Despite the array of advances that have been made in Pictet-Spengler chemistry, particularly as it relates to the synthesis of β-carboline derivatives of both natural and designed origin, the ability to use such reactions to generate aza-quaternary centers remains limited. Herein, we report a simple procedure that enables the synthesis of a variety of such products by harnessing the distinct reactivity profiles of ketonitrones as activated by commercially available acyl chlorides. Notably, the reaction process is mild, fast, and high-yielding (54-97%) for a diverse collection of substrates, including some typically challenging ones, such as indole cores with electron-deficient substituents. In addition, by deploying an acyl bromide in combination with a thiourea promoter, a catalytic, asymmetric version has been established, leading to good levels of enantioselectivity (up to 83% ee) for several ketonitrones. Finally, the resultant N-O bonds within the products can also be functionalized in several unique ways, affording valuable complementarity to existing Pictet-Spengler variants based on the use of imines.
CITATION STYLE
Lynch-Colameta, T., Greta, S., & Snyder, S. A. (2021). Synthesis of aza-quaternary centers via Pictet-Spengler reactions of ketonitrones. Chemical Science, 12(17), 6181–6187. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc00882j
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