Indium-catalyzed coupling reaction between silyl enolates and alkyl chlorides or alkyl ethers

The coupling reactions of alkyl chlorides with silyl enolates catalyzed by InBr₃, and the coupling reactions of alkyl ethers with silyl enolates catalyzed by the combined Lewis acid of InBr₃/Me₃SiBr are described. In both reaction systems, various types of silyl enolates were used to give corresponding α-alkylated esters, ketones, carboxylic acids, amides, thioesters, and aldehydes.     

InCl3/Me3SiBr-catalyzed direct coupling between silyl ethers and enol acetates

A combined Lewis acid catalyst of InCl(3) and Me(3)SiBr promoted the direct use of enol acetates in the coupling with low-reactive silyl ethers, in which functional groups including ketones and aldehydes survived. Sterically hindered silyl ethers such as ROSiEt(3), ROSiPh(3), ROSit-BuMe(2), and ROSii-Pr(3) were also applicable.     

BF3-promoted cyclization reaction of imines and salicylaldehyde with silyl enol ethers: unexpected formation of dioxaspiro compounds

Unexpected spiro cyclic products were formed from the reaction of imines and salicylaldehyde with silyl enol ethers in the presence of BF₃·OEt₂. Different kinds of dioxaspiro products were afforded depending on the nature of starting materials. Furthermore, salicylaldehyde could also react directly with several silyl enol ethers, giving three products with different spiro cyclic structure under the same reaction conditions.     

Coupling Reaction of Enol Derivatives with Silyl Ketene Acetals Catalyzed by Gallium Trihalides

A cross‐coupling reaction between enol derivatives and silyl ketene acetals catalyzed by GaBr₃ took place to give the corresponding α‐alkenyl esters. GaBr₃ showed the most effective catalytic ability, whereas other metal salts such as BF₃?OEt₂, AlCl₃, PdCl₂, and lanthanide triflates were not effective. Various types of enol ethers and vinyl carboxylates as enol derivatives are amenable to this coupling. The scope of the reaction with silyl ketene acetals was also broad. We successfully observed an alkylgallium intermediate by using NMR spectroscopy, suggesting a mechanism involving anti‐carbogallation among GaBr₃, an enol derivative, and a silyl ketene acetal, followed by syn‐β‐alkoxy elimination from the alkylgallium. Based on kinetic studies, the turnover‐limiting step of the reaction using a vinyl ether and a vinyl carboxylate involved syn‐β‐alkoxy elimination and anti‐carbogallation, respectively. Therefore, the leaving group had a significant effect on the progress of the reaction. Theoretical calculations analysis suggest that the moderate Lewis acidity of gallium would contribute to a flexible conformational change of the alkylgallium intermediate and to the cleavage of the carbon?oxygen bond in the β‐alkoxy elimination process, which is the turnover‐limiting step in the reaction between a vinyl ether and a silyl ketene acetal.     

Chiral Zinc(II)‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Tandem α‐Alkenyl Addition/Proton Shift Reaction of Silyl Enol Ethers with Ketimines

A new catalytic asymmetric tandem α‐alkenyl addition/proton shift reaction of silyl enol ethers with ketimines was serendipitously discovered in the presence of chiral N,N′‐dioxide/Zn^II complexes. The proton shift preferentially proceeded instead of a silyl shift after α‐alkenyl addition of silyl enol ether to the ketimine. A wide range of β‐amino silyl enol ethers were synthesized in high yields with good to excellent ee values. Control experiments suggest that the Mukaiyama–Mannich reaction and tandem α‐alkenyl addition/proton shift reaction are competitive reactions in the current catalytic system. The obtained β‐amino silyl enol ethers were easily transformed into β‐fluoroamines containing two vicinal tetrasubstituted carbon centers.     

A novel synthesis of silyl enol ethers from α-silylbenzylthiols and carboxylic acid derivatives via C---C bond formation; thermal rearrangement of S-α-silylbenzyl thioesters

A new procedure for the synthesis of silyl enol ethers from S-α-silylbenzyl thioesters without need for either bases or catalysts via C---C bond formation is described. Solutions of S-α-silylbenzyl thioesters were simply heated at 180°C for 24 h in a sealed tube to give silyl enol ethers in good yields with high stereoselectivity. Cyclization of the dipoles generated by thermal rearrangement of the silyl group and elimination of sulfur afforded silyl enol ethers.     

Nickel‐Catalyzed CO2 Rearrangement of Enol Metal Carbonates for the Efficient Synthesis of β‐Ketocarboxylic Acids

4‐Methylene‐1,3‐dioxolan‐2‐ones underwent oxidative addition of a Ni⁰ catalyst in the presence of Me₂Al(OMe), followed by a coupling reaction with alkynes, to form δ,ϵ‐unsaturated β‐ketocarboxylic acids with high regio‐ and stereoselectivity. The reaction proceeds by [1,3] rearrangement of an enol metal carbonate intermediate and the formal reinsertion of CO₂.     

Synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans via an efficient BiBr3-initiated three component, one-pot cascade

The rapid synthesis of cis-2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans is achieved in a three-component, one-pot cascade reaction. BiBr₃-mediated addition of ketene silyl acetals or silyl enol ethers to β,γ-unsaturated cis-4-trimethylsilyl-3-butenal provides a Mukaiyama aldol adduct containing a vinylsilane moiety tethered to a silyl ether. Addition of a second aldehyde initiates a domino sequence involving intermolecular addition followed by an intramolecular silyl-modified Sakurai (ISMS) reaction. Isolated yields of this one-pot reaction vary from 44 to 80% and all compounds were isolated as the cis-diastereomers (10 examples).     

Zn-mediated rhodium-catalyzed α-trifluoromethylation of ketones via silyl enol ethers

The treatment of silyl enol ethers of ketones with CF₃-I and Et₂Zn in the presence of RhCl(PPh₃)₃ in DME gave α-trifluoromethyl ketones in good yields. The reaction can be widely applicable to silyl enol ethers derived from aliphatic or aromatic ketones. In the absence of the rhodium catalyst, the reaction was very slow and the yields were quite poor.     

Synthesis of 7-hydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones based on a ‘[3+3] cyclization/domino retro-Michael-aldol-lactonization’ strategy

The TiCl₄-mediated [3+3] cyclization of 2,4-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)penta-1,3-diene with 3-silyloxyalk-2-en-1-ones afforded 2-acetylphenols, which were transformed into functionalized chromones. The Me₃SiOTf-mediated condensation of the latter with 1,3-bis(silyl enol ethers) and subsequent domino ‘retro-Michael-aldol-lactonization’ reaction afforded 7-hydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones.     

Cationic iridium complex is a new and efficient Lewis acid catalyst for aldol and Mannich reactions

A cationic iridium complex [Ir(cod)₂]SbF₆ was found to be a new and efficient Lewis acid catalyst for Mukaiyama aldol and Mannich reactions. Aldehydes react smoothly with silyl enol ethers to give β-siloxy ketones in the presence of 0.5 mol % of [Ir(cod)₂]SbF₆. The reaction of N-alkyl arylaldimines with ketene silyl acetals in the presence of 5 mol % [Ir(cod)₂]SbF₆/P(OPh)₃ gave β-amino esters. After Mannich reaction was complete, stirring of the reaction mixture for 24 h led to cyclization to give β-lactam. The reaction of N-aryl benzaldimine with silyl enol ether derived from acetophenone gave a tetrahydroquinoline derivative as a single diastereomer.     

Vanadium‐Catalyzed Solvent‐Free Synthesis of Quaternary α‐Trifluoromethyl Nitriles by Electrophilic Trifluoromethylation

The direct electrophilic trifluoromethylation of silyl ketene imines (SKIs) with hypervalent iodine reagents leads to the formation of quaternary α‐trifluoromethyl nitriles in good yields. This new reaction has been carried out with a variety of substituted SKIs under solvent‐free conditions using a vanadium(IV) catalyst (5 mol %). The corresponding products may be transformed into useful organofluorine building blocks.     

Mesoporous aluminosilicate-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol reaction of aldehydes and acetals

A mesoporous aluminosilicate (Al-MCM-41) was found to be an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the reaction of both aldehydes and acetals with silyl enol ethers or ketene silyl acetals to give the corresponding aldol adducts in moderate to high yields. The remarkable high catalytic activity of Al-MCM-41 over amorphous silica-alumina and aluminum-free mesoporous silicate was observed in the reaction. The solid acid catalyst could be recovered easily by filtration and the recovered catalyst was reusable in the same reactions without a significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Functionalization of the Methyl Ketone Fragment in 1-[(1S,3R)-2,2-Dimethyl-3-(2-methoxymethyloxyethyl)cyclopropyl]-2-propanone

Deprotonation of 1-[(1S,3R)-2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methoxymethyloxyethyl)cyclopropyl]-2-propanone with lithium diisopropylamide in THF at -78°C and subsequent treatment of the resulting enolate with Me₃SiCl yielded mainly the corresponding terminal silyl enol ether. The condensation of intermediate enolate with benzaldehyde regioselectively afforded a mixture of the corresponding aldol and its dehydration product. The reactions of the title ketone with NBS, as well as of the silyl enol ethers derived therefrom with I₂, led to formation of mixtures of products via opening of the cyclopropane ring.     

A Photochemical Organocatalytic Strategy for the α‐Alkylation of Ketones by using Radicals

Reported herein is a visible‐light‐mediated radical approach to the α‐alkylation of ketones. This method exploits the ability of a nucleophilic organocatalyst to generate radicals upon S_N2‐based activation of alkyl halides and blue light irradiation. The resulting open‐shell intermediates are then intercepted by weakly nucleophilic silyl enol ethers, which would be unable to directly attack the alkyl halides through a traditional two‐electron path. The mild reaction conditions allowed functionalization of the α position of ketones with functional groups that are not compatible with classical anionic strategies. In addition, the redox‐neutral nature of this process makes it compatible with a cinchona‐based primary amine catalyst, which was used to develop a rare example of enantioselective organocatalytic radical α‐alkylation of ketones.     

Synthetic Studies on and Mechanistic Insight into [W(CO)5(L)]‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Construction of Functionalized Bicyclo[5.3.0]decane Frameworks

Stereoselective preparation of a variety of synthetically useful functionalized bicyclo[5.3.0]decane derivatives was achieved by tandem cyclization of 3‐siloxy‐1,3,9‐triene‐7‐yne derivatives based on the electrophilic activation of alkynes catalyzed by [W(CO)₅(L)]. The reaction proceeded smoothly under photoirradiation, and various substrates were cyclized to give the corresponding bicyclic compounds with up to four chiral centers stereospecifically. Reactions of siloxydienes with a silyl substituent as an equivalent of a hydroxyl group also proceeded with wide generality to afford silyl‐substituted bicyclo[5.3.0]decanes, which were highly useful as synthetic intermediates. Stereochemical studies concerning the silyl enol ether moiety suggested that two types of reaction pathway for the formation of seven‐membered rings were present. The reaction of (Z)‐enol silyl ethers proceeded through Cope rearrangement of cis‐divinylcyclopropane intermediates, and that of (E)‐enol silyl ethers by 1,4‐addition of the dienyl tungsten species at the position δ to the metal atom. In the reactions of siloxydiene derivatives with silyl substituents, all possible diastereomers could be synthesized stereoselectively by changing the geometry of the silyl enol ether and enyne moieties.     

Dimethylzinc‐Initiated Radical Coupling of β‐Bromostyrenes with Ethers and Amines

A new coupling reaction has been developed in which β‐bromostyrenes react with ethers and tertiary amines to introduce the styryl group in the α‐position. The transformation is mediated by Me₂Zn/O₂ with 10 % MnCl₂ and is believed to proceed by a radical addition–elimination mechanism. The ether and the amine are employed as solvent and the coupling takes place through the most stable α radical for unsymmetrical substrates. The products are obtained in moderate to good yields as the pure E isomers. The coupling can be achieved with a range of smaller cyclic and acyclic ethers/amines as well as various substituted β‐bromostyrenes.     

Direct Oxidation of β‐Aryl Substituted Aldehydes to α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes Promoted by an o‐Anisidine–Pd(OAc)2 Co‐catalyst

An o‐anisidine‐Pd(OAc)₂ catalytic system for the direct co‐catalytic Saegusa oxidation of β‐aryl substituted aldehydes to α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes has been developed. The use of o‐anisidine in place of (S)‐diphenylprolinol made the process more simply and cost‐effective. The process not only features the use of unmodified aldehydes rather than enol silyl ethers, but also gives moderate to good yields (44–72 %).     

A Chiral N,N′‐Dioxide–ZnII Complex Catalyzes the Enantioselective [2+2] Cycloaddition of Alkynones with Cyclic Enol Silyl Ethers

A highly efficient enantioselective [2+2] cycloaddition between alkynones and cyclic enol silyl ethers was developed by using a chiral N,N′‐dioxide‐zinc(II) complex as a catalyst. This method functions well for a variety of terminal alkynes as well as cyclic enol silyl ethers, with good to excellent enantioselectivity (up to 97 % ee). This is also the first successful example for the catalytic enantioselective [2+2] cycloaddition of internal alkynes with cyclic enol silyl ethers to give fully substituted cyclobutenes. Meanwhile, the desired cyclobutene product can easily be transformed into fused cyclobutane derivatives.     

Lewis Acid Induced α-Alkylation of Carbonyl Compounds

Carbonyl compounds undergo α-alkylation via the corresponding silyl enol ethers using S_N1 active alkyl halides or acetates in the presence of Lewis acids. This methodology extends the scope of carbonyl chemistry considerably, since S_N1 active alkylating agents are generally base sensitive and therefore unsuitable for reactions with enolate anions or nitrogen analogs. A prime example is the α-tert-alkylation of aldehydes, ketones and esters.