Optisch aktive Alkohole aus 1,3-Dioxan-4-onen: eine praktikable Variante der enantioselektiven Synthese unter nucleophiler Substitution an Acetal-Zentren

Optically Active Alcohols from 1,3-Dioxan-4-ones. A Practical Version of Enantioselective Synthesis with Nucleophilic Substitution at Acetal Centers Secondary alcohols in enantiomeric excesses above 90% are accessible from 2-substituted 6-methyl-1,3-dioxan-4-ones (Scheme 4). The dioxanones are prepared from aldehydes and readily available (R)-or (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid. Treatment of the dioxanones with silyl nucleophiles or triisopropoxy(methyl)titanium in the presence of Cl₃TiX] yields the corresponding 3-alkoxy acids in diastereoselectivities ≥ 95%. The ‘chiral auxiliary’ is removed from the alkoxy acids by treatment with LiN(i-Pr)₂ to give the secondary alcohols with ≤ 90% ee. cis/trans-Mixtures (9:1) of the dioxanones furnish products of the same configurational purity as those obtained from pure cis-isomers. In comparison with other variants of enantioselective synthese with nucleophilic substitution at acetal centers, the following advantages of the dioxanone method are noteworthy: (i) (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxybutanoic acids are both readily available; (ii) reactions are not sensitive to changes in conditions; (iii) the ‘chiral auxiliary’ is removed simply by base elimination, no oxidation is required; (iv) no chromatographic purification steps are necessary. The overall reaction described here is an enantioselective nucleophilic addition to aldehydes with concomitant dehydration of enantiomerically pure 3-hydroxybutanoic to crotonic acid.