Synfacts 2009(2): 0207-0207  
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1087593
Organo- and Biocatalysis
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

Chiral Brønsted Acid-Base Pyridinium Disulfonate Catalysts

Contributor(s):Benjamin List, Frank Lay
M. Hatano, T. Maki, K. Moriyama, M. Arinobe, K. Ishihara*
Nagoya University, Japan
Pyridinium 1,1′-Binaphthyl-2,2′-disulfonates as Highly Effective Chiral Brønsted Acid-Base Combined Salt Catalysts for Enantioselective Mannich-Type Reaction
J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2008,  130:  16858-16860  
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
22 January 2009 (online)


Significance

By combining chiral disulfonic acid 1 and achiral 2,6-diphenylpyridine the authors obtain tailor-made Brønsted acid-base organocatalysts for a direct Mannich-type reaction. Excellent yields and enantioselectivities were achieved with this concept.

Comment

The authors use an original and elegant strategy for high enantioinduction in comparison to the generally applied strategy of substitution at the 3,3′-positions with bulky substituents in analogous binaphthyl phosphoric acid catalysts (e.g., see: Akiyama et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 1566). By forming a salt of chiral disulfonic acid 1, which has been tested earlier as organocatalyst by List and co-workers (Chem. Asian J. 2008, 3, 430; Adv. Synth. Catal. 2008, 350, 962), and bulky pyridines, the authors circumvent the often tedious synthesis of the 3,3′-substituted derivatives. On the other hand, the acidity is reduced this way and therefore the substrate scope might be limited to easily activated compounds.