Acyl anions generation

Addition of acyl anions generated from acylsilanes to a,(3-unsaturated ketones using N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) derived from thiazolium salts as catalyst produced 1,4-diketones, which cyclized to form the corresponding furans in good yields under an acidic condition <06JOC5715>. 

An interesting application of the Paal thiophene synthesis was documented for the synthesis of a polystyrene-oligothiophene-polystyrene copolymer. In the Stetter reaction of aldehyde 13 and P-dimethylaminoketone 14, in situ generation of the a,p-unsaturated ketone preceded nucleophilic 1,4-conjugate addition by the acyl anion... 

Generation of Acyl Anion Equivalents (d Synthons) from Aldehydes... 

The simplest and most direct manner to generate acyl anion equivalents is through reaction of an NHC with an aldehyde, generating an enamine species 8, commonly referred to as a Breslow intermediate . Subsequent reaction with an electrophile, classically using aldehydes or enones, generates the benzoin and Stetter products 10 and 11 respectively (Scheme 12.1). 

Scheme 12.1 Generation of acyl anion equivalents with NHCs...

In 1976, Stetter extended the synthetic utility of the Breslow intermediate (1) as an acyl anion equivalent by showing that aldehydes could be coupled with Michael acceptors to generate 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds [55]. 

Recently, acylsilanes have been utilized as useful intermediates in organic synthesis [57], For example, treatment of acylsilanes with the fluoride ion generates the corresponding acyl anions which react with electrophiles. On the other hand, by using the electrochemical method, acylsilanes serve as acyl cation equivalents because nucleophiles are introduced at the carbonyl carbon. Chemical oxidation of acylsilanes with hydrogen peroxide which affords the corresponding carboxylic acids has been reported [58], However, the anodic oxidation provides a versatile method for the introduction of various nucleophiles... 

Breslow and co-workers elucidated the currently accepted mechanism of the benzoin reaction in 1958 using thiamin 8. The mechanism is closely related to Lapworth s mechanism for cyanide anion catalyzed benzoin reaction (Scheme 2) [28, 29], The carbene, formed in situ by deprotonation of the corresponding thiazolium salt, undergoes nucleophilic addition to the aldehyde. A subsequent proton transfer generates a nucleophilic acyl anion equivalent known as the Breslow intermediate IX. Subsequent attack of the acyl anion equivalent into another molecule of aldehyde generates a new carbon - carbon bond XI. A proton transfer forms tetrahedral intermediate XII, allowing for collapse to produce the a-hydroxy ketone accompanied by liberation of the active catalyst. As with the cyanide catalyzed benzoin reaction, the thiazolylidene catalyzed benzoin reaction is reversible [30]. 

The first natural product synthesis that utilized the Stetter reaction was reported by Stetter and Kuhhnann in 1975 as an approach to aT-jasmone and dihydrojas-mone (Scheme 21) [93]. Thiazolium pre-catalyst 74 was effective in catalyti-cally generating the acyl anion equivalent with aldehydes 144 and 145, then adding to 3-buten-2-one 146 in good yield. Cyclization followed by dehydration gives cii-jasmone and dihydrojasmone in 62 and 69% yield, respectively, over two steps. Similarly, Galopin coupled 3-buten-2-one and isovaleraldehyde in the synthesis of ( )-rran5-sabinene hydrate [94]. 

Homoenolates generated catalytically with NHCs can also be employed for C-C and C-N bond formation. Bode and Glorias have independently accomplished the diastereoselective synthesis of y-butyrolactones by annulation of enals and aldehydes [121, 122]. Bode and co-workers envisioned that increasing the steric bulk of the acyl anion equivalent would allow reactivity at the homoenolate position. While trying to suppress the competing benzoin and enal dimerization the authors comment on the steric importance of the catalyst. Thiazolium pre-catalyst 173 proved unsuccessful at inducing annulation. A-mesityl substituted imidazolium salt 200 was found to provide up to 87% yield and moderate diastereoselectivities (Scheme 34). 

Alkylation or acylation of ketones, sulfides, and amines. This reagent generally reacts with alcohols or carboxylic acids to form 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl ethers or esters in satisfactory yields, except in the case of alcohols prone to dehydration. The reaction of these ethers provides a simple synthesis of unsymmctrical sulfides (equation I). A similar reaction can be used for preparation of secondary amines or amides (equation II). Enolatc anions (generated from silyl cnol ethers with KF) can be alkylated or acylated with a or b (equation III). Use of Grignard reagents in this type of coupling results in mediocre yields. 

The first of these are called carbene complexes and the latter are referred to as carbyne complexes.61 The first carbene complex was reported in 1964 by Fischer and Maasbol62 and was prepared by reaction of hexacarbonyltungsten with methyl or phenyl lithium to generate an acyl anion which was then alkylated with diazomethane. 

The retrosynthetic disconnection for the y-keto acid shown below generates an acyl anion synthon and a three-carbon carbocation. 

The possibilities for assembling carbogenic structures have sharply increased in recent years with the advent of various synthetic strategies for generating the equivalents of carbon electrophiles and nucleophiles which are unavailable in structures containing simple core functional groups such as carbonyl, amino, or hydroxyl. For example, acyl anions (RCO), which for various reasons are not readily available, can be utilized in synthesis in modified or equivalent forms. Several acyl anion... 

Acyl anions (RC(=0)M) are unstable, and quickly dimerize at temperatures >-100 °C (Section 5.4.7). These intermediates are best generated by reaction of organolithium compounds or cuprates with carbon monoxide at -110 °C and should be trapped immediately by an electrophile [344—347]. Metalated formic acid esters (R0C(=0)M) have been generated as intermediates by treatment of alcoholates with carbon monoxide, and can either be protonated to yield formic acid esters, or left to rearrange to carboxylates (R0C(=0)M —> RC02M) (Scheme 5.38) [348]. Related intermediates are presumably also formed by treatment of alcohols with formamide acetals (Scheme 5.38) [349]. More stable than acyl lithium compounds are acyl silanes or transition metal acyl complexes, which can also be used to perform nucleophilic acylations [350],... 

Scheme 5.38. Generation and reactions of acyl anions and related intermediates [347-349],...

Acylphosphonates generate acyl anion equivalents with cyanide via phosphonate-phosphate rearrangement. These anions react with aldehydes to provide cross-benzoin... 

The Julia-Kocienski protocol proved to be efficient as a key instrument for the total synthesis of naturally occurring compounds, viz. L-mycarose and L-kedarosamine <1999TL4897>, and also (+)-triazinotrienomycin E <19990L1491>. Wicha and co-workers demonstrated that vinylsilanes are formed in high yields in the reaction of representative acyl(trimethyl)silanes with anions generated from Kocienski s sulfones <2003OL2789>. 

Additional examples of the use of a dithiane to generate an acyl anion synthetic equivalent are provided by tire following equations ... 

The illustrated product results from a dimerization of the starting material through a multistep process. As illustrated below, initial deprotonation of the starting material with sodium hydride generates an acyl anion that adds, through a 1,4-addition, to the carbonyl of a second starting material molecule. Subsequent proton transfer sets up the intermediate species for an aldol condensation. 

The cyclic a-lithio-l,3-dithiane S-oxide 406 was generated from compound 392 with n-BuLi at —10 °C and reacted with deuterium oxide, alkyl halides, carbonyl compounds and esters to afford the corresponding products 407 as mixture of diastereomers (Scheme 106)605 - 607. (V-Acyl imidazoles were better acylating agents than esters608. However, compound 406 has not been employed properly as acyl anion. Intermediate... 

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