Angewandte
Communications
Chemie
Asymmetric Catalysis
Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Allyl–Allyl Coupling between
Allylic Boronates and Phosphates with a Phenol/N-Heterocyclic
Carbene Chiral Ligand
Yuto Yasuda, Hirohisa Ohmiya,* and Masaya Sawamura*
Abstract: Copper-catalyzed enantioselective allyl–allyl cou-
pling between allylboronates and either Z-acyclic or cyclic
allylic phosphates using a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene
ligand, bearing a phenolic hydroxy, is reported. This reaction
occurs with exceptional SN2’-type regioselectivities and high
enantioselectivities to deliver chiral 1,5-diene derivatives with
a tertiary stereogenic center at the allylic/homoallylic position.
occurred with exceptional SN2’-type regioselectivity and high
enantioselectivities to deliver chiral 1,5-diene derivatives with
a tertiary carbon stereogenic center at the allylic/homoallylic
position. Acid- or base-sensitive functional groups were
compatible with this enantioselective reaction. Z-Aliphatic
allylic substrates including acyclic and cyclic 2-alkene-1,4-diol
derivatives can be used. In this regard, the present copper-
catalyzed system is complementary to Morkenꢀs palladium
system, which was applied to primary E-allylic electrophiles.
Importantly, this study demonstrated that the phenol/NHC
A
llylic substitution using allylic nucleophiles and electro-
philes (allyl–allyl coupling) to form 1,5-dienes raises the issue
of the allylic regiochemistry on both the nucleophiles and
chiral ligands have utility not only in the reaction of
3
2
À
À
À
electrophiles, but affords a powerful strategy for C(sp )
pronucleophiles with C(sp) H or C(sp ) H bonds but also
C(sp3) bond formation in organic synthesis.[1] In particular,
the enantioselective allyl–allyl coupling under the influence
of chiral transition-metal catalysts serves as an efficient entry
to chiral 1,5-dienes with a stereogenic center at the allylic/
homoallylic position. 1,5-Dienes are found in many important
biologically active molecules and also serve as useful synthetic
intermediates because of the versatility of the two alkene
functionalities for further transformations.[2] Nevertheless,
such enantioselective reactions had been underdeveloped
until Morken and co-workers reported the palladium-cata-
lyzed regio- and enantioselective allyl–allyl coupling between
substituted allylboronates and (E)-allylic carbonates.[3]
Remarkably, this palladium catalysis delivered chiral 1,5-
dienes containing two adjacent stereogenic centers with high
diastereo- and enantioselectivities. More recently, Feringa
and co-workers reported the copper-catalyzed enantioselec-
tive coupling between allylmagnesium bromide and (E)-allyl
bromides, but the SN2’-type regioselectivity was moderate.[4]
Carreira and co-workers developed the irridium-catalyzed
regio- and enantioselective coupling between allylsilanes and
secondary aromatic allylic alcohols.[5] Despite these efforts,
the allyl–allyl coupling using either acyclic or cyclic allylic
electrophiles involving a Z-alkene moiety is yet to be
explored.
in those of organoboron compounds.[9]
Earlier, we reported enantioselective SN2’-type allylic
substitution reactions between non-allylic alkylboron (alkyl-
9-BBN) compounds and achiral primary allylic substrates
under the influence of a catalytic amount of a copper(I)
complex and a stoichiometric potassium alkoxide base.[10] On
the basis of this knowledge, we developed an unprecedented
copper-catalyzed enantioselective allylic substitution with
allylboron compounds. In the screening of the reaction
conditions, we used readily available allylboronic acid pina-
colate esters instead of the allyl-9-BBN reagents (Table 1).[11]
In studies aimed toward finding achiral copper systems which
enable the selective formation of the racemic, branched
g-substitution product 3aa, we found that a Cu/NHC (SIMes)
complex, prepared in situ from 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethyl-
phenyl)imidazolinium chloride (SIMes·HCl), CuCl, and
KOMe, gave exclusive g-selectivity (g/a > 99:1) in the reac-
tion between 2-allyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane
(1a) and the Z-allylic phosphate 2a in THF at À208C to form
the branched allyl–allyl coupling product (R)-3aa in high
yield (93%; entry 1). In contrast to the excellent ligand
performance of the ring-saturated NHC ligand SIMes, the
corresponding unsaturated NHC ligand IMes, which is
derived from 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolium chlo-
ride (IMes·HCl), gave a mixture of branched and linear
products with a low g/a regioselectivity (62:38) in a moderate
total product yield (entry 2). The reaction either without
a ligand or with 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) or DPPE ligands
did not proceed at all (entries 3–5). Monodentate phosphine
ligands such as Ph3P gave the linear a-substitution product
(E)-4aa exclusively (entry 6).
Herein, we report copper-catalyzed enantioselective
allyl–allyl coupling between allylboronates and (Z)-allylic
phosphates using a new chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)
ligand bearing a phenolic hydroxy group.[6À8] This reaction
[*] Y. Yasuda, Prof. Dr. H. Ohmiya, Prof. Dr. M. Sawamura
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University
Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan)
Based on these results, we decided to investigate various
ring-saturated chiral NHC ligands (Table 1, entries 7–14). The
C2-symmetric NHC ligand (S,S)-L1,[12] which has two stereo-
genic carbon centers in the imidazolidine ring with two
N-mesityl groups, gave nearly racemic 3aa with exclusive
g-regioselectivity and moderate product yield (entry 7).
E-mail: ohmiya@sci.hokudai.ac.jp
Supporting information for this article can be found under:
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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