A,/i-enones

TrimethylsilyOcyclopentenes.2 In the presence of TiCl4, trimcthylsilylallenes react with cyclic and acyclic a,/i- enones to form annelated (trimethylsilyl)cyclopen-tenes (equation I). The reaction is most efficient with 1-substituted (trimcthyl-... 

Enol carbonates. Site-specific metal enolates, such as those generated by conjugate addition of cuprates to a./i-enones, can be trapped as the enol carbonates by a quench with methyl chloroformate. Unlike silyl enolates, enol carbonates are only weakly nucleophilic. Thus they are stable to ozone, peracids, and Wittig-like... 

This reduction permits use of the isoxazoline ring as a masked a,/i-enone, as in the synthesis of the a-mclliylenc ketone I. convertible intosarkomycin (2). ... 

The preceding discussion reveals a few of the complexities of the photochemistry that is typical of carbonyl and azo compounds. Results on the olefin-carbonyl Paterno-Buchi system,30 and on the photorearrangements of a, (i-enones,31 P, y-enones,32 azo compounds (diazomethane33 and cyclic diazoalkenes104), and acylcyclopropenes34 show similar features. In these examples, one encounters fourfold intersections as well as conical intersections and singlet-triplet crossings. Thus the potential surfaces are more complex than in hydrocarbon photochemistry. 

Magnus, P. Lacour, J. Evans, P. A. Rigollier, P. Tobler, H. Applications of the /i-azidonation reaction to organic synthesis. a,/i-Enones, conjugate addition, and /-lactam annulation. 

Cacchi, S. Fabrizi, G. Gasparrini, F. Pace, P. Villani, C. The utilization of supercritical C02 in the Pd-catalyzed hydroarylation of /i-substi-tuted-a,/i-enones. Synlett 2000, 650-652. Amorese, A. Arcadi, A. Bemocchi, E. Cacchi, S. Cerrini, S. Fedeli, W. Ortar, G. Conjugate addition vs vinylic substitution in Pd-catalyzed reaction of aryl halides with /i-substituted-a, /i-enones and -enals. Tetrahedron 1989, 45, 813-828. 

Mukaiyama-Michael reaction1 (13, 339-340 14, 344-345). The conjugate addition of enol silyl ethers of optically active ketones to a,(i-enones catalyzed by trityl perchlorate can proceed with high diastereoselectivity. Thus the (Z)-enol silyl ether (2) of the ketone (R)-l reacts with enone 3 to give the 1,5-ketone 4 with high... 

Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reductions. Zirconocene or hafnocene can catalyze reduction of carbonyl compounds with isopropanol. This method is useful for preferential reduction of keto aldehydes to hydroxy ketones and of a,(i-enones or -enals to allylic alcohols.1... 

Conjugate addition to an a,/i-enone is also the key step of another synthesis of racemic mesembrine (or mesembranone)1. 

Reductions. Hydrogen teUuride reduces aldehydes and ketones to alcohols in satisfactory yields. The combination Al2Te3-D20 permits deuteration. H2Te reduces a,/i-enones and a,/f-enals to the saturated carbonyl compound.1... 

An interesting case are the a,/i-unsaturated ketones, which form carbanions, in which the negative charge is delocalized in a 5-centre-6-electron system. Alkylation, however, only occurs at the central, most nucleophilic position. This regioselectivity has been utilized by Woodward (R.B. Woodward, 1957 B.F. Mundy, 1972) in the synthesis of 4-dialkylated steroids. This reaction has been carried out at high temperature in a protic solvent. Therefore it yields the product, which is formed from the most stable anion (thermodynamic control). In conjugated enones a proton adjacent to the carbonyl group, however, is removed much faster than a y-proton. If the same alkylation, therefore, is carried out in an aprotic solvent, which does not catalyze tautomerizations, and if the temperature is kept low, the steroid is mono- or dimethylated at C-2 in comparable yield (L. Nedelec, 1974). 

The key step in this sequence, achieved by exposure of 46 lo a mixture of sulfuric acid and acetic anhydride, involves opening of the cyclopropane ring by migration of a sigma bond from the quaternary center to one terminus of the former cyclo-l>ropane. This complex rearrangement, rather reminiscent of the i enone-phenol reaction, serves to both build the proper carbon. keleton and to provide ring C in the proper oxidation state. 

In the third sequence, the diastereomer with a /i-epoxide at the C2-C3 site was targeted (compound 1, Scheme 6). As we have seen, intermediate 11 is not a viable starting substrate to achieve this objective because it rests comfortably in a conformation that enforces a peripheral attack by an oxidant to give the undesired C2-C3 epoxide (Scheme 4). If, on the other hand, the exocyclic methylene at C-5 was to be introduced before the oxidation reaction, then given the known preference for an s-trans diene conformation, conformer 18a (Scheme 6) would be more populated at equilibrium. The A2 3 olefin diastereoface that is interior and hindered in the context of 18b is exterior and accessible in 18a. Subjection of intermediate 11 to the established three-step olefination sequence gives intermediate 18 in 54% overall yield. On the basis of the rationale put forth above, 18 should exist mainly in conformation 18a. Selective epoxidation of the C2-C3 enone double bond with potassium tm-butylperoxide furnishes a 4 1 mixture of diastereomeric epoxides favoring the desired isomer 19 19 arises from a peripheral attack on the enone double bond by er/-butylper-oxide, and it is easily purified by crystallization. A second peripheral attack on the ketone function of 19 by dimethylsulfonium methylide gives intermediate 20 exclusively, in a yield of 69%. 

The major difference, when compared with simple diastereoselection in aldol-type additions, is the E- and Z-geometrical isomers of the Michael acceptor. Model transition state G shows one of the orientations of the enantiofaces of an (A)-enolate with a (Z)-enone. These additions, again, result in the same. vyn/an/i-adducts, as in the case of an (A)-enone, but the substituent interactions will be different. 

As discussed before, a,P-unsaturated ketones are usually reduced to saturated ketones in isopropyl alcohol as solvent, the reaction proceeding via the enol after H-abstraction by the carbonyl group. When some selected a,p-enones are irradiated in their n-n absorption band (i.e. excitation... 

Coupling of vinyl iodides with aldehydes (12, 137). Further study1 of this 1,2-addition of alkenylchromium compounds to aldehydes to form allylic alcohols indicates that the reaction is applicable to a-alkoxy and a,(i-bisalkoxy aldehydes by use of a solvent other than DMF, which can promote elimination to an enal. A wide number of other functional groups can also be accommodated. Both vinyl iodides and p-iodo enones can be used as precursors to the alkenylchromium reagent. The reaction is only modestly diastereoselective, but the stereochemistry of a disubstituted vinyl iodide is retained. 

Conjugate reductions. This combination (usually 1 3 ratio) effects conjugate reduction of a,p-acetylenic ketones or esters to a, 3-enones or unsaturated esters at -50° with moderate (E)-selectivity. The HMPT is believed to function as a ligand to aluminum and thus to promote hydroalumination to give a vinylaluminum intermediate, which can be trapped by an allylic bromide (equation I).1 The re-... 

Vinylcyclopropanation cyclopentenes. The lithium dienolate of 1 adds to a,p-enones to form an a-keto vinylcyclopropane, which on pyrolysis (550°) provides a bicyclic keto acrylate (equation I).1... 

Organoaluminum reagents have been used in the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition to enones with some success. Iwata and co-workers (182) demonstrated that dimethoxyphenyl oxazoline (247) provides modest selectivities in the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of trimethylaluminum to 3,4,4-trimethylcyclohexadi-enone to provide the adduct in 68% ee, Eq. 145. The use of TBSOTf is crucial to attain high conversion and selectivity in this process. Woodward and co-workers (183) subsequently reported that a Cu(I) complex of thiocarbamate 248 provides modest facial discrimination in the addition of trimethylaluminum to a linear enone to afford 245b in 51% ee, Eq. 146. The authors note that this catalyst system decomposes under the reaction conditions at ambient temperature. 

Manganese-copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of organomagnesium reagents to a,p-enones is a general synthetic method. Table I shows that the reaction can be successfully performed even with enones of low reactivity. 30% Manganese chloride is necessary to obtain good yields. In most cases, however, 0.1% cuprous chloride is sufficient.3... 

In the enantioselective copper(I)-catalyzed conjugate addition of a cyclic enone with a chiral ligand, the observed nonlinear effects indicate that Cu(I) aggregates participate in the reaction [78]. 

Entries 4 and 5 in Scheme 2.1 depict acid-catalyzed aldol reactions. In entry 4, condensation is accompanied by dehydration. In entry 5, a /i-chloroketone is formed by addition of hydrogen chloride to the enone. 

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