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A recycle and reusable fluorous (S)-pyrrolidine sulfonamide organocatalyst has been developed for promoting highly enantio- and diastereoselective Michael addition reactions of ketones and aldehydes with nitroolefins in water. The organocatalyst is conveniently recovered from the reaction mixtures by fluorous solid-phase extraction and can be subsequently reused (up to six cycles) without a significant loss of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.

Terpene synthases, as key enzymes of terpene biosynthesis, have garnered the attention of chemists and biologists for many years. Their carbocationic reaction mechanisms are responsible for the huge variety of terpene structures in nature. These mechanisms are amenable to study by using classical biochemical approaches as well as computational analysis, and in this study we combine quantum-chemical calculations and deuterium-labeling experiments to elucidate the reaction mechanism of a triquinane forming sesquiterpene synthase from chamomile. Our results suggest that the reaction from farnesyl diphosphate to triquinanes proceeds through caryophyllyl and presilphiperfolanyl cations and involves the protonation of a stable (-)-(E)-β-caryophyllene intermediate. A tyrosine residue was identified that appears to be involved in the proton-transfer process.

Mechanistic proposals for the carbocation cascade reaction leading to the tricyclic sesquiterpene pentalenene are assessed in light of the results of isotopically sensitive branching experiments with the H309A mutant of pentalenene synthase. These experimental results support a mechanism for pentalenene formation involving a 7-protoilludyl cation whose intermediacy was first predicted using quantum-chemical calculations.

A convergent method to access the fused indoline ring system present in a multitude of bioactive molecules has been developed. The strategy involves the condensation of hydrazines with latent aldehydes to ultimately deliver indoline-containing products by way of an interrupted Fischer indolization sequence. The method is convergent, mild, operationally simple, broad in scope, and can be used to access enantioenriched products. In addition, our approach is amenable to the synthesis of furoindoline and pyrrolidinoindoline natural products as demonstrated by the concise formal total syntheses of physovenine and debromoflustramine B. The strategy will likely enable the synthesis of more complex targets such as the communesin alkaloids.

Kv7 channels, especially Kv7.2 (KCNQ2) and Kv7.3 (KCNQ3), are key determinants for membrane excitability in the brain. Some chemical modulators of KCNQ channels are in development for use as anti-epileptic drugs, such as retigabine (D-23129, N-(2-amino-4-(4-fluorobenzylamino)-phenyl)), which was recently approved for clinical use. In addition, several other compounds were also reported to potentiate activity of the Kv7 channels. It is therefore of interest to investigate compound-channel interactions, so that more insights may be gained to aid future development of therapeutics. We have conducted a screen of 20,000 compounds for KCNQ2 potentiators using rubidium flux combined with atomic absorption spectrometry. Here, we report the characterization of a series of new structures that display isoform specificity and induce a marked reduction of deactivation distinct from that of retigabine. Furthermore, KCNQ2(W236L), a previously reported mutation that abolishes sensitivity to retigabine, remains fully sensitive to these compounds. This result, together with mutagenesis and other studies, suggests that the reported compounds confer a unique mode of action and involve new molecular determinants on the channel protein, consistent with the idea of recognizing a new site on channel protein.

An unprecedented highly enantioselective cascade oxa-Michael−Michael reaction has been developed. The simple and practical process, efficiently catalyzed by chiral diphenylprolinol TMS ether, affor...

An unprecedented highly enantio- and diastereoselective cascade aza-Michael–Michael reaction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with trans-γ-Ts protected amino α,β-unsaturated ester has been developed; the simple and practical process, efficiently catalyzed by chiral diphenylprolinol TMS ether, serves as a powerful access to highly functionalized trisubstituted chiral pyrrolidines.

An unprecedented highly enantio- and diastereoselective cascade aza-Michael-Michael reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with trans-gamma-Ts protected amino alpha,beta-unsaturated ester has been developed; the simple and practical process, efficiently catalyzed by chiral diphenylprolinol TMS ether, serves as a powerful access to highly functionalized trisubstituted chiral pyrrolidines.

Fluorous (S) pyrrolidine sulfonamide serves as an efficient promoter for highly enantioselective aldol reactions of ketones and aldehydes with aromatic aldehydes on water. A notable feature of the organocatalyst is that it can be recovered from the reaction mixtures by simple fluorous solid-phase extraction and subsequently reused (up to seven cycles) without a significant loss of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.

Fluorous (S) pyrrolidine sulfonamide serves as an efficient promoter for highly enantioselective aldol reactions of ketones and aldehydes with aromatic aldehydes on water. A notable feature of the organocatalyst is that it can be recovered from the reaction mixtures by simple fluorous solid-phase extraction and subsequently reused (up to seven cycles) without a significant loss of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.

The first enantioselective conjugate addition reaction of 1 H-benzotriazole with a variety of enones has been developed. The process, catalyzed by a cinchona alkaloid thiourea, affords Michael adducts in good yields and with moderate to good enantioselectivities.

[reaction: see text] A novel organocatalytic, enantioselective domino double Michael addition reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with ethyl 4-mercapto-2-butenoate has been developed. The process is promoted by chiral diphenylprolinol TMS ether to give chiral tetrahydrothiophenes in high to excellent levels of enantioselectivities.

Highly enantio- and diastereoselective tandem Michael−aldol reactions, efficiently catalyzed by a cinchona alkaloid thiourea via synergistic noncovalent hydrogen-bonding activation of both the Michael donor and acceptor, have been developed. The process affords a powerful means for the construction of versatile chiral thiochromanes with the formation of three stereogenic centers in a one-pot synthesis from simple achiral compounds.

An organocatalytic, enantioselective conjugate addition reaction of nitroalkanes with nitroolefins has been developed under neat conditions without using an organic solvent. The process, catalyzed by a modified Cinchona alkaloid, affords synthetically useful 1,3-dinitro compounds in good yields (70–82 %) with good degrees of enantioselectivity (67–88 % ee).

A highly enantioselective (S)-diphenylpyrrolinol triethylsilyl ether promoted tandem oxa-Michael-aldol reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with salicylaldehydes has been developed; the method affords one-pot access to chiral and synthetically useful chromenes in high yields and high enantioselectivities from readily available compounds.

A recyclable and reusable (S) diphenylpyrrolinol silyl ether I organocatalyst bearing a n-C8F17 fluorous tag has been demonstrated for promoting the asymmetric Michael addition reactions of a wide range of aldehydes with both aryl and alkyl-substituted nitroolefins and excellent levels of enantio- and diastereoselectivities are achieved. The catalyst I can be conveniently recovered by fluorous solid-phase extraction and subsequently reused (up to eight cycles) without significant loss of its catalytic activity and stereoselectivity for the process.

Conjugate addition reactions of a wide range of nucleophilic enol species with enones, catalyzed by a cinchona alkaloid derived thiourea organocatalyst, have been developed with attending good yields and high enantioselectivities under a mild reaction condition. The general method provides an efficient approach to the preparation of versatile building blocks possessing various functional groups.

Chiral (S)-pyrrolidine tri- fluoromethanesulfonamide has been shown to serve as an effective catalyst for direct Michael addition reactions of aldehydes and ketones with nitroole- fins. A wide range of aldehydes and ke- tones as Michael donors and nitroole- fins as acceptors participate in the process, which proceeds with high levels of enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee) and diastereoselectivity (up to 50:1 d.r.). The methodology has been employed successfully in an efficient synthesis of the potent H3 agonist Sch 50917. In addition, a practical three-step procedure for the prepara- tion of (S)-pyrrolidine trifluorometh- AA has been developed. The high levels of stereochemical con- trol attending Michael addition reac- tions catalyzed by this pyrrolidine sul- fonamide, have been investigated by using ab initio and density functional methods. Transition state structures for the rate-limiting CC bond-forming step, corresponding to re- and si-face addition to the reactive conformation of the key enamine intermediates have been calculated. Analysis of these structures indicates that hydrogen bonding plays an important role in cat- alysis and that the energy barrier for si-face attack in reactions of aldehydes to form 2R,3S products is lower than that for the re-face attack leading to 2S,3R products. In contrast, the energy barrier for re-face addition is lower than that for si-face addition in reac- tions of ketones. The computational re- sults, which are in good agreement with the experimental observations, are discussed in the context of the stereo- chemical course of these Michael addi- tion reactions.

An enantioselective, organocatalytic Michael addition reaction of thioacetic acid with enones has been developed. The process, catalyzed by a chiral bifunctional amine thiourea, furnishes products in excellent yields with up to 63% ee.

A highly enantioselective, organocatalytic Michael addition reaction of unmodified ketones with chalcones has been developed for the first time. The process, catalyzed by (S)-N-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)-trifluoromethanesulfonamide, affords 1,5-diketones in high yields (73–89%) and with high degrees of enantio- and diastereoselectivity (86–97% ee, >30 : 1 dr).

[reaction: see text] A recycle and reusable fluorous (S)-pyrrolidine sulfonamide organocatalyst has been developed for promoting highly enantio- and diastereoselective Michael addition reactions of ketones and aldehydes with nitroolefins in water. The organocatalyst is conveniently recovered from the reaction mixtures by fluorous solid-phase extraction and can be subsequently reused (up to six cycles) without a significant loss of catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.

[reaction: see text] A method for Michael addition of N-heterocycles to nitroolefins has been developed. The process is promoted by a cinchona alkaloid derivative to give Michael adducts in moderate to high enantioselectivities.

[reaction: see text] A novel binaphthyl-derived amine thiourea organocatalyst has been developed and demonstrated to efficiently catalyze Michael addition reactions (using as low as 1 mol % loading) of diketones to nitroalkenes with remarkably high enantioselectivities.

[reaction: see text] A new bifunctional binaphthyl-derived amine thiourea organocatalyst has been developed to promote enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of cyclohexenone with a wide range of aldehydes. The process, catalyzed by the amine thiourea, affords synthetically valuable chiral allylic alcohol building blocks in high yields and high enantioselectivities.

A highly enantioselective (S) diphenylpyrrolinol silyl ether promoted tandem Michael-aldol reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with 2-mercaptobenzaldehydes has been developed. The method affords one-pot access to chiral and synthetically useful thiochromenes in high yields and high enantioselectivities from readily available compounds.