Here we report the direct asymmetric amination of α-substituted cyclic ketones catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid, yielding products with a N-containing quaternary stereocenter in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. Kinetic resolution of the starting ketone was also found to occur on some of the substrates under milder conditions, providing enantioenriched α-branched ketones, ano...

Catalytic enantioselective Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidations of racemic and meso cyclic ketones were achieved in the presence of chiral N,N'-dioxide-Sc(III) complex catalysts. The BV oxidations of prochiral cyclohexanones and cyclobutanones afforded series of optically active ε- and γ-lactones, respectively, in up to 99% yield and 95% ee. Meanwhile, the kinetic resolution of racemic 2-arylcyclohe...

Chiral and C2-symmetric seven-membered cycloalkanones 2--6 bearing 1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine and cyclohexane-1,2-diamine backbones were synthesized and evaluated their asymmetry inductive behaviours in an asymmetric epoxidation of stilbene with oxone. Although the reaction of the ketones 2 and 3 of a 1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine backbone gave stilbene oxide in trace to 31% yield, those o...

A series of chlamydocin analogs with various carbonyl functionalities were designed and synthesized as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Chlamydocin is a cyclic tetrapeptide containing an epoxyketone surrogate in the side chain which makes it irreversible inhibitor of HDACs, whereas apicidins are a class of cyclic tetrapeptides that contain an ethylketone moiety as zinc ligand. We replaced...

We developed a new method for stereoselective construction of an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center on a carbocyclic ring based on regio- and stereoselective S(N)2' alkylation reactions of γ,δ-epoxy-α,β-unsaturated cyclic ketones. Treatment of the ketones, which were readily prepared in enantiomerically pure form by means of aldol condensations between 3-ethoxy-2-cycloalkenones and α,β-ep...

The origin of selectivity in the α-fluorination of cyclic ketones catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid-derived primary amines is determined with density functional calculations. The chair preference of a seven-membered ring at the fluorine transfer transition state is key in determining the sense and level of enantiofacial selectivity.

While the number of available recombinant Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) has grown significantly over the last few years, there is still the demand for other BVMOs to expand the biocatalytic diversity. Most BVMOs that have been described are dedicated to convert efficiently cyclohexanone and related cyclic aliphatic ketones. To cover a broader range of substrate types and enantio- and/o...

A nonracemic compound is synthesized and shown to assemble reversibly through hydrogen bonding to form a cyclic tetramer. The chiral arrangement of atoms in the individual pieces becomes amplified through self-assembly to yield multiple functional groups asymmetrically arranged within the cavity. The tetrameric capsule shows a special affinity for ketones and is able to discriminate between the...

We describe the asymmetric addition of unactivated α-branched cyclic ketones to allenamides catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid, generating an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter with broad substrate scope and high enantioselectivity. The products are easily transformed into their corresponding 1,5- and 1,4-ketoaldehyde derivatives, which are both important building blocks in organic synthesis.

Treatment of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde with activated alkenes such as alkyl vinyl ketones and cyclic enones in the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) provides a novel facile one-pot synthesis of indolizine derivatives, thus for the first time describing an electrophile induced Baylis-Hillman reaction.