Asymmetric Heck Reaction: Catalytic Asymmetric Syntheses of Bioactive Molecules.

Desymmetrization of cyclic olefins via asymmetric Heck reaction and hydroarylation.

An asymmetric Heck reaction allows desymmetrization of substituted cyclic olefins in high dr and ee. A bisphosphine oxide is uniquely stereoselective for this purpose. Desymmetrization of bicyclic olefins via hydroarylation can also be realized in high ee.

Highly active catalysts of bisphosphine oxides for asymmetric Heck reaction.

Bisphosphine oxides formed highly active asymmetric Heck catalysts, which were applied in asymmetric synthesis of pharmacologically active azacycles. Olefin insertion proceeded via cis pathways, different from P,N-ligands.

Phosphite-oxazole/imidazole ligands in asymmetric intermolecular Heck reaction.

We describe the application of a new class of ligands--the phosphite-oxazole/imidazole (L1-L5a-g)--in asymmetric intermolecular Pd-catalyzed Heck reactions under thermal and microwave conditions. These ligands combine the advantages of the oxazole/imidazole moiety with those of the phosphite moiety: they are more stable than their oxazoline counterparts, less sensitive to air and other oxidizin...

Catalytic asymmetric total syntheses of quinine and quinidine.

The catalytic, asymmetric syntheses of quinine and quinidine were achieved in 16 steps. The recently developed salen(Al)-catalyzed enantioselective Michael addition of methyl cyanoacetate served to set the crucial C4 stereocenter in 92% ee, and a late-stage asymmetric dihydroxylation was used to differentiate the common intermediate and access the two desired diastereomeric products with high s...

The asymmetric intramolecular Heck reaction in natural product total synthesis.