Organocatalytic Stereoselective α‐Alkylation of Aldehydes with Stable Carbocations

The organocatalytic stereoselective alkylation of aldehydes is carried out with the four stable carbocations 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 in the presence of a catalytic amount (20 mol%) of MacMillan imidazolidinones 5 , 6 . In all reactions, lutidine was used as a base. The alkylation reactions are investigated at different temperatures with linear and branched aldehydes. In the case of carbocation tropylium fluoroborate, an interesting reversal of alkylation product configuration was observed, which is driven by entropic effects in the reaction. The absolute configuration of the products obtained is determined by chemical correlation and found to be in general agreement with the model proposed by MacMillan to justify the stereoselectivity obtained in the reactions promoted by catalysts of type 5 , 6 .     

α-Alkyl-α-aminosilanes: Synthesis via Alkylation and Hydrosilylation

The readily available aminomethylsilanes can be utilized to prepare the less available α-alkyl-α-aminosilanes. Versatile t-butoxy-carbonal (Boc) derivatives can be metalated between nitrogen and silicon, and then alkylated by an electrophile at this position. Two alternative procedures were also developed, including an aza-reverse-Brook rearrangement of metalated N-silylcarbamates and hydrosilylation of N-alkenylcarbamates. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Catalytic Asymmetric α‐Benzylation of Aldehydes

The first aminocatalyzed α‐alkylation of α‐branched aldehydes with benzyl bromides as alkylating agents has been developed. Using a sterically demanding proline derived catalyst, racemic α‐branched aldehydes are reacted with alkylating agents in a DYKAT process to give the corresponding α‐alkylated aldehydes with quaternary stereogenic centers in good yields and high enantioselectivities.     

A Novel Synthesis of γ,δ‐Unsaturated Aldehydes from α‐Formyl‐γ‐lactones

A preparatively useful one‐step transformation of γ,γ‐disubstituted α‐formyl‐γ‐lactones into trisubstituted γ,δ‐unsaturated aldehydes is described, by means of catalytic amounts of either AcOH or AcOEt in the vapor phase over a glass support. A mechanistic rationale is proposed.     

Polymer-Attached Thiazolium Salts-Catalyzed Addition of Aldehydes to α, β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds

A homogeneous catalyst, 3-benzyl-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazolium chloride, for addition of aldehydes to activated double bond, was attached to 20% cross-linked polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. The attached catalysts could be easily removed from the reaction mixture. Polymer-attached thiazolium salts in the presence of triethylamine are active catalysts for addition of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to α,β-unsaturated ketones to yield γ-diketones.     

A Novel Organocatalytic Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes

α,β‐Unsaturated aldehydes reacted with diimide (diazene) in the presence of optically active ammonium salt 1 as a catalyst to give the corresponding saturated aldehydes in excellent yields and up to 98 : 2 er. Attractive features of the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation are its high yields, and chemo‐, and enantioselectivities.     

Chiral Auxiliary Based Reductive Alkylation of α,α‐Diallkyl β‐Phosphonyl Esters

Acyclic α,α‐disubstituted β‐phosphonyl esters containing chiral alcoholic auxiliaries were efficiently prepared and evaluated for the lithium naphthalenide‐mediated asymmetric reductive alkylation. Among which, the best diastereoselectivity was received from the substrates bearing a (?)‐phenylmenthyl group in leading to alkylated esters with up to 83:17 dr. The diastereoselectivity is proven to be controlled by the π‐facial differentiation created by the chiral ester as well as the geometry of tetrasubstituted enolates generated by the reductive cleavage of C‐P bond.     

Synthesis of Functionalized α‐Vinyl Aldehydes from Enaminones

An efficient Rh^II‐catalyzed synthesis of functionalized α‐vinyl aldehydes with high E/Z stereoselectivity was developed. The reaction mediates the cyclopropanation of enaminones with vinyl carbenoids that are generated from cyclopropenes in situ to give the aminocyclopropane intermediates. Selective C?C bond cleavage of the cyclopropane intermediates leads to formation of α‐vinyl aldehyde derivatives with high E/Z selectivity. This method proceeds at room temperature under very mild reaction conditions and works with a broad substrate scope.     

Secondary Amine‐Catalyzed Asymmetric γ‐Alkylation of α‐Branched Enals via Dienamine Activation

The direct and enantioselective γ‐alkylation of α‐substituted α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes proceeding under dienamine catalysis is described. We have found that the Seebach modification of the diphenyl‐prolinol silyl ether catalyst in combination with saccharin as an acidic additive promotes an S_N1 alkylation pathway, while ensuring complete γ‐site selectivity and a high stereocontrol. Theoretical and spectroscopic investigations have provided insights into the conformational behavior of the covalent dienamine intermediate derived from the condensation of 2‐methylpent‐2‐enal and the chiral amine. Implications for the mechanism of stereoinduction are discussed.     

Enantioselective Rhodium‐Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation of β,γ‐Unsaturated α‐Amino Nitriles: Synthetic Homoenolate Equivalents

An enantioselective rhodium‐catalyzed allylic alkylation of β,γ‐unsaturated α‐amino nitriles is described. This protocol provides a novel approach for the construction of β‐stereogenic carbonyl derivatives via the catalytic asymmetric alkylation of a homoenolate equivalent. The particularly challenging nature of this transformation is highlighted by the fact that three modes of selectivity must be manipulated, namely regio‐ and enantioselectivity, in addition to geometrical control. The γ‐stereogenic cyanoenamine products can be readily hydrolyzed in situ to afford the β‐substituted carboxylic acids, which in turn provide expedient access to a number of related carbonyl derivatives. Additionally, control experiments indicate that the chiral rhodium‐allyl intermediate facilitates the selective formation of the E‐cyanoenamine products, which is critical since the Z‐isomer affords significantly lower enantiocontrol.