Scope and limitations of chiral B-

A new chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst was prepared in situ from 3, 5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenylboron dichloride and N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-(S)-tryptophan. This catalyst is much more active than Corey's original catalyst for the Mukaiyama aldol reaction of aldehydes with silyl enol ethers. The observed syn selectivities and re-face attack of silyl enol ethers on carbonyl carbon of aldehydes imply that the extended-transition state model is applicable.     

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.     

Lewis acid promoted aldol reaction of fluorinated silyl enol ethers from new fluoroacetylsilane derivatives

New fluorinated silyl enol ethers with various trialkylsilyl groups were synthesized. Various fluorinated β-hydroxy ketones were synthesized by Lewis acid promoted aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with diverse aldehydes. Reactivity of various trialkylsilyloxy groups toward Lewis acid was also studied.     

β-Nitroacrylates and silyl enol ethers as key starting materials for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized β-nitro esters and 1,2-oxazine-2-oxides

The reaction of silyl enol ethers with β-nitroacrylates, in the presence of tetrabutyl ammonium fluoride as catalyst, allows the formation of polyfunctionalized β-nitro esters, or hexahydro-4H-benzoxazine-2-oxides, depending on the nature of the starting silyl enol ethers.     

Lewis base activation of Lewis acids. Catalytic enantioselective addition of silyl enol ethers of achiral methyl ketones to aldehydes

A highly enantioselective addition of silyl enol ethers derived from simple methyl ketones is described. The catalyst system of silicon tetrachloride activated by a chiral bisphosphoramide (R,R)-7 effectively promotes the addition of a variety of unsubstituted silyl enol ethers to aromatic, olefinic, and heteroaromatic aldehydes in excellent yield. [reaction: see text]     

Ligand-induced control of C-H versus aliphatic C-C migration reactions of Rh carbenoids

The reaction of lithiated trimethylsilyldiazomethane (LTMSD) with aldehydes and subsequent quenching with TMSCl furnished relatively stable alpha-silylated diazocompounds. Upon treatment of the alpha-silylated diazocompounds with Rh2(OAc)4 in refluxing toluene, alpha-silyl silyl enol ethers were formed from unbranched and branched aliphatic aldehydes through predominantly 1,2-migration of the C-H bond. In contrast, treatment of the alpha-silylated diazocompounds with Rh2(tfa)4 at room temperature gave alpha-silyl silyl enol ethers through exclusive and unusual 1,2-migration of the C-C bond. The origin of the selectivity observed from the two catalysts is discussed in relation to early and late transition states.     

An environmentally friendly Mukaiyama aldol reaction catalyzed by a strong Brønsted acid in solvent-free conditions

o-Benzenedisulfonimide, a new strong bench-stable Br?nsted acid, has been shown to efficiently catalyze the Mukaiyama aldol reaction of aldehydes or dimethyl acetals with silyl enol ethers under mild solvent-free reaction conditions.     

Ethyl alpha-fluoro silyl enol ether: stereoselective synthesis and its aldol reaction with aldehydes and ketones

Ethyl alpha-fluoro silyl enol ether is stereoselectively synthesized in high yield from inexpensive chlorofluoroacetate and Mg (or Zn) in DMF (or HMPA). Lewis acid promoted aldol reaction of this enol ether with aldehydes and ketones gives alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxy esters in good to excellent yields.     

Trimethyl Orthoacetate and Ethylene Glycol Mono‐Vinyl Ether as Enolate Surrogates in Enantioselective Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylation

Trimethyl orthoacetate and ethylene glycol mono‐vinyl ether are employed in iridium‐catalyzed enantioselective allylation reactions. The method documented enables their convenient use as surrogates for silyl ketene acetals and silyl enol ethers to prepare γ,δ‐unsaturated esters and protected aldehydes with excellent enantioselectivity. The utility of this novel method has been demonstrated by its implementation in a formal enantioselective synthesis of the meroterpenoid (+)‐conicol.     

Catalytic,asymmetric Mannich-type reactions of N-acylimino esters: reactivity,diastereo- and enantioselectivity,and application to synthesis of N-acylated amino acid derivatives

In the presence of a catalytic amount of Cu(OTf)(2)-chiral diamine 3e complex, N-acylimino esters reacted with silyl enol ethers to afford the corresponding Mannich-type adducts in high yields with high enantioselectivities. A wide variety of silyl enol ethers derived from ketones, as well as esters and thioesters, reacted smoothly. In the reactions of alpha-substituted silyl enol ethers (alpha-methyl or benzyloxy), the desired syn-adducts were obtained in high yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Several intermediates for the synthesis of biologically important compounds were prepared using this novel catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction, and at the same time, absolute and relative stereochemical assignments were made. In addition, it has been revealed that alkyl vinyl ethers reacted with N-acylimino esters in the presence of a catalytic amount of the Cu(II) catalyst to give the corresponding Mannich-type adducts in high yields with high enantioselectivities. This is the first example of catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions with alkyl vinyl ethers. The reaction mechanism, structure of chiral catalyst-electrophile complexes, and transition states of these catalytic asymmetric reactions were assumed based on X-ray crystallographic analysis of the Cu(II)-chiral amine complex, PM3 calculations, and FT-IR analyses, etc. Finally, (1R,3R)-N-(3-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-3-phenylpropyl)dodecanamide (HPA-12, 1), a new inhibitor of ceramide trafficking from endoplasmic reticulum to the site of sphingomyerin (SM) synthesis, has been synthesized efficiently using the present Mannich-type reaction as a key step. The synthesis involved three steps (two-pot), and total yield was 82.9%.     

Preparation of substituted enol derivatives from terminal alkynes and their synthetic utility

Stereodefined enol derivatives of aldehydes are prepared from terminal alkynes. Specifically, terminal alkynes are known to undergo Cp2ZrCl2-catalyzed methylalumination. Here, we show that the resultant vinylalanes can be oxygenated with peroxyzinc species to generate trisubstituted enolates. Electrophilic trapping with carboxylic anydrides or silyl triflates yields trisubstituted enol esters or silanes, respectively. The tandem carbometalation/oxygenation tolerates free and protected alcohols, heterocycles, olefins, and nitriles. Stereodefined enol esters can undergo asymmetric dihydroxylation to yield optically active alpha-hydroxy aldehydes. Reduction with NaBH4 provides the diols of 1,1-disubstituted olefins in excellent ee. An application of this methodology to the enantioselective synthesis of the insect pheromone frontalin is presented. Finally, alpha-hydroxy aldehydes are shown to undergo homologation to a terminal alkyne, reductive amination, oxidation and olefination. Preliminary results indicate that tandem carbometalation/amination can be accomplished with azodicarboxylates. In this way, ene-hydrazines are formed in excellent yield.     

A new method for the preparation of silyl enol ethers from carbonyl compounds and (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane in a regiospecific and highly stereoselective manner

The reaction of lithium (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane with aldehydes and ketones has been investigated, and it has been found that quenching at low temperature with MeOH followed by addition of Rh2(OAc)4 gave silyl enol ethers in high yields. Quenching with other electrophiles (e.g., deuterium, MeI) gave terminal and substituted silyl enol ethers with complete control over regio- and stereochemistry. The mechanism of this novel process has been mapped out through a combination of deuterium labeling, ReactIR, and isolation of reaction intermediates.     

Preparation of silyl enol ethers using (bistrimethylsilyl)acetamide in ionic liquids

[reaction: see text]. Ionic liquids have been used for the preparation of silyl enol ethers from aldehydes and ketones with (bistrimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA) in good yields.     

Preparation of silyl polyenol ethers by carbonyl olefination of silyl esters

Silyl enol ethers were produced by the carbonyl olefination of silyl esters with titanium carbene complexes generated by the desulfurizative titanation of thioacetals. The regioselective preparation of silyl dienol and trienol ethers has been achieved by using unsaturated silyl esters and thioacetals.     

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]     

Highly Efficient Access to Both Geometric Isomers of Silyl Enol Ethers: Sequential 1,2‐Brook/Wittig Reactions

Novel sequential 1,2‐Brook/Wittig reactions were developed for the preparation of silyl enol ethers. This method enables highly selective preparation of both geometric isomers of glyoxylate silyl enol ethers, using aldehydes (E‐selective) and tosylimines (Z‐selective) as a Wittig electrophile. The salt‐free conditions of this reaction system are likely to be advantageous for switching the selectivity. The optimal reaction conditions and generality of the reaction were investigated, and plausible explanations for the observed selectivity were also discussed.     

Synthesis of 1-hydrocarbon substituted cyclopropyl silyl ketones

The synthesis of cyclopropyl silyl ketones possessing a hydrocarbon group at 1-position of three-membered ring was investigated. The reaction of sulfoxonium ylide with α,β-unsaturated acylsilanes derived from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes did not afford the desired acylsilane derivatives. Instead, the corresponding silyl enol ethers were yielded exclusively. On the other hand, the Corey-Chaykovsky cyclopropanation of α-substituted α,β-unsaturated aldehydes proceeded well to give 1-substituted cyclopropyl aldehydes. The silyl substitution of formyl proton in the obtained aldehydes via umpolung of carbonyl group afforded the target acylsilanes.     

Synthetic applications of the amine-base treatment in the ozonolysis of substituted-allyl silyl ethers or -allyl esters via a novel ene-diol type rearrangement

The ozonolysis of substituted-allyl silyl ethers or -allyl esters followed by treatment with bases gave the corresponding α-silyloxy ketones or α-acyloxy ketones in good yields. The reaction is proposed to proceed via a novel ene-diol rearrangement of the corresponding α-silyloxy aldehydes or α-acyloxy aldehydes intermediates.     

Bismuth triflate-catalyzed three-component mannich-type reaction

Bismuth triflate catalyzes the Mannich-type reaction of a variety of in situ generated aldimines using aldehydes, anilines, and silyl enol ethers in a three-component reaction. The reaction proceeds rapidly and affords the corresponding protected beta-amino ketones in high yields (up to 94%).     

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.