Aldol reaction control

For the other broad category of reaction conditions, the reaction proceeds under conditions of thermodynamic control. This can result from several factors. Aldol condensations can be effected for many compounds using less than a stoichiometric amount of base. Under these conditions, the aldol reaction is reversible, and the product ratio will be determined by the relative stability of the various possible products. Conditions of thermodynamic control also permit equilibration among all the enolates of the nucleophile. The conditions that permit equilibration include higher reaction temperatures, protic solvents, and the use of less tightly coordinating cations. 

Stannous triflate is an efficient catalyst for aldol-type condensations [ 23, 124, 125 Under conditions of kinetic control, it provides excellent diastereo-selectivity in various cross-aldol reactions (equation 61)... 

The enantiomers are obtained as a racemic mixture if no asymmetric induction becomes effective. The ratio of diastereomers depends on structural features of the reactants as well as the reaction conditions as outlined in the following. By using properly substituted preformed enolates, the diastereoselectivity of the aldol reaction can be controlled. Such enolates can show E-ot Z-configuration at the carbon-carbon double bond. With Z-enolates 9, the syn products are formed preferentially, while fi-enolates 12 lead mainly to anti products. This stereochemical outcome can be rationalized to arise from the more favored transition state 10 and 13 respectively ... 

A syn-selective asymmetiic nih o-aldol reaction has been reported for structurally simple aldehydes using a new catalyst generated from 6,6-bis[(tiiethylsilyl)ethynyl]BINOL (g in Scheme 3.18). The syn selectivity in the nitro-aldol reaction can be explained by steric hindrance in the bicyclic transition state as can be seen in Newman projection. In the favored h ansition state, the catalyst acts as a Lewis acid and as a Lewis base at different sites. In conbast, the nonchelation-controlled transition state affords anti product with lower ee. This stereoselective nitro-aldol reaction has been applied to simple synthesis of t/ireo-dihydrosphingosine by the reduction of the nitro-aldol product with H2 and Pd-C (Eq. 3.79). 

The Mukaiyama variation of the aldol reaction also allows 1,3-induced chelation control. Thus, the reaction of the enolsilane or silylketene acetal with (5 )-3-benzyloxybutanal results in both cases in the predominant formation of the cwt/ -adduct (92 8 and 90 10), respectively14. 

Figure 10.19 Oxidative enzymatic generation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate in situ for stereoselective aldol reactions using DHAP aldolases (a), and extension by pH-controlled, integrated precursor preparation and product liberation (b).

The reactions with preformed enol derivatives provide a way to control the stereoselectivity of the aldol reaction. As with the Michael reaction (15-16), the aldol reaction creates two new chiral centers, and, in the most general case, there are four stereoisomers of the aldol product, which can be represented as... 

Reagents are available nowadays for acyl anions other than (4). Thus when Heathcock made the ketone (16), which he used in stereoselective aldol reactions, he needed a-hydroxy ketone (17), This required synthon (18) for which an acetylene is not a good choice as there are as yet no means of controlling the reglo-selectivity of hydration of (19). 

The aldol reaction is also important in the synthesis of more complex molecules and in these cases control of both regiochemistry and stereochemistry is required. In most cases, this is accomplished under conditions of kinetic control. In the sections that follow, we discuss how variations of the basic mechanism and selection of specific reagents and reaction conditions can be used to control product structure and stereochemistry. 

Control of Regio- and Stereoselectivity of Aldol Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones... 

Aldol Reactions of Lithium Enolates. Entries 1 to 4 in Scheme 2.1 represent cases in which the nucleophilic component is a lithium enolate formed by kinetically controlled deprotonation, as discussed in Section 1.1. Lithium enolates are usually highly reactive toward aldehydes and addition occurs rapidly when the aldehyde is added, even at low temperature. The low temperature ensures kinetic control and enhances selectivity. When the addition step is complete, the reaction is stopped by neutralization and the product is isolated. 

Aldol Reactions of Boron Enolates. The matter of increasing stereoselectivity in the addition step can be addressed by using other reactants. One important version of the aldol reaction involves the use of boron enolates.15 A cyclic TS similar to that for lithium enolates is involved, and the same relationship exists between enolate configuration and product stereochemistry. In general, the stereoselectivity is higher than for lithium enolates. The O-B bond distances are shorter than for lithium enolates, and this leads to a more compact structure for the TS and magnifies the steric interactions that control stereoselectivity. 

Scheme 2.2 illustrates several examples of the Mukaiyama aldol reaction. Entries 1 to 3 are cases of addition reactions with silyl enol ethers as the nucleophile and TiCl4 as the Lewis acid. Entry 2 demonstrates steric approach control with respect to the silyl enol ether, but in this case the relative configuration of the hydroxyl group was not assigned. Entry 4 shows a fully substituted silyl enol ether. The favored product places the larger C(2) substituent syn to the hydroxy group. Entry 5 uses a silyl ketene thioacetal. This reaction proceeds through an open TS and favors the anti product. 

Control of Facial Selectivity in Aldol and Mukaiyama Aldol Reactions... 

Stereochemical Control Through Chiral Auxiliaries. Another approach to control of stereochemistry is installation of a chiral auxiliary, which can achieve a high degree of facial selectivity.124 A very useful method for enantioselective aldol reactions is based on the oxazolidinones 10,11, and 12. These compounds are available in enantiomerically pure form and can be used to obtain either enantiomer of the desired product. 

Scheme 2.6. Control of Stereochemistry of Aldol and Mukaiyama Aldol Reactions Using...

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. 

The stereochemical outcome of the Mukaiyama reaction can be controlled by the type of Lewis acid used. With bidentate Lewis acids the aldol reaction led to the anti products through a Cram chelate control [366]. Alternatively, the use of a monoden-tate Lewis acid in this reaction led to the syn product through an open Felkin-Anh... 

Dendritic molecules with a single triethylene amine core surrounded by hyperbranched polyether sectors catalyze the nitro-aldol reaction between aromatic aldehydes and nitroalkanes (Eq. 3.5).15 The activity of the catalysts decreases when the generation number increases. No significant changes in stereo-control are observed on passing from lower- to higher-generation dendrimers. 

Ono and Kamimura have found a very simple method for the stereo-control of the Michael addition of thiols, selenols, or alcohols. The Michael addition of thiolate anions to nitroalkenes followed by protonation at -78 °C gives anti-(J-nitro sulfides (Eq. 4.8).11 This procedure can be extended to the preparation of a/jti-(3-nitro selenides (Eq. 4.9)12 and a/jti-(3-nitro ethers (Eq. 4.10).13 The addition products of benzyl alcohol are converted into P-amino alcohols with the retention of the configuration, which is a useful method for anri-P-amino alcohols. This is an alternative method of stereoselective nitro-aldol reactions (Section 3.3). The anti selectivity of these reactions is explained on the basis of stereoselective protonation to nitronate anion intermediates. The high stereoselectivity requires heteroatom substituents on the P-position of the nitro group. The computational calculation exhibits that the heteroatom covers one site of the plane of the nitronate anion.14... 

Heterobimetallic asymmetric complexes contain both Bronsted basic and Lewis acidic functionalities. These complexes have been developed by Shibasaki and coworkers and have proved to be highly efficient catalysts for many types of asymmetric reactions, including catalytic asymmetric nitro-aldol reaction (see Section 3.3) and Michael reaction. They have reported that the multifunctional catalyst (f )-LPB [LaK3tris(f )-binaphthoxide] controls the Michael addition of nitromethane to chalcones with >95% ee (Eq. 4.140).205... 

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