A Noncoordinating Acid-Base Catalyst for the Mild and Nonreversible -Butylation of Alcohols and Phenols.

A mild and nonreversible -butylation of alcohols and phenols can be achieved in high yields using the noncoordinating acid-base catalyst [bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide and 2,6-lutidine] with a -butylation reagent, -butyl 2,2,2-trichloroacetimidate. This method allows the use of substrates containing acid sensitive groups such as ketal, Boc, and boronate esters.

Sulfone-Mediated SAr Reaction as a Powerful Tool for the Synthesis of 4-Quinolinyl Ethers and More-Application to the Synthesis of HCV NS3/4a Protease Inhibitor .

An efficient general methodology for the synthesis of 4-quinolinyl ethers is demonstrated via a highly reactive SAr reaction of 4-quinolinyl sulfones with a range of structurally diversified 1°, 2°, and 3° alcohols with a wide substrate scope and high yields. By adapting this methodology, a convergent synthesis of a complex target of HCV NS3/4a protease inhibitor was accomplished.

Start Selective and Rigidify: The Discovery Path toward a Next Generation of EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), when carrying an activating mutation like del19 or L858R, acts as an oncogenic driver in a subset of lung tumors. While tumor responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are accompanied by marked tumor shrinkage, the response is usually not durable. Most patients relapse within two years of therapy often due to acquisition of an additional mutation in EGFR kinase domain that confers resistance to TKIs.

Computationally Assisted Mechanistic Investigation and Development of Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura and Negishi Cross-Coupling Reactions for Tetra-Substituted Biaryl Synthesis.

Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are extensively employed in both academia and industry for the synthesis of biaryl derivatives for applications to both medicine and material science. Application of these methods to prepare tetra--substituted biaryls leads to chiral atropisomeric products that introduces the opportunity to use catalyst-control to develop asymmetric cross-coupling procedures to access these important compounds. Asymmetric Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura and Negishi cross-coupling reactions to form tetra--substituted biaryls were studied employing a collection of -chiral dihydrobenzooxaphosphole (BOP) and dihydrobenzoazaphosphole (BAP) ligands.

A Computational Investigation of the Ligand-Controlled Cu-Catalyzed Site-Selective Propargylation and Allenylation of Carbonyl Compounds.

A copper-catalyzed site-selective propargylation/allenylation reaction toward carbonyl compounds has been mechanistically investigated using a computational approach. Different reaction pathways and catalytic cycles were investigated. Control of the site selectivity arises from a destabilizing interaction introduced by the phenyl-substituted ligand.

Sequential C-H Arylation and Enantioselective Hydrogenation Enables Ideal Asymmetric Entry to the Indenopiperidine Core of an 11β-HSD-1 Inhibitor.

A concise asymmetric synthesis of an 11β-HSD-1 inhibitor has been achieved using inexpensive starting materials with excellent step-economy at low catalyst loadings. The catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of 1 was accomplished in 7 steps and 38% overall yield aided by the development of an innovative, sequential strategy involving Pd-catalyzed pyridinium C-H arylation and Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of the resulting fused tricyclic indenopyridinium salt highlighted by the use of a unique P,N-ligand (MeO-BoQPhos) with 1000 ppm of [Ir(COD)Cl].

Ligand-Accelerated Stereoretentive Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling of Unprotected 3,3'-Dibromo-BINOL.

An efficient synthesis of the enantiomerically pure 3,3'-bis-arylated BINOL derivatives is accomplished through the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the unprotected 3,3'-dibromo-BINOL with complete retention of enantiopurity. The active catalyst system Pd(OAc)2/BI-DIME has enabled mild reaction conditions at palladium loads as low as 500 ppm.

Concise and Practical Asymmetric Synthesis of a Challenging Atropisomeric HIV Integrase Inhibitor.

A practical and efficient synthesis of a complex chiral atropisomeric HIV integrase inhibitor has been accomplished. The combination of a copper-catalyzed acylation along with the implementation of the BI-DIME ligands for a ligand-controlled Suzuki cross-coupling and an unprecedented bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide-catalyzed tert-butylation renders the synthesis of this complex molecule robust, safe, and economical. Furthermore, the overall synthesis was conducted in an asymmetric and diastereoselective fashion with respect to the imbedded atropisomer.

Efficient asymmetric synthesis of structurally diverse P-stereogenic phosphinamides for catalyst design.

The use of chiral phosphinamides is relatively unexplored because of the lack of a general method for the synthesis. Reported herein is the development of a general, efficient, and highly enantioselective method for the synthesis of structurally diverse P-stereogenic phosphinamides. The method relies on nucleophilic substitution of a chiral phosphinate derived from the versatile chiral phosphinyl transfer agent 1,3,2-benzoxazaphosphinine-2-oxide.

Development of an asymmetric synthesis of a chiral quaternary FLAP inhibitor.

A practical sequence involving a noncryogenic stereospecific boronate rearrangement followed by a robust formylation with an in situ generated DCM anion has been developed for the asymmetric construction of an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center of a FLAP inhibitor. The key boronate rearrangement was rendered noncryogenic and robust by using LDA as the base and instituting an in situ trapping of the unstable lithiated benzylic carbamate with the boronic ester. A similar strategy was implemented for the DCM formylation reaction.

Addressing the configuration stability of lithiated secondary benzylic carbamates for the development of a noncryogenic stereospecific boronate rearrangement.

A practical noncryogenic process for the Aggarwal stereospecific boronate rearrangement with chiral secondary benzylic carbamates has been developed. The use of LDA instead of sec-BuLi combined with an in situ trapping of the unstable lithiated carbamate was critical to success. Furthermore, this new process increased the substrate scope to include the versatile aryl iodide and bromide substrates.

One-pot synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrimidines from nitriles.

A practical, one-step process for the synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrimidines is presented. The protocol proved to be general for the synthesis of a variety of pyrimidine-containing compounds bearing an assortment of functional groups.

Copper-catalyst-controlled site-selective allenylation of ketones and aldehydes with propargyl boronates.

A practical and highly site-selective copper-PhBPE-catalyst-controlled allenylation with propargyl boronates has been developed. The methodology has shown to be tolerant of diverse ketones and aldehydes providing the allenyl adducts in high selectivity. The BPE ligand and boronate substituents were shown to direct the site selectivity for which either propargyl or allenyl adducts can be acquired in high selectivity.

A highly convergent and efficient synthesis of a macrocyclic hepatitis C virus protease inhibitor BI 201302.

A highly convergent large scale synthesis of a 15-membered macrocyclic hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor BI 201302 was achieved, in which the key features are the practical macrocyclization by Ru-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis (0.1 mol % Grela catalyst, 0.1-0.

Efficient chiral monophosphorus ligands for asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions.

A series of novel P-chiral monophosphorus ligands exhibit efficiency in asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions, enabling the construction of an array of chiral biaryl products in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) under mild conditions. The carbonyl-benzooxazolidinone moiety in these chiral biaryl products allows facile derivatization for further synthetic applications. A computational study has revealed that a π-π interaction between the two coupling partners can enhance the enantioselectivity of the coupling reaction.

Efficient monophosphorus ligands for palladium-catalyzed Miyaura borylation.

In combination with the Bedford Pd precursor, the new biaryl monophosphorus ligand 5 was efficient for palladium-catalyzed Miyaura borylation of sterically hindered aryl bromides at low catalyst loadings.

Novel and efficient chiral bisphosphorus ligands for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation.

A series of structurally novel, operationally convenient, and efficient chiral 2-phosphino-2,3-dihydrobenzo[d][1,3]oxaphosphole ligands was developed. Applications of ligands 3a and 3b in rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of alpha-(acylamino)acrylates and beta-(acylamino)acrylates provided excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee) and reactivities (up to 10,000 TON).