Papers

Peer-reviewed
Feb, 2011

DFT Study of Chiral-Phosphoric-Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts Reaction of Indole with Nitroalkene: Bifunctionality and Substituent Effect of Phosphoric Acid

CHEMISTRY-AN ASIAN JOURNAL
  • Takashi Hirata
  • ,
  • Masahiro Yamanaka

Volume
6
Number
2
First page
510
Last page
516
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1002/asia.201000596
Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

The enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with nitroalkenes proceeds catalytically by means of a chiral-phosphoric-acid catalyst to afford products with high enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee). The use of a 3,3'-SiPh3-substituted (R)-binol-derived (binol=1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diol) catalyst and a free indole that bears an N-H moiety is essential to achieving high enantioselectivity as well as high yield. To elucidate the reaction mechanism and the origin of the high enantioselectivity, DFT calculations were carried out. The reaction proceeded through a cyclic transition state formed by the two-point binding of both substrates to the conjugated O-P-O moiety of the catalyst, in which indoles and nitroalkenes could be simultaneously activated by Bronsted acidic (proton) and basic (phosphoryl oxygen) sites, respectively. The enantioselectivity was entirely controlled by the steric effect between the 3,3'-substituent group on the (R)-binol-derived phosphoric acid catalyst and the indole ring. When the sterically demanding SiPh3 group was used as the 3,3'-substituent group, the energy difference between the moststable diastereomeric transition states that afforded the S and R products was increased to lead to the high enantioselectivity in agreement with the experimental results.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.201000596
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000286440600035&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1002/asia.201000596
  • ISSN : 1861-4728
  • eISSN : 1861-471X
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000286440600035

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