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The photochemical reactivity of 1-bromo-2-oxo-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-1-carboxylates (BODNs) was demonstrated. They are inert in the dark under physiological conditions but become active as brominating reagents for tyrosine modification under visible light irradiation in the presence of a photocatalyst. The BODNs can be applied to protein labeling with bromo groups as sensitive mass tags.

Scavengers that capture reactive chemical substances are used to prevent the decomposition of materials. However, in the field of catalysis, the development of scavengers that inhibit background pathways has attracted little attention, although the concept will open up an otherwise inaccessible reaction space. In catalytic bromination, fast non-catalyzed background reactions disturb the catalytic control of the selectivity, even when using N-bromoamide reagents, which have a milder reactivity than bromine (Br 2 ). Here, we developed a trans-cyclooctene (TCO) bearing a 2-pyridylethyl group to efficiently retard background reactions by capturing Br 2 in bromocyclization using N-bromosuccinimide. The use of less than a stoichiometric amount of the TCO was sufficient to inhibit non-catalyzed reactions, and mechanistic studies using the TCO revealed that in situ-generated Br 2 provides non-catalyzed reaction pathways based on a chain mechanism. The TCO is useful as an additive for improving enantioselectivity and regioselectivity in catalytic reactions. Cooperative systems using the TCO with selective catalysts offer an alternative strategy for optimizing catalyst-controlled selectivity during bromination. Moreover, it also served as an indicator of Br 2 involved in catalytic reaction pathways; thus, the TCO was useful as a probe for mechanistic investigations into the involvement of Br 2 in bromination reactions of interest., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The photocatalytically active salt of a cationic iridium polypyridyl complex and a chiral borate is competent to promote a highly stereoselective [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of cyclopropylurea with α-substituted acrylates. This protocol provides straightforward access to a variety of stereochemically defined 5-membered alicyclic α-quaternary β-amino acids, useful building blocks of β-peptides and peptidomimetics.

An o -quinone methide ( o -QM) featuring an overcrowded olefinic framework is introduced, which exhibits dehydridation activity owing to its enhanced zwitterionic character, particularly through photoexcitation. The characteristics of this o -QM enable the operation of dehydridative catalysis in the oxidation of benzylic secondary alcohols under aerobic photoirradiation conditions. An experimental analysis and density functional theory calculations provide mechanistic insights; the ground-state zwitterionic intermediate abstracts a hydride and proton simultaneously, and the active oxygen species facilitate catalyst regeneration., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The development of a photoinduced, highly diastereo- and enantioselective [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of N -cyclopropylurea with α-alkylstyrenes is reported. This asymmetric radical cycloaddition relies on the strategic placement of urea on cyclopropylamine as a redox-active directing group (DG) with anion-binding ability and the use of an ion pair, comprising an iridium polypyridyl complex and a weakly coordinating chiral borate ion, as a photocatalyst. The structure of the anion component of the catalyst governs reactivity, and pertinent structural modification of the borate ion enables high levels of catalytic activity and stereocontrol. This system tolerates a range of α-alkylstyrenes and hence offers rapid access to various aminocyclopentanes with contiguous tertiary and quaternary stereocenters, as the urea DG is readily removable.

A divergent photocatalytic system for the reaction of α-bromo nitroalkanes with styrene derivatives is established, wherein the generation of the persistent nitroxyl radical as a junctional intermediate and suitable tuning of the redox ability of the system constitute the crucial elements for achieving rigorous control over the possible reaction pathways.

Catalysis by chiral weakly-coordinating anions (WCAs) remains underdeveloped due to the lack of a molecular design strategy for exploiting their characteristics, such as the non-nucleophilic nature. Here, we report the development of a chiral borate ion comprising an O,N,N,O-tetradentate backbone, which ensures hitherto unattainable structural robustness. Upon pairing with a proton, the hydrogen borate acts as an effective catalyst for the asymmetric Prins-type cyclization of vinyl ethers, providing access to structurally and stereochemically defined dihydropyrans. The key to selectivity control is the distinct ability of the borate ion to discriminate the prochiral faces of the acyclic oxonium ion intermediate and dictate the regiochemical outcome. We anticipate that this study paves the way for exploring the untapped potential of WCA catalysis for selective chemical synthesis., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Unlike carbonyl compounds, it has long been common understanding that excited imines show virtually no photoreactivity, and hence their properties and potential utility in chemical science remain largely unexplored. Now, a strategy is presented for eliciting latent photoreactivity of imines based on the introduction of a donor-acceptor (D-A) structure to extend the lifetime of their photoexcited states. A series of spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory calculations reveal unique photophysical properties of the D-A-type imines. Furthermore, the reactivity of the D-A-type imines is demonstrated by using them as a photoredox catalyst for atom-transfer radical addition. These findings illuminate a previously neglected chemical space in the field of photochemistry, which will be exploited by taking advantage of the inherent structural modularity of imines., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Establishing design principles to create nonplanar π-conjugated molecules is crucial for the development of novel functional materials. Herein, we describe the synthesis and properties of dinaphtho[1,8- bc :1',8'- ef ]azepine bisimides (DNABIs). Their molecular design is conceptually based on the insertion of a nitrogen atom into a perylene bisimide core. We have synthesized several DNABI derivatives with a hydrogen atom, a primary alkyl group, or an aryl group on the central nitrogen atom. These DNABIs exhibit nonplanar conformations, flexible structural changes, and ambipolar redox activity. The steric effect around the central nitrogen atom substantially affects the overall structures and results in two different conformations: a nonsymmetric bent conformation and a symmetric twisted conformation, accompanied by a drastic change in electronic properties. Notably, the nonsymmetric DNABI undergoes unique structural changes in response to the application of an external electric field, which is due to molecular motions that are accompanied by an orientational fluctuation of the dipole moment. Furthermore, the addition of a chiral Brønsted base to N -unsubstituted DNABI affords control over the helical chirality via hydrogen-bonding interactions.

The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica has been causing devastating damage to the crop production in Africa. Because Striga requires host-generated strigolactones to germinate, the identification of selective and potent strigolactone agonists could help control these noxious weeds. We developed a selective agonist, sphynolactone-7, a hybrid molecule originated from chemical screening, that contains two functional modules derived from a synthetic scaffold and a core component of strigolactones. Cooperative action of these modules in the activation of a high-affinity strigolactone receptor ShHTL7 allows sphynolactone-7 to provoke Striga germination with potency in the femtomolar range. We demonstrate that sphynolactone-7 is effective for reducing Striga parasitism without impinging on host strigolactone-related processes., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

A highly chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective glycolate aldol reaction of sulfur-substituted enediolates with aldehydes was developed by employing a l-cyclohexylglycine-derived chiral iminophosphorane as a catalyst. The key for establishing this protocol is the distinct ability of the iminophosphorane catalyst to precisely direct the equilibrium mixture of the enediolates toward the intermolecular carbon-carbon bond formation with simultaneous yet rigorous control of relative and absolute stereochemistry. The critical importance of the cyclohexyl substituents on the catalyst backbone in dictating the reaction pathway and the stereochemical outcome was elucidated through an extensive quantum analysis by density functional theory calculations.

A site-divergent stereoselective Michael reaction system is developed based on the identification of two distinct catalysts. Cinchonidine-derived thiourea catalyzes the 1,4-addition of prochiral azlactone enolates to enynyl N-acyl pyrazoles in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective manner to give stereochemically defined alkynes, while P-spiro chiral triaminoiminophosphorane catalytically controls the stereoselective 1,6-addition and the consecutive γ-protonation of the vinylogous enolate intermediate to afford Z,E-configured conjugated dienes. This 1,6-adduct serves as a valuable precursor for the synthesis of a 2-amino-2-deoxy sugar., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We describe the design, synthesis, and characterization of a chiral hexacoordinated phosphate ion that features an octahedral P(V) core consisting of two N,N,O-tridentate backbones. We further demonstrate that the corresponding hydrogen phosphate acts as an effective catalyst for a highly enantioselective Pictet-Spengler-type reaction, wherein the relationship between the structure of the chiral phosphate ion and its ability to dictate the absolute stereochemistry is revealed in conjunction with precise structural elucidation of the phosphate ion.

A novel class of chiral N-sulfonyl oxaziridines is introduced for use as structurally modifiable chiral oxidants. These oxaziridines are readily prepared from N-sulfonyl α-imino esters in a highly enantioenriched form by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide using l-isoleucine-derived triaminoiminophosphorane as a catalyst. The distinct advantage of their structural modularity is demonstrated through the identification of an optimal oxaziridine that exhibits high reactivity and enantiospecificity in the asymmetric oxidation of a silyl enol ether and N-sulfonyl allylic and homoallylic amines.

A highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective 1,6-addition of azlactone to various alkenyl dienyl ketones has been achieved under P-spiro chiral triaminoiminophosphorane catalysis. This site-selectivity control relies on the distinct ability of the conjugate acids of iminophosphoranes, aminophosphonium ions, to precisely differentiate between the three electrophilic reaction sites of alkenyl dienyl ketones, which is further demonstrated by the discriminative asymmetric 1,6-addition of azlactone to dienyl ketones, leaving the coexisting alkenyl ketone intact.

Catalytic systems that allow selective generation of any diastereomer of a reaction product bearing multiple stereocentres through minimal modification of a single catalyst scaffold remain elusive, particularly for carbon-carbon bond formations requiring simultaneous control of multiple selectivity factors. Here, we report a catalyst-directed pinpoint inversion of diastereochemical preference in the 1,6-addition of azlactones to δ-aryl dienyl carbonyl compounds with full control over other selectivities preserved. This rigorous diastereodivergence is enabled by the slight structural adjustment of a chiral iminophosphorane catalyst, providing access to all the stereoisomers with high regio-, distereo- and enantioselectivity. The utility of this method is demonstrated in the facile stereodivergent preparation of densely functionalized proline derivatives. The experimental and computational elucidation of the origin of the diastereodivergence is also reported.

Chiral P-spiro triaminoiminophosphorane (1) was developed to promote the highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective 1,6- and 1,8-additions of azlactones (2·H) to dienyl and trienyl N-acylpyrroles (3 and 4). DFT calculations enabled us to gain deep insight into the whole reaction mechanism as well as the origin of the high regio- and stereoselectivities. The present reaction consists of three steps: (1) formation of the phosphonium-enolate ion-pair complex by deprotonation of 2·H with 1, (2) C-C bond formation of 2 with 3 and 4, and (3) protonation of the resulting enolate anion. The C-C bond formation is irreversible, and the rate- and stereodetermining step. The C α -protonation preferentially proceeds rather than the thermodynamically and kinetically disfavored O- and C γ -protonation, respectively. The high regio- and enantioselectivities are mainly attributed to the steric and electronic features of 1·H and 3/4. The hydrogen bonds (NH-O and CH-O) and the attractive CH-π interaction between 1·H and 2 and 3 play a key role in achieving high stereocontrol. The high regioselectivity is mainly controlled by the structural distortion of 1·H and the disruption of the π-conjugated system of 3 (1,4-system) and 4 (1,4- and 1,6-systems).

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective Mannich-type reaction of 3-aryloxindoles with N -Boc aldimines was achieved under the catalysis of axially chiral ammonium betaines. This catalytic method provides a new tool for the construction of consecutive quaternary and tertiary stereogenic carbon centers on biologically intriguing molecular frameworks with high fidelity.

A catalytic cycle initiated by the oxidative quenching of the excited photosensitizer (Ir*(ppy)3) is established for the enantioselective coupling between (N-arylamino)methanes and (N-methanesulfonyl)aldimines catalyzed by Ir-based photosensitizer and a chiral (arylamino)phosphonium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate under visible light irradiation. This achievement clearly demonstrates the insensitivity of this redox-neutral asymmetric reaction to the sequence of the key redox events involved in the synergistic catalysis.

Site-selectivity in conjugate addition reactions is tightly associated with the principle of vinylogy. Various vinylogous nucleophiles and electrophiles have been applied to stereoselective conjugate additions directed by chiral small-molecule catalysts. This chapter focuses on the systems that control site- and stereoselectivity via chiral ion-pairing intermediates under organocatalytic conditions and describes individual vinylogous substrates in a separate section. Although site-selectivity originates largely from the intrinsic stereoelectronic nature of individual substrates, catalyst-controlled site-selectivity can be attained in certain cases.

A redox neutral, highly enantioselective coupling between N-arylaminomethanes and N-sulfonyl aldimines was developed by harnessing the efficient catalysis of P-spiro chiral arylaminophosphonium barfate and a transition-metal photosensitizer under visible light irradiation. This mode of synergistic catalysis provides a powerful strategy for controlling the bond-forming processes of reactive radical intermediates.

A metal-free stereoselective reductive coupling reaction between isatins and aldehydes is reported. The reaction relies on commercial diethyl phosphite (∼€70 kg -1 ) as the stoichiometric reductant. Base-catalyzed Pudovik addition and phosphonate/phosphate rearrangement achieved polarity inversion on the isatin, and the derived carbanions were trapped by aldehydes with subsequent dialkoxyphosphinyl migration. Chiral iminophosphoranes were used as basic catalysts to achieve high diastereo- and enantioselectivities with excellent yields.

A highly E-selective and enantioselective conjugate addition of 2-benzyloxythiazol-5(4H)-ones to β-substituted alkynyl N-acyl pyrazoles is achieved under the catalysis of a P-spiro chiral iminophosphorane. Simultaneous control of the newly generated central chirality and olefin geometry is possible with a wide array of the alkynyl Michael acceptors possessing different aromatic and aliphatic β-substituents, as well as the various α-amino acid-derived thiazolone nucleophiles. This protocol provides access to structurally diverse, optically active α-amino acids bearing a geometrically defined trisubstituted olefinic component at the α-position., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The vinylogous reactivity of α,β-disubstituted nitroolefins was uncovered through the facile generation of the corresponding α-substituted vinylogous nitronates and their use in the development of a highly diastereo- and enantioselective aza-Henry reaction with N-Boc aldimines under the catalysis of chiral ammonium betaines. The novel vinylogous nitronates undergo stereoselective bond formation at the sterically encumbered α-position exclusively, allowing the construction of contiguous tertiary-quaternary stereogenic carbon centers.

A highly stereoselective aza-Henry reaction of α-aryl nitromethanes with aromatic N-Boc imines was established by using C1 -symmetric chiral ammonium betaine as a bifunctional organic base catalyst. Various substituted aryl groups for both imines and nitromethanes were tolerated in the reaction, and a series of precursors for the synthesis of unsymmetrical anti-1,2-diaryl ethylenediamines was provided., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Highly enantioselective protonation of α-halo and alkoxy carboxylic acid-derived ketene disilyl acetals is achieved by using P-spiro chiral diaminodioxaphosphonium barfate as a Brønsted acid catalyst, where the enantiofacial discrimination by the catalyst mainly stems from the recognition of the electronic difference between two substituents on the ketene disilyl acetal.

A two-step sequence for the asymmetric formal α-allylation of nitroalkanes is disclosed. This new methodology relies on the development of a highly diastereo- and enantioselective conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to vinylic 2-phenyl-1H-tetrazol-5-ylsulfones using chiral triaminoiminophosphorane as a requisite base catalyst and subsequent Julia-Kocienski olefination under kinetic conditions.

An efficient and highly enantioselective Payne-type oxidation of N-sulfonyl imines is developed. The reaction exhibits broad substrate generality and unique chemoselectivity based on the combined use of hydrogen peroxide and trichloroacetonitrile under the catalysis of P-spiro chiral triaminoiminophosphorane.

A vinylog of Michael addition (1,6-addition) of azlactones to δ-substituted dienyl N-acylpyrroles has been developed with virtually complete 1,6-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities by means of chiral P-spiro triaminoiminophosphorane as a catalyst. This system has been successfully extended to an unprecedented bis-vinylog of Michael addition (1,8-addition) of azlactones to ζ-substituted trienyl N-acylpyrroles with high levels of regio- and stereocontrol.

A new strategy for developing stereoselective bond-forming reactions is introduced; it takes advantage of the ionic nucleophilic catalysis of chiral ammonium betaines to utilize vinylic esters simultaneously as the enolate precursor and the acylating agent for coupling with electrophiles. Its synthetic utility is clearly demonstrated by the realization of a highly diastereo- and enantioselective aldol reaction from oxindole-derived vinylic carbonates.

Chiral diaminodioxaphosphonium salts have been developed and their unique abilities as a chiral proton have been revealed through the establishment of a highly enantioselective protonation of alpha-amino acid-derived ketene disilyl acetals.

A C(1)-symmetric chiral ammonium betaine has been developed, and its intramolecular ion-pairing structure in solid state and its catalytic performance to achieve the highly stereoselective Mannich-type reaction of 2-alkoxythiazol-5(4H)-ones are revealed.

Research to develop structurally discrete, chiral supramolecular catalysts for asymmetric organic transformations has met with limited success. Here, we report that a chiral tetraaminophosphonium cation, two phenols, and a phenoxide anion appear to self-assemble into a catalytically active supramolecular architecture through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The structure of the resulting molecular assembly was determined in the solid state by means of x-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, in solution the complex promotes a highly stereoselective conjugate addition of acyl anion equivalents to alpha,beta-unsaturated ester surrogates with a broad substrate scope. All structural components of the catalyst cooperatively participate in the stereocontrolling event.

Ni-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of benzene and naphthalene using aryl halides was investigated. For the first time, the arylation was successfully catalyzed by Cp(2)Ni (5 mol %) in the presence of KOt-Bu and BEt(3). This Ni catalyst system was also applied to direct C-H arylation of pyridine, an electron-deficient heteroarene; PPh(3) was used instead of BEt(3) in this case.

Heterochiral [7.7]-P-spirocyclic arylaminophosphonium barfates have been designed as a novel charged, cationic Brønsted acid catalyst, and their catalytic and stereocontrolling abilities have been clearly demonstrated in the development of the unprecedented, highly enantioselective conjugate addition of arylamines to nitroolefins. This study uncovers a new function of chiral tetraaminophosphonium cations and its potential synthetic utility, thereby providing a new avenue to the molecular design of chiral charged Brønsted acid catalysts and their applications.

The generation of chiral tetraaminophosphonium dialkyl phosphite has been detected by low-temperature NMR analysis, and its synthetic potential as a remarkably reactive P-nucleophile has been successfully demonstrated by its application to the establishment of highly efficient and enantioselective hydrophosphonylation of various aldehydes. A systematic evaluation of the organic-base-dependent generation of the requisite ion pair and its reactivity and selectivity as a P-nucleophile reveals that the structure of the cationic conjugate acid of the base is a key element both for substantial generation of phosphite anions with prominent nucleophilicity and for rigorous stereocontrol. This study provides not only experimental demonstration of the importance of the phosphite tautomer in the P-C bond formation process but also a general yet valuable framework for the molecular design of even superior chiral organic base catalysts.

The cooperative asymmetric catalysis of chiral tetraaminophosphonium carboxylate (P,S)-1.OCOR has been established, and its synthetic utility has been successfully demonstrated by application to the highly enantioselective direct Mannich-type reaction of azlactones with N-sulfonyl imines. The present study stimulates the cultivation of the potential of the chiral quaternary onium salt catalysis by the structural modification of organic anion.

A chiral ammonium betaine, an intramolecular ion-pairing quaternary ammonium aryloxide 3, has been designed and its vast potential as an enantioselective organic base catalyst has been successfully demonstrated in the highly enantioselective direct Mannich-type reaction of alpha-substituted alpha-nitrocarboxylates 2 with various N-Boc imines 1. The present study provides a conceptually new approach toward the design of bifunctional, chiral quaternary ammonium salts and their utilizations as a homogeneous organic molecular catalyst.

A new variant of phosphoric acid-catalyzed C-C bond forming reaction, direct alkylation of alpha-diazoester, via C-H bond cleavage is presented. The resulting products, beta-amino-alpha-diazoesters, are highly functionalized and useful synthetic precursors for various types of beta-amino acids.

A new asymmetric entry of the 1,2-aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid is described. The present reaction has provided an atom-economical route to furan-2-ylamine derivatives in a highly enantioselective fashion. The synthetic utility of these products was displayed by oxidative cleavage of the furan ring (aza-Achmatowicz reaction) to form a 1,4-dicarbonyl compound that could be further derivatized to a chiral gamma-butenolid.

It was found that the phosphoric acid derivatives of general structure 1 serve as highly effective catalysts for the direct addition of acetyl acetone to N-Boc-protected arylimines. The beneficial effects of the 3,3'-bisaryl substituents of the catalysts on the enantioselectivity are greatly appreciated, and thus 1d functions as an excellent catalyst. The Brønsted acid-catalyzed direct Mannich reactions presented herein provide an attractive way to construct beta-aminoketones under extremely mild conditions. The stereochemical course of this reaction was established through the synthesis of Boc-(S)-phenylglycine methylester. The transformation thus demonstrated is applicable to a useful method for the synthesis of various phenylglycine derivatives.