Organocatalysis with a fluorous tag: Asymmetric reduction of imines with trichlorosilane catalyzed by amino acid-derived formamides

Asymmetric reduction of ketimines 1 with trichlorosilane can be catalyzed by N-methylvaline-derived Lewis-basic formamides 3a−d with high enantioselectivity (≤95% ee) and low catalyst loading (1−5 mol %) at room temperature in toluene. Appending a fluorous tag, as in 5a−c, simplifies the isolation procedure, while preserving high enantioselectivity (≤92% ee)

Asymmetric reduction of imines with trichlorosilane, catalyzed by sigamide, an amino acid-derived formamide: scope and limitations

Enantioselective reduction of ketimines 6-10 With trichlorosilane can be catalyzed by the N-methyl valine-derived Lewis-basic formamide (S)-23 (Sigamide) with high enantioselectivity (<= 97% ee) land low catalyst loading, (1 - 5 mol %) at room temperature in toluene. The reaction is efficient with ketimines derived from aromatic amines (aniline and anisidine) and aromatic, heteroaromatic, conjugated, and even nonaromatic ketones 1-5, in which the steric difference between the alkyl groups R-1 and R-2 is sufficient. Simple nitrogen heteroaromatics (8a,b,d) exhibit low enantioselectivities due to the competing coordination of the reagent but increased steric hindrance in the Vicinity of the nitrogen (8c,e) results in a considerable improvement. Cyclic imines 32d-d exhibited low to modest enantioselectivities

An approach to helical tubular self-aggregation using C-2-symmetric self-complementary hydrogen-bonding cavity molecules

In an approach to helical self-aggregation, C-2-symmetric cavity compounds based on the fusion of the bicyclo[3.3.1] nonane and indole framework and incorporating two 2-pyridone hydrogen-bonding motifs, compounds (-)-4 (pyrrole N-butyl) and (-)-5 (pyrrole N-decyl), have been synthesized. The 2-pyridone AD-DA hydrogen-bonding motif failed to operate in the solid state as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis of (-)-4. Instead, the hydrogen- bonded (D-A) chains center dot center dot center dot O=C-N-H center dot center dot center dot O=C-N-H center dot center dot center dot O=C-N-H center dot center dot center dot, interconnecting columnar stacks, comprise helices of the right-handed (P) chirality motif. In solution, the aggregation of (-)-5 was studied by NMR, electronic, and CD spectroscopies, and VPO measurements. These investigations strongly suggest that (-)-5 associates to oligomers in CHCl3 and CH2Cl2 using the 2-pyridone motif, fitting the equal K model, and that pi-stacking can be ruled out as a mode of aggregation. We conclude that the so formed aggregates of (-)-5 have a helical structure, based on the fact that only helical tubular structures can result when enantiomerically pure 5 uses its 2-pyridone AD-DA hydrogenbonding motifs for aggregation

Formamides derived from N-methyl amino acids serve as new chiral organocatalysts in the enantioselective reduction of aromatic ketimines with trichlorosilane

Asymmetric reduction of N-aryl ketimines 1a–k, 43, and 45 with trichlorosilane can be catalyzed by new N-methyl l-amino acid-derived Lewis-basic organocatalysts, such as the valine-derived bisamide 3d (10 mol%), in toluene at room temperature with high enantioselectivity (≤92% ee). The structure–reactivity investigation shows that the product configuration is controlled by the nature of the side chain of the catalyst scaffold (e.g., i-Pr vs Me, as in 3d and 6e), so that catalysts of the same absolute configuration may induce the formation of the opposite enantiomers of the product. Arene–arene interactions between the catalyst and the incoming imine appear to be the prerequisite for asymmetric induction. This metal-free, organocatalytic protocol is competitive with the traditional, metal-catalyzed methodology