Acid-catalyzed aldol enolization

The usual base or acid catalyzed aldol addition or ester condensation reactions can only be applied as a useful synthetic reaction, if both carbonyl components are identical. Otherwise complicated mixtures of products are formed. If two different aldehydes or esters are to be combined, it is essential that one of the components is transformed quantitatively into an enol whereas the other component remains as a carbonyl compound in the reaction mixture. 

In an intramolecular aldol condensation of a diketone many products are conceivable, since four different ends can be made. Five- and six-membered rings, however, wUl be formed preferentially. Kinetic or thermodynamic control or different acid-base catalysts may also induce selectivity. In the Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol condensation given below, the more substituted enol is formed preferentially (E.J. Corey, 1963 B, 1965B). 

In the aldol reaction the a carbon of one aldehyde or ketone molecule adds to the carbonyl carbon of another. Although acid catalyzed aldol reactions are known, the most common form of the reaction uses a base. The base most often used is OH, though stronger bases such as alkoxides (RO ) are sometimes employed. Hydroxide ion is not a strong enough base to convert substantially all of an aldehyde or ketone molecule to the corresponding enolate ion, that is, the equilibrium lies... 

The Mukaiyama aldol reaction refers to Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol addition reactions of silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals, and similar enolate equivalents,48 Silyl enol ethers are not sufficiently nucleophilic to react directly with aldehydes or ketones. However, Lewis acids cause reaction to occur by coordination at the carbonyl oxygen, activating the carbonyl group to nucleophilic attack. 

The aldol reactions introduced thus far have been performed under basic conditions where enolate species are involved as the reactive intermediate. In contrast to the commonly accepted carbon-anion chemistry, Mukaiyama developed another practical method in which enol species can be used as the key intermediates. He is the first chemist to successfully demonstrate that acid-catalyzed aldol reactions using Lewis acid (such as TiCU) and silyl enol ether as a stable enol equivalent can work as well.17 Furthermore, he developed the boron tri-fluoromethane sulfonate (triflate)-mediated aldol reactions via the formation of formyl enol ethers. 

Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol condensation of aldehyde and silyl enol ether. 

Several methods for the anti-selective, asymmetric aldol reaction recorded in the literature include (i) the use of boron, titanium, or tin(ll) enolate carrying chiral ligands, (ii) Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol reactions of a metal enolate of chiral carbonyl compounds, and (iii) the use of the metal enolate derived from a chiral carbonyl compound. Although many of these methods provide anti-aldols with high enantioselectivities, these methods are not as convenient or widely applicable as the method reported here, because of problems associated with the availability of reagents, the generality of reactions, or the required reaction conditions. 

Aldehydes and ketones also undergo acid-catalyzed aldol condensations. Devise a mechanism for this reaction in which an enol is an intermediate. 

The acid-catalyzed aldol condensation includes two key steps the conversion of the ketone into its enolic form, and the attack on a pro-tonated carbonyl group by the enol. The mechanism proceeds as follows ... 

The use of silyl enol ethers as an enolate equivalent in Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol additions. The trimethylsilyl group is thought of as a sterically demanding hydrogen equivalent that activates the enol and traps the aldol hydroxyl. 

Acetals can be removed under acidic conditions. In this case the two dioxolane groups are cleaved, followed by acid-catalyzed cyclization of the keto-aldehyde to form the A-ring. It is the enol tautomer of the ketone that functions as nucleophile while the aldehyde is activated towards nucleophilic attack by oxygen protonation (51). Cyclization is completed by water elimination to furnish the enone system in 53 (acid-catalyzed aldol-condensation). 

Aldol condensations also take place under acidic conditions. The enol serves as a weak nucleophile to attack an activated (protonated) carbonyl group. As an example, consider the acid-catalyzed aldol condensation of acetaldehyde. The first step is formation of the enol by the acid-catalyzed keto-enol tautomerism, as discussed earlier. The enol attacks the protonated carbonyl of another acetaldehyde molecule. Loss of the enol proton gives the aldol product. 

The acid-catalyzed aldol involves nucleophilic addition of an enol to a protonated carbonyl group. Step 1 Formation of the enol, by protonation on O followed by deprotonation on C. 

Addition of an Enolate to Ketones and Aldehydes (a Condensation) 1046 Substitution of an Enolate on an Ester (a Condensation) 1046 Base-Catalyzed Keto-EnolTautomerism 1047 Acid-Catalyzed Keto-EnolTautomerism 1047 Base-Promoted Halogenation 1054 Final Steps of the Haloform Reaction 1056 Acid-Catalyzed Alpha Halogenation 1058 Acid-Catalyzed Aldol Condensation 1063 1,2-Addition and 1,4-Addition (Conjugate Addition) 1085... 

The reactive nucleophile in the acid-catalyzed aldol condensation is the enol of one of the reactants. The electrophile is a reactant with a protonated carbonyl group. 

Diastereoselecttve aldol reactions. The diastereoselectivity in the Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol reaction of chiral oi-hydroxy aldehydes is independent of the geometry of the enol silyl ether. Also, the reaction does not involve prior Si-Ti or Si-Sn exchange. 

Problem 21.12 In acid-catalyzed aldol condensations acid is believed to perform two functions to catalyze conversion of carbonyl compound into the enol form, and to provide protonated carbonyl compound with which the enol can react. The reaction that then takes place can, depending upon one s point of view, be regarded either as acid-catalyzed nucleophilic addition to a carbonyl group, or as electrophilic addition to an alkene. On this basis, write all steps in the mechanism of acid-catalyzed aldol condensation of acetaldehyde. In the actual condensation step, identify the nucleophile and the electrophile. 

The carbon-carbon bond-forming step of the acid-catalyzed aldol reaction has an enol (allylic source) attacking a protonated carbonyl (which is just a lone-pair-stabilized carbocation). With those hints, give a mechanism for the acid-catalyzed aldol reaction. 

Chiral auxiliary-bound substrates have also been used for the asymmetric process. The aldol reaction of chiral pyruvates such as 46 is a reliable method for highly enantioselective synthesis of functionalized tertiary alcohols (Scheme 10.38) [112]. The Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol-type reactions of chiral acetals with silyl enolates are valuable for the asymmetric synthesis of -alkoxy carbonyl compounds ]113, 114]. 

Lewis acid catalyzed aldol coupling of silyl enol ethers with substituted cyclohexanone acetals showed an excellent preference for equatorial attack (95-l(X)%). In accord with this general rule, additions of a silyl enol ether to equatorially or axially substituted chiral spiroketals derived from -menthone gave 00% equatorial attack and formation of a single one of the four possible diastereoisomers (Scheme 9) 3, 4 -pjjjg methodology, followed by protection of the hydroxy group (X = OTHP, (XIPh.i) and alkaline removal of the chiral auxiliary was used for the synthesis of several natural products. ... 

Not all aldol additions exhibit a dependence of product configuration on enolate geometry. Acid catalyzed aldols [45], some base catalyzed aldols [58], and aldols of some transition metal enolates [63,64] show no such dependency. For example, zirconium enolates afford syn adducts ( / topicity) independent of enolate geometry for a number of propionates [63,64]. As shown in Scheme 5.9, two explanations have been proposed to explain the behavior of zirconium enolates. One explanation (Scheme 5.9a) is that the closed transition structure changes from a chair for the Z(0)-enolate to a boat for the (0)-enolate [16,63,65]. Another hypothesis is that these additions occur via an open transition structure. Although the original authors... 

In order to reverse the diastereoselectivity in the aldol reaction, the Lewis acid-catalyzed silyl enol ether addition (73) (Mukaiyama aldol reaction) was examined. Since the Mukaiyama aldol reaction is assumed to be proceeded via an acyclic transition state, a chelation controled aldol reaction of the a-alkoxy aldehyde should be possible (74). In the presence of TiCU, the silyl enol ether derived from 14 was reacted with aldehyde 13, followed by desilylation to afford the desired anti-Felkin product 122a as a single adduct (Scheme 21). Based on precedents for chelation-controlled Mukaiyama aldol reaction (74), the exceptional high selectivity in this reaction would be accounted for by chelation of TiCl4 with the C23-methoxy group of the aldehyde 13 (eq. 13). On the other hand, when the lithium enolate derived from 14 was treated with the aldehyde 13, followed by desilylation, it gave a 1 4 ratio of the two epimers in favour of the undesired (22S)-aldol product... 

Aldol and Michael reactions. This Lewis acid catalyzes aldol and Michael reactions smoothly (20 examples, 66-97% yield), using silyl enol ethers as the donors. The catalyst is recoverable and reusable. 

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