Synthesis of Solid-phase Supported Chiral Amines and Investigation of Stereoselectivity of Aldol Reactions of Amine-free Tropinone Enolate

Seven selected chiral mono-, di-, and tridentate amines supported on insoluble polymer were effectively prepared from corresponding primary amines or secondary amino alcohols and Merrifield resin. The reaction of the polymer-supported amines with excess n-butyllithium gave the corresponding lithium amide bases, which were tested in the aldol reactions of tropinone with benzaldehyde. The deprotonation reactions were carried out with or without separation of the lithium enolate from polymer-supported reagents. Using the procedure with separation of lithium enolate from supported chiral reagent different results were obtained with or without the addition of LiCl despite the fact that aggregate formation of Merrifield resin supported Li-amides is hindered. Without the additive, the aldol products were obtained in low diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, whereas the addition of LiCl resulted in a significant increase of de and ee even when LiCl was added after the deprotonation step and separation of the chiral amine.

Practical Synthesis of Precursors of Cyclohexyne and 1,2-Cyclohexadiene

This study investigated a practical method for regiocontrolled synthesis of precursors of strained cyclohexynes and 1,2-cyclohexadienes, which is a one-pot procedure consisting of a rearrangement of silyl enol ether and subsequent formation of the enol triflates. Triethylsilyl enol ether, derived from cyclohexanone, was treated with a combination of LDA and t-BuOK in n-hexane/THF to encourage the migration of the silyl group to generate an α-silyl enolate. Subsequently, the α-silyl enolate was reacted with Comins’ reagent to yield the corresponding enol triflate. Finally, the α-silylated trisubstituted lithium enolate for the synthesis of 1,2-cyclohexadiene precursor was isomerized in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of water for one hour at room temperature to exclusively provide tetrasubstituted lithium enolate for the synthesis of cyclohexyne precursor in one pot.

Synthesis of 3-benzylidene-dihydrofurochromen-2-ones: promising intermediates for biflavonoid synthesis

A route to 3-benzylidene-dihydrofurochromen-2-ones from 2H-chromenes is described. Lactonization of 2H-chromenes was achieved using a two-step cyclopropanation-rearrangement sequence. Subsequent conversion of these intermediates to the corresponding α-benzylidene lactones was achieved by lithium enolate aldol reaction, followed by base-promoted elimination of the aldolate mesylates. The alkene geometry was found to be base-dependent. While the use of KOBut favored formation of the E isomer, the application of DBU showed a slight preference for the Z isomer. In further studies, these 3-benzylidene-dihydrofurochromen-2-ones were converted to polyaromatic structures possessing all the required functionality for biflavonoid synthesis.