A novel approach is reported for the enantioselective flow synthesis of rolipram comprising a telescoped asymmetric conjugate addition−oxidative aldehyde esterification sequence followed by trichlorosilane-mediated nitro group reduction and concomitant lactamization. The telescoped process takes advantage of a polystyrenesupported chiral organocatalyst along with in situ-generated persulfuric acid as a robust and scalable oxidant for direct aldehyde esterification. This approach demonstrates significantly improved productivity compared with earlier methodologies while ensuring environmentally benign metal-free conditions.
Enantioselective Flow Synthesis of Rolipram Enabled by a Telescoped Asymmetric Conjugate Addition−Oxidative Aldehyde Esterification Sequence Using in Situ-Generated Persulfuric Acid as Oxidant
Org. Lett. 2022, 24, 1066-1071, DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c04300.