Procedure-Controlled Enantioselectivity Switch in Organocatalytic 2‑Oxazolidinone Synthesis

In a novel organocatalytic formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition to afford chiral 2-oxazolidinones, an enantioselectivity switch could be induced by changing the manner of addition of the reactants, even when the reaction components (cinchona-alkaloid-derived aminothiourea catalyst, substrates, and solvent) were the same

Facile Net Cycloaddition Approach to Optically Active 1,5‑Benzothiazepines

The 1,5-benzothiazepine moiety is well-known as a versatile pharmacophore, and its derivatives are expected to have antagonism against numerous diseases. Thus, it is desirable to develop a synthetic route that enables facile enantioselective preparation of a wide range of such derivatives. Although the cycloaddition approach could be considered a possible route to these compounds, to date, there has been no precedent of such a protocol. We therefore present the first example of a highly enantioselective net [4 + 3] cycloaddition to afford 1,5-benzothiazepines by utilizing α,β-unsaturated acylammonium intermediates generated by chiral isothiourea catalysts, which undergo two sequential chemoselective nucleophilic attacks by 2-aminothiophenols. This protocol provided cycloadducts in extremely high regioselectivity, with a good-to-excellent stereoselectivity being achieved regardless of the steric and electronic properties of the substrates. This method therefore offers promising synthetic routes for the construction of a library of optically active 1,5-benzothiazepines for assay evaluation

Facile Net Cycloaddition Approach to Optically Active 1,5‑Benzothiazepines

The 1,5-benzothiazepine moiety is well-known as a versatile pharmacophore, and its derivatives are expected to have antagonism against numerous diseases. Thus, it is desirable to develop a synthetic route that enables facile enantioselective preparation of a wide range of such derivatives. Although the cycloaddition approach could be considered a possible route to these compounds, to date, there has been no precedent of such a protocol. We therefore present the first example of a highly enantioselective net [4 + 3] cycloaddition to afford 1,5-benzothiazepines by utilizing α,β-unsaturated acylammonium intermediates generated by chiral isothiourea catalysts, which undergo two sequential chemoselective nucleophilic attacks by 2-aminothiophenols. This protocol provided cycloadducts in extremely high regioselectivity, with a good-to-excellent stereoselectivity being achieved regardless of the steric and electronic properties of the substrates. This method therefore offers promising synthetic routes for the construction of a library of optically active 1,5-benzothiazepines for assay evaluation

Asymmetric Isomerization of ω‑Hydroxy-α,β-Unsaturated Thioesters into β‑Mercaptolactones by a Bifunctional Aminothiourea Catalyst

We present a novel methodology for the asymmetric synthesis of β-mercaptolactones via isomerization of ω-hydroxy-α,β-unsaturated thioesters by means of a bifunctional aminothiourea catalyst. The catalyst interacts with the substrate through the cooperative action of both a covalent bond at the amino group and noncovalent bonding at the thiourea group. The potential for an enantiodivergent synthesis could also be demonstrated by carrying out the reaction in a different solvent system