Access to Vinyl Ethers and Ketones with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents as Oxy‐Allyl Cation Synthetic Equivalents

We report an Umpolung strategy of enol ethers to generate oxy‐allyl cation equivalents based on the use of hypervalent iodine reagents. Under mild basic conditions, the addition of nucleophiles to aryloxy‐substituted vinylbenziodoxolone (VBX) reagents, easily available in two steps from silyl alkynes, resulted in the stereoselective formation of substituted aryl enol ethers. The reaction was most efficient with phenols as nucleophiles, but preliminary results were also achieved for C‐ and N‐ nucleophiles. In absence of external nucleophiles, the 2‐iodobenzoate group of the reagent was transferred. The obtained aryl enol ethers could then be transformed into α‐difunctionalized ketones by oxidation. The described “allyl cation”‐like reactivity contrast with the well‐established “vinyl‐cation” behavior of alkenyl iodonium salts.     

Three-component coupling based on the "cation pool" method

Sequential one-pot three-component coupling reactions have been developed based on the "cation pool" method. An N-acyliminium ion generated by the "cation pool" method adds to an electron-rich carbon-carbon double bond, such as enamine derivatives and vinyl sulfides, to form the second "cation pool". The addition of nucleophiles such as allylsilanes, enol silyl ethers, Grignard reagents, and organoaluminum compounds led to the formation of the corresponding three-component coupling products.     

Flexible Stereoselective Functionalizations of Ketones through Umpolung with Hypervalent Iodine Reagents

The functionalization of carbonyl compounds in the α‐position has gathered much attention as a synthetic route because of the wide biological importance of such products. Through polarity reversal, or “umpolung”, we show here that typical nucleophiles, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and even carbon nucleophiles, can be used for addition reactions after tethering them to enol ethers. Our findings allow novel retrosynthetic planning and rapid assembly of structures previously accessible only by multistep sequences.     

Direct and indirect electrochemical generation of alkoxycarbenium ion pools from thioacetals

Thioacetals were found to be effective precursors to generate and accumulate alkoxycarbenium ions based on direct and indirect cation pool methods. Alkoxycarbenium ions thus generated reacted with carbon nucleophiles such as allylsilanes and enol silyl ethers to give C-C bond formation products in good yields.     

Intramolecular construction of trifluoromethyl group by the palladium-catalyzed reaction of 2,3,3-trifluoroallylic carbonates with O-nucleophiles

The synthesis of the trifluoromethyl group containing enol ethers by the palladium-catalyzed intermolecular reaction of 2,3,3-trifluoroallylic carbonates with oxygen nucleophiles was accomplished. The reaction proceeds through the intermolecular attack of oxygen nucleophiles on the C-2 carbon atom of the allylic unit, and the intramolecular fluorine atom shift from the C-2 position to the C-3 position. The reactions with several types of alcohols and phenols proceeded smoothly, and afforded the corresponding trifluoromethyl group containing enol ethers in good to high yields.     

A novel alpha-arylation of ketones,aldehydes, and esters via a photoinduced SN1 reaction through 4-aminophenyl cations

4-Aminophenyl cations (expediently generated by photolysis of 4-chloroaniline and its N,N-dimethyl derivative by photolysis in MeCN) added to enamines and gave the corresponding alpha-(4-aminophenyl) ketones in satisfactory yields. The yields of the same ketones were increased when silyl enol ethers were used in the place of enamines. The alpha-arylation of silyl enol ethers of aldehydes occurred with lower yields and only with the N,N-dimethyl derivative. The procedure was successful with ketene silyl acetals giving in a single step a good yield of alpha-(4-aminophenyl)propionic(acetic) esters, known intermediates for the preparation of analgesic compounds. The reaction of the aryl cation with Danishefsky's diene gave the arylated beta-methoxy enone. The method is complementary to the recently developed palladium-catalyzed alpha-arylation and occurs under neutral conditions.     

Recent applications of N-sulfonyloxaziridines (Davis oxaziridines) in organic synthesis

N-Sulfonyloxaziridines are the most commonly used oxaziridines in organic synthesis. Most applications of these stable, commercially available reagents involve the stereo- and regioselective oxidation of nucleophiles which have found many applications in the synthesis of architecturally complex molecules. In addition, these oxaziridines have been used in cycloaddition reactions (oxyamination), epoxidation of alkenes, silyl enol ethers and enamines, as well as C-H oxidation and amination reactions. The object of this review is to highlight recent applications of N-sulfonyloxaziridines in organic synthesis.     

Synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction/singlet oxygen ene reaction

An efficient synthetic method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-arylacrylic esters from the corresponding aryl methyl ketones via Wittig reaction and singlet oxygen ene reaction. Wittig reaction to aryl methyl ketones with (methoxymethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride in basic condition afforded the methyl enol ethers, and then 2-arylacrylic esters were obtained by singlet oxygen ene reaction, followed by tosylation and elimination in one-pot to the methyl enol ethers in good yields.     

Efficient and recyclable solid acid-catalyzed alkylation of active methylene compound via oxonium intermediate for atom economical synthesis of organic compounds

In the present work, we report the catalytic reaction of active methylene compounds with cyclic enol ethers and aryl acetals through oxonium intermediate under solvent-free conditions using heterogeneous solid acid catalysts. Among studied solid acid catalysts, Amberlyst-15 gave excellent yields (35–85%) of alkylated products. The catalyst showed broader substrate scope, and a recyclable catalytic cost-efficient approach of the alkylation was examined on the different types of cyclic enol ethers and aryl acetal.

     

Heck reactions of 2-substituted enol ethers with aryl bromides catalysed by a tetraphosphine/palladium complex

cis,cis,cis-1,2,3,4-Tetrakis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)cyclopentane/[PdCl(C₃H₅)]₂ efficiently catalyses the Heck reaction of β-substituted enol ethers with aryl bromides. Employing β-methoxystyrene, 3-ethoxyacrylonitrile or methyl 3-methoxyacrylate, the regioselective α-arylation of these enol ethers was observed in all cases, and mixtures of Z and E isomers were generally obtained, which in many cases yielded a single ketone product after acid treatment. The stereoselectivity of this reaction depends on steric and electronic factors, and better stereoselectivities in favour of Z isomers were observed with electron-rich or sterically congested aryl bromides. Better yields were obtained for this reaction with electron-rich or sterically congested aryl bromides than with electron-poor aryl bromides. This observation suggests that with these β-substituted enol ethers the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle is not the oxidative addition of the aryl bromide to the palladium complex.     

Cyclooctanone synthesis via a formal [6+2] cycloaddition reaction of a dicobalt acetylene complex

An efficient formal [6+2] cycloaddition reaction of a new six-carbon unit with enol silyl ether was developed on the basis of a dicobalt hexacarbonyl propargyl cation species. Under the influence of EtAlCl₂, 6-benzoyloxy-2-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-1-hexen-4-yne-dicobalthexacarbonyl reacted with enol triisopropylsilyl ethers to yield 7-(triisopropylsilyloxy)-3-cyclooctyn-1-one-dicobalthexacarbonyl derivatives in good yield. The reactions with cyclic enol silyl ethers as well as acyclic enol silyl ethers exhibited remarkably high diastereoselectivity.     

Diastereoselective additions of nucleophiles to alpha-acetoxy ethers using the alpha-(trimethylsilyl)benzyl auxiliary

We report the diastereoselective addition of a variety of nucleophiles to alpha-(trimethylsilyl)benzyl-substituted oxocarbenium ions. The oxocarbenium ions are generated from alpha-acetoxy ethers, which are easily prepared via reductive acetylation of esters. The alpha-(trimethylsilyl)benzyl auxiliary produces good to excellent facial selectivity with a variety of nucleophiles, including silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals, allylsilanes, and crotylsilanes. The utility of this auxiliary is further demonstrated in a complex ketone aldol coupling reaction. [reaction: see text]     

Structure-reactivity relationships in oxidative carbon-carbon bond forming reactions: a mild and efficient approach to stereoselective syntheses of 2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrones

Homobenzylic ethers with pendent enol acetate nucleophiles undergo highly efficient cleavage reactions followed by 6-endo cyclizations to form 2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrones with excellent stereocontrol at room temperature in the presence of the mild oxidant ceric ammonium nitrate. Cyclizations proceed through either stabilized or nonstabilized oxocarbenium ions. Structure-reactivity relationships are presented to provide a predictive guide for the design of radical cation cleavage processes. Unique sequences for preparing cyclization substrates based on stereoselective Lewis acid mediated acetal openings have been developed for the synthesis of complex substrates that are suitable for applications to the synthesis of biologically active natural products.     

Tandem asymmetric conjugate addition--silylation of enantiomerically enriched zinc enolates. Synthetic importance and mechanistic implications

[formula: see text] The zinc enolates, resulting from the copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of dialkyl zinc reagents to cyclic and acyclic enones, could be trapped, quantitatively, as silyl enol ethers with TMSOTf in apolar solvents or with TMSCI and NEt3. These enantiomerically enriched silyl enol ethers were submitted to four synthetic transformations to show their synthetic utility. The zinc enolates obtained from acyclic enones were found to be configurationally stable, as shown by the stereochemistry of the silyl enol ethers.     

Metal nitrite: a powerful oxidizing reagent

An efficient and simple source of nitroso reagents and their oxidation reactions are described. The combination of a Lewis acid and a metal nitrite was applied to the oxidation of silyl enol ethers. Amino acid and peptide derivatives were easily accessed through in situ C-C bond cleavage of fully substituted silyl enol ethers upon oxidation.     

Reactions of Dicarbonyl(η5-Cyclopentadienyl)Iron(II)-Complexes of Two Cyclic Enol Ethers with Selected Nucleophiles

Dicarbonyl(η⁵-cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)-complexes of 2,3-dihydrofuran and 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran rapidly react with carbanionic nucleophiles. The adducts of certain nucleophiles, such as the anion of diethyl malonate, readily isomerise to ring opened products. Ligand exchange reactions and polymerisation compete with the nucleophilic addition reactions of neutral nucleophiles such as enol ethers and indole.     

Stereoselective synthesis of cycloheptanone derivatives via an intermolecular [5 + 2] cycloaddition reaction

[reaction: see text] A [5 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of a new five-carbon unit was developed on the basis of a dicobalt hexacarbonyl propargyl cation species. Under the influence of EtAlCl(2), [5-benzoyloxy-2-(triisopropylsiloxy)-1-penten-3-yne)]dicobalt hexacarbonyl reacted with enol triisopropylsilyl ethers to yield seven-membered dicobalt acetylene complexes in good yield. The reactions with cyclic enol silyl ethers as well as acyclic enol silyl ethers exhibited remarkably high diastereoselectivity. The cycloadducts can be easily converted into various kinds of cycloheptanone derivatives.     

Alkyl Enol Ethers: Development in Intermolecular Organic Transformation

Alkyl enol ethers (AEE) are versatile synthetic intermediates with a unique reactivity pattern. This review article summarizes the synthesis of AEE as well as its reactivity and how enol ether undergoes intermolecular reactions for various bond formation, leading to the construction of several useful organic molecules. The synthetic applications of alkyl enol ethers towards intermolecular bond-forming reactions include metal-catalyzed reactions, cycloaddition and heterocycle formation as well as rwactions in the field of natural products synthesis. The achievement of these impressive transformations prove the countless synthetic potential of AEE. The main objective of this review is to bring attentiveness among synthetic chemists to show how AEE extensively can be used to react with both electrophiles as well as nucleophiles, thereby behaving as an ambiphilic reactant. We trust that the unique reactivity pattern of alkyl enol ethers and the fundamental mechanistic idea can attract chemists in AEE chemistry. Exclusively, intermolecular reactions of AEE with other functionalized moieties have not been reviewed to the best of our knowledge.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted benzofurans and indoles using functionalized titanium benzylidene reagents on solid phase

Titanium(IV) benzylidenes bearing a masked oxygen or nitrogen nucleophile in the ortho position were generated from thioacetals, using low-valent titanocene complex, Cp2Ti[P(OEt)3]2. Methylene acetal, alkyl ether, silyl ether, fluoro, tertiary amino, and N-alkyl, N-benzyl, N-prenyl, and N-silyl tert-butyl carbamate groups were tolerated in the titanium alkylidene reagents (Schrock carbenes). Aryl-chlorine bonds were stable to the titanium benzylidene functionality, but there was poor chemoselectivity for the reduction of the thioacetal in the presence of an aryl chloride. The titanium benzylidenes converted Merrifield and Wang resin-bound esters into enol ethers. The oxygen nucleophile was masked as a TMS ether, and when the resin-bound enol ethers bearing this ortho substituent were treated with 1% TFA in dichloromethane, benzofurans were released from resin in high yields. The chameleon catch strategy ensured excellent purity. In a similar way, N-alkylated and N-silylated tert-butyl carbamates were used for the synthesis of N-alkyl and N-Boc indoles, respectively. These traceless solid-phase syntheses of heterocycles are believed to involve postcleavage modification rather than cyclative termination.     

One-pot sequential Cu-catalyzed reduction and Pd-catalyzed arylation of silyl enol ethers

[reaction: see text] Enantiomerically enriched beta-substituted diphenylsilyl enol ethers, which can be prepared from Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate reduction, are utilized in the Pd-catalyzed arylation of various aryl bromides. This new method provides a simple route to alpha-arylated cycloalkanones with excellent levels of enantiomeric and diastereomeric purity. The isolation of the intermediate, diphenylsilyl enol ethers is not necessary; the procedure can be carried out in one-pot.