Naoya Kumagai

Recent progress in asymmetric bifunctional catalysis using multimetallic systems.

The concept of bifunctional catalysis, wherein both partners of a bimolecular reaction are simultaneously activated, is very powerful for designing efficient asymmetric catalysts. Catalytic asymmetric processes are indispensable for producing enantiomerically enriched compounds in modern organic synthesis, providing more economical and environmentally benign results than methods requiring stoichiometric amounts of chiral reagents. Extensive efforts in this field have produced many asymmetric catalysts, and now a number of reactions can be rendered asymmetric. We have focused on the development of asymmetric catalysts that exhibit high activity, selectivity, and broad substrate generality under mild reaction conditions. Asymmetric catalysts based on the concept of bifunctional catalysis have emerged as a particularly effective class, enabling simultaneous activation of multiple reaction components. Compared with conventional catalysts, bifunctional catalysts generally exhibit enhanced catalytic activity and higher levels of stereodifferentiation under milder reaction conditions, attracting much attention as next-generation catalysts for prospective practical applications. In this Account, we describe recent advances in enantioselective catalysis with bifunctional catalysts. Since our identification of heterobimetallic rare earth-alkali metal-BINOL (REMB) complexes, we have developed various types of bifunctional multimetallic catalysts. The REMB catalytic system is effective for catalytic asymmetric Corey-Chaykovsky epoxidation and cyclopropanation. A dinucleating Schiff base has emerged as a suitable multidentate ligand for bimetallic catalysts, promoting catalytic syn-selective nitro-Mannich, anti-selective nitroaldol, and Mannich-type reactions. The sugar-based ligand GluCAPO provides a suitable platform for polymetallic catalysts; structural elucidation revealed that their higher order polymetallic structures are a determining factor for their function in the catalytic asymmetric Strecker reaction. Rational design identified a related ligand, FujiCAPO, which exhibits superior performance in catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of cyanide to enones and a catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder-type reaction. The combination of an amide-based ligand with a rare earth metal constitutes a unique catalytic system: the ligand-metal association is in equilibrium because of structural flexibility. These catalytic systems are effective for asymmetric amination of highly coordinative substrate as well as for Mannich-type reaction of alpha-cyanoketones, in which hydrogen bonding cooperatively contributes to substrate activation and stereodifferentiation. Most of the reactions described here generate stereogenic tetrasubstituted carbons or quaternary carbons, noteworthy accomplishments even with modern synthetic methods. Several reactions have been incorporated into the asymmetric synthesis of therapeutics (or their candidate molecules) such as Tamiflu, AS-3201 (ranirestat), GRL-06579A, and ritodrine, illustrating the usefulness of bifunctional asymmetric catalysis.

Recent Advances in Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Transformations under Proton‐Transfer Conditions

Cooperative catalysis has proven to be a particularly powerful strategy for promoting stereoselective organic transformations under mild reaction conditions. The specific interactions between the catalyst components and substrates are precisely orchestrated to elicit high catalytic efficiency and excellent control of the stereochemical course. By harnessing the power of cooperativity, various sets of stereoselective reactions proceed under mild proton-transfer conditions with perfect atom economy. This Minireview summarizes our recent contributions to several C-N and C-C bond-forming reactions in this field and related transformations.

Linking structural dynamics and functional diversity in asymmetric catalysis.

Proteins, the functional molecules in biological systems, are sophisticated chemical devices that have evolved over billions of years. Their function is intimately related to their three-dimensional structure and elegantly regulated by conformational changes through allosteric regulators and a number of reversible or unidirectional post-translational modifications. This functional diversification in response to external stimuli allows for an orderly and timely progression of intra- and extracellular events. In contrast, enantioselective catalysts generally exhibit limited conformational flexibility and thereby exert a single specific function. Exploiting the features of conformationally flexible asymmetric ligands and the variable coordination patterns of rare earth metals, we demonstrate dynamic structural and functional changes of a catalyst in asymmetric catalysis, leading to two distinct reaction outcomes in a single flask.

anti-Selective Catalytic Asymmetric Nitroaldol Reaction via a Heterobimetallic Heterogeneous Catalyst

Full details of an anti-selective catalytic asymmetric nitroaldol reaction promoted by a heterobimetallic catalyst comprised of Nd(5)O(O(i)Pr)(13), an amide-based ligand, and NaHMDS (sodium hexamethyldisilazide) are described. A systematic synthesis and evaluation of amide-based ligands led to the identification of optimum ligand 1m, which provided a suitable platform for the Nd/Na heterobimetallic complex. During the catalyst preparation in THF, a heterogeneous mixture developed and centrifugation of the suspension allowed for separation of the precipitate, which contained the active catalyst and which could be stored for at least 1 month without any loss of catalytic performance. The precipitate promoted a nitroaldol (Henry) reaction for a broad range of nitroalkanes and aldehydes under heterogeneous conditions, affording the corresponding 1,2-nitroalkanol in a highly anti-selective (up to anti/syn = >40/1) and enantioselective manner (up to 98% ee). Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses revealed that the precipitate indeed included both neodymium and sodium, which was further supported by high-resolution ESI TOF MS spectrometry.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Terminal Alkynes to α,β-Unsaturated Thioamides

Direct catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of terminal alkynes to alpha,beta-unsaturated thioamides under proton transfer conditions is described. Soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalysis is crucial for simultaneous activation of terminal alkynes and thioamides, affording the beta-alkynylthioamides in a highly enantioselective manner. Control experiments suggested that the intermediate copper thioamide enolate can work as Brønsted base to drive the catalytic cycle via proton transfer. The divergent transformation of the thioamide functionality highlights the synthetic utility of the alkynylation products.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Addition of Allyl Cyanide to Ketones

A direct catalytic asymmetric addition of allyl cyanide to ketones with a bimetallic catalytic system comprising (R,R)-Ph-BPE/[Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)]ClO(4)/LiOAr is described. Exclusive gamma-addition of allyl cyanide was observed, affording optically enriched tertiary alcohols bearing Z-configured alpha,beta-unsaturated nitriles. The reaction proceeded under proton-transfer conditions, utilizing soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base bifunctional catalysis. The applicability of the reaction to aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic ketones demonstrates its wide substrate generality.

Direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions of thioamides: Toward a stereocontrolled synthesis of 1,3-polyols

A direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thioamides with a soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalytic system comprising (R,R)-Ph-BPE/[Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)]PF(6)/LiOAr is described. Highly chemoselective deprotonative activation of thioamides allows for a direct aldol reaction of alpha-nonbranched aliphatic aldehydes, which are susceptible to self-condensation. Facile reduction of the thioamide functionality and a catalyst-controlled second aldol reaction provides 1,3-diols in a highly stereoselective manner.

Direct Catalytic Enantio- and Diastereoselective Aldol Reaction of Thioamides

A direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of thioamides using a soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base cooperative catalyst comprising (R,R)-Ph-BPE/[Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)]PF(6)/LiOAr is described. Exclusive enolate generation from thioacetamides through a soft-soft interaction with the soft Lewis acid allowed for a direct aldol reaction to α-nonbranched aliphatic aldehydes, which are usually susceptible to self-condensation under conventional basic conditions. A hard Lewis basic phosphine oxide has emerged as an effective additive to constitute a highly active ternary soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base/hard Lewis base cooperative catalyst, enabling a direct enantio- and diastereoselective aldol reaction of thiopropionamides. Strict control of the amount of the hard Lewis base was essential to drive the catalytic cycle efficiently with a minimized retro-aldol pathway, affording syn-aldol products with high stereoselectivity. Divergent transformation of the thioamide functionality is an obvious merit of the present aldol methodology, allowing for a facile transformation of the aldol product into the corresponding aldehyde, ketone, amide, amine, and ketoester. An aldehyde derived from the direct aldol reaction was subjected to a second direct aldol reaction, which proceeded in a catalyst-controlled manner to provide 1,3-diols with high stereoselectivity.

Direct catalytic asymmetric addition of allyl cyanide to ketones via soft lewis acid/hard brønsted base/hard lewis base catalysis

We report that a hard Lewis base substantially affects the reaction efficiency of direct catalytic asymmetric gamma-addition of allyl cyanide (1a) to ketones promoted by a soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base catalyst. Mechanistic studies have revealed that Cu/(R,R)-Ph-BPE and Li(OC(6)H(4)-p-OMe) serve as a soft Lewis acid and a hard Brønsted base, respectively, allowing for deprotonative activation of 1a as the rate-determining step. A ternary catalytic system comprising a soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base and an additional hard Lewis base, in which the basicity of the hard Brønsted base Li(OC(6)H(4)-p-OMe) was enhanced by phosphine oxide (the hard Lewis base) through a hard-hard interaction, outperformed the previously developed binary soft Lewis acid/hard Brønsted base catalytic system, leading to higher yields and enantioselectivities while using one-tenth the catalyst loading and one-fifth the amount of 1a. This second-generation catalyst allows efficient access to highly enantioenriched tertiary alcohols under nearly ideal atom-economical conditions (0.5-1 mol % catalyst loading and a substrate molar ratio of 1:2).

Managing Highly Coordinative Substrates in Asymmetric Catalysis: A Catalytic Asymmetric Amination with a Lanthanum-Based Ternary Catalyst

Full details of a catalytic asymmetric amination with a lanthanum/amide-based ligand catalyst system are described. A catalyst comprising La(NO(3))(3)*6H(2)O, (R)-3a and H-d-Val-O(t)Bu was identified to promote the catalytic asymmetric amination of nonprotected succinimide derivative 1 with as little as 1 mol % catalyst loading. Mechanistic studies by various spectroscopic analyses and several control and kinetic experiments suggested that the catalyst components were in equilibrium between the associated and dissociated forms, and that the reaction likely proceeded through a La(NO(3))(3)*6H(2)O/(R)-3a/H-d-Val-O(t)Bu ternary complex. This catalyst system was also effective for asymmetric amination of N-nonsubstituted alpha-alkoxycarbonyl amides 7, hitherto unprecedented substrates in asymmetric catalysis, probably due to their attenuated reactivity and difficult stereocontrol, affording the amination products in up to >99% yield and >99% ee. The high catalytic performance and enantiocontrol of the reaction with highly coordinative substrates were achieved by the activation/recognition of the substrates exerted by coordination to lanthanum and hydrogen bonding cooperatively in the transition state.