Aldehydes from conjugated addition

The reaction of amines with cyclopropenones appears to be extremely sensitive to the reaction conditions Ammonia reacts with diphenylcyclopropenone at room temperature to yield the isomeric /3-lactams 56 and 57, whereas the vinyl aldehyde 58 is produced at — 33°C. These results can be rationalized in terms of the intermediate 59 which would result from conjugate addition of the nucleophile at carbon (equation 56). 

C-Trapping. Alkylation or hydroxy alkylation (i.e., reaction with RCHO) of enolates derived from conjugate addition of organocuprates affords vicinal dialkylated products. However, the reaction is confined to highly reactive alkylating agents such as methyl, allyl, propargyl, benzyl, and a-halocarbonyl compounds or aldehydes. 

Enolates obtained from conjugate addition of either homocuprates or copper-catalyzed Grignard reagents undergo aldol condensation with aldehydes in the presence of ZnCl2 to give stereoisomeric mixtures of aldol products A ... 

Derrick L. J. Clive of the University of Alberta assembled (J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 3078) Ottelione B 26 from the enantiomerically-pure aldehyde 20. Conjugate addition of the Grignard reagent 21 derived from chloroprene gave the kinetic product 22, that was equilibrated to the more stable 23. Addition of vinyl Grignard followed by selective ringclosing metathesis then led to 26. 

Stabilized anions exhibit a pronounced tendency to undergo conjugate addition to a p unsaturated carbonyl compounds This reaction called the Michael reaction has been described for anions derived from p diketones m Section 18 13 The enolates of ethyl acetoacetate and diethyl malonate also undergo Michael addition to the p carbon atom of a p unsaturated aldehydes ketones and esters For example... 

The Paal synthesis of thiophenes from 1,4-diketones, 4-ketoaldehydes and 1,4-dialdehydes has found great use in the synthesis of medicinally active compounds, polymers, liquid crystals and other important materials. Furthermore, the discovery of the catalyzed nucleophilic 1,4-conjugate addition of aldehydes, known as the Stetter reaction (Eq. 5.4.1), has enabled widespread use of the Paal thiophene synthesis, by providing 1,4-diketones from readily available starting materials. ... 

Conjugate addition of methyl magnesium iodide in the presence of cuprous chloride to the enone (91) leads to the la-methyl product mesterolone (92) Although this is the thermodynamically unfavored axially disposed product, no possibility for isomerization exists in this case, since the ketone is once removed from this center. In an interesting synthesis of an oxa steroid, the enone (91) is first oxidized with lead tetraacetate the carbon at the 2 position is lost, affording the acid aldehyde. Reduction of this intermediate, also shown in the lactol form, with sodium borohydride affords the steroid lactone oxandrolone... 

The conjugate addition of a nucleophile to an a,fi-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone is caused by the same electronic factors that are responsible for direct addition. The electronegative oxygen atom of the a,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compound withdraws electrons from the /3 carbon, thereby making it electron-poor and more electrophilic than a typical alkene carbon. 

The mechanism of the cyanide- and thioazolium ion-catalyzed conjugate addition reactions is considered to be analogous to the Lapworth mechanism for the cyanide-catalyzed benzoin condensation. Thus the cyano-stabilized carbanion resulting from deprotonation of the cyanohydrin of the aldehyde is presumed to be the actual Michael donor. After conjugate addition to the activated olefin, cyanide is eliminated to form the product and regenerate the catalyst. 

Similarly, monobasic forms of other trivalent phosphorus species have been used successfully in such conjugate addition processes, including monoesters of phosphonous acids375 425 426 and secondary phosphine oxides.427-429 The notable exception to the last of these species is the addition of the anion from diphenyl phosphine oxide to unsaturated aldehydes, which appears always to proceed by addition to the carbonyl carbon.427... 

The Michael-type conjugate addition of an alkoxide such as methoxide to an a,p-unsaturated nitrile or aldehyde proceeds in solution quite readily, being complete in 5—10 minutes. In the gas phase however, it was found that reaction (6a) does not occur there is no evidence of the addition product even at the longest trapping times, nor in the unquenched mode. Rather, the sole product observed is due to proton loss from the nitrile, to form a nominal vinyl anion, reaction (6b). 

Enamine nucleophiles react readily with soft conjugated electrophiles, such as a, 3-unsaturated carbonyl, nitro, and sulfonyl compounds [20-22], Both aldehydes and ketones can be used as donors (Schemes 27 and 28). These Michael-type reactions are highly useful for the construction of carbon skeletons and often the yields are very high. The problem, however, is the enantioselectivity of the process. Unlike the aldol and Mannich reactions, where even simple proline catalyst can effectively direct the addition to the C = O or C = N bond by its carboxylic acid moiety, in conjugate additions the charge develops further away from the catalyst (Scheme 26) ... 

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