Nickel(0)-Catalyzed Enantio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Benzoxasiloles: Ligand-Controlled Switching from Inter- to Intramolecular Aryl-Transfer Process

A highly enantioselective synthesis of 3-aryl-, vinyl-, and alkynyl-2,1-benzoxasiloles (up to 99.9% ee and 99% yield) was achieved via the sequential activation of an aldehyde and a silane by nickel(0). This strategy was applied to a simultaneous generation of carbon- and silicon-stereogenic centers with excellent selectivity (dr = 99:1) via diastereotopic aryl transfer. Initial mechanistic studies revealed the complete switching of an aryl-transfer process from an intermolecular (racemic synthesis in the presence of IPr) to an intramolecular (enantioselective synthesis using chiral NHC, L5) fashion. A plausible rationale for the switching of the aryl-transfer process is given by a preliminary DFT calculation, which suggests that the coordination of 1 to the nickel(0)/L5 fragment in an eta(2)-arene:eta(2)-aldehyde fashion would be a key to the intramolecular process, while the formation of the corresponding intermediate is not possible in the presence of IPr. Owing to the chemically labile nature of its C-Si and O-Si bonds, enantioenriched benzoxasiloles are utilized for the synthesis of chiral building blocks and antihistaminic and anticholinergic drug molecules such as (R)-orphenadrine and (S)-neobenodine with no erosion of the enantiomeric excess.