Chiral oxazolidinones were previously thought to control cycloaddition stereoselectivity by steric crowding of one face of the substrate. We have discovered that in 4+3 cycloaddition reactions of oxallyls, the stereoinduction is caused instead by stabilising CH–π interactions that lead to reaction at the more crowded face of the oxazolidinone. Density functional theory calculations on the 4+3 cycloadditions of oxazolidinone-substituted oxyallyls with furans establish unexpected transition state conformations and a new explanation of selectivity.
A systematic investigation of the regioselectivities and stereoselectivities of (4+3) cycloadditions between unsymmetrical furans and a chiral oxazolidinone-substituted oxyallyl is presented. Cycloadditions were performed using an oxyallyl containing a (R)-4-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone auxiliary (2Ph), under either thermal or ZnCl2-catalyzed conditions. Reactions of 2Ph with 2-substituted furans gave syn cycloadducts selectively, while cycloadditions with 3-substituted furans gave selectively anti cycloadducts. The stereoselectivities were in favor of a single diastereoisomer (I) in all but one case (2-CO2R). Density functional theory calculations were performed to explain the selectivities. The results support a mechanism in which all cycloadducts are formed from the E isomer of the oxyallyl (in which the oxazolidinone C=O and oxyallyl oxygen are anti to each other) or the corresponding E ZnCl2 complex. The major diastereomer is derived from addition of the furan to the more crowded face of the oxyallyl. Crowded transition states are favored because they possess a stabilizing CH–π interaction between the furan and the Ph group.
[structure: see text]. A highly stereoselective [4 + 3] cycloaddition of N-substituted pyrroles with allenamide-derived nitrogen-stabilized chiral oxyallyl cations is described here. This method provides an approach for constructing tropinone alkaloids.
[reaction: see text] A de novo structural class of chiral amino alcohol catalysts has been identified through a synergistic effort combining novel architectures from [4 + 3] cycloadditions and quantum mechanical interaction field predictions that closely match subsequent experimental measurements.
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