This thesis describes an extensive investigation of the O- to C-carboxyl transfer of oxazolyl carbonates using isothioureas as Lewis base catalysts. The structural requirements of simple bicyclic amidines and isothioureas to promote this transformation have been investigated, showing that the catalytic efficiency and product distribution of these reactions are markedly affected by the catalyst structure. The optimal isothiourea catalyst was efficiently applied to the rearrangement of a wide range of oxazolyl, benzofuranyl and indolyl carbonates. The structural motif of tetrahydropyrimidine-based isothioureas has then been evaluated in order to develop an asymmetric variant of the O- to C-carboxyl transfer of oxazolyl carbonates. A number of chiral isothioureas bearing stereodirecting groups in C(2) and/or C(3) have been synthesised and used in this rearrangement, showing that a C(2)-stereodirecting unit is essential for high enantioselectivity, with an additional C(3)-substituent increasing the reactivity. The optimal chiral C(2)-substituted isothioureas identified are general and efficient asymmetric catalysts for O- to C-carboxyl transfer of oxazolyl carbonates, generating a quaternary stereocentre with high enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee). The origin of the enantioselectivity of this process has been probed mechanistically and rationalised computationally. Having gained an insight into the structural motifs of isothioureas required to impart good catalytic activity and asymmetric induction in the O- to C-carboxyl transfer of oxazolyl carbonates, the mechanism of this reaction was probed using kinetic and mechanistic experiments. ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopic analysis allowed the evolution of product, by-product and intermediate throughout the reaction to be monitored while a number of crossover and stability experiments gave additional information about the catalytic cycle. Extension to a related system has been demonstrated with the O- to C-carboxyl transfer of furanyl carbonates, producing a mixture of α- and γ-butenolides depending on the nature of the Lewis base employed. DMAP gives a mixture of both regioisomers with a preference for the α-regioisomer, while NHCs lead predominantly to the γ-regioisomer. Chiral isothioureas have been used to promote this rearrangement, giving the major α-regioisomer with good enantioselectivity (up to 83% ee). To quantify the different reactivities observed with these isothioureas, their nucleophilicities and Lewis basicities using the stopped-flow technique have been determined. Finally, model studies toward the synthesis of the natural product calcaridine A, using the methodology developed herein, have been investigated.

Devant l’intérêt grandissant pour le développement de stratégies innovantes applicables à la synthèse de molécules complexes, notre groupe s’est orienté vers la construction de motifs présents dans un grand nombre de produits biologiquement actifs : les tétrahydropyranes (THP) et les polypropionates. Notre stratégie, basée sur la formation diastéréosélective de diols méso primaires, fait intervenir une étape inédite de désymétrisation organocatalysée par transfert d’acyle asymétrique. Cette approche permet la synthèse énantiosélective de THP pentasubstitués qui par la suite peuvent être valorisés par l’obtention de polypropionates fonctionnalisés, possédant quatre centres stéréogènes contigus. Par ailleurs, cette nouvelle méthodologie de désymétrisation donne accès à des motifs cycliques et acycliques comportant plusieurs centres stéréogènes quaternaires. Elle constitue, de plus, l’unique exemple de désymétrisation énantiosélective de diols méso primaires catalysée par une dialkylaminopyridine chirale. Bien que le transfert d’acyle asymétrique organocatalysé ait été très largement étudié depuis la fin des années 90, de nombreuses études sont en cours pour accéder à des catalyseurs plus sélectifs et plus nucléophiles. Inspiré des récents travaux de Steglich et Vedejs, notre deuxième objectif s’est porté sur la synthèse énantiosélective et modulaire d’une nouvelle famille d’organocatalyseurs chiraux plus polyvalents dérivés de la 1,6-naphtyridine. Leur application, en catalyse nucléophile, a pu être évaluée dans des réactions de dédoublement cinétique d’alcools et dans les réarrangements de Steglich. / Alongside metallocatalysis and biocatalysis, organocatalysis has emerged as a complementary and powerful tool that can circumvent limitations associated to the use of metals or enzymes. Because of the growing interest for new innovative methodologies useful for complex molecules synthesis, we get interested in the preparation of versatile building blocks present in many bioactive molecules: tetrahydropyrans (THP) and polypropionates. Based on the diastereoselective formation of primary meso diols, our strategy involves an original organocatalyzed desymmetrization of these compounds by asymmetric acyl transfer. This approach allows the enantioselective synthesis of pentasubstituted THP which were valorized through the synthesis of polypropionates bearing four consecutive stereogenic centers. In addition, this new methodology provides cyclic and acyclic scaffolds with several all carbon quaternary stereogenic centers. It represents the first example in organocatalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization by acyl transfer using a chiral dialkylaminopyridine. Although asymmetric organocatalyzed acyl transfer has been widely studied since the late 90s, several investigations are currently underway to access to new chiral nucleophilic catalysts. Following the recent work of Steglich and Vedejs, we were interested in the development of new chiral organocatalysts derived from 1,6-naphthyridine. Their applications in nucleophilic catalysis have then been evaluated in kinetic resolutions of alcohols and in asymmetric Steglich rearrangements.

No description available.

This work describes the application of a variety of Lewis bases, encompassing predominantly N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), but also the use of imidazoles, aminopyridines, amidines and isothioureas, as effective catalysts in the dearomatisation of heterocyclic carbonates, predominantly the rearrangement of oxazolyl carbonates to their C-carboxyazlactone isomers by means of the Steglich rearrangement. This rearrangement reaction has been investigated extensively, with the development of simplified reaction procedures and the invention of domino cascade protocols incorporating this transformation. In an attempt to understand the mechanism of this O- to C-carboxylation process, a number of interesting observations have been made. Firstly, the class of NHC has an important factor in promoting the rearrangement, with triazolinylidenes being the most effective. Secondly, an interesting chemoselectivity has been delineated using triazolium-derived NHCs, prepared using weak bases (typically Et₃N) or strong metallated bases; both alkyl and aryl oxazolyl carbonates undergo smooth rearrangement with triazolinylidenes derived from strong metallated bases such as KHMDS, while only aryl oxazolyl carbonates undergo rearrangement using Et₃N. Extensive effort has focused towards the development of asymmetric variants of these protocols, primarily towards the design, synthesis and evaluation of chiral NHC precatalysts. To this end, a number of chiral azolium salts have been prepared, encompassing a number of different NHC classes, including C₁- and C₂-imidazolinium salts, C₂-imidazolium salts and a range of triazolium salts. Efforts towards the asymmetric catalysis of the Steglich rearrangement of oxazolyl carbonate substrates have given an optimal 66% ee. Similar rearrangements have been demonstrated with the related furanyl heterocyclic substrate class, producing a mixture of α- and γ-carboxybutenolides. In contrast to the analogous oxazolyl carbonates, the regioselectivity of this rearrangement is dependent upon the nature of the Lewis base employed. Amidines and aminopyridines give a mixture of the α- and γ- regioisomers with generally the α-regioisomer being preferred, while a triazolium-derived NHC gives rise to predominantly the thermodynamically more stable γ-carboxybutenolide. Using amidines or aminopyridines, this rearrangement has been shown to proceed via an irreversible C-C bond-forming process, but in contrast, the rearrangement using the NHC proceeds via an equilibrium process with an optimised regioselectivity of >98:2 for the γ-carboxybutenolide regioisomer over the α-regioisomer. Whilst the asymmetric variant using chiral NHCs has proven unfruitful, rearrangements using a chiral isothiourea have given high levels of regioselectivity towards the α- regioisomer and with excellent levels of enantiodiscrimination (77–95% ee).