Hypercoordinate iodine for catalytic asymmetric diamination of styrene: insights into the mechanism, role of solvent, and stereoinduction

Hypercoordinate iodine has evolved as an impressive class of catalysts for various organic transformations. Extension of this idea to asymmetric applications, such as in the asymmetric difunctionalization of styrene or its derivatives, constitutes an important reaction. In this study, the mechanism and origin of stereoinduction in styrene diamination, with a sulfonimide (HNMs2) as the diaminating agent and iodoresorcinol based chiral hypercoordinate iodine ((iPr)2N(CO)-CH(Me)-O)2ArI) as the catalyst, is investigated using density functional theory calculations. The energetically preferred catalytic pathway has been found to involve, among other steps, two very important mechanistic events: (a) the formation of a catalyst-substrate complex by the action of styrene on the catalyst ArI(NMs2)2, resulting in the displacement of one of the imidates (NMs2¯); and (b) a rebound of the departed imidate on the iodine-bound styrene to form an iodonium ion intermediate with a N-C bond. Explicit interaction of the imidate ion with hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), used as a solvent additive, lowers the barrier for the formation of the iodonium ion. The P helical fold of the chiral arms of the iodoresorcinol catalyst is found to offer the chiral environment for the reactants. Coordination of iodine catalyst to the styrene double bond is found to render the benzylic carbon more electrophilic and hence makes it the preferred site for the nucleophilic addition. In the chiral environment of the catalyst, an enhanced polarization of the styrene double bond is noticed when the double bond coordinates through the si prochiral face than the re face. Nucleophilic addition on the si face of the catalyst-substrate complex is associated with a lower activation barrier leading to the experimentally observed S enantiomeric product. The stereoselective model developed in this study can be employed to related asymmetric styrene difunctionalizations using similar hypercoordinate iodine catalysts.