Organocatalytic Tandem Synthesis of Chiral Hexacyclic Bisindoles from Propargylic 3-Methyleneindoles with 2-Indolylmethanols.

A novel chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed tandem regioselective 1,6-addition/double intramolecular nucleophilic addition annulation of the propargylic 3-methyleneindoles in situ generated from α-indolyl propargylic alcohols with 2-indolylmethanols has been developed. The methodology afforded the new chiral trifluoromethyl pentalenobisindoles bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center in generally good yields with excellent enantioselectivities.

Atroposelective Synthesis of Axially Chiral Styrenes Connecting an Axially Chiral Naphthyl-indole Moiety Using Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalysis.

The organocatalytic asymmetric reactions of C2-unsubstituted racemic naphthyl-indoles with orthoalkynylnaphthols were employed to synthesize axially chiral styrenes connected to an axially chiral naphthyl-indole unit. Utilizing chiral phosphoric acid as the catalyst, these axially chiral styrenes were prepared in good yields (up to 96%) and excellent stereoselectivity (up to >99.9% ee, >20:1 dr, and >99:1 E/Z) in mild conditions. Moreover, further synthetic transformations were achieved with high yields and excellent stereocontrol.

Enantioselective synthesis of indole-based unnatural ß-Alkynyl α-amino acid derivatives via chiral phosphoric acid catalysis.

The synthesis of unnatural α-amino acid derivatives has attracted considerable interest in recent years, as they are ubiquitous in protein synthesis and peptide-based drug discovery. Herein, we reported the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric reaction of indoles with ß,γ-alkynyl-α-imino esters for the enantioselective synthesis of unnatural indole-based α-amino acid derivatives. This asymmetric organocatalysis protocol enables efficient synthesis of unnatural α-amino acid derivatives with a tetrasubstituted stereogenic center and an alkyne moiety with up to 99% yield and 98% ee, resulting in operationally simple conditions, short reaction time, and broad substrate scope.

Iron-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions using chiral tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobiindane-based bisoxazoline (TMSI-BOX) ligands.

The versatile application of chiral bisoxazoline (BOX) ligands in diverse metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions results in growing demand for novel BOX ligands containing different motifs. Herein, the successful development of a chiral spiro bisoxazoline ligand (TMSI-BOX) on the basis of the tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobiindane motif and bisoxazoline chelating units is described. The corresponding Fe complexes of TMSI-BOX proved to be excellent catalysts in the asymmetric intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction of diazo derivatives, providing synthetically versatile [3.1.0]bicycloalkane derivatives bearing two contiguous quaternary chiral centers with high enantiomeric purity.

Iron-Catalyzed Enantioselective Si-H Bond Insertions.

The first iron-catalyzed enantioselective Si-H bond insertion reaction of α-diazoesters was developed. A new chiral spiro-bisoxazoline ligand has proven to be an optimal ligand for the asymmetric reaction to give versatile chiral α-silyl esters in good yields with high enantioselectivities. The mechanism and detailed stereochemical models for enantioselective induction were elucidated by DFT calculations, suggesting that the reaction proceeds via a concerted quintet transition state.

Synthesis and Application of Hexamethyl-1,1'-spirobiindane-Based Phosphine-Oxazoline Ligands in Ni-Catalyzed Asymmetric Arylation of Cyclic Aldimines.

With the vastly increasing applications of chiral phosphine-oxazoline (PHOX) hybrid ligands in various transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, novel PHOX ligands bearing innovative backbones are highly valuable and in great demand. This study describes the development of a new type of chiral PHOX ligands based on a hexamethyl-1,1'-spirobiindane scaffold and incorporating both a phosphine and an oxazoline moiety. The optimal ligand provided high yields and excellent enantioselectivities for the Ni-catalyzed asymmetric arylation of cyclic N-sulfonyl imines with arylboronic acids leading to chiral amines.

Enantioselective synthesis of benzazepinoindoles bearing trifluoromethylated quaternary stereocenters catalyzed by chiral spirocyclic phosphoric acids.

The first highly enantioselective iso-Pictet-Spengler reaction of C-2-linked o-aminobenzylindoles with trifluoromethyl ketones was developed using chiral spirocyclic phosphoric acids as organocatalysts, which afforded optically active benzazepinoindoles bearing trifluoromethylated quaternary stereocenters.