Lewis base catalyzed enantioselective sulfenoamination of alkenes

The concept of Lewis base activation of Lewis acid has been successfully applied to the enantioselective sulfenoamination of olefins. The unreactive, achiral Lewis acidic sulfenylating agent, N-arylthiophthalimide, is activated by the coordination of a chiral Lewis base, binaphthyl-derived selenophosphoramide, in presence of a Brønsted acid as a co-catalyst. The Lewis base-acid adduct exhibits a strong sulfenylating ability towards various olefins with formation of enantioenriched thiiranium ion intermediates. These configurationally stable thiiranium ions are stereospecifically captured by amines and anilines to afford nitrogen-containing heterocycles, such as piperidines, azepanes, and tetrahydroquinolines. In the course of developing an enantioselective carbosulfenylation of alkenes, a seemingly contradicting phenomenon of a catalyst inhibiting a stoichiometric reaction was observed. In the absence of catalyst, the background reaction rates were comparable to or greater than the catalyzed process, despite the observation of highly enantioenriched product when a chiral, nonracemic catalyst was employed. Detailed kinetic and spectroscopic studies revealed that the conversion of the Lewis base pre-catalyst to the catalytically active species was responsible for the observed comparable reactivity. Specifically, the equimolar formation of the byproducts of the catalyst activation, sulfonate ion and phthalimide, buffered the Brønsted acid, resulting in inhibition of the uncatalyzed racemic pathway. Therefore, the operating background reaction under catalytic conditions cannot be represented by simply omitting the catalyst.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemistry

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Chi, Hyungmin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Denmark, Scott E.
• Burke, Martin D.
• van der Donk, Wilfred A.
• Rauchfuss, Thomas B.

• Sulfenoamination
• Enantioselective catalysis
• Lewis base
• Negative catalysis

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Hyungmin Chi

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95503

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95503