Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative Rearrangement of Cyclopropanone Hemiaminals: General Access to Pyrroloindolones from Indoles.

A concise synthetic approach to medicinally relevant pyrroloindolones and related fused heterocycles is reported via the diastereoselective N-addition of unprotected indoles to readily accessible cyclopropanone equivalents. The resulting stable hemiaminals are shown to smoothly rearrange to pyrroloindolones in mild conditions using Fe(III) catalysis in the presence of inexpensive ammonium persulfate as a stoichiometric oxidant. Experimental evidence points toward the formation of a ß-carboxylic radical intermediate prone to cyclization and oxidative rearomatization as the operative mechanistic pathway.

Divergent Synthesis of ß-Fluoroamides via Silver-Catalyzed Oxidative Deconstruction of Cyclopropanone Hemiaminals.

An expedient approach for the synthesis of challenging ß-fluoroamides from readily accessible cyclopropanone equivalents is reported. Following the addition of pyrazole used here as a transient leaving group, silver-catalyzed regiospecific ring-opening fluorination of the resulting hemiaminal leads to a ß-fluorinated N-acylpyrazole intermediate reactive to substitution with amines, ultimately affording ß-fluoroamides. The process could also be extended to the synthesis of ß-fluoroesters and γ-fluoroalcohols via the addition of alcohols or hydrides as terminal nucleophiles, respectively.

Expedient synthesis of spiro[3.3]heptan-1-ones via strain-relocating semipinacol rearrangements.

A novel approach for the formation of the highly strained spiro[3.3]heptan-1-one motif was developed through the reaction of 1-sulfonylcyclopropanols and lithiated 1-sulfonylbicyclo[1.1.0]butanes. Following initial nucleophilic addition to the cyclopropanone formed in situ, the resulting 1-bicyclobutylcyclopropanol intermediate is prone to a 'strain-relocating' semipinacol rearrangement in the presence of acid, directly affording the substituted spiro[3.3]heptan-1-one. The process is shown to be fully regio- and stereospecific when starting from a substituted cyclopropanone equivalent, leading to optically active 3-substituted spiro[3.3]heptan-1-ones. The reaction likely proceeds via initial protonation of the bicyclobutyl moiety followed by [1,2]-rearrangement of the resulting cyclopropylcarbinyl cation.

Synthesis of Highly Congested Tertiary Alcohols via the [3,3] Radical Deconstruction of Breslow Intermediates.

Pericyclic processes such as [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements leading to the rapid generation of molecular complexity constitute highly valuable tools in organic synthesis. Herein, we report the formation of particularly hindered tertiary alcohols via rearrangement of Breslow intermediates formed in situ from readily available N-allyl thiazolium salts and benzaldehyde derivatives. Experimental mechanistic studies performed suggest that the reaction proceeds via a close radical pair which recombine in a regio- and diastereoselective manner, formally leading to [3,3]-rearranged products.

One-Pot Synthesis of Strain-Release Reagents from Methyl Sulfones.

Sulfone-substituted bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes and housanes have found widespread application in organic synthesis due to their bench stability and high reactivity in strain-releasing processes in the presence of nucleophiles or radical species. Despite their increasing utility, their preparation typically requires multiple steps in low overall yield. In this work, we report an expedient and general one-pot procedure for the synthesis of 1-sulfonylbicyclo[1.1.0]butanes from readily available methyl sulfones and inexpensive epichlorohydrin via the dialkylmagnesium-mediated formation of 3-sulfonylcyclobutanol intermediates. Furthermore, the process was extended to the formation of 1-sulfonylbicyclo[2.1.0]pentane (housane) analogues when 4-chloro-1,2-epoxybutane was used as the electrophile instead of epichlorohydrin. Both procedures could be applied on a gram scale with similar efficiency and are shown to be fully stereospecific in the case of housanes when an enantiopure epoxide was employed, leading to a streamlined access to highly valuable optically active strain-release reagents.

Stereospecific Synthesis of Enantioenriched Alkylidenecyclobutanones via Formal Vinylidene Insertion into Cyclopropanone Equivalents.

1-Sulfonylcyclopropanols are employed here as efficient cyclopropanone equivalents in a formal vinylidene insertion process, providing the first general synthetic route to enantioenriched alkylidenecyclobutanones. The addition of an alkenyl-Grignard reagent leads to an alkenylcyclopropanol capable of electrophilic activation by N-bromosuccinimide, triggering a regio- and stereospecific 1,2-migration and affording alkylidenecyclobutanones after elimination. Activation of the intermediate with other electrophiles such as HCl or mCPBA leads to the formation of various chiral cyclobutanones and γ-lactones via alternative pathways.

Synthesis of Cyclopentenones with Reverse Pauson-Khand Regiocontrol via Ni-Catalyzed C-C Activation of Cyclopropanone.

A formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition between cyclopropanone and alkynes via Ni-catalyzed C-C bond activation has been developed, where 1-sulfonylcyclopropanols are employed as key precursors of cyclopropanone in the presence of trimethylaluminum. The transformation provides access to 2,3-disubstituted cyclopentenones with complete regiocontrol, favoring reverse Pauson-Khand products, where the large substituent is located at the 3-position of the ring. In the process, the trimethylaluminum additive is thought to play multiple roles, including as a Brønsted base triggering the equilibration to cyclopropanone and liberation of methane, as well as a source of Lewis acid to activate the carbonyl group toward Ni-catalyzed C-C activation.

General Synthesis of Cyclopropanols via Organometallic Addition to 1-Sulfonylcyclopropanols as Cyclopropanone Precursors.

The addition of organometallic reagents to ketones constitutes one of the most straightforward synthetic approaches to tertiary alcohols. However, due to the absence of a well-behaved class of cyclopropanone surrogates accessible in enantioenriched form, such a trivial synthetic disconnection has received very little attention in the literature for the formation of tertiary cyclopropanols. In this work, we report a simple and high-yielding synthesis of 1-substituted cyclopropanols via the addition of diverse organometallic reagents to 1-phenylsulfonylcyclopropanols, acting here as in situ precursors of the corresponding cyclopropanones. The transformation is shown to be amenable to sp-, sp2-, or sp3-hybridized organometallic C-nucleophiles under mild conditions, and the use of enantioenriched substrates led to highly diastereoselective additions and the formation of optically active cyclopropanols.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclopropanone Equivalents and Application to the Formation of Chiral ß-Lactams.

Cyclopropanone derivatives have long been considered unsustainable synthetic intermediates because of their extreme strain and kinetic instability. Reported here is the enantioselective synthesis of 1-sulfonylcyclopropanols, as stable yet powerful equivalents of the corresponding cyclopropanone derivatives, by α-hydroxylation of sulfonylcyclopropanes using a bis(silyl) peroxide as the electrophilic oxygen source. This work constitutes the first general approach to enantioenriched cyclopropanone derivatives. Both the electronic and steric nature of the sulfonyl moiety, which serves as a base-labile protecting group and confers crystallinity to these cyclopropanone precursors, were found to have a crucial impact on the rate of equilibration to the corresponding cyclopropanone. The utility of these cyclopropanone surrogates is demonstrated in a mild and stereospecific formal [3+1] cycloaddition with simple hydroxylamines, leading to the efficient formation of chiral ß-lactam derivatives.

Controlled α-mono- and α,α-di-halogenation of alkyl sulfones using reagent-solvent halogen bonding.

The direct and selective α-mono-bromination of alkyl sulfones was achieved through base-mediated electrophilic halogenation. The appropriate combination of solvent and electrophilic bromine source was found to be critical to control the nature of the products formed, where reagent-solvent halogen bonding is proposed to control the selectivity via alteration of the effective size of the electrophilic bromine source. Conversely, the α,α-di-brominated sulfones were selectively obtained in good yields following polyhalogenation followed by selective de-halogenation during workup. Both procedures can be applied on gram scale, and the mono-halogenation was successfully extended to the fully selective α-chlorination, α-iodination and α-fluorination of alkyl sulfones.

Effect of protic additives in Cu-catalysed asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloadditions of doubly activated dienophiles: towards the synthesis of magellanine-type Lycopodium alkaloids.

The pronounced beneficial effect of a precise amount of protic additive in an enantioselective Cu-catalysed Diels-Alder reaction is reported. This reaction, which employs a cyclic alkylidene ß-ketoester as a dienophile, represents one of the first examples of a transformation where these extremely versatile, though highly unstable reaction partners participate effectively in catalytic asymmetric cycloaddition with a functionalised diene. The cycloadduct was used as an intermediate towards the synthesis of magellanine-type Lycopodium alkaloids featuring a Stille cross-coupling of a highly congested enol triflate and a unique Meinwald rearrangement/cyclopropanation sequence.

Stereodivergent Intramolecular C(sp(3))-H Functionalization of Azavinyl Carbenes: Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles and Fused N-Heterotricycles.

A general approach for the formation of five-membered saturated heterocycles by intramolecular C(sp(3))-H functionalization is reported. Using N-sulfonyltriazoles as Rh(II) azavinyl carbene equivalents, a wide variety of stereodefined cis-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans were obtained with good to excellent diastereoselectivity from readily available acyclic precursors. The reaction is shown to be amenable to gram scale, and judicious choice of reaction conditions allowed for stereodivergence, providing selective access to the trans diastereomer in good yield. The resulting products were shown to be valuable intermediates for the direct preparation of fused N-heterotricycles in one step by intramolecular C-H amination or Pictet-Spengler cyclization.

Synthesis of Cycloprodigiosin Identifies the Natural Isolate as a Scalemic Mixture.

The enantiomers of the natural product cycloprodigiosin were prepared using an expedient five-step synthetic sequence that takes advantage of a Schöllkopf-Barton-Zard (SBZ) pyrrole annulation with a chiral isocyanoacetate and a nitrocyclohexene derivative. Using chiral HPLC and X-ray crystallographic analyses of the synthetically prepared material and natural isolate (isolated from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas rubra), naturally occurring cycloprodigiosin was determined to be a scalemic mixture occurring in an enantiomeric ratio of 83:17 (R)/(S) at C4'.

Expedient synthesis of fused azepine derivatives using a sequential rhodium(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation/1-aza-Cope rearrangement of dienyltriazoles.

A general method for the formation of fused dihydroazepine derivatives from 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles bearing a tethered diene is reported. The process involves an intramolecular cyclopropanation of an α-imino rhodium(II) carbenoid, leading to a transient 1-imino-2-vinylcyclopropane intermediate which rapidly undergoes a 1-aza-Cope rearrangement to generate fused dihydroazepine derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction proceeds with similar efficiency on gram scale. The use of catalyst-free conditions leads to the formation of a novel [4.4.0] bicyclic heterocycle.

Stereoselective Rh2(S-IBAZ)4-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes, alkynes, and allenes: asymmetric synthesis of diacceptor cyclopropylphosphonates and alkylidenecyclopropanes.

A mild and highly stereoselective rhodium(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes, alkynes, and allenes with diacceptor diazo compounds is reported. Using the phosphonate moiety as an efficient trans-directing group, the first catalytic asymmetric route to diacceptor cycloprop(en)ylphosphonates was developed by employing an α-cyano diazophosphonate and Rh(2)(S-IBAZ)(4) as chiral catalyst. The isosteric character of phosphonic and carboxylic acid derivatives allowed the alternative use of an α-cyano diazo ester in the process, leading to α-cyano cycloprop(en)ylcarboxylates in high yields and stereoselectivities. Taking advantage of the particular reactivity of the cyanocarbene intermediates involved in this system, the scope of compatible substrates could be extended to substituted allenes, leading to the development of the first catalytic enantioselective method for the synthesis of diacceptor alkylidenecyclopropanes.

Asymmetric Rh(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes with diacceptor diazo compounds: p-methoxyphenyl ketone as a general stereoselectivity controlling group.

Different diacceptor diazo compounds bearing an α-PMP-ketone group were found to be effective carbene precursors for the highly stereoselective Rh(2)(S-TCPTTL)(4)-catalyzed cyclopropanation of alkenes (EWG = NO(2), CN, CO(2)Me). The resulting products were readily transformed into a variety of biologically relevant enantiopure molecules, such as cyclopropane α- and ß-amino acid derivatives. Different mechanistic studies carried out led to a rationale for the high diastereo- and enantioselectivity obtained, where the PMP-ketone moiety was found to play a critical role in the stereoinduction process. Additionally, the use of catalytic amounts of achiral Lewis bases to influence the enantioinduction of the reactions developed is documented.

Use of achiral additives to increase the stereoselectivity in Rh(II)-catalyzed cyclopropanations.

We describe our studies on the effect of various Lewis bases and Brønsted acids as achiral additives on the stereoselectivity of some Rh(ii)-catalyzed cyclopropanations.

Experimental evidence for the all-up reactive conformation of chiral rhodium(II) carboxylate catalysts: enantioselective synthesis of cis-cyclopropane alpha-amino acids.

Useful empirical insights onto the enantioinduction process of chiral Rh(II)-carboxylate catalysts are described in the first catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes with alpha-nitro diazoacetophenones. X-ray, solution NMR, and reactivity studies made on these complexes suggest that the level of asymmetric induction strongly depends on their active symmetry, which in turn relies on the nature of the chiral ligands' substituents. The catalyst's 'All Up' reactive conformation resulted in being necessary to obtain good stereoselectivity, and the resulting products are shown to be key intermediates in a concise synthesis of highly enantioenriched cis-cyclopropane alpha-amino acids.

Application of the chiral bis(phosphine) monoxide ligand to catalytic enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to beta-nitroalkenes.

[reaction: see text] Me-DuPHOS monoxide is shown to be a very effective ligand in the enantioselective copper-catalyzed addition of dialkylzinc reagents to beta-nitroalkenes providing access to chiral nitroalkanes. The major advantages of this process are high yields, broad and complementary substrate scope, and high enantioselectivities. The effect of achiral dummy ligands as an additive has also been documented.