Aluminum enolates from chiral acyl-iron complexes

The only main Group III metal, other than boron, that has been utilized in the aldol reaction is aluminum, the enolates of which behave rather capriciously in terms of stereochemistry. The A1—C bond is relatively weak. However, aldol reactions with aluminum enolates derived from chiral acyl-iron complexes proceed with high asymmetric induction. 

Davies and Liebeskind independently prepared chiral aluminum enolates from enantiomerically homogeneous acyl-iron complexes (137) and recorded the first aluminum-mediated asymmetric aldol reactions. Although the lithium enolate of the chiral iron complex (CHIRAC) provides aldol products with... 

The deprotonation of chiral iron acyl complexes, which can be obtained as enantiomerically pure compounds, leads to the corresponding enolates, as shown by the research groups of Davies and Liebeskind [112-115]. The lithium enolate 67a, however, which originates from propanoate 66a, reacts stereoselectively with aldehydes or ketones only if it has been transmetalated into the corresponding copper or aluminum enolate (Eq. (30)) [116]. 

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