Mathew J. Vetticatt

How the Binding of Substrates to a Chiral Polyborate Counterion Governs Diastereoselection in an Aziridination Reaction: H-Bonds in Equipoise

The stereochemistry-determining step of the self-assembled chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed aziridination reactions of MEDAM imines and three representative diazo nucleophiles has been studied using ONIOM(B3LYP/6-31G*:AM1) calculations. The origin of cis selectivity in the reactions of ethyldiazoacetate and trans selectivity in reactions of N-phenyldiazoacetamide can be understood on the basis of the difference in specific noncovalent interactions in the stereochemistry-determining transition state. A H-bonding interaction between the amidic hydrogen and an oxygen atom of the chiral counterion has been identified as the key interaction responsible for this reversal in diastereoselectivity. This hypothesis was validated when a 3° diazoamide lacking this interaction showed pronounced cis selectivity both experimentally and calculationally. Similar trends in diastereoselection were observed in analogous reactions catalyzed by triflic acid. The broad implications of these findings and their relevance to chiral Brønsted acid catalysis are discussed.

Bifunctional Ammonium Salt Catalyzed Asymmetric α-Hydroxylation of β-Ketoesters by Simultaneous Resolution of Oxaziridines

Chiral bifunctional urea-containing ammonium salts were found to be very efficient catalysts for asymmetric α-hydroxylation reactions of β-ketoesters with oxaziridines under base-free conditions. The reaction is accompanied by a simultaneous kinetic resolution of the oxaziridine and a plausible and so far unprecedented bifunctional transition-state model has been obtained by means of DFT calculations.

Isotope effects and mechanism of the asymmetric BOROX Brønsted acid catalyzed aziridination reaction.

The mechanism of the chiral VANOL-BOROX Brønsted acid catalyzed aziridination reaction of imines and ethyldiazoacetate has been studied using a combination of experimental kinetic isotope effects and theoretical calculations. A stepwise mechanism where reversible formation of a diazonium ion intermediate precedes rate-limiting ring closure to form the cis-aziridine is implicated. A revised model for the origin of enantio- and diastereoselectivity is proposed based on relative energies of the ring-closing transition structures.

Transition State Analysis of Enantioselective Brønsted Base Catalysis by Chiral Cyclopropenimines

Experimental 13C kinetic isotope effects have been used to interrogate the rate-limiting step of the Michael addition of glycinate imines to benzyl acrylate catalyzed by a chiral 2,3-bis(dicyclohexylamino) cyclopropenimine catalyst. The reaction is found to proceed via rate-limiting carbon–carbon bond formation. The origins of enantioselectivity and a key noncovalent CH···O interaction responsible for transition state organization are identified on the basis of density functional theory calculations and probed using experimental labeling studies. The resulting high-resolution experimental picture of the enantioselectivity-determining transition state is expected to guide new catalyst design and reaction development.

Isotope Effects and Heavy-Atom Tunneling in the Roush Allylboration of Aldehydes

Intermolecular (13)C kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for the Roush allylboration of p-anisaldehyde were determined using a novel approach. The experimental (13)C KIEs fit qualitatively with the expected rate-limiting cyclic transition state, but they are far higher than theoretical predictions based on conventional transition state theory. This discrepancy is attributed to a substantial contribution of heavy-atom tunneling to the reaction, and this is supported by multidimensional tunneling calculations that reproduce the observed KIEs.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Lactams through Formal [4+2] Cycloaddition of Imines with Homophthalic Anhydride

An amide-thiourea compound, operating through a novel ion pairing mechanism, is an efficient organocatalyst for the asymmetric reaction of homophthalic anhydride with imines. N-aryl and N-alkyl imines readily undergo formal [4+2] cycloaddition to provide lactams with high levels of enantio- and diastereoselectivity. The nature of the key chiral ion pair intermediate was elucidated by DFT calculations.

Isotope Effects Reveal the Mechanism of Enamine Formation in l-Proline-Catalyzed α-Amination of Aldehydes

The mechanism of l-proline-catalyzed α-amination of 3-phenylpropionaldehyde was studied using a combination of experimental kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and theoretical calculations. Observation of a significant carbonyl (13)C KIE and a large primary α-deuterium KIE support rate-determining enamine formation. Theoretical predictions of KIEs exclude the widely accepted mechanism of enamine formation via intramolecular deprotonation of an iminium carboxylate intermediate. An E2 elimination mechanism catalyzed by a bifunctional base that directly forms an N-protonated enamine species from an oxazolidinone intermediate accounts for the experimental KIEs. These findings provide the first experimental picture of the transition-state geometry of enamine formation and clarify the role of oxazolidinones as nonparasitic intermediates in proline catalysis.

Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Alkynyl Aziridines: Both Enantiomers of cis-Aziridines from One Enantiomer of the Catalyst

Alkynyl aziridines can be obtained from the catalytic asymmetric aziridination (AZ reaction) of alkynyl imines with diazo compounds in high yields and high asymmetric inductions mediated by a chiral boroxinate or BOROX catalyst. In contrast to the AZ reaction with aryl- and alkyl-substituted imines, alkynyl imines react to give cis-substituted aziridines with both diazo esters and diazo acetamides. Remarkably, however, the two diazo compounds give different enantiomers of the cis-aziridine from the same enantiomer of the catalyst. Theoretical considerations of the possible transition states for the enantiogenic step reveal that the switch in enantiomers results from a switch from Si-face to Re-face addition to the imine, which in turn is related to a switch from reaction with an E-imine in the former and a Z-isomer of the imine in the latter.

Asymmetric Induction via a Helically Chiral Anion: Enantioselective Pentacarboxycyclopentadiene Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels–Alder Cycloaddition of Oxocarbenium Ions

An enantioselective catalytic inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction of salicylaldehyde acetal-derived oxocarbenium ions and vinyl ethers to generate 2,4-dioxychromanes is described. Chiral pentacarboxycyclopentadiene (PCCP) acids are found to be effective for a variety of substrates. Computational and X-ray crystallographic analyses support the unique hypothesis that an anion with point-chirality-induced helical chirality dictates the absolute sense of stereochemistry in this reaction.

A Designed Approach to Enantiodivergent Enamine Catalysis

The rational design and implementation of enantiodivergent enamine catalysis is reported. A simple secondary amine catalyst, 2-methyl-l-proline, and its tetrabutylammonium salt function as an enantiodivergent catalyst pair delivering the enantiomers of α-functionalized aldehyde products in excellent enantioselectivities. This novel concept of designed enantiodivergence is applied to the enantioselective α-amination, aldol, and α-aminoxylation/α-hydroxyamination reactions of aldehydes.