An efficient asymmetric hydrogenation of β,γ-unsaturated γ-lactams using an iridium–phosphoramidite complex is reported. The chiral γ-lactams were obtained in excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield and 99% ee). The mechanistic studies indicated that the reduced products were obtained via the hydrogenation of the N-acyliminium cations, generated from β,γ-unsaturated γ-lactams, which was verified by 1H NMR analysis. The reaction was carried out at a reduced catalyst loading of 0.1 mol %, and the reduced products can be transformed to two potential bioactive compounds. A new route is provided for the synthesis of chiral γ-lactams.

A Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination of 4-substituted 2-acetoxybut-3-enoates with amines has been developed for the regiospecific synthesis of chiral α,β-unsaturated γ-amino esters. The desired chiral aminated products can be obtained in up to 98% yield, and 99% ee and can be conveniently transformed to chiral γ-amino acid/alcohol derivatives and chiral γ-lactams, which can then be subjected to the synthesis of several types of chiral drugs and drug candidates. The preferential formation of chiral γ-amino esters may be attributed to the bulky substituents on the right side of the allyl substrates. This work provides an efficient strategy for the synthesis of chiral α,β-unsaturated γ-amino esters and their derivatives.

Chiral γ-lactams have been synthesized in excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield and 96% ee) from easily accessible racemic γ-hydroxy γ-lactams via an iridium-phosphoramidite catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation. The reaction was designed based on insight into the reaction mechanism demonstrated in previous work and can be carried out at a reduced catalyst loading of 0.1 mol % on a gram scale. Several potential bioactive compounds can be synthesized from the reduced products. Mechanistic studies indicated that the reduced products were obtained via the hydrogenation of the N-acyliminium cations, generated from γ-hydroxy γ-lactams.

A highly enantioselective Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution cascade of cyclic N-sulfonylimines with an accompanying asymmetric desymmetrization has been developed for the construction of fused tetrahydroindole derivatives bearing two chiral centers. Mechanistic studies confirmed that the cascade reaction proceeds by initial allylic alkylation and subsequent allylic amination. The first alkylation is a chirality-control step and represents an asymmetric desymmetrization of cis-cyclic allyl diacetates. The reaction has been performed on a gram scale, and the desired products can take part in several transformations.

A Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution with 1,3-dithianes as acyl anion equivalents has been developed in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. The reaction was performed on a gram scale, and the corresponding alkylated products were conveniently converted into several biologically active products. This work provides an alternative strategy utilizing electrophilic carbonyl compounds as nucleophilic species in a Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution.

An organocatalyzed asymmetric tandem reaction of cyclic N-sulfonylimines and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was developed. These substrates follow an alternative reaction pathway to that of reactions involving saturated aldehydes, affording similar piperidine derivatives.

Compared to their C1-symmetric counterparts, planar chiral C2-symmetric metallocenyl P,N-ligands are efficient chiral ligands for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic aminations, providing a number of amination products with high enantioselectivities. A non-C2-symmetric ferrocenyl P,N-ligand (a by-product obtained during the synthesis of the above C2-symmetric species) was also found to be an efficient ligand for asymmetric allylic aminations. A mixed ligand system consisting of both C2- and non-C2-symmetric ferrocene complexes was examined and showed high catalytic activity with the amination products being obtained with excellent enantioselectivities.

Novel P-stereogenic pincer-Ni complexes {κP,κC,κP-3,5-Me2-2,6-(MetBuPCH2)2C6H}NiCl (3), {κP,κC,κP-3,5-Me2-2,6-(MetBuPCH2)2C6H}NiOTf (4), [{κP,κN,κP-2,6-(MetBuPCH2)2C5H3N}NiCl]Cl (7), [{κP,κN,κP-2,6-(MetBuPCH2)2C5H3N}NiCl]BF4 (8), and [{κP,κN,κP-2,6-(MetBuPCH2)2C5H3N}Ni(NCMe)](BF4)2 (9) were synthesized in 55–84% yields and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C{1H} NMR, 31P{1H} NMR, 19F{1H} NMR, and/or single-crystal X-ray diffractions. The ORTEP diagrams of complexes 3, 7, 8, and 9 show that the coordination geometries around the Ni center in all these structures are approximately square planar but have different bond lengths and angles. These complexes were shown to be active catalysts for the asymmetric aza-Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated nitriles. For most examples good to excellent yields (up to 99%) and moderate enantiomeric excesses (up to 46% ee) were obtained. Notably, the PCP complex 3 exhibited higher catalytic activity in the aza-Michael addition than the PNP complexes 7, 8, and 9. Two achiral PCP-type pincer-Ni complexes, {κP,κC,κP-3,5-Me2-2,6-(tBu2PCH2)2C6H}NiCl (11) and {κP,κC,κP-3,5-Me2-2,6-(Ph2PCH2)2C6H}NiCl (13), were also synthesized and fully characterized in order to reveal the structural differences between the chiral and achiral complexes.

An interesting temperature-controlled switchable o,o′-dilithiation of chiral bisoxazoline ferrocene was developed for the preparation of three kinds of ferrocene bis(oxazoline-phosphine) ligands with different planar chiralities. Diastereoselectivities of more than 4.5/1 were obtained. As a result of their different planar chiralities, the ligands 1∼3 exhibit different coordination behaviors with PdCl2(MeCN)2.

An asymmetric Michael addition of diphenylphosphine to β,γ-unsaturated α-keto esters was developed using a P-stereogenic pincer-Pd complex as a catalyst. The corresponding hydrophosphination products were obtained in good yields (up to 94%) and with moderate to good enantioselectivities (up to 93% ee) under the optimum reaction conditions.

An asymmetric domino reaction was developed utilizing readily available cyclic N-sulfonylimines and simple aldehydes to construct biologically important and synthetically challenging piperidine derivatives consisting of three contiguous stereocenters. trans-Perhydroindolic acid proved to be an efficient organocatalyst in this reaction (up to 89% yield, 80:20 dr, and 99% ee). The absolute configuration of the catalytic product was determined by X-ray crystallography studies. The product could be conveniently converted to synthetically useful intermediates, such as (3R,4S)-4-ethyl-3-methyl-6-phenylpiperidinyridin-2-one (8), via a simple transformation.

C–O bond cleavage of allylic alkyl ether was realized in a Pd-catalyzed hydrogen-bond-activated allylic alkylation using only alcohol solvents. This procedure does not require any additives and proceeds with high regioselectivity. The applicability of this transformation to a variety of functionalized allylic ether substrates was also investigated. Furthermore, this methodology can be easily extended to the asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure products (99% ee).

An organocatalyzed asymmetric tandem reaction of cyclic N-sulfonylimines and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was developed. These substrates follow an alternative reaction pathway to that of reactions involving saturated aldehydes, affording similar piperidine derivatives.

Compared to their C1-symmetric counterparts, planar chiral C2-symmetric metallocenyl P,N-ligands are efficient chiral ligands for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic aminations, providing a number of amination products with high enantioselectivities. A non-C2-symmetric ferrocenyl P,N-ligand (a by-product obtained during the synthesis of the above C2-symmetric species) was also found to be an efficient ligand for asymmetric allylic aminations. A mixed ligand system consisting of both C2- and non-C2-symmetric ferrocene complexes was examined and showed high catalytic activity with the amination products being obtained with excellent enantioselectivities.