Chiral boron enolate aldol additions to chiral aldehydes

We have examined the double-diastereodifferentiating aldol addition reactions of chiral enolborinate 1a with chiral aldehydes leading to the corresponding aldol adducts with excellent levels of 1,5-anti diastereoselection.     

Anti-selective glycolate aldol additions with an oxapyrone boron enolate

The boron enolate of pyrone 2 undergoes asymmetric aldol reactions with aldehydes to give protected anti 1,2-diols 3. The pyrone is readily available from trans stilbene using asymmetric dihydroxylation. Yields for the aldol reaction range from 62 to 92% and the selectivities from 6:1 to >20:1 for the anti isomers. Protection and hydrogenolysis of the products can be used to remove the pyrone, giving differentially protected diol intermediates 12 that are amenable to multistep synthesis.     

Conjugate additions of carbon nucleophiles to cyclopentadienones

[reaction: see text] Reactions of cyclopentadienones 1 with alkylmagnesium bromides were investigated and gave 1,4 adduct and/or 1,2 adduct.     

Synthesis of tertiary beta-hydroxy amides by enolate additions to acylsilanes

The synthesis of tertiary beta-hydroxy amides from acylsilanes, acetamides, and electrophiles is described. The addition of amide enolates to acylsilanes generates beta-silyloxy homoenolate reactivity by undergoing a 1,2-Brook rearrangement. These unique nucleophiles formed in situ can then undergo smooth addition to alkyl halides, aldehydes, and ketones. Enolates derived from amides are crucial for the success of this process since ketone enolates suffer from internal return of the beta-carbanion onto the carbonyl carbon. The use of optically active amide enolates delivers beta-hydroxy amide products with good levels of diastereoselectivity (>/=10:1).     

Chiral propionate enolate equivalent for stereoselective additions to symmetrical ketones

The copper enolate derived from (η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(CO)(PPh₃)COCH₂CH₃ reacts stereoselectively with symmetrical ketones to generate RR,SS-α-methyl-β-hydroxy acyl complexes which on decomplexation liberate the corresponding β-hydroxy acids.     

Deprotonations,conjugate additions,and enolate trapping of oxime ethers and dimethylhydrazones using KDA : The effect of diisopropylamine on enolate trapping

Potassium diisopropylamide (KDA) has been used to efficiently generate the anions of oxime ethers and dimethylhydrazones. As a deprotonating agent, KDA is superior to BuLi and LDA. The corresponding cuprates are extremely oxygen sensitive, but undergo 1,4-addition with cyclohexenone, and the resulting potassium enolates can be trapped with aqueous buffer or ClSiMe₃. Attempted trapping with either Ac₂O or AcCl in the presence of diisopropylamine fails.     

Chiral N-phosphonyl imine chemistry: asymmetric additions of glycine enolate to diphenyl diamine-based phosphonyl imines

Diphenyl diamine-based phosphonyl imines attached by the N-isopropyl group in the auxiliary have been synthesized in good yields under convenient reaction conditions. These new chiral N-phosphonyl imines can react with glycine enolate smoothly to give chiral α-β diamino esters in good yields (72%–90%) and up to excellent diastereoselectivity (>99:1 dr). By treatment with HBr, the chiral auxiliary can be readily removed. The absolute structure has been unambiguously determined by converting a product to a known sample.     

Chiral N-phosphonyl imine chemistry:asymmetric additions of glycine enolate to diphenyl diamine-based phosphonyl imines

Diphenyl diamine-based phosphonyl imines attached by the N-isopropyl group in the auxiliary have been synthesized in good yields under convenient reaction conditions.These new chiral N-phosphonyl imines can react with glycine enolate smoothly to give chiral α-β diamino esters in good yields(72%-90%) and up to excellent diastereoselectivity(>99:1 dr).By treatment with HBr,the chiral auxiliary can be readily removed.The absolute structure has been unambiguously determined by converting a product to a known sa...     

Conjugate additions of cyclic oxygen-bound nickel enolates to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones

The reaction of nickel enolates displaying a metallacyclic structure with the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) or methyl propenyl ketone (MPK) takes place in two stages, affording initially bicyclic adducts, which subsequently isomerize to the corresponding open-chain products. The former are generated with high stereoselectivity and can be considered as the products of the [2+4] cycloaddition of the enolate to the enone. The ring opening process involves a prototropic rearrangement that can be catalyzed by water. In the case of the reaction of the parent nickel enolate complex 1 (which displays an unsubstituted Ni-O=C(R)CH2 arrangement) with MVK, a double-addition process has been observed, consisting of two successive cycloaddition/isomerization reactions. The carbonylation of the different cyclic and noncyclic products affords the corresponding lactones that retain the stereochemistry of the organometallic precursors. This methodology allowed trapping the primary product of the reaction of 1 with MPK as the corresponding organic lactone, demonstrating that the cycloaddition process takes place with exo selectivity. DFT modeling of the latter reaction provides further support for a quasi-concerted cycloaddition mechanism, displaying a nonsymmetric transition state in which the C-C and the C-O bond are formed in an asynchronous manner.     

Conjugate additions to phenylglycinol-derived unsaturated delta-lactams. Enantioselective synthesis of uleine alkaloids

The stereochemical outcome of the conjugate addition of a variety of stabilized nucleophiles (2-indoleacetic enolates and sulfur-stabilized anions) to the phenylglycinol-derived unsaturated lactams trans-2, cis-2, and its 8-ethyl-substituted analogue 10 is studied. The factors governing the exo or endo facial stereoselectivity are discussed. This methodology provides short synthetic routes to either cis- or trans-3,4-disubstituted enantiopure piperidines as well as efficient routes for the enantioselective construction of the tetracyclic ring system of uleine alkaloids, both in the normal and 20-epi series. The formal total synthesis of several alkaloids of this group is reported.     

Conjugate additions of Me2CuLi to enantiopure gamma-hydroxy-delta-sulfinyl and sulfonyl pentenoates

[reaction: see text] A systematic study of dimethyl cuprate conjugate additions to diastereoisomeric ethyl gamma-hydroxy (or tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-delta-p-tolylsulfinyl-2-pentenoates and the analoguous sulfones showed mainly 3,4-anti diastereoselectivity when the reaction occurred in the presence of TMSCl. The pi-facial diastereoselection is mainly governed by the gamma-hydroxy or silyloxy group, whereas the role of the sulfur functionality is to increase the reactivity of the pentenoate system, probably by assisting the transfer of the alkyl group from the cuprate. This was evidenced by the reactions on similar systems that lack the sulfur functions. The appropriate choice of NH4OH or HCl hydrolysis in the workup allowed direct access to the open chain products or the lactones.     

Preparation of Pd(II) enolate complexes and their reactions

Palladium(II) enolate complexes have been prepared by the reaction of Pd(II)Cl₂-(PhCN)₂ with trimethylsilyl enol ethers and reacted with CO and ethylene.     

Mechanistic study of beta-hydrogen elimination from organoplatinum(II) enolate complexes

A detailed mechanistic investigation of the thermal reactions of a series of bisphosphine alkylplatinum(II) enolate complexes is reported. The reactions of methylplatinum enolate complexes in the presence of added phosphine form methane and either free or coordinated enone, depending on the steric properties of the enone. Kinetic studies were conducted to determine the relationship between the rates and mechanism of beta-hydrogen elimination from enolate complexes and the rates and mechanism of beta-hydrogen elimination from alkyl complexes. The rates of reactions of the enolate complexes were inversely dependent on the concentration of added phosphine, indicating that beta-hydrogen elimination from the enolate complexes occurs after reversible dissociation of a phosphine. A normal, primary kinetic isotope effect was measured, and this effect was consistent with rate-limiting beta-hydrogen elimination or C-H bond-forming reductive elimination to form methane. Reactions of substituted enolate complexes were also studied to determine the effect of the steric and electronic properties of the enolate complexes on the rates of beta-hydrogen elimination. These studies showed that reactions of the alkylplatinum enolate complexes were retarded by electron-withdrawing substituents on the enolate and that reactions of enolate complexes possessing alkyl substituents at the beta-position occurred at rates that were similar to those of complexes lacking alkyl substituents at this position. Despite the trend in electronic effects on the rates of reactions of enolate complexes and the substantial electronic differences between an enolate and an alkyl ligand, the rates of decomposition of the enolate complexes were similar to those of the analogous alkyl complexes. To the extent that the rates of reaction of the two types of complexes are different, those involving beta-hydrogen elimination from the enolate ligand were faster. A difference between the rate-determining steps for decomposition of the two classes of complexes and an effect of stereochemistry on the selectivity for beta-hydrogen elimination are possible origins of the observed phenomena.     

Asymmetric synthesis of beta-amino acid derivatives incorporating a broad range of substitution patterns by enolate additions to tert-butanesulfinyl imines

Addition of Ti(Oi-Pr)(3) ester enolates to tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines and ketimines provided beta-substituted, alpha,beta- and beta,beta-disubstituted, alpha,beta,beta- and alpha,alpha,beta-trisubstituted, and alpha,alpha,beta,beta-tetrasubstituted beta-amino acid derivatives in high yields and with high diastereoselectivites. The N-sulfinyl-beta-amino ester products were further employed as versatile intermediates for both standard solution-phase and solid-phase synthetic transformations, including the synthesis of beta-peptide foldamers.     

Cycloruthenated complexes as homogeneous catalysts for atom-transfer radical additions

Various cycloruthenated complexes were used as homogeneous catalysts for the atom-transfer radical addition of polyhalogenated compounds to several olefinic substrates. Yields obtained through conventional or microwave heating could reach high values (up to 98% with CBrCl₃ and 88% with CCl₄).     

Aggregation and reactivity of the cesium enolate of 6-phenyl-alpha-tetralone: comparison with the lithium enolate

The cesium enolate of 6-phenyl-alpha-tetralone (CsPAT) has a lambda(max) in THF at about 387 nm, but the variation with concentration is too small for application of singular value decomposition. Proton-transfer studies with several indicators show that CsPAT forms monomer-tetramer mixtures with a tetramerization equilibrium constant, K(1,4) = 2.3 x 10(11) M(-3). The pK of the monomer is 23.39 on a scale where fluorene is assigned 22.9 (per hydrogen). For comparison, the lithium enolate, LiPAT, is also a monomer-tetramer with K(1,4) = 4.7 x 10(10) M(-3) and a monomer pK = 14.22. HMPA in large amounts promotes dissociation to monomer with both enolates. Ion-pair S(N)2 initial rates were measured for CsPAT with several alkyl halides and with methyl tosylate and compared with other rates with LiPAT. In all cases, the enolate monomers are much more reactive than the aggregates. Reaction of CsPAT with alkyl halides is generally C-alkylation but HMPA promotes increasing amounts of O-alkylation. A new indicator, 11-methyl-11H-benzo[b]fluorene, has a pK on the cesium scale of 23.39.