Addition reactions Grignard carbonyl additions

Activated alkyl halides such as a-bromocarboxylates were arylated with aryl Grignard reagent [Eq. (105) 229]. The expected side reaction is carbonyl addition of the Grignard reagent, and it was minimized by the use of t-butyl ester. 

Field L, Boyd ET. Grignard reagents of sulfones. 7. Additional reactions with carbonyl compounds. 7. Org. Chem. 1961 26(6) 1787-1790. 

The reduction of carbonyl compounds by reaction with hydride reagents (H -) and the Grignard addition by reaction with organomagnesium halides (R - +MgBr) are examples of nucleophilic carbonyl addition reactions. What analogous product do you think might result from reaction of cyanide ion with a ketone ... 

Johnson s classic synthesis of progesterone (1) commences with the reaction of 2-methacrolein (22) with the Grignard reagent derived from l-bromo-3-pentyne to give ally lie alcohol 20 (see Scheme 3a). It is inconsequential that 20 is produced in racemic form because treatment of 20 with triethyl orthoacetate and a catalytic amount of propionic acid at 138 °C furnishes 18 in an overall yield of 55 % through a process that sacrifices the stereogenic center created in the carbonyl addition reaction. In the presence of propionic acid, allylic alcohol 20 and triethyl orthoacetate combine to give... 

The first reports on enantioselective addition reactions of achiral organometallic reagents, modified by aprotic chiral additives, described the addition of Grignard reagents to prostereogenic carbonyl compounds in the presence of ( + )-(/ ,/J)-2,3-dimethoxybutane (l)4 5, (-)-tetrahydro-2-methylfuran (2)6, (-)-l-[(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)methyl]pyrrolidine (3)7 or (-)-sparteine (4)8. The enantioselectivity, however, was poor (0-22% ee). 

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