Alcohols enantioselective epoxidation

The ratio of yy -epoxide (shown above) to ant -eipoxide is 10—25 1 with TYZORTPT catalysis, whereas vanadjdacetylacetonate is less selective and y -chloroperoxybenzoic acid gives the reverse 1 25 ratio. It is supposed that TYZOR TPT esterifies the free hydroxyl, then coordinates with the peroxide to favor yy -epoxidation (135). This procedure is related to that for enantioselective epoxidation of other allyflc alcohols in 9—95% enantiomeric excess (135). 

In general, 2-substituted allylic alcohols are epoxidized in good enantioselectivity. Like glycidol, however, the product epoxides are susceptible to ring opening via nucleophilic attack at the C-3 position. Results of the AE reaction on 2-methyl-2-propene-l-ol followed by derivatization of the resulting epoxy alcohol are shown in Table 1.6.1. Other examples are shown below. 

As with i -substituted allyl alcohols, 2,i -substituted allyl alcohols are epoxidized in excellent enantioselectivity. Examples of AE reactions of this class of substrate are shown below. Epoxide 23 was utilized to prepare chiral allene oxides, which were ring opened with TBAF to provide chiral a-fluoroketones. Epoxide 24 was used to prepare 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines and epoxide 25 was utilized in the formal synthesis of macrosphelide A. Epoxide 26 represents an AE reaction on the very electron deficient 2-cyanoallylic alcohols and epoxide 27 was an intermediate in the total synthesis of (+)-varantmycin. 

Figure 6.4 Some successful examples of kinetic resolution of allylic alcohols by enantioselective epoxidation [21, 27].

The enantioselective epoxidation method developed by Sharpless and co-workers is an important asymmetric transformation known today. This method involves the epoxidation of allylic alcohols with fcrt-butyl hydroperoxide and titanium (sopropoxide in the presence of optically active pure tartarate esters, see Eqn. (25). 

The use of alkylhydroperoxides as epoxidizing agents for allylic alcohols under catalytic conditions was soon expanded into enantioselective epoxidation with use of the more mild titanium alkoxides in the presence of chiral tartaric esters116. As concerns the epoxidation of functionalized dienes, these now so-called Sharpless conditions [Ti(OPr )4, dialkyl tartrate, TBHP] have been utilized to enantioselectively epoxidize 1,4-pentadiene-... 

Although the Sharpless catalyst was extremely useful and efficient for allylic alcohols, the results with ordinary alkenes were very poor. Therefore the search for catalysts that would be enantioselective for non-alcoholic substrates continued. In 1990, the groups of Jacobsen and Katsuki reported on the enantioselective epoxidation of simple alkenes both using catalysts based on chiral manganese salen complexes [8,9], Since then the use of chiral salen complexes has been explored in a large number of reactions, which all utilise the Lewis acid character or the capacity of oxene, nitrene, or carbene transfer of the salen complexes (for a review see [10]). 

Enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols using t-butyl peroxide, titanium tetra-wo-propoxide, and optically pure diethyl tartrate. 

Enantioselective epoxidation of aUylic alcohols with tantalum surface species prepared by alcoholysis of [(=SiO)Ta(=CH Bu)(CH2 Bu)2j strongly suggests that other transition metals from group 5 and 6 might be used. 

The tra x-[Ru (0)2(por)] complexes are active stoichiometric oxidants of alkenes and alkylaro-matics under ambient conditions. Unlike cationic macrocyclic dioxoruthenium I) complexes that give substantial C=C bond cleavage products, the oxidation of alkenes by [Ru (0)2(por)] affords epoxides in good yields.Stereoretentive epoxidation of trans- and cw-stilbenes by [Ru (0)2(L)1 (L = TPP and sterically bulky porphyrins) has been observed, whereas the reaction between [Ru (0)2(OEP)] and cix-stilbene gives a mixture of cis- and trani-stilbene oxides. Adamantane and methylcyclohexane are hydroxylated at the tertiary C—H positions. Using [Ru (0)2(i)4-por)], enantioselective epoxidation of alkenes can be achieved with ee up to 77%. In the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons such as ethylbenzenes, 2-ethylnaphthalene, indane, and tetrahydronaphthalene by [Ru (0)2(Z>4-por )], enantioselective hydroxylation of benzylic C—H bonds occurs resulting in enantioenriched alcohols with ee up to 76%. ... 

This method has proven to be an extremely useful means of synthesizing enantiomerically enriched compounds. Various improvements in the methods for carrying out the Sharpless oxidation have been developed.48 The reaction can be done with catalytic amounts of titanium isopropoxide and the tartrate ester.49 This procedure uses molecular sieves to sequester water, which has a deleterious effect on both the rate and enantioselectivity of the reaction. Scheme 12.9 gives some examples of enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols. 

Enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols using hydrogen peroxide and chiral catalysts was first reported for molybdenum 7B) and vanadium 79) complexe. In 1980, Sharpless 80) reported a titanium system. Using a tartaric acid derivative as chiral auxiliary it achieves almost total stereoselection in this reaction. 

The haem peroxidases are a superfamily of enzymes which oxidise a broad range of structurally diverse substrates by using hydroperoxides as oxidants. For example, chloroperoxidase catalyses the regioselective and stereoselective haloge-nation of glycals, the enantioselective epoxidation of distributed alkenes and the stereoselective sulfoxidation of prochiral thioethers by racemic arylethyl hydroperoxides [62]. The latter reaction ends in (i )-sulfoxides, (S)-hydroperoxides and the corresponding (R)-alcohol, all In optically active forms. 

The C = C bond in the hydroxy allylic system of a fluoroalkanol can be selectively epoxidized without affecting the hydroxy group. Enantioselective epoxidation of racemic unsaturated fluoro alcohols by using the chiral Sharpless reagent can be exploited for the kinetic resolution of enantiomers. The recovered stereoisomer (e.g., 1) has 14-98% enantiomeric excess.165... 

Finally, a titanium(IV) pillared clay (Ti-PILC) catalyst has been prepared.71 In the presence of tartaric acid esters as chiral ligands Ti-PILC is an effective, heterogeneous catalyst for the asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols. Enantioselectivities were comparable to those observed in the homogeneous system - and reactions could be carried out at concentrations up to 2M with a simple work-up via filtration of the catalyst. 

Allylic and homoallylic alcohols are particularly good substrates for epoxidation by TBHP/Vv and TBHP/ MoVI catalysts, with the former being superior in activity and selectivity (equations 70-72).57,226,242 Allylic alcohols have also been shown to be particularly good substrates for enantioselective epoxidation. Good results were observed in some cases with TBHP/VO(acac)2/chiral hydroxamates (equation 73),57 but a major breakthrough was obtained... 

Yamamoto has used the modularity of another type of oc-amino acid-based chiral ligand to promote enantioselective epoxidations of allylic alcohols [21]. Thus, as illustrated in Eq. (8), parallel libraries of various ligand candidates were prepared and the identity of the optimal ligand 13 was established through positional optimization. 

The Sharpless Epoxidation allows the enantioselective epoxidation of prochiral allylic alcohols. The asymmetric induction is achieved by adding an enantiomerically enriched tartrate derivative. 

Chiral Mo complexes bearing ligands derived from a (2S,4R)- or (2S,4S)-4-hydroxyproline compound (13a and 13b) have been tethered to the internal surface of a mesoporous zeolite USY (251). The supported asymmetric Mo catalyst was tested for the enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols. 

Achiral primary allylic alcohols undergo enantioselective epoxidation (cf. Figure 3.35), whereas—chiral primary allylic alcohols undergo diastereoselective oxidation. So the reagent... 

Fig. 3.37. Mechanistic details of Sharpless epoxidations, part II preferred transition state of enantioselective epoxidations of achiral primary allylic alcohols in the presence of l-(+)-DET (top) or d-(-)-DET (bottom).

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