Allylation of Enamines

Scheme 9.16 Allylation of enamines under optimized conditions.

The acceleration of the 3-aza-Cope rearrangement of A-allylenamines through formation of a cationic quaternary nitrogen center (enammonium salt) has obvious advantages. However, direct allylation of enamines in order to form the enammonium ions is unsatisfactory, and difficult. Moreover, the rearrangement-hydrolysis product is often contaminated by the C-allylated product when an unsymmetrical allyl halide is employed... 

Allylations. Allylation of enamines with 1-allylbenzotriazoles is accomplished in the presence of Pd(OAc)2-Ph3P and ZnBr2. The stepwise twofold allylation of cycloalkanones leading to bridged ring systems uses 2-methylene-1,3-propylene diacetate. Allylation of active methylene compounds with allylic alcohols is promoted by triethylborane. ... 

More recently, the Pd-catalyzed allylation of enamines and imines has been applied to the enantioselective a-allylation of aldehydes and ketones in ee values up to Until several years ago, the results obtained in this investigation represented some of the most favorable cases of the Pd-catalyzed enantioselective allylation. Several representative results are summarized in Scheme 17 U8H40] p j. (jjg pd-catalyzed allylation of 2-phenylpropionaldehyde with (5)-proline allyl ester, a mechanism involving an organopaUadium complex shown in Scheme 18 has been proposed, and it does appear very plausible. 

Enamines derived from ketones are allylated[79]. The intramolecular asymmetric allylation (chirality transfer) of cyclohexanone via its 5-proline ally ester enamine 120 proceeds to give o-allylcyclohexanone (121) with 98% ee[80,8l]. Low ee was observed in intermolecular allylation. Similarly, the asymmetric allylation of imines and hydrazones of aldehydes and ketones has been carried out[82]. 

Diacetates of 1,4-butenediol derivatives are useful for double allylation to give cyclic compounds. l,4-Diacetoxy-2-butene (126) reacts with the cyclohexanone enamine 125 to give bicyclo[4.3.1]decenone (127) and vinylbicy-clo[3.2.1]octanone (128)[85,86]. The reaction of the 3-ketoglutarate 130 with cij-cyclopentene-3,5-diacetate (129) affords the furan derivative 131 [87]. The C- and 0-allylations of ambident lithium [(phenylsulfonyl)methylene]nitronate (132) with 129 give isoxazoline-2-oxide 133, which is converted into c -3-hydroxy-4-cyanocyclopentene (134)[S8]. Similarly, chiral m-3-amino-4-hyd-roxycyclopentene was prepared by the cyclization of yV-tosylcarbamate[89]. 

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... 

A fundamental problem in the alkylation of enamines, which is inherent in the bidentate system, is the competition between the desired carbon alkylation and attack at the nitrogen. With unactivated alkyl halides (3,267), this becomes especially serious with the enamines derived fromcycloheptan-one, cyclooctanone, cyclononanone, and enamines derived from aldehydes. Increasing amounts of carbon alkylation are found with the more reactive allyl and benzyl halides (268-273). However, with allyl halides one also observes increasing amounts of dialkylation of enamines. 

Olefins are also the products of hydroboratlon of enamines, followed by treatment of the organoborane products with hot acid (543,544). The reduction of enamines with sodium borohydride and acetic acid (545) and the selective reduction of dienamines with sodium borohydride to give homo-allylic tertiary amines (138-140,225,546,547), has been applied to the synthesis of conessine (548) and other aminosteroid analogs (545,549-552). Further examples of the reduction of imonium salts by sodium borohydride can be found in the reduction of Bischler-Napieralski products, and other cyclic imonium salts (102). 

Using the 3 mm. by 2 m. gas chromatography column described above, a mixture of stereoisomers of 2-allyl-5-methylcyclohexanone [Cyclohexanone, 5-methyl-2-(2-propenyl)-], prepared by allylation of the enamine of 3-methylcyclohexanone,7a showed peaks at retention times of 8.4 minutes (more stable isomer) and 9.6 minutes. A mixture of the two isomeric 2-allyl-3-methylcyclohexanones and the two isomeric 2-allyl-5-methylcyclohexanones clearly exhibited four distinct peaks on gas chromatography. 

Alkylation of enamines requires relatively reactive alkylating agents for good results. Methyl iodide, allyl and benzyl halides, a-halo esters, a-halo ethers, and a-halo ketones are the most successful alkylating agents. The use of enamines for selective alkylation has largely been supplanted by the methods for kinetic enolate formation described in Section 1.2. 

Whilst the method described above appears very elegant, Weix and Hartwig expressed their discontent about the allylations of aliphatic silyl enol ethers and developed an alternative system using enamines as nucleophiles. Once the considerable initial difficulties had been overcome, these authors were able to present a procedure that gave excellent results (Scheme 9.16) [50]. 

Alkylation of enamines may lead to the formation of N-alkylated product, which on heating is converted to C-alkyl compound (This rearrangement is common with allylic halide, alkyl halide or a-haloacetic ester. 

Opitz.G. (1961) Enamines. Vll. Course of the allyl- and propargyl-aUenyl rearrangements in the alkylation of enamines. Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem., 122—132. 

Reduction of unsaturated halides 0-78 Reduction of allylic alcohols 0-82 Reductive cleavage of enamines 0-86 Coupling of vinylic halides 0-87 Coupling of unsaturated halides with organometallic reagents 0-88 Coupling of allylic halides, tosylates, or acetates... 

Copper(I) salts of enamines have been allylated with the 2-allyloxybenzimidazoles to give y,5-unsaturated ketones upon hydrolysis (79CL957). Primary allylic ethers react preferentially at their a-carbon with retention of double bond configuration whereas secondary allylic ethers react mainly at the y-carbon to afford alkenes of predominantly (E)-stereochemistry. 

Furans can be prepared by acid catalyzed cyclization of masked 1,4-diketones. /3-Chloroallyl ketones which are obtained by alkylation of enamines or enolate ions behave as masked 1,4-diketones and afford furans on treatment with acid (67JA4557). 2,4-Dialkyl-furans (40) have been prepared by cyclization of the 3-chloroallyl ketone (39), which may be obtained by acylation of allyl chlorides (73KGS1434). 

Indium-mediated reaction of enamines with allyl bromides gives homoallylamines. The addition of one equivalent of acetic acid accelerates the reaction. An analogous reaction of methyl bromoacetate in place of allylic bromides is also possible. The iminium salts formed by protonation of the enamines are considered to be the intermediates (Scheme 70).271 272... 

Allyl and benzyl bromides react with a,/ -unsaturated nitriles in the presence of indium(i) iodide under sonication to produce the corresponding allylated and benzylated imines, involving exclusive addition of the allyl/benzyl group to the nitrile moiety (Equation (63)).273 The reaction of allylindium reagents with methyl cyanoacetates affords the corresponding allylation-enamination products (Equation (64)).27 l-Acyl-l,2-dihydropyridines are prepared by indium-mediated allylation of 1-acylpyridinium salts (Equation (65)).275 Quinoline and isoquinoline activated by... 

It can be seen from the examples displayed above that the Claisen rearrangement of allyl vinyl ethers with an amino substituent at C(n and C(2) proceeds much faster than that of allyl vinyl ether itself. Several models98- 00 have been proposed in order to interpret the substituent effect on the rate of Claisen rearrangement. Both the acceleration of the rearrangements of / -allyloxyenamine and 0-allylketene TV, 0-acetals and deceleration of the reaction of enamine 120 are in agreement with the prediction of the models. 

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