Aldol substrates

Normally, silyl enol ethers are considered to react with aldol substrates via an aldol mechanism, but Mikami and coworkers, in their examples, showed that the reaction involves an ene mechanism. This is clear from the regiochemistry of the product (7.186) that is isolated from the reaction of silyl enol ether (7.184) and aldehyde (7.185) before hydrolysis. The same catalyst system has been used for the asymmetric desymmetrisation of the diene (7.187) with aldehyde (7.183). The ... 

The conversion of 119 to retro-aldol substrate 121 was accomplished by hydrolysis of the acetal and esterification of the resulting acid to give 120. This process was accompanied by epimerization of both the ester and the resulting methyl ketone, presumably to relieve strain. Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 120 completed the transformation to 121. The sensitive aldehyde was then converted to 122 using chemistry analogous to that developed by the Woodward group. The bottom line is that this is a creative plan that had trouble when it came to the details (tactics). 

The early Escherunoser-Stork results indicated, that stereoselective cyclizations may be achieved, if monocyclic olefins with 1,5-polyene side chains are used as substrates in acid treatment. This assumption has now been justified by many syntheses of polycyclic systems. A typical example synthesis is given with the last reaction. The cyclization of a trideca-3,7-dien-11-ynyl cyclopentenol leads in 70% yield to a 17-acetyl A-norsteroid with correct stereochemistry at all ring junctions. Ozonolysis of ring A and aldol condensation gave dl-progesterone (M.B. Gravestock, 1978 see p. 279f.). 

Class (2) reactions are performed in the presence of dilute to concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide, powdered potassium hydroxide, or, at elevated temperatures, soHd potassium carbonate, depending on the acidity of the substrate. Alkylations are possible in the presence of concentrated NaOH and a PT catalyst for substrates with conventional pX values up to - 23. This includes many C—H acidic compounds such as fiuorene, phenylacetylene, simple ketones, phenylacetonittile. Furthermore, alkylations of N—H, O—H, S—H, and P—H bonds, and ambident anions are weU known. Other basic phase-transfer reactions are hydrolyses, saponifications, isomerizations, H/D exchange, Michael-type additions, aldol, Darzens, and similar... 

There are two distinct groups of aldolases. Type I aldolases, found in higher plants and animals, require no metal cofactor and catalyze aldol addition via Schiff base formation between the lysiae S-amino group of the enzyme and a carbonyl group of the substrate. Class II aldolases are found primarily ia microorganisms and utilize a divalent ziac to activate the electrophilic component of the reaction. The most studied aldolases are fmctose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) enzymes from rabbit muscle, rabbit muscle adolase (RAMA), and a Zn " -containing aldolase from E. coli. In vivo these enzymes catalyze the reversible reaction of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate [591-57-1] (G-3-P) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate [57-04-5] (DHAP). 

For some condensations with silylated substrates as starting compounds, trimethylsilyl inflate can be used as a catalyst [103, 104, 105] Atypical example of such a reaction is the aldol type condensation of silyl enol ethers and acetals catalyzed by 1-5 mol% of trimethylsilyl inflate [103] (equation 53)... 

The ratio of products 15 and 16 is dependent on the structures, base, and the solvent. The kinetics of the reaction is likewise dependant on the structures and conditions of the reaction. Thus addition or cyclization can be the rate-determining step. In a particularly noteworthy study by Zimmerman and Ahramjian, it was reported that when both diastereomers of 20 were treated individually with potassium r-butoxide only as-epoxy propionate 21 was isolated. It is postulated that the cyclization is the rate-limiting step. Thus, for these substrates, the retro-aldolization/aldolization step reversible. ... 

In recent years, several modifications of the Darzens condensation have been reported. Similar to the aldol reaction, the majority of the work reported has been directed toward diastereo- and enantioselective processes. In fact, when the aldol reaction is highly stereoselective, or when the aldol product can be isolated, useful quantities of the required glycidic ester can be obtained. Recent reports have demonstrated that diastereomeric enolate components can provide stereoselectivity in the reaction examples include the camphor-derived substrate 26, in situ generated a-bromo-A -... 

Especially with the ordinary aldol reaction a number of side reactions can be observed, as a result of the high reactivity of starting materials and products. For instance, the a ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds 4 can undergo further aldol reactions by reacting as vinylogous components. In addition compounds 4 are potential substrates for the Michael reaction. 

The corresponding anion 5, formed from 2 by deprotonation, subsequently adds to the carbonyl substrate to give the aldol-type intermediate 6. Loss of water from intermediate 6 leads to a primary o ,/3-unsaturated condensation product 3 ... 

The usual procedure is to simply heat a mixture of the starting materials. A common side-reaction is the polyalkylation it can be suppressed by employing an excess of amine. In addition carbonyl substrates with a-hydrogens may undergo competitive aldol reactions the corresponding reaction products may then undergo a subsequent Leuckart-Wallach reaction. 

In the presence of strong bases, carbonyl compounds form enolate ions, which may be employed as nucleophilic reagents to attack alkyl halides or other suitably electron-deficient substrates giving carbon-carbon bonds. (The aldol and Claisen condensations... 

The exact position of the aldol equilibrium depends both on reaction conditions and on substrate structure. The equilibrium generally favors condensation product in the case of aldehydes with no a substituent (RCH2CHO) but favors reactant for disubstituted aldehydes (R2CHCHO) and for most ketones. Steric Factors are probably responsible for these trends, since increased substitution near the reaction site increases steric congestion in the aldol product. 

Still s synthesis of monensin (1) is based on the assembly and union of three advanced, optically active intermediates 2, 7, and 8. It was anticipated that substrate-stereocontrolled processes could secure vicinal stereochemical relationships and that the coupling of the above intermediates would establish remote stereorelationships. Scheme 3 describes Still s synthesis of the left wing of monensin, intermediate 2. This construction commences with an aldol reaction between the (Z) magnesium bromide enolate derived from 2-methyl-2-trimethylsilyloxy-3-pentanone (21) and benzyloxymethyl-protected (/ )-/ -hydroxyisobutyraldehyde (10).2° The use of intermediate 21 in aldol reactions was first reported by Heathcock21 and, in this particular application, a 5 1 mixture of syn aldol diastereoisomers is formed in favor of the desired aldol adduct 22 (85% yield). The action of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) and magnesium(n) bromide on 21 affords a (Z) magnesium enolate that... 

It was anticipated that two of the three stereochemical relationships required for intermediate 12 could be created through reaction of the boron enolate derived from imide 21 with a-(benzyloxy)ace-taldehyde 24. After conversion of the syn aldol adduct into enone 23, a substrate-stereocontrolled 1,2-reduction of the C-5 ketone car-... 

Substrate-induced diastereoselectivity is provided by the chlorotitanium enolate of 14a,b47b and the boron enolate of ketone 15S3 to give predominantly. wt-aldols. 

The lithium enolate 2a (M = Li ) prepared from the iron propanoyl complex 1 reacts with symmetrical ketones to produce the diastercomers 3 and 4 with moderate selectivity for diastereomer 3. The yields of the aldol adducts are poor deprotonation of the substrate ketone is reported to be the dominant reaction pathway45. However, transmetalation of the lithium enolate 2a by treatment with one equivalent of copper cyanide at —40 C generates the copper enolate 2b (M = Cu ) which reacts with symmetrical ketones at — 78 °C to selectively produce diastereomer 3 in good yield. Diastereomeric ratios in excess of 92 8 are reported with efficient stereoselection requiring the addition of exactly one equivalent of copper cyanide at the transmetalation step45. Small amounts of triphcnylphosphane, a common trace impurity remaining from the preparation of these iron-acyl complexes, appear to suppress formation of the copper enolate. Thus, the starting iron complex must be carefully purified. 

A similar case of enolatc-controlled stereochemistry is found in aldol additions of the chiral acetate 2-hydroxy-2.2-triphenylethyl acetate (HYTRA) when both enantiomers of double deprotonated (R)- and (S)-HYTRA are combined with an enantiomerically pure aldehyde, e.g., (7 )-3-benzyloxybutanal. As in the case of achiral aldehydes, the deprotonated (tf)-HYTRA also attacks (independent of the chirality of the substrate) mainly from the /te-side to give predominantly the t/nii-carboxylic acid after hydrolysis. On the other hand, the (S)-reagcnt attacks the (/ )-aldebyde preferably from the. S7-side to give. s wz-carboxylic acids with comparable selectivity 6... 

Due to mechanistic requirements, most of these enzymes are quite specific for the nucleophilic component, which most often is dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP, 3-hydroxy-2-ox-opropyl phosphate) or pyruvate (2-oxopropanoate), while they allow a reasonable variation of the electrophile, which usually is an aldehyde. Activation of the donor substrate by stereospecific deprotonation is either achieved via imine/enamine formation (type 1 aldolases) or via transition metal ion induced enolization (type 2 aldolases mostly Zn2 )2. The approach of the aldol acceptor occurs stereospecifically following an overall retention mechanism, while facial differentiation of the aldehyde is responsible for the relative stereoselectivity. 

The charged group introduced into products by the aldol donors (phosphate, carboxylate) facilitates product isolation and purification by salt precipitation and ion exchange techniques. Although many aldehydic substrates of interest for organic synthesis have low water solubility, at present only limited data is available on the stability of aldolases in organic cosolvents, thus in individual cases the optimal conditions must be chosen carefully. 

In another intriguing direded evolution study, the stereochemical course of aldol additions was significantly altered in a different sense [78] rather than evolving aldolase mutants that seledively accept stereoisomers of substrates, the... 

Typically, lyases are quite specific for the nucleophilic donor component owing to mechanistic requirements. Usually, approach of the aldol acceptor to the enzyme-bound nucleophile occurs stereospedfically following an overall retention mechanism, while the facial differentiation of the aldehyde carbonyl is responsible for the relative stereoselectivity. In this manner, the stereochemistry of the C—C bond formation is completely controlled by the enzymes, in general irrespective of the constitution or configuration of the substrate, which renders the enzymes highly predictable. On the other hand, most of the lyases allow a reasonably broad variation of the electrophilic acceptor component that is usually an aldehyde. This feature... 

NeuA, has broad substrate specificity for aldoses while pyruvate was found to be irreplaceable. As a notable distinction, KdoA was also active on smaller acceptors such as glyceraldehyde. Preparative applications, for example, for the synthesis of KDO (enf-6) and its homologs or analogs (16)/(17), suffer from an unfavorable equilibrium constant of 13 in direction of synthesis [34]. The stereochemical course of aldol additions generally seems to adhere to a re-face attack on the aldehyde carbonyl, which is complementary to the stereoselectivity of NeuA. On the basis of the results published so far, it may be concluded that a (31 )-configuration is necessary (but not sufficient), and that stereochemical requirements at C-2 are less stringent [71]. 

Literally hundreds of aldehydes have so far been tested successfully by enzymatic assay and preparative experiments as a replacement for (18) in rabbit muscle FruA catalyzed aldol additions [16,25], and most of the corresponding aldol products have been isolated and characterized. The rabbit FruA can discriminate racemic dl-(18), its natural substrate, with high preference for the D-antipode, but kinetic enantioselec-tivity for nonionic aldehydes is rather low [84,89]. 

Figure 10.20 Substrate analogs of dihydroxyacetone phosphate accessible by the CPO oxidation method, and spontaneous, reversible formation of arsenate or vanadate analogs of dihydroxyacetone phosphate/n s/tu for enzymatic aldol additions.

Several cyditol derivatives of varying ring size, for example, (69)/(70), have been prepared based on an enzymatic aldolization as the initial step. Substrates carrying suitably installed C,H-acidic functional groups such as nitro, ester, phosphonate (or halogen) functionalities made use of facile intramolecular nucleophilic (or radical) cyclization reactions ensuing, or subsequent to, the enzyme-catalyzed aldol addition (Figure 10.27) [134—137]. 

The product is a P-hydroxy aldehyde (called an aldol) or ketone, which in some cases is dehydrated during the course of the reaction. Even if the dehydration is not spontaneous, it can usually be done easily, since the new double bond is in conjugation with the C=0 bond so that this is a method of preparing a,P-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones as well as P-hydroxy aldehydes and ketones. The entire reaction is an equilibrium (including the dehydration step), and a,P-unsaturated and P-hydroxy aldehydes and ketones can be cleaved by treatment with OH (the retrograde aldol reaction). There is evidence that an SET mechanism can intervene when the substrate is an aromatic ketone. ... 

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