Hybrid Peptide-Thiourea Catalyst for Asymmetric Michael Additions of Aldehydes to Heterocyclic Nitroalkenes

J Org Chem. 2021 Jan 1;86(1):581-592. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.0c02251. Epub 2020 Dec 1.

Abstract

Bifunctional organocatalysis combining covalent and noncovalent activation is presented. The hybrid peptide-thiourea catalyst features a N-terminal proline moiety for aldehyde activation and a thiourea unit for electrophile activation. This catalyst effectively promotes asymmetric Michael additions of aldehydes to challenging but biologically relevant heterocycle-containing nitroalkenes. The catalyst can be used under solvent-free conditions. Spectroscopic and density functional theory studies elucidate the catalyst structure and mode of action.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't