Alkali metal enolates from amide bases

Among alkali metal enolates, those derived from ketones are the most robust one they are stable in etheric solutions at 0 C. The formation of aldehyde enolates by deprotonation is difficult because of the very fast occurring aldol addition. Whereas LDA has been reported to be definitely unsuitable for the generation preformed aldehyde enolates [15], potassium amide in Hquid ammonia, potassium hydride in THE, and super active lithium hydride seem to be appropriate bases forthe metallation of aldehydes [16]. In general, preformed alkali metal enolates of aldehydes did not find wide application in stereoselective synthesis. Ester enolates are very frequently used, although they are more capricious than ketone enolates. They have to be formed fast and quantitatively, because otherwise a Claisen condensation readily occurs between enolate and ester. A complication with ester enolates originates from their inherent tendency to form ketene under elimination... 

Their stability at low temperature means that lithium enolates are usually preferred, but sodium and potassium enolates can also be formed by abstraction of a proton by strong bases. The increased separation of the metal cation from the enolate anion with the larger alkali metals leads to more reactive but less stable enolates. Typical very strong Na and K bases include the hydrides (NaH, KH) or amide anions derived from ammonia (NaNH2, KNH2) or... 

Since most of the synthetically useful enolate anions described in the previous section are prepared by the reactions of enolizable substrates with alkali metal amide bases, it is appropriate to note a few structures of these amide bases. The common bases in synthetic organic chemistry include LDA and LHMDS. The structures of both of these bases are known as the THF solvates.Both of these compounds form bis-solvated dimers corresponding to structure (201). The diethyl ether solvate of LHMDS also forms a bis-solvated dimer (202).Sodium hexamethyldisilazide crystallizes as an unaggregated monomer from benzene solution.Two different cryst line forms of KHMDS are known as the polymeric dioxane solvate (203), ° and the unsolvated dimer (204). ... 

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