Amine with enolate anions

The Mannich reaction is best discussed via an example. A mixture of dimethylamine, formaldehyde and acetone under mild acidic conditions gives N,N-dimethyl-4-aminobutan-2-one. This is a two-stage process, beginning with the formation of an iminium cation from the amine and the more reactive of the two carbonyl compounds, in this case the aldehyde. This iminium cation then acts as the electrophile for addition of the nucleophile acetone. Now it would be nice if we could use the enolate anion as the nucleophile, as in the other reactions we have looked at, but under the mild acidic conditions we cannot have an anion, and the nucleophile must be portrayed as the enol tautomer of acetone. The addition is then unspectacular, and, after loss of a proton from the carbonyl, we are left with the product. 

The base-catalysed racemization of the alkaloid (-)-hy oscy amine to ( )-hyoscyamine (atropine) is an example of enolate anion participation. Alkaloids are normally extracted from plants by using base, thus liberating the free alkaloid bases from salt combinations. (—)-Hyoscyamine is found in belladonna Atropa belladonna) and stramonium Datura stramonium) and is used medicinally as an anticholinergic. It competes with acetylcholine for the muscarinic site of the parasympathetic nervous system, thus preventing the passage of nerve impulses. However, with careless extraction using too much base the product isolated is atropine, which has only half the biological activity of (—)-hyoscyamine, since the enantiomer (+)-hyoscyamine is essentially inactive. 

We have an aldehyde, an amine, and a ketone. As in part (b), the amine reacts first to give an imine, and this behaves as a carbonyl analogue, which in the Mannich reaction is then the electrophile for an enolate anion equivalent. How can we remember the sequence of events The most common mistake is to react the aldehyde and ketone via an aldol reaction, but this then leads to an alcohol and one is faced with a substitution reaction to incorporate the amine. It is the mild acidic conditions that help us to avoid wrong... 

Therefore, in principal, condensation of a primary amine with an enantiomerically pure ketone should allow asymmetric synthesis of a-substituted primary amines. This approach has been applied to the synthesis of a-amino acids, for example, using the imine prepared from a-amino esters and (l.S, 2,S ,5,S )-2-hydroxy-3-pinanone, via an amino-substituted ester enolate anion with some success39 40. Application of this approach to simple primary amines has seldom been reported. 

Substitution of a carbon monoxide ligand of complexes, such as 1, by the more electron-donating triphenylphosphane group (see Section 1.1.1.3.4.1.3.) provides chiral monophos-phane complexes, such as 3. Monophosphane complexes in general lack sufficient electrophilic-ity to react with amines or thiols, but react readily with amine anions at the /J-position, producing enolate anions such as 4, which may be quenched stereoselectively at the a-carbon by electrophiles46 (see Section 1.1.1.3.4.1.3.). The conformational and stereochemical issues involved are essentially identical to those already discussed in this section for the 1,4-additions of carbon nucleophiles. 

There are several classes of alkaloids. Among these are purines such as xanthine and caffeine, ter-penes (Chapter 22), polyketides (Chapter 21), and alkaloids derived from amino acids. The basic amino acids ornithine, arginine, histidine, and lysine as well as the aromatic amino acids, anthranilate, and nicoti-nate are some of the starting materials.199 201 Robinson202 203 in 1917 recognized that many alkaloids are derived directly from aromatic amino acids. He proposed that alkaloids arise from Mannich reactions (Eq. 25-12) in which an amine and an aldehyde (probably through a Schiff base) react with a nucleophilic carbon such as that of an enolate anion. Many of the... 

In the case of cationic complexes with unsaturated macrocycles two molecules of nucleophile, such as ammonia, amines and alkoxides, add to carbon atoms of two inline groups. For example, the reaction of [Ni(Bzo[16]octaeneN4)](C104)2 (Table 106) with sodium methoxide or ethoxide yields the compounds (395),2860 while with secondary amines and diamines complexes of type (396) are obtained.28 1 The reaction of (396) with acetone at room temperature yields complex (397) where the enolate anion of acetone, MeC(0)CH2, replaces the diethylamide group (Scheme 58). 2862 The addition of molecules such as bis(2-hydroxyethyl)methylamine and bis(2-hydroxyethyl) sulfide, HOCH2CH2YCH2CH2OH (Y = NMe, S) results in the formation of derivatives which possess one more coordination site just above the plane of the macrocyclic donors (398).2863... 

After the enamine has been used as a nucleophile, it can easily be hydrolyzed back to the ketone and the secondary amine by treatment with aqueous acid. This is simply the reverse of the process used to prepare it. Overall, enamines serve as the synthetic equivalent of ketone enolate anions. Examples are provided in the following equations ... 

The family of photoreducible dyes (e.g, acridinium, xanthene, thiazinium among other classes of dyes) produce excited states of essentially quinoidal structures which can act as efficient acceptors of electrons. Amines [59], sulfur compounds, especially sulfmate salts [60], heterocycles of low ionization potential [61], alkylcarboxylates and stable enolate anions [62], and several classes of organo-metallic compounds, notably allylic and benzylic organostannanes [63], represent classes of compounds which have proved efficacious as coinitiators in electron transfer sensitization with these dyes. Electron transfer with the organometallics was unambiguously established in a series of model studies involving electron acceptors of the anthracene class [64],... 

The second step involves an elimination of the tertiary amine (ElcB mechanism) and a coniac. addition of the enolate anion of diethyl malonate to the resulting enone. This device prevent v reactive enone from combining with itself by releasing it only in the presence of an excess c -.ii nucleophile. 

Alkylation or acylation of ketones, sulfides, and amines. This reagent generally reacts with alcohols or carboxylic acids to form 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl ethers or esters in satisfactory yields, except in the case of alcohols prone to dehydration. The reaction of these ethers provides a simple synthesis of unsymmetrical sulfides (equation I). A similar reaction can be used for preparation of secondary amines or amides (equation II). Enolate anions (generated from silyl enol ethers with KF) can be alkylated or acylated with a or b (equation III). Use of Grignard reagents in this type of coupling results in mediocre yields. 

Cyclopropanes have also been obtained by reaction of enamines with a-chloro electrophilic alkenes. After Michael addition the chlorine undergoes nucleophilic displacement by the regenerated enamine or enolate anion - (Scheme 112). Bicy-clo[1.1.0]butanes may be obtained by cycloaddition of trimethyl ethylenetricarboxylate followed by a base catalysed displacement of the amine moiety (Scheme 113). 

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