A tandem non-aldol aldol Mukaiyama aldol reaction

[reaction: see text] A new one-pot tandem aldol process is described in which a secondary epoxy silyl ether is converted into the 1,5-bis-silyloxy-3-alkanone in good yield. Thus, treatment of the epoxy silyl ether 8 with TBSOTf and base affords the silyl enol ether 9 via non-aldol aldol rearrangement and addition of benzaldehyde and TBSOTf gives the ketone 10 with 4:1 syn selectivity. The diastereoselectivity changes to an anti preference for most aldehydes. This anti selectivity overwhelms the normal Felkin-Ahn preference; namely, the 1,5-anti isomer predominates even when it is anti-Felkin-Ahn.     

Titanium enolates of thiazolidinethione chiral auxiliaries: versatile tools for asymmetric aldol additions

[formula: see text] Asymmetric aldol additions using chlorotitanium enolates of thiazolidinethione propionates proceed with high diastereoselectivity for the "Evans" or "non-Evans" syn product depending on the nature and amount of the base used. With (-)-sparteine as the base, selectivities of 97:3 to > 99:1 were obtained for the Evans syn products with 2 equivalents of base and for the non-Evans syn when 1 equiv of base was employed. The thiazolidinethione auxiliaries are easily removed, and the aldol adducts can be readily transformed to various functional groups. Even direct reduction to the aldehyde with diisobutylaluminum hydride is possible.     

Asymmetric aldol additions: use of titanium tetrachloride and (-)-sparteine for the soft enolization of N-acyl oxazolidinones, oxazolidinethiones, and thiazolidinethiones.

Asymmetric aldol additions using chlorotitanium enolates of N-acyloxazolidinone, oxazolidinethione, and thiazolidinethione propionates proceed with high diastereoselectivity for the Evans or non-Evans syn product depending on the nature and amount of the base used. With 1 equiv of titanium tetrachloride and 2 equiv of (-)-sparteine as the base or 1 equiv of (-)-sparteine and 1 equiv of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, selectivities of 97:3 to > 99:1 were obtained for the Evans syn aldol products using N-propionyl oxazolidinones, oxazolidinethiones, and thiazolidinethiones. The non-Evans syn aldol adducts are available with the oxazolidinethione and thiazolidinethiones by altering the Lewis acid/amine base ratios. The change in facial selectivity in the aldol additions is proposed to be a result of switching of mechanistic pathways between chelated and nonchelated transition states. The auxiliaries can be reductively removed or cleaved by nucleophilic acyl substitution. Iterative aldol sequences with high diastereoselectivity can also be accomplished.     

Diastereoselective aldol additions of chiral beta-hydroxy ethyl ketone enolates catalyzed by Lewis bases

The trichlorosilyl enolates derived from chiral ethyl ketones bearing a beta-hydroxyl group and an alpha-stereogenic center were employed in the phosphoramide-catalyzed aldol reaction. The addition of Z-enolates to achiral aldehydes produced aldol products in good yields and high syn relative diastereoselectivities. The internal diastereoselectivity is controlled by the catalyst configuration, allowing for selective formation of either syn diastereomer. [reaction: see text]     

Enolization of chiral alpha-silyloxy ketones with dicyclohexylchloroborane. Application to stereoselective aldol reactions

[reaction: see text]Comprehensive analysis of the enolization of alpha-silyloxyketones by Chx2BCl/R3N has allowed us to design stereoselective Chx2BCl-mediated aldol processes that afford syn or anti aldol products and to disclose a hypothesis that accounts for the subtle effects that determine their enolization.     

Scope of the reductive aldol reaction: application to aromatic carbocycles and heterocycles

The reductive aldol reaction of electron deficient aromatic compounds has been investigated and found to be a viable method for carbon-carbon bond formation. Reductions under ammonia and ammonia-free conditions were both capable of facilitating the aldol reaction although the latter showed more scope for reaction with enolisable aldehydes. Moreover, reduction under ammonia-free conditions allowed the addition of Lewis acids which improved stereoselectivity to favour the anti stereoisomer. Production of the syn diastereoisomer was possible through either one of two different protocols performed after partial reduction was complete. While the main emphasis of this paper concerns the reductive aldol reaction of electron deficient pyrroles, it was also shown that both benzenoid and furan aromatic compounds were amenable to such reducing conditions.     

Alkylation, aldol, and related reactions of O-alkanoyl- and 2-alkenoylTEMPOs (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl): insight into the reactivity of their anionic species in comparison with esters and amides

The lithium anionic species generated from O-alkanoylTEMPOs upon treatment with LDA were first employed as a nucleophile for alkylation, Michael addition, direct aldol reaction, and others. The alkylation occurred smoothly at the methylene carbon, and no alkylation was found in the isobutyryl analogue, while silylation was scarcely attainable. Substitutions of the heteroatom were achieved by reaction with PhSSPh and DEAD. The reactivity of these anionic species is successfully extended to aldol reactions in which moderate anti or syn selectivity was executed with propionyl derivatives. Tandem Michael addition of lithium amide followed by aldol reaction was performed on the O-crotonoylTEMPOs.     

Copolymer-supported heterogeneous organocatalyst for asymmetric aldol addition in aqueous medium

In the current study, a convenient and simple way is presented to synthesize a novel type of supported heterogeneous organocatalyst in 21-81% yield by the copolymerization of 9-amino-9-deoxy-epi-cinchonine organocatalyst with acrylonitrile using AIBN as radical initiator. The chemical compositions (x/y) and weight-average molecular weights of copolymers 1a-d were determined by (1)H NMR and GPC analysis respectively. Their porous and layered structure, and surface morphology were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption, XRD and TEM. In the asymmetric aldol addition of p-nitrobenzaldehyde to cyclohexanone and 1-hydroxy-2-propanone in water, all the supported organocatalysts 1a-d afforded excellent isolated yields (90.2-94.7%) and stereoselectivities (96.8-97.8%ee anti, anti/syn = 91/9). The highest catalytic property (96% yield, anti/syn = 90/10 and 99%ee anti) in water as the sole solvent was achieved under the optimized conditions. Compared with cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone and acetone showed the less desired enantioselectivities in the same aldol reactions. At the end of the aldol reaction, the copolymer-supported organocatalyst 1a was readily recovered in 95-98% yield from reaction mixture by simple filtration using an organic membrane. Even in the fifth run, there was no significant loss in catalytic activity and stereocontrol (94.3% yield, 97.2%ee anti, anti/syn = 90/10). After continuous reuse five times, there was some drop in catalytic activity and stereoselectivity.     

Unexpected syn hydride migration in the non-aldol aldol reaction

[structure: see text] Non-aldol aldol rearrangement of the epoxy silyl ether 13b afforded the expected anti methyl ketone 14, while the diastereomeric epoxy silyl ether 13a afforded the syn methyl ketone 8b via an unprecedented syn hydride migration. Calculations suggest that this unusual reaction proceeds via the carbocation, which cannot easily rotate due to steric hindrance.     

An exceptionally mild catalytic thioester aldol reaction inspired by polyketide biosynthesis

This report details our discovery of a new catalytic ester aldol reaction using malonic acid half thioesters (MAHTs) that directly affords beta-hydroxythioesters. The reaction is catalyzed by combination of a Cu(II) salt and an amine base, and it can be performed under exceptionally mild conditions (23 degrees C, open to the air, wet solvent). Methyl malonic acid half thioesters afforded syn aldol products with distereoselectivities greater than 6:1.     

Anti and syn glycolate aldol reactions with a readily displaced thiol auxiliary

The TBDPS protected glycolate derivative of thiol auxiliary 1 is readily prepared (3 steps, 80% overall yield) and has been shown to give excellent anti:syn selectivity (>97:3) and high facial selectivity (88:12 to 97:3) in glycolate aldol reactions with a range of aldehydes (75-87% isolated yield major diastereomer). In contrast, its benzyl protected counterpart displays more versatility with respect to the generation of either anti or syn glycolate aldol adducts, but only modest facial selectivity. The thiol auxiliary has been shown to be readily displaced under mild conditions to give alcohol and ester derivatives of the glycolate aldol adducts.     

Anti-selective aldol reactions with titanium enolates of N-glycolyloxazolidinethiones

[reaction: see text] A highly diastereoselective anti aldol addition utilizing a variety of N-glycolyloxazolidinethiones has been developed. Enolization of an N-glycolyloxazolidinethione with titanium (IV) chloride and (-)-sparteine followed by addition of an aldehyde activated with additional TiCl(4) resulted in highly anti-selective aldol additions, typically with no observable syn isomers. Allyl-protected glycolates demonstrated the highest levels of selection and yields, although O-benzyl and O-methyl glycolyloxazolidinethiones also performed well.     

A solution to the cyclic aldol problem

[formula: see text] A protocol for achieving stereoselective aldol reactions with cyclic ketones is presented. In terms of yield, the process is particularly effective when a quaternary center at the alpha-carbon of the beta-hydroxy ketone product is created. The stereochemical outcome, anti or syn, is achieved by the Lewis acid-mediated ring expansion of stereochemically homogeneous epoxides in a reaction related to the pinacol rearrangement.     

Stereoselective aldol condensations via alkenyloxy dialkoxyboranes: synthetic applications using thioesters

A detailed Investigation of the enolization of phenyl thiopropionate with ethylenechloroboronate (ECB) and diisopropylethylamine (DPEA) and the subsequent aldol condensations of these enolates was conducted. Alkenyloxy dialkoxyboranes derived from thioesters were found to be stereoconvergent: both Z and E enolates give syn aldol condensation products. The thioester additions to chiral aldehydes were studied. Internal selectivity (syn) was usually very high, while the relative stereoselectivity ranged from poor to good, depending on the specific aldehyde used. The aldol products were transformed to known compounds for correlation.     

Hydrophobic substituent effects on proline catalysis of aldol reactions in water

Derivatives of 4-hydroxyproline with a series of hydrophobic groups in well-defined orientations have been tested as catalysts for the aldol reactions. All of the modified proline catalysts carry out the intermolecular aldol reaction in water and provide high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. Modified prolines with aromatic groups syn to the carboxylic acid are better catalysts than those with small hydrophobic groups (1a is 43.5 times faster than 1f). Quantum mechanical calculations provide transition structures, TS-1a(water) and TS-1f(water), that support the hypothesis that a stabilizing hydrophobic interaction occurs with 1a.     

Diastereoselective aldol reaction of zincated 3-chloro-3-methyl-1-azaallylic anions as key step in the synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted 3-chloroazetidines

Zincated 3-chloro-3-methyl-1-azaallylic anions undergo a stereoselective aldol addition across aromatic aldehydes and subsequent mesylation to produce syn α-chloro-β-mesyloxyketimines, which were isolated in 80-84% yield and high diastereomeric excess (dr > 97/3) after purification via flash chromatography. The syn α-chloro-β-mesyloxyketimines were further stereoselectively reduced to give stereochemically defined 3-aminopropyl mesylates, which were cyclized to 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted 3-chloroazetidines containing three contiguous stereogenic centers. DFT calculations on the key aldol addition revealed the presence of a highly ordered bimetallic six-membered twist-boat-like transition state structure with a tetra-coordinated metal cyclic structure. DFT calculations revealed that chelation of both zinc and lithium cations in the transition state structure leads to the experimentally observed high syn diastereoselectivity of aldol reactions.     

Synthesis of the C(1)-C(12) segment of peloruside A by an alpha-benzyloxymethyl ketone aldol strategy

The C(1)-C(12) segment of 16-membered antitumor macrolide peloruside A has been prepared by a BF(3).OEt(2)-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol reaction between a glucose-derived C(1)-C(7) aldehyde and a C(8)-C(12) alpha-benzyloxymethyl ketone. Exclusive 2,3-anti and moderate 3,5-anti/syn facial selectivity (3.5:1) was observed in the aldol reaction. The key C(1)-C(7) aldehyde contains the required stereochemistry at carbons two, three, and five, and has been efficiently prepared on multigram scales from commercial triacetyl D-glucal. [reaction: see text]     

Toward the development of a structurally novel class of chiral auxiliaries. Conformational properties of the aldol adducts of oxadiazinones: observation of unusual shielding effects

Asymmetric aldol reactions were conducted with the titanium enolate of N(3)-hydrocinnamoyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-1,3,4-oxadiazin-2-one to afford aldol adducts 5a-j. The dominant product of the asymmetric aldol reaction was the non-Evans syn adduct as determined by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. When evaluating the (1)H NMR spectra of adducts 5a-j, a highly shielded signal with an average chemical shift of 0.05 ppm was observed. This signal was readily determined to be the C(5)-methyl group of the oxadiazinone. It is presumed that the overall conformation adopted by the aldol adducts in solution places an aromatic ring of the N(3)-substituent in close proximity to the C(5)-methyl group. An investigation of this conformational preference is conducted employing (1)H NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and computational methods.     

Primary amine catalyzed aldol reaction of isatins and acetaldehyde

Several cinchona alkaloid-derived chiral primary amines were applied as the catalyst for the cross aldol reaction of isatins with acetaldehyde. With the quinine-derived amine catalyst 3, the desired aldol products were obtained in high yields and good enantioselectivities (up to 93% ee) under the optimized conditions. Although other enolizable aldehydes and ketones may also be applied in this reaction, the ee values obtained are usually low. A mechanism was proposed to account for the formation of the major enantiomer in this reaction.     

Reductive aldol coupling of divinyl ketones via rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation: syn-diastereoselective construction of beta-hydroxyenones

Catalytic hydrogenation of divinyl ketones 1a and 1e in the presence of diverse aldehydes 2a-e at ambient temperature and pressure using cationic rhodium catalysts ligated by tri-2-furyl phosphine enables formation of aldol products 3a-e and 5a-e, respectively, with high levels of syn diastereoselection. Through an assay of counterions (Rh(COD)2X), Rh(COD)2SbF6 is identified as the optimum precatalyst for reductive aldol couplings of this type. For para-substituted styryl vinyl ketones 1b-e, a progressive increase in isolated yield is observed for electron-releasing para substituents. [reaction: see text].