Cp*IrCl2]2, relatively low temperatures, and up to 2.0 equiv of the secondary alcohol. Substrate-induced diastereoselectivity was observed, and this represents the first example of a diastereoselective enolate hydrogen borrowing alkylation. By utilizing the Ph* group, the β-branched products could be straightforwardly cleaved to the corresponding esters or amides using a retro-Friedel-Crafts reaction. Finally, this protocol was applied to the synthesis of fragrance compound (±)-3-methyl-5-phenylpentanol.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclohexanes via an Iridium Catalyzed (5 + 1) Annulation Strategy

An iridium catalyzed method for the synthesis of functionalized cyclohexanes from methyl ketones and 1,5-diols is described. This process operates by two sequential hydrogen borrowing reactions, providing direct access to multisubstituted cyclic products with high levels of stereocontrol. This methodology represents a novel (5 + 1) strategy for the stereoselective construction of the cyclohexane core.