Acyl anion equivalent groups

Although many carbonyl derivatives act as acyl cation equivalents, R(C=0)" in synthetic chemistry, the inherent polarity of the carbonyl group makes it much more difficult to find compounds that will act as equivalents of acyl anions, R(C=0) . Since the 1960s, major progress has been made in this area, and there are now a wide variety of compound types that can react in this way. As in so many areas of organic chemistry, heterocyclic compounds take pride of place and form the basis of many of the most useful methods. In recent years there has been particular interest in developing chiral acyl anion equivalents that will show high... 

In an early attempt to synthesise camphor, dlol (1) was an important intermediate. We shall want to disconnect the ring from the chain, so a preliminary disconnection of a methyl group gives an ct-hydroxy ketone (2) which can be made from ketone (3) and an acyl anion equivalent. 

Friedel-Crafts disconnection (38a) Is unambiguous because of the synunetry of (39). Further disconnection requires FGA. A carbonyl group next to the aromatic ring gives a 1,4-dicarbonyl compound (40) and allows disconnection of an acyl anion equivalent to give an enone (41). This can be made by Mannich reaction from (42). 

The cyclobutane ring was then cleaved by hydrolysis of the enamine and ring opening of the resulting (3-diketone. The relative configuration of the chiral centers is unaffected by subsequent transformations, so the overall sequence is stereoselective. Another key step in this synthesis is Step D, which corresponds to the transformation 10-IIa => 10-la in the retrosynthesis. A protected cyanohydrin was used as a nucleophilic acyl anion equivalent in this step. The final steps of the synthesis in Scheme 13.11 employed the C(2) carbonyl group to introduce the carboxy group and the C(l)-C(2) double bond. 

In Step C a dithiane anion was used as a nucleophilic acyl anion equivalent to introduce the C(10)-C(13) isobutyl group. 

Amide group reduction probably occurs by the mechanism shown in Scheme 3. Two-electron transfer without protonation would give dianion 3. Elimination of LiNMe2 from 3 would give 4 (an acyl anion equivalent) and protonation of 4 at the carbonyl group would give benzaldehyde. 

An example where the presence of a counterion makes a difference between the gas phase and solution phase pathways involves the intriguing carbanion produced on deprotonation of 1,3-dithiane at C-2. In solution, this species, almost invariably produced by reaction of the dithiane with butyllithium, is widely used as an acyl anion equivalent in synthetic chemistry. Its importance for the present work is that this is a configurationally stable lithiated species in solution the carbanion stays sp -hybridized, and the lithium prefers the equatorial position, even to the extent of driving a terr-butyl group on the same acidic C-2 carbanion to the axial position in the lithiocarbon species. The carbanion is thought to be stabilized primarily by orbital overlap with the C-S antibonding orbitals, as opposed to more conventional polar and 7t-resonance stabilization. ... 

The benzoin reaction dates back to 1832 when Wohler and Liebig reported that cyanide catalyzes the formation of benzoin 6 from benzaldehyde 5, a seminal example in which the normal mode of polarity of a functional group was reversed (Eq. 1) [26], This reversal of polarity, subsequently termed Umpolung [27], effectively changes an electrophilic aldehyde into a nucleophilic acyl anion equivalent. 

Suzuki and co-workers achieve aromatic substitution of fluoroarenes with a variety of aldehydes in good yields [91, 92], Imidazolilydene carbene formed from 143 catalyzes the reaction between 4-methoxybenzaldehyde 22a and 4-fluoroni-trobezene 141 to provide ketone 142 in 77% yield (Scheme 20). Replacement of the nitro group with cyano or benzoyl results in low yields of the corresponding ketones. The authors propose formation of the acyl anion equivalent and subsequent addition to the aromatic ring by a Stetter-like process forming XXVIII, followed by loss of fluoride anion to form XXIX. 

She and co-workers took advantage of the acyl anion equivalent formed from the addition of an NHC to an aldehyde to catalyze the formation of benzopyranones via an intramolecular S 2 displacement (Scheme 50) [167], Various aromatic aldehydes provide alkylation products in moderate yields when the leaving group is either tosylate or iodide. No reaction was observed when phenyl or methyl was placed alpha to the leaving group. 

In 2008, the same group employed chiral dicarboxylic acid (R)-5 (5 mol%, R = 4- Bu-2,6-Me2-CgHj) as the catalyst in the asymmetric addition of aldehyde N,N-dialkylhydrazones 81 to aromatic iV-Boc-imines 11 in the presence of 4 A molecular sieves to provide a-amino hydrazones 176, valuable precursors of a-amino ketones, in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (35-89%, 84-99% ee) (Scheme 74) [93], Aldehyde hydrazones are known as a class of acyl anion equivalents due to their aza-enamine structure. Their application in the field of asymmetric catalysis has been limited to the use of formaldehyde hydrazones (Scheme 30). Remarkably, the dicarboxylic acid-catalyzed method applied not only to formaldehyde hydrazone 81a (R = H) but also allowed for the use of various aryl-aldehyde hydrazones 81b (R = Ar) under shghtly modified conditions. Prior to this... 

Desilylation of acylsilanes. Two groups have reported that KF in combination with l8-crown-6, DMSO, or HMPT2 converts acylsilanes into acyl anion equivalents. The reaction can be used to obtain aldehydes, ketones, and hydroxy ketones in moderate to good yield. 

The most important use of 1,3-dithianes (792) stems from their ability to function as acyl anion equivalents (794 Scheme 184). Metallation of this heterocycle followed by alkylation of the anion and cleavage of the dithiane group produces a carbonyl compound. Since such aspects of dithiane chemistry have been extensively documented (69S17 75JOC231), only a few of the more current applications of these heterocycles are highlighted. We again note here that the application of heterocycles to the synthesis of carbonyl compounds has been the sole subject of an extensive review (77H(6)73l). 

The addition of unstabilized a-nitrile carbanions to a,3-unsaturated carbonyl acceptors affords predominantly 1,2-addition products, 56 while lithiated acetonitrile derivatives having a-alkoxy, a-aromatic, a-dialkylamino, a-phenylselenyl, a-phenylthio or a-trimethylsilyl substituents afford 1,4-adducts. However, some of these are acyl anion equivalents (Section 1.2.2.3.2) so this discussion is limited to a-stabi-lized nitriles in which the nitrile function is retained after removal of the activating group. Notable examples are trimethylsilylacetonitrile (208),157 phenylthioacetonitriles (209),158a b phenylselenylacetoni-... 

The use of masked acyl anion equivalents in a synthetic protocol requires additional steps to unmask the carbonyl unit. Sometimes the deprotection procedures are incompatible with sensitive compounds thus, a direct nucleophilic acylation protocol is desirable. While C-nucleophilic carbonyl groups do not... 

Ligands functioning as acyl anion equivalents also proceed efficiently in the conjugate addition to enones, producing the -substituted product in high yield (equation 54).1,3 Removal of the protecting group results in the free keto unit, and provides an alternative to the direct acylation (vide supra).37,38... 

These are only three of many ways that have been reported for the formation of acyl anion equivalents, which are among the most common umpolung synthons to be found in the literature. All are prepared by a similar strategy in that they contain functional groups which can sustain a negative charge on an adjacent carbon and can be converted back to a carbonyl group. 

The usefulness of the nitronate anion from a primary nitroalkane as an acyl anion equivalent (see Appendix A6.2) is further illustrated by the fact that it may be reacted with other electrophiles, prior to the conversion into the carbonyl group.120 An example of its use in this manner is illustrated in Expt 5.178. 

The reaction of aldehydes or ketones with ethane-1,2-dithiol or propane-1,3-dithiol to form 1,3-dithiolanes or 1,3-dithianes is an important reaction, as these compounds under suitable conditions are acyl anion equivalents (see Section 5.9, p. 626). These cyclic dithioacetals have been less used as protective groups, though when required are formed in high yield in the presence of boron trifluoride-etherate.138... 

In particular, 1,3-dithiane prepared from dimethoxymethane (methylal) and pro pane-1,3-dithiol in the presence of boron trifluoride-etherate,237 and 2-alkyl-1,3-dithianes prepared similarly from aldehydes,2383 are important acyl anion equivalents. These and other uses are discussed in Sections 5.7.5, p. 596, and 6.6.1, p. 909. A wide-ranging review of the reversal of polarity of the carbonyl group through the formation of these sulphur-containing reagents has emphasised their value in organic synthesis.2388... 

The synthesis of 3-benzylcyclobutanone (3) is an illustration of an overall intramolecular alkylation of an acyl anion equivalent (Section 5.9). The a,a>-dihalide is 2-benzyl-l,3-dibromopropane, and the acyl anion equivalent is methyl methylthiomethyl sulphoxide2 the product is 1-methylsulphinyl-l-methylthio-3-benzylcyclobutane which is obtained as a mixture of cis/trans isomers [(9) and (10)] (Expt 7.3). Aqueous acid hydrolysis in ethereal solution unmasks the carbonyl group. The possible mechanism of the reaction is via a Stevens-type rearrangement of the intermediate sulphur ylide, which may proceed in a pericylic, radical or ion pair fashion. 

In chapters 19 (1,3-diCO) and 21 (1,5-diCO) we were able to use an enol(ate) as the carbon nucleophile when we made our disconnection of a bond between the two carbonyl groups. Now we have moved to the even-numbered relationship 1,2-diCO this is not possible. In the simple cases of a 1,2-diketone 1 or an a-hydroxy-ketone 4, there is only one C-C bond between the functionalised carbons so, while we can use an acid derivative 3 or an aldehyde 5 for one half of the molecule, we are forced to use a synthon of unnatural polarity, the acyl anion 2 for the other half. We shall start this chapter with a look at acyl anion equivalents (d1 reagents) and progress to alternative strategies that avoid rather than solve the problem. 

There are many other acyl anion equivalents that are dealt with in detail in Strategy and Control.5 An example of this general approach is phenaglycodol 19 used in the treatment of mild epilepsy. This 1,2-diol could be made in many ways but disconnection of two methyl groups reveals an a-hydroxy-ester 20 that could be made by addition of cyanide to the ketone 21. 

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