Volume 64, Issue 30 e202508944
Research Article

HFIP-Promoted E-selective Asymmetric Crotylboration of Quaternary α-Silyl Crotylboronate with Aldehydes

Ruiqi Tong

Ruiqi Tong

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Yan Zhang

Yan Zhang

Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 China

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Shiyang Liu

Shiyang Liu

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Jiahui Gao

Jiahui Gao

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Liying Huang

Liying Huang

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Yi Li

Yi Li

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Li Fu

Li Fu

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Dr. Wanshu Wang

Dr. Wanshu Wang

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Prof. Dr. Lu Gao

Prof. Dr. Lu Gao

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

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Prof. Dr. Zhishan Su

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Zhishan Su

Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 China

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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Prof. Dr. Zhenlei Song

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Zhenlei Song

Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced, Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

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First published: 19 May 2025

Graphical Abstract

Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)—a polar alcoholic solvent that has been underutilized in allylboration—enables otherwise challenging (E)-selective crotylboration of enantioenriched quaternary α-silyl crotylboronates with aldehydes. HFIP's strong hydrogen bonding effect increases the Lewis acidity of the boron center and the steric effect of Bpin, resulting in high yields and (E)-selectivity.

Abstract

Polyketide synthesis consistently requires the development of linchpin-type allylboron reagents, such as α-silyl crotylboronates. Traditionally, these reagents feature α-tertiary substitution and are used in aprotic solvents, typically yielding homoallylic alcohols with disubstituted (Z)-vinylsilanes. Here, we report the asymmetric synthesis of enantioenriched quaternary α-silyl crotylboronates via stereospecific allylic Matteson homologation. We further demonstrate that hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)—a polar alcoholic solvent that has been underutilized in allylboration—not only enhances reaction reactivity but also overrides the typical (Z)-selectivity, enabling access to the otherwise challenging (E)-selective products. The method enables the rapid construction of (E)-anti-2,4-dimethylpent-3-en-1-oxy motif, a structural unit frequently found in polyketides, and allows the protecting-group-free synthesis of PM050463. DFT calculations suggest that HFIP's strong hydrogen bonding effect increases the Lewis acidity of the boron center and the steric effect of Bpin, resulting in high yields and (E)-selectivity.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information of this article.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.