Enantioselective Rhodium-Catalyzed [2+2+2] Cycloaddition of Pentenyl Isocyanate and 4-Ethynylanisole: Preparation and Use of Taddolpyrrolidine Phosphoramidite.

Caution, alkyl acyl azides can rapidly decompose with heat to release large amounts of nitrogen. Care should be taken during handling: do not attempt to convert neat and avoid handling neat.

Enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed [4+2+2] cycloaddition of dienyl isocyanates for the synthesis of bicyclic azocine rings.

A highly enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed [4+2+2] cycloaddition of terminal alkynes and dienyl isocyanates has been developed. The cycloaddition provides a rapid entry to highly functionalized and enantioenriched bicyclic azocines. This reaction represents the first [4+2+2] cycloaddition strategy to construct nitrogen-containing eight-membered rings.

Predictable and regioselective insertion of internal unsymmetrical alkynes in rhodium-catalyzed cycloadditions with alkenyl isocyanates.

A regioselective, rhodium-catalyzed cycloaddition between a variety of internal, unsymmetrical alkynes is described. We document the impact of both steric and electronic properties of the alkyne on reaction course, efficiency, and enantioselectivity. The substituent that better stabilizes a positive charge or the larger group, all else being equal, inserts distal to the carbonyl moiety in a predictable and controllable fashion. The reaction scope is broad and the enantioselectivities are high, providing an "instruction manual" for substrate choice when utilizing this reaction as a synthetic tool.

Phosphoramidite-Rhodium Complexes as Catalysts for the Asymmetric [2+2+2] Cycloaddition of Alkenyl Isocyanates and Alkynes.

The discovery and development of the asymmetric rhodium-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition of alkenyl isocyanates and exogenous alkynes to form indolizinone and quinolizinone scaffolds is described. This methodology has been expanded to include substituted alkenes and dienes, a variety of sterically and electronically diverse alkynes, and carbodiimides in place of the isocyanate. Through X-ray analysis of Rh(cod)/phosphoramidite complexes, additives that modify the enantio-determining step, and other experimental data, a mechanism has been proposed that explains lactam, vinylogous amide, and pyridone products and the factors governing their formation. Finally, we have applied this methodology to the synthesis of (+)-lasubine-II and (-)-209D.