<p>The ability of amino acids to form nucleophilic enamines with aldehydes and ketones has been used in the development of asymmetric <i>α</i>-oxidation reactions with electrophilic oxidizing agents. Singlet molecular oxygen has for the first time been asymmetrically incorporated into aldehydes and ketones, and the products were isolated as their corresponding diols in good yields and <i>ee</i>’s. Organocatalytic <i>α</i>-oxidations of cyclic ketones with iodosobenzene and <i>N</i>-sulfonyloxaziridine were also possible and furnished after reduction the product diols in generally low yields and in low to good <i>ee</i>’s. Amino acids have also been shown to catalyze the formation of carbohydrates by sequential aldol reactions. For example, proline and hydroxy proline mediate a highly selective trimerisation of <i>α</i>-benzyloxyacetaldehyde into allose, which was obtained in >99 % <i>ee</i>. Non linear effect studies of this reaction revealed the largest permanent nonlinear effect observed in a proline-catalyzed reaction to date. Moreover, polyketides were also assembled in a similar fashion by an amino acid-catalyzed one-pot reaction, and was successful for the trimerisation of propionaldehyde, however the sequential cross aldol reactions suffered from lower selectivities. This problem was overcome by the development of a two-step synthesis that enabled the formation of a range of polyketides with excellent selectivities from a variety of aldehydes. The method furnishes the polyketides via the shortest route reported and in comparable product yields to most multi-step synthesis. All polyketides were isolated as single diastereomers with >99 % <i>ee</i>. Based on the observed amino acid-catalysis, amino acids are thought to have taken part in the prebiotic formation of tetroses and hexoses.</p>

The ability of amino acids to form nucleophilic enamines with aldehydes and ketones has been used in the development of asymmetric α-oxidation reactions with electrophilic oxidizing agents. Singlet molecular oxygen has for the first time been asymmetrically incorporated into aldehydes and ketones, and the products were isolated as their corresponding diols in good yields and ee’s. Organocatalytic α-oxidations of cyclic ketones with iodosobenzene and N-sulfonyloxaziridine were also possible and furnished after reduction the product diols in generally low yields and in low to good ee’s. Amino acids have also been shown to catalyze the formation of carbohydrates by sequential aldol reactions. For example, proline and hydroxy proline mediate a highly selective trimerisation of α-benzyloxyacetaldehyde into allose, which was obtained in &gt;99 % ee. Non linear effect studies of this reaction revealed the largest permanent nonlinear effect observed in a proline-catalyzed reaction to date. Moreover, polyketides were also assembled in a similar fashion by an amino acid-catalyzed one-pot reaction, and was successful for the trimerisation of propionaldehyde, however the sequential cross aldol reactions suffered from lower selectivities. This problem was overcome by the development of a two-step synthesis that enabled the formation of a range of polyketides with excellent selectivities from a variety of aldehydes. The method furnishes the polyketides via the shortest route reported and in comparable product yields to most multi-step synthesis. All polyketides were isolated as single diastereomers with &gt;99 % ee. Based on the observed amino acid-catalysis, amino acids are thought to have taken part in the prebiotic formation of tetroses and hexoses.

Comme le naphtalène a récemment émergé comme un socle fondamental en chimie médicinale, le développement de méthodologies menant à des plateformes fonctionnalisées basées sur du naphtalène est devenu un centre d’intérêt majeur de la communauté scientifique. En effet, des conditions expérimentales optimisées sur le benzène ou d’autre noyaux aromatiques ne peuvent pas toujours être transposées au naphtalène. Ces dernières peuvent parfois conduire à des résultats différents, possiblement dû à l’aromaticité plus faible de ce bicycle aromatique.Dans ce contexte, cette thèse s’articule autour du naphtalène et de ses dérivés. Des méthodes variées permettant une fonctionnalisation sélective de différentes positions de cette plateforme, ainsi que des stratégies de synthèses d’architectures polycycliques ont été développées.Notre attention s’est ensuite portée sur des précurseurs du naphtalène, en particulier sur les tetralones. En utilisant une méthode basée sur l’utilisation d’un groupe directeur éphémère, la position 8 de ce bicycle a été arylée, et les différents composés ainsi obtenus ont pu être convertis en d’autre plateformes polycycliques. En complément, des calculs DFT ont permis d’expliquer la régiosélectivité observée lors de la synthèse de fluorenones étendues, et d’étudier le mécanisme d’arylation dirigée des tetralones. / Because naphthalene has recently emerged as a fundamental platform in medicinal chemistry, the development of methodologies leading to diversely functionalised naphthalene-based platforms has become a prime concern of the scientific community. Indeed, experimental conditions previously optimised for benzene and other aromatic rings cannot always be applied to naphthalene. These methods can sometimes lead to different results, as a consequence of the lower aromaticity of the naphthalene core.In this context, this thesis is dedicated to the naphthalene and its derivatives. Various methods to selectively functionalise the different positions of the naphthalene core and synthetic pathways to extended polycyclic architectures were developed.Next, we focused on naphthalene precursors, especially on tetralones. Using a strategy involving a transient directing group, the position 8 of these bicycles was successfully arylated and the resulting compounds were successfully converted into other polycyclic platforms. In addition, DFT calculation have been used to explain the regioselectivity observed during the synthesis of extended fluorenones, and to study the mechanism of directed arylation of tetralones.