Allyl strain

Allyl strain influences the conformation of Z-alkenes. A 4-substituted 2-alkene will prefer conformation C over D or E to minimize the steric interaction with the C—1 methyl group. ... 

An interesting and useful property of enamines of 2-alkylcyclohexanones is the fact that there is a substantial preference for the less substituted isomer to be formed. This tendency is especially pronounced for enamines derived from cyclic secondaiy amines such as pyrrolidine. This preference can be traced to a strain effect called A or allylic strain (see Section 3.3). In order to accommodate conjugation between the nitrogen lone pair and the carbon-carbon double bond, the nitrogen substituent must be coplanar with the double bond. This creates a steric repulsion when the enamine bears a p substituent and leads to a... 

The synthesis of key intermediate 6 begins with the asymmetric synthesis of the lactol subunit, intermediate 8 (see Scheme 3). Alkylation of the sodium enolate derived from carboximide 21 with allyl iodide furnishes intermediate 26 as a crystalline solid in 82 % yield and in >99 % diastereomeric purity after recrystallization. Guided by transition state allylic strain conformational control elements5d (see Scheme 4), the action of sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide on 21 affords chelated (Z)-enolate 25. Chelation of the type illustrated in 25 prevents rotation about the nitrogen-carbon bond and renders... 

The stereochemical outcome of these reactions can be rationalized as arising from attack on a ground-state conformation in which the sulfoxide lone pair and the alkene double bond are syn coplanar2. Such a conformation would minimize 1,3-allylic strain. 

When an additional methyl substituent is placed at C(3), there is a strong preference for alkylation anti to the 3-methyl group. This is attributed to the conformation of the enolate, which places the C(3) methyl in a pseudoaxial orientation because of allylic strain (see Part A, Section 2.2.1). The axial C(3) methyl then shields the lower face of the enolate.55... 

The rationalization of stereoselectivity is based on two assumptions. (1) The 1-arylthio-1-nitroalkenes adopt a reactive conformation in which the ally lie hydrogen occupies the inside position, minimizing 1,3-allylic strain. (2) The epoxidation reagent can then either coordinate to the ally lie oxygen (in the case of Li), which results in preferential syn epoxidation or in the absence of appropriate cation capable of strong coordination (in the case of K) steric and electronic effects play a large part, which results in preferential anti epoxidation (Scheme 4.7).52... 

In entries 10-13 (Table 21.8) of trisubstituted alkenes, very high diastereo-selectivity is realized by the use of a cationic rhodium catalyst under high hydrogen pressure, and the 1,3-syn- or 1,3-anti-configuration naturally corresponds to the ( )- or (Z)-geometry of the trisubstituted olefin unit [48, 49]. The facial selectivity is rationalized to be controlled by the A(l,3)-allylic strain at the intermediary complex stage (Scheme 21.2) [48]. 

In conjunction with our studies on the synthetic utility of amide enolates (35,36), we have postulated that the high (Z)-stereoselection observed in the deprotonation of dialkylamides is a consequence of ground state allylic strain considerations (37), which strongly disfavor amide conformation B (Scheme 8), and consequently the associated transition state T (Scheme 7) for deprotonation, to give ( )-enolates. 

In studies not yet published (66), the A/-acyl-oxazolidine-2-one 62 has been found to exhibit exceptionally high levels of (Z)-enolization stereoselection with either amide bases (LDA, THF, -78°C) or boryl triflates [(n-C4H9)2BOTf, CH2CI2, -78°C] in the presence of diiso-propylethylamine (DPEA). Upon aldol condensation, the enolates 63a and 63b afford the aldolates 64 (Scheme 11), which react readily with nucleophiles at the carbonyl function (Table 22). As discussed earlier, the large preference for (Z)-enolate formation in this system can be attributed to allylic strain considerations (37)... 

It should also be noted that there is a strong conformational bias for only one of the product chelate conformers. For example, erythro chelate D should be strongly disfavored by both 1,3-diaxial Rj L and CH3 Xq steric control elements. Consequently, it is assumed that the transition states leading to either adduct will reflect this conformational bias. Further support for these projections stems from the observations that the chiral acetate enolates derived from 149a exhibit only poor diastereoface selection. In these cases the developing Rj CH3 interaction leading to diastereomer A is absent. Similar transition state allylic strain considerations also appear to be important with the zirconium enolates, which are discussed below. 

For a cuprate addition reaction to a diester derivative such as 88, it might be expected that the anti addition product would be favored, since a pronounced allylic strain in these substrates along modified Felkin-Anh lines should favor transition state 52 (see Fig. 6.1). However, experiments produced the opposite result, with the syn product 89 being obtained as the major diastereomer (Scheme 6.18) [36, 37]. 

Better results were obtained for the carbamate of 163 (entry 3) [75, 80). Thus, deprotonation of the carbamate 163 with a lithium base, followed by complexation with copper iodide and treatment with one equivalent of an alkyllithium, provided exclusive y-alkylation. Double bond configuration was only partially maintained, however, giving 164 and 165 in a ratio of 89 11. The formation of both alkene isomers is explained in terms of two competing transition states 167 and 168 (Scheme 6.35). Minimization of allylic strain should to some extent favor transition state 167. Employing the enantiomerically enriched carbamate (R)-163 (82% ee) as the starting material, the proposed syn-attack of the organocopper nucleophile could then be as shown. Thus, after substitution and subsequent hydrogenation, R)-2-phenylpentane (169) was obtained in 64% ee [75]. 

Transition state models that minimize allylic strain (191 and 194) provide... 

The addition of (TMS)3SiH to prochiral diethyl methyl fumarate (5) gave both diastereoisomers with preferential formation of the threo isomer (Reaction 5.7) [25]. This suggests that the intermediate adduct 6 adopts a preferred conformation due to the allylic strain effect, in which the silyl moiety shields one face of the prochiral radical center, favouring hydrogen transfer to the opposite face, and therefore the threo product is predominantly formed. 

As expected, for the metalated carbon atom a trigonal planar coordination geometry is achieved. Both lateral carbene moieties which stabilize the carbon(O) atom are planar but are tilted relative to each other to relieve allylic strain [20, 21]. 

The conformation is favored due to minimized 1,3-allylic strain between the hydrogen atom at C-4 and the terminal c/s-hydrogen atom of the double bond. 

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