Catalyst-Controlled Regioselective Nitrosocarbonyl Aldol Reaction of Deconjugated Butenolides

Org Lett. 2020 Feb 21;22(4):1437-1441. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c00039. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Abstract

An unprecedented regiodivergent nitrosocarbonyl aldol reaction of γ-substituted deconjugated butenolides is described. While Lewis base catalyst quinidine leveraged O-selective nitrosocarbonyl aldol reaction exclusively at the γ-position of deconjugated butenolides to produce γ-aminoxylation products, Lewis acid catalyst Cu(OTf)2 steered the competitive N-selective nitrosocarbonyl aldol reaction at the β-position, resulting in heterodifunctionalized butenolides. Both processes were amenable to a broad range of substrates and scalable, while the latter one represents a rare example of one-pot hetero-β,γ-difunctionalization of butenolide scaffolds.