Aldol cycloisomerization

Scheme 5.14 The aldol cycloisomerization by pipecolinic acid and NMI-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular MBH reaction followed by a kinetic resolution quench .

A modification of this system was also used in intramolecular MBH reactions (also called as aldol cycloisomerization) [71, 74]. In this reaction, optically active pipecolinic acid 61 was found to be a better co-catalyst than proline, and allowed ee-values of up to 80% to be obtained, without a peptide catalyst. The inter-molecular aldol dimerization, which is an important competing side-reaction of the basic amine-mediated intramolecular MBH reaction, was efficiently suppressed in a THF H20 (3 1) mixture at room temperature, allowing the formation of six-membered carbocycles (Scheme 5.14). The enantioselectivity of the reaction could be improved via a kinetic resolution quench by adding acetic anhydride as an acylating agent to the reaction mixture and a peptide-based asymmetric catalyst such as 64 that mediates a subsequent asymmetric acylation reaction. The non-acylated product 65 was recovered in 50% isolated yield with ee >98%. 

The Diels-Alder reaction outlined above is a typical example of the utilization of axially chiral allenes, accessible through 1,6-addition or other methods, to generate selectively new stereogenic centers. This transfer of chirality is also possible via in-termolecular Diels-Alder reactions of vinylallenes [57], aldol reactions of allenyl eno-lates [19f] and Ireland-Claisen rearrangements of silyl allenylketene acetals [58]. Furthermore, it has been utilized recently in the diastereoselective oxidation of titanium allenyl enolates (formed by deprotonation of /3-allenecarboxylates of type 65 and transmetalation with titanocene dichloride) with dimethyl dioxirane (DMDO) [25, 59] and in subsequent acid- or gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization reactions of a-hydroxyallenes into 2,5-dihydrofurans (cf. Chapter 15) [25, 59, 60],... 

The chemical reactions possible with silver catalysis are multiple and cover cycloadditions, cycloisomerizations, allylations, aldol reactions, and even C-H bond activation. Also, asymmetric versions are known, even though they still need to be improved.3-10... 

Ruthenium-catalyzed cycloisomerization of diyn-ols to diene-ones or diene-als was discovered by Trost and Rudd [34], and provided the potential for the intramolecular aldol condensation. In the reaction, water acts as a reactant (Eqs. 15,16). The reaction was proposed to proceed via a ruthenacyclopenta-diene intermediate. 

Silver salts or reagents have received much attention in preparative organic chemistry because they are useful catalysts for various transformations involving C-G and C-heteroatom bond formation.309 Especially, the silver(i)/ BINAP (2,2 -bis(diphenylphosphino)-l,T-binaphthalene) system is a very effective catalyst for a variety of enantio-selective reactions, including aldol, nitroso aldol, allylation, Mannich, and ene reactions. Moreover, silver salts are known to efficiently catalyze cycloisomerization and cycloaddition reactions of various unsaturated substrates. Recently, new directions in silver catalysis were opened by the development of unique silver complexes that catalyze aza-Diels-Alder reactions, as well as carbene insertions into C-H bonds. 

Recent advances in the cyclizations catalyzed by transition metals and their complexes are reviewed. The catalytic cyclizations discussed here include various carbocyclizations, for example, cycloisomerization, cycloaddition, reductive cyclization, and so on cascade carbocyclizations, for example, cyclotrimerization, silylcarbocyclization, and Heck reaction carbonylative carbocyclizations cyclohy-drocarbonylations intramolecular hydrosilylations intramolecular silylformyla-tions and aldol cyclizations. These reactions serve as efficient and useful methods for the syntheses of a variety of heterocycles and carbocycles that are important... 

Kressierer and Muller [18] could also show that yne allyl alcohols are rapidly cycloisomerized by a Pdjdbaj—Af-acetyl phenyl alanine catalyst system to give silylsubstituted heterocyclic enals in excellent yields. This intriguing catalyst system is capable of performing a sequentially Pd-catalyzed processes as well as an acid-catalyzed iminium aldol condensation. 

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