Regioselective and Stereoselective Copper(I)-Promoted Allylation and Conjugate Addition of N-Boc-2-lithiopyrrolidine and N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine

Copper salts have been screened for transmetalation and electrophilic quench of N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-lithiopyrrolidine (N-Boc-2-lithiopyrrolidine) and N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine, formed by deprotonation of N-Boc-pyrrolidine and N-Boc-piperidine, respectively. Transmetalation with zinc chloride then (lithium chloride solubilized) copper cyanide followed by allylation typically gives mixtures of regioisomers (SN2 and SN2′ products), whereas transmetalation with copper iodide·TMEDA then allylation occurs regioselectively (SN2 mechanism). Addition to an enone or α,β-unsaturated ester occurs by 1,4-addition. Asymmetric deprotonation of N-Boc-pyrrolidine or dynamic resolution in the presence of a chiral ligand of N-Boc-2-lithiopiperidine followed by the zinc/copper chemistry was successful and gave the allylated pyrrolidine and piperidine products with good enantioselectivity, although use of the copper iodide chemistry resulted in some loss of enantiopurity. The chemistry provides formal syntheses of (+)-allosedridine, (+)-lasubine II, and (+)-pseudohygroline and has been used for the synthesis of (+)-coniine, (−)-pelletierine, (+)-coniceine, (−)-norhygrine, and the ant extract alkaloids cis- and trans-2-butyl-5-propylpyrrolidine.