Synthesis of enantiopure phthalides including 3-butylphthalide, a fragrance component of celery oil, and determination of their absolute configurations.

Enantiopure phthalides 2 and 5-8 were synthesized via enantioresolution of the corresponding alcohols with a chiral auxiliary of camphorsultam dichlorophthalic acid, (1S,2R,4R)-(-)-CSDP acid 3, followed by solvolysis with KOH in MeOH and the catalytic oxidation of chiral glycols with iridium complex 28. The absolute configurations of phthalides 2 and 5-8 were determined by applying the (1)H-NMR anisotropy method of MalphaNP acid (4), 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid, to the chiral synthetic precursory alcohols. In the case of 3-phenylphthalide (R)-(-)-7, the absolute configuration determined by the (1)H-NMR anisotropy method using MalphaNP acid 4 agreed with that by the X-ray crystallographic method. By applying these methods, 3-butylphthalide (S)-(-)-2, a fragrance component of essential oil of celery, has been synthesized in an enantiopure form, and its absolute configuration was unambiguously determined.

Stereochemistry of the asymmetric carbopalladation of allenes followed by nucleophilic substitution reactions with carbo- and aminonucleophiles.

The stereochemistry of the asymmetric palladium-catalyzed reaction of allenes with iodobenzene followed by nucleophilic substitution reaction with sodium malonate and N-methylbenzylamine is described. On the basis of the absolute configuration of the product and the stereochemical result of a similar reaction of a chiral allene, the mechanism of the above asymmetric reactions is discussed.

Iridium-catalyzed Oppenauer oxidations of primary alcohols using acetone or 2-butanone as oxidant.

The first Oppenauer oxidation of primary alcohols with acetone or 2-butanone by an amino alcohol-based Ir bifunctional catalyst was accomplished. The reaction proceeds with 1 mol % catalyst in acetone or 2-butanone at 30-80 degrees C to give the corresponding aldehydes in 33-96% yield.

Mild and chemoselective synthesis of lactones from diols using a novel metal-ligand bifunctional catalyst.

[reaction: see text] A novel amino alcohol-based Ir bifunctional complex acts as an efficient catalyst for oxidative lactonization of 1,4- or 1,5-diols with a substrate-to-catalyst molar ratio of 200-1000 in acetone or butanone. The reaction proceeds with broad functional group tolerance to give lactone in high yield at room temperature. The catalyst precursor Cp*IrCl[OCH(2)C(C(6)H(5))(2)NH(2)] is isolated and characterized by a single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric diels-alder reactions using chiral sulfoxide ligands: chiral 2-(arylsulfinylmethyl)-1,3-oxazoline derivatives.

New chiral sulfoxide-1,3-oxazoline ligands have been developed as chiral ligands for Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions. The use of chiral sulfinyl 1,3-oxazoline ligands in copper(II)-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions provided an endo cycloadduct as a major product with moderate enantioselectivity. A rationale is proposed for the mechanism of the asymmetric induction.