Kevin S. Williamson

Bio: Kevin S. Williamson is an academic researcher from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The author has contributed to research in topics: Regioselectivity & Oxazoline. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 8 publications receiving 340 citations.

Iron-catalyzed aminohydroxylation of olefins.

Abstract: We have discovered that N-sulfonyl oxaziridines react with a broad range of olefins in the presence of iron salts to afford 1,3-oxazolidines. This process provides access to 1,2-aminoalcohols with the opposite sense of regioselectivity produced from the copper-catalyzed oxyamination previously reported by our laboratories. Thus, either regioisomeric form of 1,2-aminoalcohols can easily be obtained from the reaction of oxaziridines with olefins, and the sense of regioselectivity can be controlled by the appropriate choice of inexpensive, nontoxic, first-row transition-metal catalyst.

Iron Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxyamination of Olefins

Abstract: The regioselective and enantioselective oxyamination of alkenes with N-sulfonyl oxaziridines is catalyzed by a novel iron(II) bis(oxazoline) complex. This process affords oxazolidine products that can be easily manipulated to yield highly enantioenriched free amino alcohols. The regioselectivity of this process is complementary to that obtained from the analogous copper(II)-catalyzed reaction. Thus, both regioisomers of enantioenriched 1,2-aminoalcohols can be obtained using oxaziridine-mediated oxyamination reactions, and the overall sense of regiochemistry can be controlled using the appropriate choice of inexpensive first-row transition metal catalyst.

Iron-Catalyzed Aminohydroxylation of Olefins

Abstract: We have discovered that N-sulfonyl oxaziridines react with a broad range of olefins in the presence of iron salts to afford 1,3-oxazolidines. This process provides access to 1,2-aminoalcohols with the opposite sense of regioselectivity produced from the copper-catalyzed oxyamination previously reported by our laboratories. Thus, either regioisomeric form of 1,2-aminoalcohols can easily be obtained from the reaction of oxaziridines with olefins, and the sense of regioselectivity can be controlled by the appropriate choice of inexpensive, nontoxic, first-row transition-metal catalyst.

Oxaziridine-Mediated Enantioselective Aminohydroxylation of Styrenes Catalyzed by Copper(II) Bis(oxazoline) Complexes.

Abstract: We report an oxaziridine-mediated enantioselective aminohydroxylation of olefins catalyzed by a chiral copper(II) bis(oxazoline) complex. A variety of styrenic olefins undergo efficient aminohydroxylation with excellent regioselectivity and synthetically useful levels of enantioselectivty (up to 84% ee). The reaction can be conducted on multi-gram scale with as little as 2 mol% of the copper(II) catalyst. Hydrolysis of the resulting 1,3-oxazolines under acidic conditions produces N-sulfonyl amino alcohols that can be purified by recrystallization to afford very high levels of enantioselectivity.

New Strategies for the Transition-Metal Catalyzed Synthesis of Aliphatic Amines.

Abstract: Transition-metal catalyzed reactions that are able to construct complex aliphatic amines from simple, readily available feedstocks have become a cornerstone of modern synthetic organic chemistry. I...

Recent advances in copper-catalysed radical-involved asymmetric 1,2-difunctionalization of alkenes

Abstract: The radical-involved 1,2-difunctionalization of alkenes has developed into a robust tool for preparation of complex organic molecules. Despite significant advances in this area, the catalytic asymmetric version still remains a challenging task mainly due to the difficulty in the stereocontrol of the highly reactive radical intermediates. Recently, owing to the good single-electron transfer ability and coordination with chiral ligands of copper catalysts, remarkable achievements in radical-involved asymmetric alkene difunctionalization have been made via synergistic combination of copper and chiral ligands. This tutorial review highlights the recent progress in copper-catalysed radical-involved asymmetric 1,2-difunctionalization of alkenes and the mechanistic scenarios governing the stereocontrol, with an emphasis on utilization of chiral ligands.