Aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers

Wiles, C., Watts, P., Haswell, S. J., PoMBO-ViLiAR, E., The aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers within a micro reactor. 

Figure 4.85 Flow configuration for the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers in a mixing-tee chip micro reactor [15],...

In 1991, Kobayashi el al. prepared novel chiral S/N ligands for the tin-mediated aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes. As an example, the reaction of benzaldehyde afforded the expected syn aldol product as the major product with a good yield and an enantioselectivity of up to 92% ee (Scheme 10.26). Moreover, other aldehydes such as substituted benzaldehydes or aliphatic unsaturated aldehydes were converted into their corresponding aldol products with enantioselectivities of more than 90% ee. It was checked that the corresponding diamine ligands provided less active complexes for the same reactions. 

The crossed aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with carbonyl compounds (Mukaiyama-aldol) was studied by Lubineau and co-workers... 

This reaction sequence of conjugate reduction followed by aldol reaction is known as the reductive aldol reaction. In certain instances, reductive elimination from the M-TM-enolate species may occur to furnish M-enolate, which itself may participate in the aldol reaction (Scheme 3). This detour may be described as the background path or stepwise path in one-pot. Indeed, it has been reported that certain cationic Rh complexes such as [Rh(COD)(DPPB)] (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene, DPPB = diphenylphosphinobutane) catalyze the aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers and carbonyl compounds by serving as Lewis acids [5-8]. 

Sc(OTf)3 is an effective catalyst in aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes.49 Compared with other typical rare-earth-metal (Y, Yb) trifiates, Sc(OTf)3 has the strongest activity in the reaction of 1-trimethylsiloxycyclohexane with benzaldehyde in dichloromethane. Although the reaction scarcely proceeded at —78°C in the presence of Y(OTf)3 or Yb(OTf)3, the aldol adduct was obtained in 81% yield in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 (Scheme 9). 

Wiles C, Watts P, Wiles C, Haswell S, Pombo-Villar E (2001) The Aldol Reaction of Silyl Enol Ethers within a Microreactor. Lab Chip 1 100-101 Zhang W (2004) Fluorous Synthesis of Heterocyclic Systems. Chem Rev 104 2531-2556... 

S. Kobayashi, L Hachiya, The Aldol Reaction of Silyl Enol Ethers with Aldehydes in Aqueous Media Tetrahedron Lett. 1992,1625-1628. 

S. Kobayashi, T. Wakabayashi, S. Nagayama, H. Oya-mada, Lewis Add Catalysis in MiceUar Systems. Sc(OTf)3-Catalyzed Aqueous Aldol Reactions of Silyl Enol Ethers with Aldehydes in the Presence of a Surfactant Tetrahedron Lett. 1997,38, 4559-4562... 

Although in the recent years the stereochemical control of aldol condensations has reached a level of efficiency which allows enantioselective syntheses of very complex compounds containing many asymmetric centres, the situation is still far from what one would consider "ideal". In the first place, the requirement of a substituent at the a-position of the enolate in order to achieve good stereoselection is a limitation which, however, can be overcome by using temporary bulky groups (such as alkylthio ethers, for instance). On the other hand, the ( )-enolates, which are necessary for the preparation of 2,3-anti aldols, are not so easily prepared as the (Z)-enolates and furthermore, they do not show selectivities as good as in the case of the (Z)-enolates. Finally, although elements other than boron -such as zirconium [30] and titanium [31]- have been also used succesfully much work remains to be done in the area of catalysis. In this context, the work of Mukaiyama and Kobayashi [32a,b,c] on asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by tributyltin fluoride and a chiral diamine coordinated to tin(II) triflate... 

A similar enantiomer-selective activation has been observed for aldol " and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions.Asymmetric activation of (R)-9 by (/f)-BINOL is also effective in giving higher enantioselectivity (97% ee) than those by the parent (R)-9 (91% ee) in the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers (Scheme 8.12a). Asymmetric activation of R)-9 by (/f)-BINOL is the key to provide higher enantioselectivity (84% ee) than those obtained by (R)-9 (5% ee) in the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with Danishefsky s diene (Scheme 8.12b). Activation with (/ )-6-Br-BINOL gives lower yield (25%) and enantioselectivity (43% ee) than the one using (/f)-BINOL (50%, 84% ee). One can see that not only steric but also electronic factors are important in a chiral activator. 

In the following a few examples of the asymmetric aldol reaction are given. Silyl enol ethers (0-Si) resemble very much allylsilanes (C-Si) in terms of structure and mode of action. That is why Lewis base catalyzed aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers have been extensively studied. The first example of Lewis base catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of trichlorosilyl enol ether with chiral phosphoramide [80-91] was reported by Denmark et al. (Scheme 24). 

Recently it was found that the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with acetals or aldehydes is effectively promoted by a catalytic amount of trityl perchlorate to give the corresponding aldols in good yields (44,45). Polymer-bound trityl perchlorate also successfully catalyzed the aldol reaction (45). 

Cross aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with acetals (25 - 26, and 27 - 28) are also mediated by EGA. The reaction runs smoothly at —78 °C in a CH2CI2— —LiClO —Et NClO —(Pt) system. At an elevated temperature protonation of both enol ether and acetal occurs competitively to give 28 in a poor yield. Table 5 summarizes yields and diastereoselectivities of 28 obtained by EGA, TiCl TMSOTf and TrtClO 5 . The EGA method is superior to TiCl with regard to the stereocontrol, and comparable with TMSOTf and TrtClO in both stereocontrol and yield. 

This procedure illustrates a general method for the preparation of crossed aldols. The aldol reaction between various silyl enol ethers and carbonyl compounds proceeds smoothly according to the same procedure (see Table I). Silyl enol ethers react with aldehydes at -78°C, and with ketones near CTC. Note that the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with ketones affords good yields of crossed aldols which are generally difficult to prepare using lithium or boron enolates. Lewis acids such as tin tetrachloride and boron trifluoride etherate also promote the reaction however, titanium tetrachloride is generally the most effective catalyst. 

The blend SnC -ZnCli is an effective catalyst in the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes (Eq. 87), acetals (Eq. 88), or ketones [122]. Product antilsyn ratios vary (32 69 to 89 11). The blend also catalyzes the Michael addition of silyl enol ethers with a,/3-unsaturated ketones (Eq. 89), yielding alkylation products (84-100 %) with anti selectivity antilsyn = 55 45 to 87 23). 

Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes have recently been successfully performed in micellar systems [60]. Although the reaction proceeded sluggishly in water (without organic solvents), reactivity was remarkably enhanced by the presence of a small amount of a surfactant. In these systems, versatile carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions proceeded smoothly in water without the use of organic solvents. 

Akiyama, Y, Ishikawa, K, OzaM, S, Asymmetric synthesis of functionalized tertiary alcohols by diastereoselective aldol reaction of silyl enol ether and ketene silyl acetals with a-keto esters bearing an optically active cyclitol as a chiral auxihary, Synlett, 275-276, 1994. 

Suzuki, T., Hirama, M. Asymmetric aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by the combined use of chiral diamine coordinated tin(ll) triflate and tribulyltin fluoride. Chemtracts Org. Chem. 1989, 2, 268-270. 

Activation of the (f )-binolato-Ti(OiPr)2 (2) by highly acidic and sterically demanding alcohols as achiral rather than chiral activators is also effective to provide higher levels of enantioselectivity than those attained by the parent enantio-pure binolato-Ti(OiPr) catalyst (2) in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers (Eq. (7.22)) [55]. 

The use of Ln(OTf)3 in the activation of aldehydes other than formaldehyde was also investigated [18], Several examples of the present aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes are listed in Table 14-1. In every case, the aldol adducts were obtained in high yields in the presence of a catalytic amount of Yb(OTf)3, Gd(OTf)3, or Lu(OTf)3 in aqueous media. Diastereoselectivities were generally good to moderate. One feature in the present reaction is that water-soluble aldehydes, for instance, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and chloroacetaldehyde, can be reacted with silyl enol ethers to afford the corresponding cross aldol adducts in high yields (entries 5-7). Some of these aldehydes are commercially supplied as water solutions and are appropriate for direct use. Phenylglyoxal monohydrate also worked well (entry 8). It is known that water often interferes with the aldol reactions of aldehydes with metal enolates and that, in the cases where such water... 

Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes are among the most powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming methods aprotic anhydrous solvents and low reaction temperatures are, however, usually needed for successful reaction. To perform the catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction in aqueous media a chiral crown ether-Pb(OTf)2 complex was employed as a chiral catalyst stable in water-ethanol [9]. Good to high yields and high levels of diastereo-and enantioselectivity were obtained at 0°C in aqueous media (Scheme 13.64). 

The aldol reachon is one of the most efficient methods for extending the carbon framework of an organic synthon. Since the discovery of the Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers by Mukaiyama, numerous variations of this type of reaction have been reported [80]. Recently, more attention has been focused on the development of new organocatalysts for the asymmetric direct aldol... 

Other important aldol condensations are the Mukaiyama-type aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes that usually require catalyst activation. Yamamoto reported that such reactions under high pressure proceed (i) without catalyst even at room temperature, (ii) without isomerization of the formed adducts and (iii) with a reversed synlanti stereoselectivity compared with that of the TiCU-catalysed reactions. ... 

The demand for environmentally friendly chemistry and its widespread applicability have made water an increasingly popnlar solvent for organic transformations. Mixtures of water and other solvents snch as tetrahydrofnran are now commonly anployed for a number of organic transformations. For instance, the Lewis acid catalysed aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers, commonly known as the Mnkaiyama aldol reaction, which was firstly reported in the early seventies, can be carried ont in snch media. With titanium tetrachloride as the catalyst this reaction proceeds regioselectively in high yields, but the reaction has to be carried ont strictly nnder non-aqneons conditions in order to prevent decomposition of the catalyst and hydrolysis of the sUyl enol ethCTS. In the absence of the catalyst it was observed that water had a beneficial influence on this process (Table 4, entry D) . Nevertheless, the yields in the nncatalysed version WCTe still unsatisfactory. Improved results were obtained with water-tolerant Lewis acids. The first reported example for Lewis acid catalysis in aqueous media is the hydroxymethylation of silyl enol ethers with commercial formaldehyde solution using lanthanide trillates. In the meantime, the influence of several lanthanide triflates in cross-aldol reactions of various aldehydes was examined " " ". The reactions were most effectively carried out in 1 9 mixtures of water and tetrahydrofnran with 5-10% Yb(OTf)3, which can be reused after completion of the reaction (Table 19, entry A). Although the realization of this reaction is quite simple, the choice of the solvent is crucial (Table 20). 

The aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes also proceed smoothly in water/ethanol/toluene [17]. The reactions proceed much faster in this solvent than in water/THF (Eq. 2). Furthermore, the new solvent system involves continuous use of the catalyst by a very simple procedure. Although the water/ethanol/toluene (1 7 4) system is one phase, it easily becomes two phases by adding toluene after the reaction is completed. The product is isolated from the organic layer by a usual work-up. On the other hand, the catalyst remains in the aqueous layer, which is used directly in the next reaction without removing water. It is noteworthy that the yields of the second, third, and fourth runs are comparable with that of the first run. 

Lubineau reported the water-promoted aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes, but the yields and the substrate scope were not yet satisfactory ... 

The pinwheel shape of a f-butyl propionate derived silylketene acetal (see Section 2.4.2.1) was revealed by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Several different catalysts were reported to promote the aldol-type condensation of alkyl enol ethersand silyl enol ethers with aldehydes, acetals and various other electrophiles. In some cases the reaction proceeded with high simple stereoselection. The mechanism of the Lewis acid mediated additions to acetals (see Section 2.4.2.3) was investigated in detail, as well as the uncatalyzed aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by the hydrophobic effect (see Section 2.4.2.1). 

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