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Title: Scope and Mechanistic Probe into Asymmetric Synthesis of α-Trisubstituted-α-Tertiary Amines by Rhodium Catalysis
Asymmetric reactions that convert racemic mixtures into enantioenriched amines are of significant importance due to the prevalence of amines in pharmaceuticals, with about 60% of drug candidates containing tertiary amines. Although transition metal catalyzed allylic substitution processes have been developed to provide access to enantioenriched α-disubstituted allylic amines, enantioselective synthesis of sterically demanding α-tertiary amines with a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter remains a major challenge. Herein, we report a chiral diene-ligated rhodium catalyzed asymmetric substitution of racemic tertiary allylic trichloroacetimidates with aliphatic secondary amines to afford α-trisubstituted-α-tertiary amines. Mechanistic investigation is conducted using synergistic experimental and computational studies. Density functional theory calculations show that the chiral diene-ligated rhodium promotes the ionization of tertiary allylic substrates to form both anti and syn π-allyl intermediates. The anti π-allyl pathway proceeds through a higher energy than the syn π-allyl pathway. The rate of conversion of the less reactive π-allyl intermediate to the more reactive isomer via π−σ−π interconversion was faster than the rate of nucleophilic attack onto the more reactive intermediate. These data imply that the Curtin−Hammett conditions are met in the amination reaction, leading to dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation. Computational studies also show that hydrogen bonding interactions between β-oxygen of allylic substrate and amine-NH greatly assist the delivery of amine nucleophile onto more hindered internal carbon of the π-allyl intermediate. The synthetic utility of the current methodology is showcased by efficient preparation of α-trisubstituted-α-tertiary amines featuring pharmaceutically relevant secondary amine cores with good yields and excellent selectivities (branched−linear >99:1, up to 99% enantiomeric excess).  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1856437
PAR ID:
10500148
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American Chemical Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Volume:
145
Issue:
36
ISSN:
0002-7863
Page Range / eLocation ID:
19642 to 19654
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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