Shaozhong Wang

Asymmetric Cascade Annulation Based on Enantioselective Oxa-Diels–Alder Cycloaddition of in Situ Generated Isochromenyliums by Cooperative Binary Catalysis of Pd(OAc)2 and (S)-Trip

An asymmetric cascade annulation between 2-hydroxystyrenes and 2-alkynylbenaldehyes or 1-(2-alkynylphenyl)ketones has been established with good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99.5% ee), on the basis of an enantioselective oxa-Diels-Alder cycloaddition of in situ generated metallo-isochromenylium intermediates, by cooperative binary catalysis of Pd(OAc)2 and (S)-Trip. The developed methodology is workable for a broad spectrum of substrates and shows great efficiency in establishing dense multiple chiral centers including quaternary carbons of variable bridged ring systems. The mechanism study suggests that (S)-Trip plays multiple roles in assembling the reactants and controlling the stereoselectivity.

Azaanthraquinone Assembly from N-Propargylamino Quinone via a Au(I)-Catalyzed 6-endo-dig Cycloisomerization

A methodology to assemble the azaanthraquinone skeleton from N-propargylamino quinone by a Au(I)-catalyzed 6-endo-dig cycloisomerization was developed. The catalytic process was applied to the synthesis of alkaloid cleistopholine and its analogues. A mechanism involving benign nucleophilicity of the aminoquinone was proposed.

Novel preparation of non-racemic 1-[α-(1-azacycloalkyl)benzyl]-2-naphthols from Betti base and their application as chiral ligands in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aryl aldehydes

A novel route for the preparation of non-racemic 1-[α-(1-azacycloalkyl)benzyl]-2-naphthols was developed, which involves regioselective N-cycloalkylation of the Betti base with dials in the presence of NaBH3CN to give 1-azacycloalka[2,1-b]oxazine followed by the selective cleavage of a C–O bond with LiAlH4. As a new family of chiral ligands, their application in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aryl aldehydes was tested. The ligands incorporating pyrrolidine and piperidine led to highly efficient asymmetric induction to give products in up to 96% yield and 99% ee.

Transformation of Reactive Isochromenylium Intermediates to Stable Salts and Their Cascade Reactions with Olefins

Transformation of reactive isochromenylium intermediates to the corresponding storable and stable reagents has been achieved, and a number of isochromenylium tetrafluoroborates (ICTBs, 1) have been conveniently prepared and characterized. Direct metal-free treatment of isochromenylium tetrafluoroborate 1a with olefins afforded a variety of polycyclic frameworks 4 via mild cascade reactions. Starting from the prefunctionalized o-alkynylbenzaldehydes, a one-pot metal-free procedure of intramolecular cascade annulation to 2,3-dihydrophenanthren-4(1H)-one derivatives was also developed.

Kinetic or Dynamic Control on a Bifurcating Potential Energy Surface? An Experimental and DFT Study of Gold-Catalyzed Ring Expansion and Spirocyclization of 2-Propargyl-β-tetrahydrocarbolines

In classical transition state theory, a transition state is connected to its reactant(s) and product(s). Recently, chemists found that reaction pathways may bifurcate after a transition state, leading to two or more sets of products. The product distribution for such a reaction containing a bifurcating potential energy surface (bPES) is usually determined by the shape of the bPES and dynamic factors. However, if the bPES leads to two intermediates (other than two products), which then undergo further transformations to give different final products, what factors control the selectivity is still not fully examined. This missing link in transition state theory is founded in the present study. Aiming to develop new methods for the synthesis of azocinoindole derivatives, we found that 2-propargyl-β-tetrahydrocarbolines can undergo ring expansion and spirocyclization under gold catalysis. DFT study revealed that the reaction starts with the intramolecular cyclization of the gold-activated 2-propargyl-β-tetrahydrocarboline with a bPES. The cyclization intermediates can not only interconvert into each other via a [1,5]-alkenyl shift, but also undergo ring expansion (through fragmentation/protodeauration mechanism) or spirocyclization (through deprotonation/protodeauration mechanism). Detailed analysis of the complex PESs for substrates with different substituents indicated that the reaction selectivity is under dynamic control if the interconversion of the intermediates is slower than the ring expansion and spirocyclization processes. Otherwise, the chemical outcome is under typical kinetic control and determined by the relative preference of ring expansion versus spirocyclization pathways. The present study may enrich chemists understanding of the determinants for selectivities on bPESs.

CuCl2-promoted 6-endo-dig chlorocyclization and oxidative aromatization cascade: efficient construction of 1-azaanthraquinones from N-propargylaminoquinones.

An efficient synthetic methodology was developed to assemble 1-azaanthraquinones from N-propargylaminoquinones by copper(II)-promoted sequential 6-endo-dig chlorocyclization and oxidative aromatization. The approach can be extended to preprare chlorinated alkaloids such as cleistophine and sampangine. A possible mechanism involving carbon-carbon bond formation triggered by regioselective electrophilic activation and carbon-chlorine bond formation via reductive elimination was proposed.

Construction of Multiring Frameworks by Metal-Free Cascade Reactions of Stable Isochromenylium Tetrafluoroborate

Efficient methodologies for constructing several multiring frameworks have been developed utilizing the cascade reactions of air-stable isochromenylium tetrafluoroborates with olefins. Successive additions of two equivalents of styrene-type olefins to isochromenylium tetrafluoroborate (ICTB) 1 have been observed and their mechanisms were proposed and discussed. Intramolecular capture of the early stage cationic intermediates by predevised heteroatoms or Friedel-Crafts donors provided two different types of bridged-ring systems.

Asymmetric Annulation of 3-Alkynylacrylaldehydes with Styrene-Type Olefins by Synergetic Relay Catalysis from AgOAc and Chiral Phosphoric Acid

Asymmetric annulation of 3-alkynylacrylaldehydes with 2-hydroxystyrenes has been studied and achieved by synergetic catalysis from AgOAc and chiral phosphoric acid, providing the corresponding multiring products with decent total yields and moderate to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 95% ee). The developed mild multibond-formation cascade reaction involves in situ generation of pyrylium intermediate by Ag(I)-catalyzed alkyne/carbonyl cycloisomerization, counteranion-directed asymmetric oxa [4 + 2]-cycloaddition, and intramolecular nucleophilic substitution.

Azocinoindole Synthesis by a Gold(I)‐Catalyzed Ring Expansion of 2‐Propargyl‐β‐Tetrahydrocarboline

A new methodology taking advantage of gold(I)-catalyzed ring expansion has been developed to assemble tricyclic 1H-azocino[5,4-b]indoles from 2-propargyl-β-tetrahydrocarbolines. The azocinoindoles were obtained in moderate to excellent yields; the structure of which was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. A mechanism involving regioselective intramolecular hydroarylation, [1,2]-alkenyl migration and carbon-carbon bond-fragmentation was proposed.

Three‐Component Reactions of Isochromenylium Tetrafluoroborates via Non‐Classical [4+2]‐Intermediates: Mild One‐Step Metal‐Free Synthesis of Functionalized Dihydronaphthalenes and Tetrahydronaphthalenes

Two novel types of elegant three-component reactions of stable isochromenylium tetrafluoroborates (ICTBs) have been developed under mild metal-free conditions in this work. Mechanistically, these reactions are commonly initiated by a [4+2]-cycloaddition between the non-classical isochromenylium diene and the aldehyde-enol, and terminated by the following addition of weak nucleophiles, including nitriles or the second equivalent of aldehydes, in a one-pot fashion. The developed methodologies exhibit excellent chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and diastereoselectivity, and provide a new convenient access to functionalized dihydronaphthalenes and tetrahydronaphthalenes.