Enantioselective conjugate hydrocyanation of α,β-unsaturated N-acylpyrroles with the combined use of Me3SiCN, LiCN, and HCN has been developed in the presence of a chiral lithium(I) phosphoryl phenoxide catalyst. This reaction is useful for a variety of N-acylpyrroles, including previously unreported substrates, such as heteroaryl and halogen-substituted N-cinnamoylpyrroles. A gram-scale reaction and
Toward a rational design of the assembly structure of polymetallic asymmetric catalysts: design, synthesis, and evaluation of new chiral ligands for catalytic asymmetric cyanation reactions
New chiral ligands (4 and 5) for polymetallic asymmetric catalysts were designed based on the hypothesis that the assembled structure should be stable when made from a stable module 8. A metal-ligand 5:6+mu-oxo+OH complex was generated from Gd((OPr)-Pr-i)(3) and 4 or 5, and this complex was an improved asymmetric catalyst for the desymmetrization of meso-aziridines with TMSCN and conjugate addition of TMSCN to alpha,beta-unsaturated N-acylpyrroles, compared to the previously reported catalysts derived from 1-3. These two groups of catalysts produced opposing enantioselectivity even though the ligands had the same chirality. The functional difference in the asymmetric catalysts is derived from differences in the higher-order structure of the polymetallic catalysts. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.