Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Chapter 1. Exploring Ligand Effects in Ruthenium Dithiolate Carbene Complexes. Ruthenium dithiolate metathesis catalysts discovered in the Hoveyda group have been a valuable addition to the field of olefin metathesis. While the catalyst shows unique selectivity and reactivity, quantifying and mapping key interactions in the catalyst framework to elucidate and explain causes is difficult. We, therefore, decided to use the neutral chelating or monodentate ligand, controlling initiation, as a structural probe. By altering its properties and observing changes in the catalyst, we sought to deepen our understanding of these complexes. We established a trans influence series with over 20 catalysts and correlated the impact on catalyst initiation. Further, we show that in the case of strongly σ-donating and π-accepting ligands such as phosphites and isonitriles, the complex exhibits fluxional behavior. The catalysts ground state is elevated to such a degree that thiolate Ruthenium bonds become labile and rapidly exchange. While Ruthenium dithiolate catalysts were readily applied to metathesis polymerization, their use in the synthesis of small molecules was initially less forthcoming. Specifically, reactions involving terminal olefins lead to rapid catalyst deactivation and only low conversion. We were able to determine that the potential energy stored in the trans-influence between the thiolate ligand and the NHC can be released in a sulfur shift to reactive Ruthenium methylidene species. Since methylidenes are formed by reaction with terminal olefins, use of an excess of internal olefins can prevent their formation. Chapter 2. Harnessing Catalyst Fluxionality in Olefin Metathesis. Depending on its use, material requirements can vary significantly. Materials that can easily be adapted to a given application, for example by varying tensile strength, melting point or solubility, are desirable. Controlling the polymers tacticity (the adjacent stereocenters in a polymer chain) is a straight forward way to achieve just that. Ru dithiolate catalysts should give highly syndiotactic polymers due to their single stereocenter undergoing inversion during every metathesis step. The fluxional nature of the catalyst allows for control of polymer tacticity from 50% (atactic) to ≥95% syndiotacticity by changing monomer concentration. We determined the factors which are responsible for fluxionality and synthesized complexes that give either high or low levels of tacticity over a broader range of monomer concentration. Chapter 3. Harnessing Catalyst Fluxionality in Olefin Metathesis. The importance of fluorine-containing molecules is hard to understate, keeping in mind the surge of new methodologies for their synthesis and the medical breakthroughs they enable. However, efficient and practical syntheses of stereodefined alkenyl fluorides are rare. In this context, we have developed enantioselective boryl allylic substitution of allylic fluorides, which yield enantioenriched γ-alkenyl fluoride substituted allyl boronate esters. The reaction is catalyzed by Cu-based catalysts that are prepared in-situ and delivered as products with high yield and enantioselectivity. Mechanistic inquiry shows the reaction is not a concerted allylic substitution. An intermediate Cu alkyl complex is formed after the Cu boron addition is made to the double bond, which only slowly undergoes β-fluorine elimination in the presence of a Lewis acid. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Thesis advisor: Marc L. Snapper / Chapter 1 Review of methodology developments in the area of selective tosylation of alcohols. Chapter 2 Development of a catalytic enantioselective tosylation of alcohols with an amino-acid-based organocatalyst. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Silicon holds a privileged position in organic chemistry as the carbon-silicon bond can be utilised in many important transformations. As such, developing practical and efficient methods for the enantioselective and regioselective insertion of silicon into organic molecules is a worthy challenge in chemical synthesis. To this end, we have developed an affordable copper-catalysed protocol for the asymmetric silylation of lactones, lactams and amides, providing silylated products with up to > 99:1 er and in good yields. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the synthetic utility of this protocol in the target synthesis of natural or biologically active molecules. We also present the first copper-catalysed silylation of allenes using a silylborane reagent. This affords useful allyl- or vinylsilane building blocks with high regioselectivity, efficiency and a large functional group tolerance. The allylcopper intermediates can be intercepted by aldehydes in a diastereoselective three-component coupling to furnish homoallylic alcohols. We extend this concept to the copper-catalysed three-component coupling of boron, allenes and imines, providing access to homoallylic amines with a vinylborane motif.

Luk To. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-123). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Contents --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.ii / Abstract --- p.iii / Abbreviation --- p.vi / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1-1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1-2 --- Sharpless Epoxidation --- p.2 / Chapter 1-3 --- Mn-Salen Complexes for Epoxidation --- p.4 / Chapter 1-4 --- Oxaziridinium Salts --- p.6 / Chapter 1-5 --- Dioxiranes --- p.9 / Chapter 1-6 --- Asymmetric Epoxidation by Dioxirane --- p.12 / Chapter 2. --- Results and Discussion --- p.31 / Chapter 2-1 --- Epoxidation of trαns-disubstituted and trisubstituted alkenes catalyzed by L-αrαbino-4-uloses --- p.31 / Chapter 2-2 --- Epoxidation of cis-alkenes catalyzed by L-arabino-4-uloses --- p.47 / Chapter 2-3 --- Epoxidation of alkenes catalyzed by new L-arabino-4-uloses --- p.55 / Chapter 3. --- Conclusion --- p.77 / Chapter 4. --- Experimental Section --- p.80 / Chapter 5. --- References --- p.115 / Chapter 6. --- Appendix --- p.124

1. C–H Functionalisation of 2 Aryl Cyclic 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds Two enolate-directed C–H functionalisation protocols have been developed using 2-aryl cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds as substrates. Reactions with activated alkenes, under ruthenium or palladium catalysis produced benzopyrans in most cases, in moderate to good yield. Alternatively, an oxidative annulation of 2-aryl cyclic 1.3-dicarbonyls with 1,3-enynes was facilitated under rhodium catalysis, forming functionalised spiroindene structures in most cases, in generally good yields and high regioselectivity. During the investigation, the serendipitous formation of spirodialin structures was also observed. 2. Enantioselective Rh(I)-Catalysed Cyclisation of Arylboron Compounds onto Ketones Chiral tertiary alcohols, bearing aza-, oxa- and carbocyclic core structures of varying ring size were successfully formed from arylboron substrates under rhodium catalysis. In general the reactions proceeded with good yield and with moderate to high enantioselectivity. A protocol for the formation of a bicyclic lactam system was also achieved in moderate yield and enantioselectivity.

Conventional ligand design in transition metal catalysis capitalizes on the ability of phosphorous, nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and sulfur-based donors to modify the steric and electronic properties of a reactive metal center. Heterobimetallic transition metal complexes that contain a dative metal-metal bond provide a unique approach to ligand design where the reactivity of the metal center can be modified by metal-metal electronic communication. Our laboratory is interested in using the unique properties of heterobimetallic complexes to address significant limitations in current transition metal catalysis. My PhD work has focused on the ability of early/late transition metal heterobimetallic complexes to facilitate catalysis by speeding up reductive processes that occur at the late transition metal center. My initial studies were aimed at understanding the importance of the metal-metal interaction to catalysis in allylic amination reactions catalyzed by Pd–Ti heterobimetallic complexes and the potential of these catalysts to enable reactivity with challenging nitrogen nucleophiles. We also explored the substrate scope of the allylic amination with a variety of hindered amines and allylic chloride substrates under mild conditions. Aminations of this type have previously been shown to require harsh reaction conditions and tend to give low yields. A variety of sterically hindered secondary amine nucleophiles were able to readily undergo allylic substitution. Many of these aminations were complete within ten minutes. A series of allylic electrophiles were also shown to undergo the reaction. We have also looked at the ability of hindered amines to undergo intramolecular cyclizations to produce pyrrolidine and piperidine products. My continuing efforts in the laboratory are focused on developing chiral titanium-phosphinoamide ligands for enantioselective heterobimetallic catalysis. We have synthesized a series of chiral diamine-based phosphinoamide-titanium ligands in order to investigate enantioselective intramolecular aminations. Importantly, each of these new Ti-ligands enables room temperature catalysis in intramolecular aminations with hindered amines, suggesting contributions by the Ti center. Similar reactivity has not been achieved with monometallic chiral Pd catalysts in our lab. Importantly, many of these ligands enable modest enantioselectivity in the allylic aminations.

Thesis advisor: Amir H. Hoveyda / Chapter One Development of Simple Organic Molecules as Catalysts for Enantioselective Allyl Additions to N-Phosphinoylaldimines and Isatins A new catalytic protocol for the enantioselective addition of organoborates to imines and carbonyls is described. This novel method, which does not require transition metals utilizes a modular and easily accessed aminophenol to dictate the stereochemistry of the products. Allyl-additions to N-phosphinoylaldimines and isatins, as well as allenyl-additions to isatins are studied and literature relevant to these transformations is discussed. Additionally, two separate methods for obtaining "crotyl-type" addition products to aldimines; one requiring α-chiral allylboronates and the other requiring a zinc-alkoxide, are discussed. Studies to elucidate the mechanism of this catalytic protocol are also contained in this chapter. Chapter Two Enantioselective Additions to Fluorinated Ketones: A Platform for Studying the Interaction Between Organofluorine and a Small Molecule Utilizing the new protocol discussed in Chapter One, allyl- and allenyl-groups are added enantioselectively to ketones containing a fluorinated substituent. Myriad tertiary alcohols are synthesized, demonstrating the value of this method. This study also allows for examining how organofluorine containing compounds bind to other organic molecules, which is a current topic of intense interest in the field of medicinal chemistry. Mechanistic studies support the idea that, in many cases, the fluorine of the substrate is electrostatically attracted to the ammonium-ion in the catalyst. Chapter Three Enantioselective Additions of Organoboronates to Ketones and Alphaketoesters Promoted by an Aminophenol Containing Catalyst Modification of the aminophenol disclosed in Chapter One allows for increased enantioselectivity for the allyl-addition to both simple ketones (such as acetophenone) and alphaketoesters. For simple ketones, a critical component of the optimal catalyst is replacing the tert-butyl group ortho to the phenol with the sterically large triphenylsilyl group. For alphaketoesters, this tert-butyl group was replaced with the sterically smaller metyl group. Rationale for why these contradictory changes in the catalyst structure lead to higher enantioselectivity for reactions with these two classes of ketones is discussed. Chapter Four Ag-Catalyzed Enantioselective Vinylogous Mannich Reactions of γ-Substituted Siloxyfurans with Aldimines A previously disclosed Ag-catalyzed enantioselective vinylogous Mannich reaction (EVM) with α-, β-, and unsubstituted siloxyfurans is extended to include γ-substituted siloxyfurans. This method, which generates a tertiary stereogenic center concurrent with an adjacent to a quaternary stereogenic center, requires a rarely used 2-thiomethylaniline N-protecting group for the aldimines. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Described in this thesis is the isolation of two microorganisms containing a nitrile hydratase and amidase to effect the enantioselective hydrolysis of a-substituted nitriles to their corresponding amides and acids. Isolate NP3854 was identified as an atypical Rhodococcus sp. The nitrile hydratase proved to be non-selective for all the substrates tested. However, carboxylic acids with excellent enantiomeric excess were obtained from a large number of amides. X R~CN H nitr-il-e--h-y-d-r.a~tase ~X amidas.e RH CONH2 X R~"""CO H H 2 Optically active acids with an enantiomeric excess of, generally, >98 %, were obtained when X = NH2, Me and Cl, but proved to be racemic for OH and Br. R could be a variety of aromatic, cyclic and acyclic alkyl residues without adversely affecting the enantioselectivity. The pH-activity profile was determined for the amidase of NP3854 using propionamide as the substrate. From this data, coupled with inhibition studies, it may ,.tentatively be suggested that the amidase has a histidine residue in the active site, which may act as a general base for a serine amino acid. The pH-activity profile was determined for 2-amino-2-phenylacetamide 2b, and this suggested that the unprotonated form of the amine acted as the substrate. Within a pH range of 3 - 9 the enantiomeric excess remains high (>98 %) and experimentally invariant. The amidase was found to have a temperature optimum of 60°C and could tolerate 20 % THF with a loss of only 15 % activity. Attempts made to hydrolyse 4,5,6-amino nitriles and amides to the corresponding amino acids and isolate any reaction intermediates failed. This was presumed to be due to the large fraction of the unprotonated amine due to the higher pKa (- 9 - 10).

No description available.