Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201003499
Copper Catalysis
Copper-Promoted and Copper-Catalyzed Intermolecular Alkene
Diamination**
Fatima C. Sequeira, Benjamin W. Turnpenny, and Sherry R. Chemler*
Olefin diamination methods provide powerful access to
vicinal diamines that are useful in drug discovery, materials,
and catalysis.[1] A number of impressive diastereoselective,
enantioselective, and catalytic olefin diamination methods
have been recently reported.[2–7]
Intramolecular olefin diaminations form nitrogen hetero-
cycles directly and has predominantly been accomplished by
using tethered amine nucleophiles wherein both amine
additions occur in an intramolecular fashion (Scheme 1).
This olefin diamination strategy has been successfully
we report a new copper(II)-promoted intra- and intermolec-
ular diamination of alkenes that tolerates a wide range of
internal and external amine sources for the formation of
differently functionalized and various nitrogen heterocycles.
Importantly, we report the first intramolecular diamination
procedure where catalyst-based asymmetric induction has
been observed. Impressive catalytic enantioselective inter-
molecular olefin diaminations have been reported,[2] but no
enantioselective intramolecular variant has yet been
reported.[8] Herein, we report our progress towards this
elusive transformation.
These copper(II)-promoted intra- and intermolecular
alkene diamination procedures are an advance on earlier
studies by our group, which involved the synthesis of bicyclic
sulfamides and ureas using a tethered-olefin diamination
approach (Scheme 1).[3] We have recently found that we can
expand this process to involve the participation of an external
À
amine source in the second C N bond-forming step (Table 1).
Thus, heating 1-allyl-1-benzyl-2-phenyl urea (1a) in the
presence of copper(II) 2-ethylhexanoate (Cu(eh)2, 3 equiv),
Cs2CO3, and aniline (1.5 equiv) in PhCF3 for 24 hours
provided imidazolidin-2-one 2a in 92% yield (Table 1,
conditions A). Other copper-promoted processes, such as
intramolecular carboamination,[9] aminoacetoxylation,[9e] and
hydroamination[9b] can occur with the substrates used in this
study (see the Supporting Information), but the intra/
intermolecular diamination is favored when the reaction is
run in the presence of an external amine nucleophile.
A number of substituted anilines (substitutents = Cl, CF3,
Me, F, OMe, iPr, NO2) also participated as the external amine
in this diamination process, thus providing 2b–2i in good to
excellent yields (Table 1, entries 2–9). The amount of sub-
stituted aniline had to be increased to 3 equivalents (con-
ditions B) in order to minimize the competitive formation of
2a, from PhNH2, itself formed from partial decomposition of
1a. In addition, at least 2 equivalents of Cu(eh)2 was
necessary to minimize the formation of a hydroamination
side-product (for reaction optimization, see the Supporting
Information). NaN3,[10] benzamide and p-TolSO2NH2 were
also good nucleophiles (Table 1, entries 10–12).
Scheme 1. Previous tethered diaminations. nd=neodecanoate,
Bn=benzyl, DCE=1,2-dichloroethane, DMF=N,N-dimethylforma-
mide.
employed by using palladium,[4a] nickel,[4b] and gold[4c] cata-
lysts, and stoichiometric copper reagents,[3] and has resulted in
the synthesis of a number of interesting compounds, such as
bicyclic sulfamides, ureas, and guanidines. An intra/intermo-
lecular alkene diamination procedure would result in the
convergent formation of one new nitrogen heterocycle along
with the installation of a differently functionalized amine
substituent. In a recent report, Michael and co-workers found
that the use of a palladium catalyst in combination with N-
fluorobenzenesulfonimide led to the formation of nitrogen
heterocycles with CH2N(SO2Ph)2 functionalization.[5] Herein,
[*] F. C. Sequeira, B. W. Turnpenny, Prof. S. R. Chemler
Department of Chemistry, The State University of New York at
Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260 (USA)
Fax: (+1)716-645-6963
E-mail: schemler@buffalo.edu
The 4,4-disubstituted imidazolidin-2-one 4 was formed
efficiently from diamination/cyclization of the corresponding
urea 3 (Scheme 2). Chiral imidazolidin-2-ones 6 were formed
with high 4,5-trans selectivity from their corresponding
alkenyl ureas 5 (Scheme 3). Formation of the trans diastereo-
mer is rationalized by transition-state A, where the substitu-
ent adopts a pseudo-equatorial position.
N-aryl-g-pentenyl amides, and sulfonamides with differ-
ent g-alkenyl backbones, were also good substrates in this
intra- and intermolecular diamination reaction (Table 2).
[**] We are grateful for generous financial support from the National
Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health
(grant no. GM078383 and GM078383-S1-03). We thank William W.
Brennessel and the Crystallographic Facility at the Chemistry
Department of the University of Rochester for obtaining the X-ray
structure of 12 f.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 6365 –6368
ꢀ 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
6365