Stereodivergent Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation between Iminium and Enolate Intermediates by Synergistic Organocatalysis

J Am Chem Soc. 2021 Jan 13;143(1):73-79. doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c11077. Epub 2020 Dec 24.

Abstract

We report here a stereodivergent method for the Michael addition of aryl acetic acid esters to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by a combination of a chiral pyrrolidine and a chiral Lewis base. This reaction proceeds through a synergistic catalytic cycle which consists of one cycle leading to a chiral iminium electrophile and a second cycle generating a nucleophilic chiral enolate for the construction of a carbon-carbon bond. By varying the combinations of catalyst enantiomers, all four stereoisomers of the products with two vicinal stereocenters are accessible with high enantio- and diastereoselectivity. The products of the Michael addition, 1,5-aldehyde esters, can be readily transformed into a variety of other valuable enantioenriched structures, including those bearing three contiguous stereocenters in an acyclic system, thus providing an efficient route to an array of structural and stereochemical diversity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't