Aldol reactions Directed aldols using imines

In conclusion, chiral heterobimetallic lanthanoid compexes LnMB, which were recently developed by Shibasaki et al., are highly efficient catalysts in stereoselective synthesis. This new and innovative type of chiral catalyst contains a Lewis acid as well as a Bronsted base moiety and shows a similar mechanistic effect as observed in enzyme chemistry. A broad variety of asymmetric transformations were carried out using this catalysts, including asymmetric C-C bond formations like the nitroaldol reaction, direct aldol reaction, Michael addition and Diels-Alder reaction, as well as C-0 bond formations (epoxidation of enones). Thereupon, asymmetric C-P bond formation can also be realized as has been successfully shown in case of the asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of aldehydes and imines. It is noteworthy that all above-mentioned reactions proceed with high stereoselectivity, resulting in the formation of the desired optically active products in high to excellent optical purity. 

Fluoral hydrate and hemiacetals are industrial products. They are stable liquids that are easy to handle, and they react as fluoral itself in many reactions. Thus, in the presence of Lewis acids, they react in Friedel-Crafts reactions. They also react very well with organometallics (indium and zinc derivatives) and with silyl enol ethers.Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of fluoral ethyl hemiac-etal with ketones produced jS-hydroxy-jS-trifluoromethylated ketones with good to excellent diastereo- (up to 96% de) and enantioselectivities. With imine reagents, the reaction proceeds without Lewis acid activation. The use of chiral imines affords the corresponding 8-hydroxy ketones with a 60-80% de (Figure 2.49). ° ... 

Aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes condense with aliphatic and aromatic primary amines to form JV-substituted imines. The reaction is catalyzed by acids and is generally carried out by refluxing the amine and the carbonyl compound with an azeotroping agent in order to separate the water formed. The aliphatic imines (C5-C10) are obtained in good yield but are unstable and must be used directly after their distillation [2b], Tertiary aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes at room temperature react readily and nearly quantitatively with amines to give the imines without the aid of catalysts [la]. Primary aliphatic aldehydes tend to give polymeric materials with amines as a result of the ease of their aldol condensation [3]. The use of low temperatures and potassium hydroxide favors the formation of the imine product [4a, b]. Secondary aliphatic aldehydes readily form imines with amines with little or no side reactions [5]. 

Allyltributyltin, 10 Boron trifluoride etherate, 43 Di-jjL-carbonylhexacarbonyldicobalt, 99 Grignard reagents, 138 Ketenylidenetriphenvlphosphorane, 154 Methoxyamine, 177 Reformatsky reagent, 346 Tin(IV) chloride, 300 Tributylcrotyltin, 10 Aldol reactions General considerations, 202 Directed aldols using imines Norephedrine, 200... 

Lithium salts of ketone derivatives such as imines, oximes and hydrazones have also been used for directed aldol reactions (Scheme 103).374 375 A recent example involves triple coordination of lithium in a very rigid transition state, to lead to regiospecificity in the product (Scheme 104).376... 

The catalytic cycles are, however, different in the reaction sequence for formation of the enamines which are key intermediates in these aldol reactions. With the type I aldolase a primary amino function of the enzyme is used for direct formation of a neutral imine (Ha) whereas starting from L-proline enamine synthesis proceeds via a positive iminium system (lib) (Scheme 6.23). In this respect, investigations by List et al. on the dependence of the catalytic potential on the type of amino acid are of particular interest. In these studies it has been shown that for catalytic activity the presence of a pyrrolidine ring (in L-proline (S)-37) and the carboxylic acid group is required [69]. 

Another use of imines is in a directed aldol condensation reaction, directing the condensation in a way that the aldehyde, after reacting with the base, will react with the other carbonyl compound, with no self-condensation. Imines, in contrast to their precursors, aldehydes, are too weak electrophiles to undergo self-condensation. However, after lithiation with LDA, the lithium salts 19 are sufficiently good nucleophiles to react... 

If the metal-binaphthyl complex is not fitted directly into the cyclic transition state, it becomes difficult to explain the asymmetric inductions observed. The following rule seems to be generally valid for both BINOL and BINAP complexes The complexation of carbonyl or imine moieties by (R)-binaphthyl-metal complexes results in a shielding of the si face, the reaction proceeds from the re face. Correspondingly, the opposite principle applies when (STbinaphthyl complexes are used. All aldol reactions and carbonyl-ene reactions which are catalyzed by binaphthyl complexes abide by this rule [18], and the scheme can also be applied to the addition of ketene-silyl-acetals to imines with boron-BINOL catalysts [19]. 

In Section 9.4.A, it was noted that there were problems with aldol-type reactions, especially with the directed aldol condensation. In particular, aldehydes with an a-hydrogen have great difficulty adding to ketones due to their propensity for self-condensation. The ability to use kinetic control conditions in enolate reactions of ketones and aldehydes often solves this problem. There are also several alternative approaches that involve the use of carbanions derived from imines and hydrazones and these can be very useful. l... 

In the approaches toward a direct asymmetric Mannich reaction by enolate formation with the metal of the catalyst also, the well-proved systems of the analogous aldol reactions were widely applied. Here, it is referred to some of these protocols wherein a metal enolate is involved, as least as assumed and plausible intermediate [183]. Shibasaki and coworkers used a dinuclear zinc complex derived from linked BINOL ligand 371 for catalyst in direct Mannich reactions of a-hydroxy ketones 370 with Af-diphenylphosphinoyl imines 369 to give ti-configured a-hydroxy-P-amino ketones 372 in high yield, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity (Scheme 5.97) [184]. The authors postulate the metal to form a chelated zinc enolate by double deprotonation of the a-hydroxy ketone. This enolate approaches with its Si-face to the Si-face of the imine, as illustrated by the transition state model 373, in agreement with the observed stereochemical outcome. It is remarkable that opposite simple diastereoselectivity arises from the Mannich reaction (anti-selective) and the previously reported syn-selective aldol reaction [185], although the zinc enolates... 

Comforth has reviewed literature reports and independently studied the special cases of reaction of 1 with salicylaldehyde and with 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde. Coumarins (10) are afforded in the condensation of 1 with salicylaldehyde or its imine, whereas when 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde is used, acetoxy oxazolone 12 is the major product. The initial aldol condensation product between the oxazolone and 2-acetoxybenzaldehyde is the 4-(a-hydroxybenzyl)oxazolone 11, in which base-catalyzed intramolecular transacetylation is envisioned. The product 9 (R = Ac) can either be acetylated on the phenolic hydroxy group, before or after loss of acetic acid, to yield the oxazolone 12, or it can rearrange, by a second intramolecular process catalyzed by base and acid, to the hydrocoumarin, which loses acetic acid to yield 10. When salicylaldehyde is the starting material, aldol intermediate 9 (R = H) can rearrange directly to a hydrocoumarin. Comforth also accessed pure 4-(2 -hydroxyphenylmethylene)-2-phenyloxazol-5(4//)-one (13) through hydrolysis of 12 with 88% sulfuric acid. 

In origin, the Mannich reaction is a three-component reaction between an eno-lizable CH-acidic carbonyl compound, an amine, and an aldehyde producing / -aminocarbonyl compounds. Such direct Mannich reactions can encompass severe selectivity problems since both the aldehyde and the CH-acidic substrate can often act as either nucleophile or electrophile. Aldol addition and condensation reactions can be additional competing processes. Therefore preformed electrophiles (imines, iminium salts, hydrazones) or nucleophiles (enolates, enamines, enol ethers), or both, are often used, which allows the assignment of a specific role to each car-... 

---