Thesis advisor: Kian L. Tan / Utilization of directing groups in a general and efficient manner for highly regioselective hydroformylation of 1,1-disubstituted olefins. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Part A: Synthesis of 5- and 6-Membered Camphor-Based Hydrazides as Organocatalysts for Cycloaddition Reactions The favorable environmental and reactivity qualities of organocatalysts are contributing to the popularization of this method for the acceleration of enantioselective reactions. Research in our group has been focused on the synthesis of camphor-derived hydrazide based organocatalysts for enantioselective cycloaddition processes. Recent results suggest that the presence of an exocyclic electron withdrawing group on the hydrazide moiety, as well as the incorporation of the hydrazide moiety into a 6-membered ring, may have a beneficial effect on the kinetics of the catalysts. A variety of camphor-based cyclic hydrazides have been synthesized and tested in Diels-Alder reactions, varying both the ring size and placement of the electron withdrawing group. Part B: Synthesis of Isocampholenic Acids by the Rearrangement of Camphor Derivatives A variety of substituted isocampholenic acid derivatives have been prepared by rearrangement of the camphor skeleton of a variety of tertiary alcohols derived from ketopinic acid. The reaction is highly reliable and retains the stereochemical information from the camphor scaffold. This rearrangement represents an efficient way to prepare synthetically useful isocampholenic acids. Mechanistic experiments show that the rearrangement does not involve exogenous water and that a short-lived carbocation is implicated in the reaction. Part C: Diastereoselective Formation of Quaternary Centers from Stereodefined Trisubstituted Alkenes Previous work in our laboratory has focused on the preparation of single-isomer tri- and tetra-substituted olefins. This methodology has been used in the construction of a variety of alkenyl esters in good to excellent yields. These alkenyl esters could then be transformed into the corresponding 3,3-disubstituted allyl boronates in a stereocontrolled fashion. There are a limited number of methods available to prepare single isomer 3,3-disubstituted allyl boronates, which can be important precursors in the stereoselective preparation of all-carbon quaternary centers. Our methodology has therefore been applied to the construction of single isomer 3,3-disubstituted allyl boronates and subsequently used in the stereoselective generation of all-carbon quaternary centers by the reaction of these allyl boronates with aldehydes.

Marine ascidian metabolite perophoramidine has since its isolation in 2002 attracted the interest of several research groups. The complex polycyclic structure with vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters and two amidine functionalities constitutes a formidable synthetic challenge. In this project a new synthetic approach to dehalogenated perophoramidine has been investigated. The vicinal quaternary carbon stereocenters were introduced via a samarium mediated reductive dialkylation, in which the stereochemistry was determined by the metal chelate that formed, as outlined below. Several of the steps suggested in the synthetic approach have been successfully evaluated. Future work is needed to assess the remaining steps of the suggested route to dehalogenated perophoramidine.

La découverte des activités cytotoxiques impressionnantes des subérosanes, des sesquiterpènes d’origine marine isolées dès 1996 de la gorgone Subergorgia suberosa, ainsi que leurs structures tricycliques complexes possédant jusqu’à cinq centre stéréogènes contigus dont un centre quaternaire central, ont fait de ces molécules des cibles de choix tant pour les acteurs de la chimie médicinale que pour ceux travaillant dans le domaine de la synthèse totale. Enfin, une molécule d’origine synthétique « simplifiée » de cette famille, la nor-subérosénone, a également montré des activités cytotoxiques remarquables. Les quantités disponibles de ces produits d’intérêt pharmacologique étant infimes dans le milieu marin, notre équipe s’est intéressée précédemment à la synthèse et à l’évaluation biologique de plusieurs représentants de cette famille de produits naturels et de leurs antipodes permettant de décrire leurs configurations absolues ainsi qu’aux nor-subérosénone et nor-subérosanone d’origine synthétique. L’étape clef de ces synthèses faisant appel à une réaction de Michael asymétrique utilisant un inducteur chiral stœchiométrique peu onéreux et disponible sous ses deux formes antipodales a permis d’obtenir pour la première fois, en version énantiosélective, plusieurs représentants de cette famille de façon concise. Nous décrivons dans ce manuscrit comment nous sommes passés d’une telle réaction de Michael « stœchiométrique » à un processus organocatalysé asymétrique impliquant un système catalytique qui après développement s’est montré efficace et peu coûteux permettant de réduire encore le nombre d’étapes de ces synthèses et d'accroitre l'économie d'atomes, vers une chimie plus respectueuse de l’environnement. Les améliorations apportées aux synthèses précédemment réalisées au sein de notre équipe, et notamment à une cyclisation originale catalysée au triflate d’argent, ont permis de réaliser les synthèses par la voie « stœchiométrique » de nor-subérosanes avec une grande efficacité. La (+)-nor-subérosénone a été obtenue en vingt étapes et 19.29% de rendement global (vs dix-neuf étapes et 4.65% de rendement global précédemment) et la (±)-nor-subérosanone en dix-neuf étapes et 25.06% de rendement global (vs dix-huit étapes et 8.85% de rendement global précédemment). Le succès de la voie organocatalysée a enfin permis de synthétiser la (+)-nor-subérosénone en dix-huit étapes et 19.76% de rendement global (vs dix-neuf étapes et 4.65% de rendement global). Nous avons enfin ouvert la voie à la synthèse potentielle d’épimères des subérosanes via une mise au point de l’addition organocatalysée de Michael de cétone cycliques alpha-méthylées sur les maleimides. Divers maléimides se sont avérés être des électrophiles appropriés dans ce processus, délivrant principalement les adduits attendus portant la stéréodiade centre quaternaire-centre tertiaire adjacents avec des rendements modérés à excellents (39 à 94%) et des énantiosélectivités bonnes à excellentes (75 à 99% ee) dans des conditions réactionnelles faisant intervenir l’activation par les micro-ondes. Des conditions réactionnelles ont été optimisées pour réduire au maximum les diastéréomères et les régioisomères correspondants ainsi que les produits secondaires d’aza-Michael. Ce travail s’inscrit dans le domaine plus vaste et très compétitif de la formation organocatalysée énantiosélective, en une seule étape, d’enchaînement de centre stéréogènes carbonés quaternaire et tertiaire. / The discovery of the impressive cytotoxic activities of the subterranean, sesquiterpenes of marine origin isolated in 1996 from the gorgon Subergorgia suberosa, as well as their complex tricyclic structures with up to five contiguous stereogenic centers including a central quaternary center, made these molecules choice targets for both those involved in medicinal chemistry and those working in the field of total synthesis. Finally, a molecule of "simplified" synthetic origin of this family, nor-suzerenone, has also shown remarkable cytotoxic activities. As the quantities available for these products of pharmacological interest are minimal in the marine environment, our team was interested previously in the synthesis and the biological evaluation of several representatives of this family of natural products and their antipodes allowing to describe their absolute configurations as well as nor-suzerenone and nor-suerosanone of synthetic origin. The key step in these syntheses, using an asymmetric Michael reaction using a low-cost stoichiometric chiral inducer available in its two antipodal forms, made it possible to obtain for the first time, in enantioselective version, several representatives of this family in a way that concisely. We describe in this manuscript how we went from such a "stoichiometric" Michael reaction to an asymmetric organocatalytic process involving a catalytic system that after development proved effective and inexpensive enough to further reduce the number of stages of these syntheses and to increase the economy of atoms, towards a chemistry more respectful of the environment. The improvements made to syntheses previously carried out within our team, and in particular to an original cyclization catalyzed with silver triflate, made it possible to synthesize by the "stoichiometric" way of nor-subterraneans with a great efficiency. (+) - nor-suzerenone was obtained in twenty steps and 19.29% overall yield (vs nineteen stages and 4.65% overall yield previously) and the (±) -nor-suerosanone in nineteen stages and 25.06 % overall return (vs eighteen steps and 8.85% overall return previously). The success of the organocatalyzed route eventually allowed to synthesize (+)-nor-suberosenone in eighteen stages and 19.76% overall yield (vs nineteen stages and 4.65% overall yield). Finally, we have opened the way for the potential synthesis of epimers of suberosanes via a development of organocatalyzed Michael addition reaction of alpha-methylated cyclic ketones to maleimides. Various maleimides have been shown to be suitable electrophiles in this process, mainly delivering the expected adducts carrying the adjacent tertiary center-tertiary center stereodiade in moderate to excellent yields (39 to 94%) and good to excellent enantioselectivities (75 to 99% ee) under reaction conditions involving activation by microwaves. Reaction conditions were optimized to minimize corresponding diastereomers and regioisomers as well as aza-Michael by-products. This work is part of the larger and highly competitive field of one-step enantioselective organocatalyst formation of quaternary and tertiary carbon-based stereogenic centers.

This thesis deals with the synthesis of polycyclic compounds using tandem cyclisation/Suzuki cross-coupling, by modification of the method developed by our research group. This thesis mainly investigates the scope of the tandem reaction with aliphatic boronic acids or their esters. The products of the palladium catalyzed reaction then underwent electrocyclization to form an aromatic ring. The polycyclic skeleton, containing the aromatic core, is found in a considerable amount of natural substances with biological activity. The structure of the compounds prepared herein is similar to miltiorin D or commiphorane A.

La synthèse asymétrique organo-catalysée est un domaine de recherche en pleine expansion visant une chimie plus verte. Nous nous sommes intéressés au développement d’une réaction de Michael asymétrique organocatalysée en mettant à profit la catalyse par liaison hydrogène et l’activation énamine afin de contrôler en une seule étape la formation d’adduits portant un centre carboné quaternaire à partir de cétones non activées. Ainsi, nous avons développé des organocatalyseurs bifonctionnels de type squaramide qui ont permis d’obtenir les adduits de Michael attendu à partir de cycloalcanones alpha-substituées avec une bonne énantiosélectivité et une grande régiosélectivité dans un processus sous micro-ondes et sans solvant. Nous avons développé de nouveaux systèmes catalytiques sur la base du motif squaramide qui sont simples, efficaces et opérationnels. Nous avons étudié également l'utilité de nos systèmes organocatalytiques dans d'autres transformations comme la polymérisation verte. Afin de réduire l'utilisation de métaux toxiques pour produire des polymères bien définis sans trace de métaux et d'importance environnementale ou médicale, nous avons également étudié comment nos organo-catalyseurs de type squaramide pourraient contrôler la polymérisation verte par ouverture de cycle. Les systèmes organocatalytiques basés sur des squaramides étaient également applicables à la polymerisation par ouverture de cycle afin de donner des polylactides de dispersité étroite et de masses moléculaires contrôlées. / Organocatalyzed asymmetric synthesis is a growing and rapidly expanding research field for a greener chemistry. In this respect, we were interested in developing an organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction taking advantage of H-bond catalysis and enamine activation allowing control of quaternary carbon center from unactivated ketones. Hence compared with well-known H-bond donor urea and thiourea organocatalysts, we first propose bifunctional squaramide organocatalysts for the one-pot transformation of unsymmetrical ketones to produce Michael adducts exhibiting a stereocontrolled quaternary carbon center in a neat microwave process. We also developped new catalytic systems based on the squaramide motive that are efficient and operationnaly simple, and produce Michael adducts in a good regioselectivity with an excellent enantio-selectivity. We also studied the usefulness of our systems in other transformations like green polymerization. In order to reduce the use of toxic metals to produce metal-free and well-defined polymers of environmental and medical significance, we also studied how our squaramide organocatalysts could control the green ring opening polymerization (ROP.The squaramide organocatalyst-based systems were also applicable to ROP to give polylactides of narrow dispersity and controlled molecular masses.