La thèse décrit la première synthèse totale de l'Eucophylline, le fragment sud de l'alcaloïde Leucophyllidine récemment isolé à partir de Leuconotisgriffithii et L. eugenifolius. La synthèse en 10 étapes comprend une nouvelle méthode d’accès au squelette azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane par un processus de carbooximation radicalaire d'oléfines à trois composants. Au cours de ces études, nous avons également isolé des énamines présentant des stabilités inhabituelles résultant de leur conformation bicyclique tendue. La synthèse de la partie éburnane, le fragment nord de la Leucophyllidine, a été réalisée grâce à une nouvelle réaction radicalaire de carbo-cyanation à trois composants. Cette réaction radicalaire s'est révélée efficace pour installer le groupement fonctionnel nitrile sur des oléfines, et éventuellement former des centres quaternaires, notamment dans des structures complexes, puisqu'une bonne tolérance aux différents groupes fonctionnels a été observée. Le couplage biomimétique entre le squelette éburnane et l'Eucophylline a finalement été étudié en utilisant des modèles de structure similaire. Les résultats préliminaires de cette étude ont montré que l'absence d'effet gem-diméthyle dans le modèle éburnane empêche probablement la formation de l'imine cyclique,intermédiaire-clé dans le couplage désiré. / The thesis describes the first total synthesis of Eucophylline, the south fragment of the Leucophyllidine alkaloid recently isolated from Leuconotis griffithiiand L. eugenifolius. The 10-step synthesis encompasses a new straight forward method to access to the azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane skeleton through a free-radical three-component olefinic carbo-oximation process. During these studies, we also isolated enamines exhibiting unusual stabilities resulting from their strained bicyclicconformation. The synthesis of the Eburnane part, the north fragment of Leucophyllidine, was developed relying on a new free-radical three-component Carbo-Cyanation reaction. This new reaction showed high tolerance toward different functional groups and provided an efficient mean to install the nitrile group in complex structures and to introduce quaternary centers. The biomimetic coupling between the Eburnane and Eucophylline fragments was finally studied using structurally similar models. Preliminary results of this model study showed that absence of a gemdimethyleffect in the Eburnane model probably prevents the formation of the cyclicimine, key intermediate for the desired coupling.

This thesis deals with secondary interactions in asymmetric catalysis and their impact on the outcome of catalytic reactions. The first part revolves around the metal-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction and how interactions within the catalyst affect the stereochemistry. An OH–Pd hydrogen bond in Pd(0)–π-olefin complexes of hydroxy-containing oxazoline ligands was identified by density functional theory computations and helped to rationalize the contrasting results obtained employing hydroxy- and methoxy-containing ligands in the catalytic reaction. This type of hydrogen bond was further studied in phenanthroline metal complexes. As expected for a hydrogen bond, the strength of the bond was found to increase with increased electron density at the metal and with increased acidity of the hydroxy protons. The second part deals with the use of hydroxy- and methoxy-containing phosphinooxazoline ligands in the rhodium- and iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrosilylation reaction. The enantioselectivities obtained were profoundly enhanced upon the addition of silver salts. This phenomenon was explained by an oxygen–metal coordination in the catalytic complexes, which was confirmed by NMR studies of an iridium complex. Interestingly, the rhodium and iridium catalysts nearly serve as pseudo-enantiomers giving products with different absolute configurations. The final part deals with ditopic pyridinobisoxazoline ligands and the application of their metal complexes in asymmetric cyanation reactions. Upon complexation, these ligands provide catalysts with both Lewis acidic and Lewis basic sites, capable of activating both the substrate and the cyanation reagent. Lanthanide and aluminum complexes of these ligands were found to catalyze the addition of the fairly unreactive cyanation reagents ethyl cyanoformate and acetyl cyanide to benzaldehyde, whereas complexes of ligands lacking the Lewis basic coordination sites failed to do so. / QC 20100709

A number of novel isoindoline nitroxides have been synthesised using a variety of synthetic techniques. Several carbon-carbon bond forming methodologies, including the first examples of Heck and Sonogashira coupling applied to the isoindoline nitroxide class, were utilised to give novel robust aromatic frameworks. Palladium-catalysed Heck coupling of brominated nitroxides and ester-substituted olefins generates novel nitroxides possessing extended conjugation. Hydrolysis of the nitroxide esters gave the corresponding carboxylic acids, which showed enhanced water solubility. Sonogashira coupling of an iodo-isoindoline nitroxide gave several novel alkynesubstituted nitroxides in high yield. Subsequent coupling of a deprotected ethynyl nitroxide with aromatic iodides gave acetylene-linked nitroxides and an acetylene linked nitroxide dimer. A butadiyne linked dinitroxide was successfully synthesised via Eglinton oxidative coupling of two ethynyl nitroxides. The synthesis of a novel water-soluble dicarboxy nitroxide was achieved by base hydrolysis of a dinitrile. Functional group interconversion furnished anhydride and imide substituted nitroxides from the diacid. Subjecting the imide to the Hofmann rearrangement gave an unexpected brominated amino-carboxy nitroxide. The dicarboxy nitroxide and the brominated amino-carboxy nitroxide were both shown to have a protective effect on Ataxia-Telangiectasia cells, indicating a possible role as antioxidants in the treatment of this disease. A fluorescein nitroxide was successfully synthesised through the condensation of the anhydride substituted nitroxide and resorcinol. After limited success using a variety of other techniques, Buchwald-Hartwig amination was able to furnish a rhodamine nitroxide, via a triflate-fluorescein nitroxide. The extended aromatic nitroxides possess suppressed fluorescence and we have described these systems as profluorescent. The profluorescent nitroxides were found to have significantly lower quantum yields than the non-radical analogues and displayed a substantial increase in fluorescence intensity upon radical trapping, making them useful probes for free radical reactions.