Ring Opening of Aziridines by Pendant Silanols Allows for Stereospecific Preparations of 1'-Amino-tetrahydrofurans.

We have developed a highly stereospecific cyclization of aziridine silanols into 1'-amino-tetrahydrofurans. Our protocol of stirring a substrate with 10 mol % Sc (OTf) 3 and 1 equivalent of NaHCO 3 in CH 2 Cl 2 is mild and compatible with a range of activating aziridine N -substituents (including tosylates, mesylates, and carbamates) and functional groups on the alkyl chains (including substituted aryl rings, alkyl bromides, and alkyl ethers). In all cases examined, trans di-substituted aziridine silanols give products with an erythro configuration; conversely, cis di-substituted aziridine silanols give products with a threo configuration. While literature syntheses of 1'-amino-tetrahydrofurans exist, only one example, contemporaneous with our work, uses a similar cyclization for their construction. Control experiments demonstrate that, for this transformation, the silanol is not particularly privileged, and a variety of protecting groups on the alcohol (including other silicon protecting groups, benzyl ethers, and MOM ethers) are compatible with product formation.