Aldol- and Mannich-Related Reactions

This chapter has introduced the aldol and related allylation reactions of carbonyl compounds, the allylation of imine compounds, and Mannich-type reactions. Double asymmetric synthesis creates two chiral centers in one step and is regarded as one of the most efficient synthetic strategies in organic synthesis. The aldol and related reactions discussed in this chapter are very important reactions in organic synthesis because the reaction products constitute the backbone of many important antibiotics, anticancer drugs, and other bioactive molecules. Indeed, study of the aldol reaction is still actively pursued in order to improve reaction conditions, enhance stereoselectivity, and widen the scope of applicability of this type of reaction. 

In this chapter, we present the contributions of computational chemistry toward understanding the mechanism and chemistry for three reactions involving nucleophilic attack. The 8 2 reaction, with emphasis on the gas versus solution phase, is presented first Next we describe the critical contribution that computational chemists made in developing the theory of asymmetric induction at carbonyl and vinyl compounds. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the collaborative efforts of synthetic and computational chemists in developing organic catalysts, especially proline and proline-related molecules, for the aldol, Mannich and Michael reaction, and other related reactions. 

Surprisingly, little follow-up work on this idea of small molecule asymmetric catalysis appeared for the next 25 years. In the late 1980s, Agami reported the asymmetric intramolecular aldol reaction of acyclic diketones with (S)-proline as the catalyst. It was not nntil the twenty-first centnry, however, when this notion of organocatalysts became fnlly exploited. List and Barbas ° pioneered enam-ines as catalysts for aldol and Mannich and related reactions. MacMillan has developed a variety of imininm-based catalysts prodncing large asymmetric indnction for Diels-Alder chemistry, Friedel-Crafts alkylations, Mnkaiyama-Michael and cyclopropanation " reactions. 

It is also worth noting that B3LYP and related functionals provide very poor reaction energetics for the aldol and Mannich reactions. The more modem functionals, such as M06-2x and the long-range-corrected functionals CAM-B3LYP and LC-(oPBE, perform much better, with mean errors of less than 2 kcalmol" ... 

Enantioselective aldol and Mannich reactions and related transformations can be efficiently performed with several zirconinm catalysts. Addition of 1-naphtol to ethyl pyruvate mediated with the chiral (diboma-Cp)ZrCl3 complex is reported with an appreciable level of enantioselectivity. ... 

This reaction was one of the first asymmetric produce concise, elegant solutions for the direct aldol and Mannich reactions. The most closely related work reported in the literature at the time is a single report by... 

Aldol addition and related reactions of enolates and enolate equivalents are the subject of the first part of Chapter 2. These reactions provide powerful methods for controlling the stereochemistry in reactions that form hydroxyl- and methyl-substituted structures, such as those found in many antibiotics. We will see how the choice of the nucleophile, the other reagents (such as Lewis acids), and adjustment of reaction conditions can be used to control stereochemistry. We discuss the role of open, cyclic, and chelated transition structures in determining stereochemistry, and will also see how chiral auxiliaries and chiral catalysts can control the enantiose-lectivity of these reactions. Intramolecular aldol reactions, including the Robinson annulation are discussed. Other reactions included in Chapter 2 include Mannich, carbon acylation, and olefination reactions. The reactivity of other carbon nucleophiles including phosphonium ylides, phosphonate carbanions, sulfone anions, sulfonium ylides, and sulfoxonium ylides are also considered. 

Surprisingly, the catalytic potential of proline (1) in asymmetric aldol reactions was not explored further until recently. List et al. reported pioneering studies in 2000 on intermolecular aldol reactions [14, 15]. For example, acetone can be added to a variety of aldehydes, affording the corresponding aldols in excellent yields and enantiomeric purity. The example of iso-butyraldehyde as acceptor is shown in Scheme 1.4. In this example, the product aldol 13 was obtained in 97% isolated yield and with 96% ee [14, 15]. The remarkable chemo- and enantioselectivity observed by List et al. triggered massive further research activity in proline-catalyzed aldol, Mannich, Michael, and related reactions. In the same year, MacMillan et al. reported that the phenylalanine-derived secondary amine 5 catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction of a,/>-un saturated aldehydes with enantioselectivity up to 94% (Scheme 1.4) [16]. This initial report by MacMillan et al. was followed by numerous further applications of the catalyst 5 and related secondary amines. 

Related to their application in synthesis, protic ILs have been used in C-C bond-forming reactions (Knoevenagel condensations, Diels Alder reactions, alkylation and Henry reactions, aldol condensations and Mannich reactions)... 

Some of the catalyst systems used in the asymmetric aldol reaction are also effective in related reactions. Thus, bifunctional catalysts and L-prohne-based organocatalysts have been used to good effect in the nitroaldol reaction and Mannich reaction. The latter process is also effectively catalysed by enantiomeri-cally pure Bronsted acids. Furthermore, much recent progress has been made in the development of a catalytic asymmetric Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction using Lewis/Bronsted acid catalysts and bifunctional catalysts. 

Since the discovery of proline-catalyzed enantioselective aldol reactions, an extensive research program to explore chiral secondary amine catalysts has been pursued. Several polymer-supported chiral amines have been synthesized for aldol, Mannich, and related reactions. Polystyrene is a popular solid phase for use in place of silica gel in the proline-based organocatalysis. In contrast, silica gel displays a slightly acidic character and has a hydrogen-bond donor or acceptor, which may change the catalytic activity and chiral space of the organocatalyst. Flow enantioselective aldol [158-161], Mannich [162], Michael [163], and related reactions... 

Chiral Ca-, Sr-, and Ba-Catalyzed Asymmetric Direct-Type Aldol, Michael, Mannich, and Related Reactions... 

Recent progress in asymmetric direct-type aldol, Michael, Mannich, and related reactions using chiral Ca, Sr, and Ba catalysts was summarized in this chapter. Ca, Sr, and Ba are very attractive, because they are abundant and ubiquitous elements... 

Thus, IQ may arise from creatinine, 2-methylpyridine and formaldehyde or a related Schiff base, formed from glycine through Strecker degradation. The initial step may be a Mannich reaction or an aldol condensation. By analogy MelQ may arise from creatinine, alanine and 2-methylpyridine, and MelQx from creatinine, glycine and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine according to the scheme in Figure 1. 

Related to the aldolization reaction is the Mannich reaction, which proceeds readily in water [193]. Allylsilanes [194] and allylstannanes [131] were also shown to add to iminium salts under Mannich-like conditions. As for the Mukaiyama reaction, the reaction between a vinyl ether with iminium salts was catalyzed by ytterbium triflate in a water/THF mixture. The Henry reaction which can be performed in an aqueous medium has been made more efficient in the presence of surfactants. The nitroaldol products were obtained in 65 -95 % yields [195]. 

While several metal-catalysed approaches to solve the task of generating fl tz-l,2-diols have been developed, this method remains remarkable, since it represents the first small molecule-catalysed, catalytic version of this transformation. The starting materials do not need activation or protection, and the reaction can be performed under standard conditions without further precautions. The selectivity of the reaction potentially results from a hydro Q acetone enamine-initiated transition state (5). More recently, Enders et al. applied a related method to the organocatalytic synthesis of sialic acid precursors (Scheme 5.6). Protected pyruvic aldehyde (6) was reacted with several aldehydes, forming the desired aldols (7) in moderate yields, but good selectivities (31-51%, 90-92% de, 73-99% ee). The conditions were optimised to limit detrimental side reaetions sueh as Mannich elimination or formation of the aeetal self-aldolisation produet. While generally easily applicable and robust, the method laeks effieiency in one key parameter, its reaction time. This limitation, combined with moderate yields unfortunately prevents a scale-up to or beyond the pilot plant. 

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