Chiral amines are widely used as catalysts in asymmetric synthesis to activate carbonyl groups for α-functionalization. Carbonyl catalysis reverses that strategy by using a carbonyl group to activate a primary amine. Inspired by biological carbonyl catalysis, which is exemplified by reactions of pyridoxal-dependent enzymes, we developed an N-quaternized pyridoxal catalyst for the asymmetric Mannich reaction of glycinate with aryl -diphenylphosphinyl imines. The catalyst exhibits high activity and stereoselectivity, likely enabled by enzyme-like cooperative bifunctional activation of the substrates. Our work demonstrates the catalytic utility of the pyridoxal moiety in asymmetric catalysis.
Direct α‐functionalization of NH2‐free glycinates with relatively weak electrophiles such as α,β‐unsaturated esters still remains a big challenge in organic synthesis. With chiral pyridoxal 5 d as a carbonyl catalyst, direct asymmetric conjugated addition at the α‐C of glycinate 1 a with α,β‐unsaturated esters 2 has been successfully realized, to produce various chiral pyroglutamic acid esters 4 in 14–96 % yields with 81–97 % ee's after in situ lactamization. The trans and cis diastereomers can be obtained at the same time by chromatography and both of them can be easily converted into chiral 4‐substituted pyrrolidin‐2‐ones such as Alzheimer's drug Rolipram (11) with the same absolute configuration via tert‐butyl group removal and subsequent Barton decarboxylation.
Owing to the strong nucleophilicity of the NH2 group, free‐NH2 glycinates react with MBH acetates to usually deliver N‐allylated products even in the absence of catalysts. Without protection of the NH2 group, chiral pyridoxal catalysts bearing an amide side chain at the C3 position of the naphthyl ring switched the chemoselectivity of the glycinates from intrinsic N‐allylation to α‐C allylation. The reaction formed chiral multisubstituted glutamic acid esters as SN2′–SN2′ products in good yields with excellent stereoselectivity (up to 86 % yield, >20 : 1 dr, 97 % ee). As compared to pyridoxal catalysts bearing an amide side arm at the C2 position, the pyridoxals in this study have a bigger catalytic cavity to enable effective activation of larger electrophiles, such as MBH acetates and related intermediates. The reaction is proposed to proceed via a cooperative bifunctional catalysis pathway, which accounts for the high level of diastereo‐ and enantiocontrol of the pyridoxal catalysts.
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