Dynamic Kinetic Control Enables Nickel-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent C(sp <sup>3</sup> )–O Coupling
The enantioselective formation of C(sp<sup>3</sup>)-O bonds from racemic alkyl electrophiles is a longstanding challenge in asymmetric catalysis. Here, we introduce a nickel(II)-catalyzed enantioconvergent S<sub>N</sub>2 alkylation of racemic secondary alkyl halides with hydroxamic acids that exploits halide-driven substrate racemization under a dynamic kinetic resolution pathway. The reaction proceeds under mild, air- and moisture-tolerant conditions, tolerates diverse electrophiles, and delivers enantioenriched hydroxamates with high selectivity. Gram-scale synthesis and downstream derivatizations highlight the utility of this protocol, enabling concise access to the Rho-pathway inhibitor (<i>S</i>)-CCG-1423 and a key intermediate for the γ-secretase inhibitor LY411575. This strategy establishes a general platform for late-stage, stereoselective C-O bond formation and provides a versatile route to oxygen-containing motifs relevant to bioactive molecules and drug discovery.
Authors
- Xiaoying Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4210-3510)
- Yuli He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0279-5647)
- Hequan Yao
- Jinze Du
- Yue Wang
- Siming Xie
Institutions
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Published
- 2025-12-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c18000
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Catalytic C–H Functionalization Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.94