Asymmetric Aldol Reaction of Silyl Enolates

Although in the recent years the stereochemical control of aldol condensations has reached a level of efficiency which allows enantioselective syntheses of very complex compounds containing many asymmetric centres, the situation is still far from what one would consider "ideal". In the first place, the requirement of a substituent at the a-position of the enolate in order to achieve good stereoselection is a limitation which, however, can be overcome by using temporary bulky groups (such as alkylthio ethers, for instance). On the other hand, the ( )-enolates, which are necessary for the preparation of 2,3-anti aldols, are not so easily prepared as the (Z)-enolates and furthermore, they do not show selectivities as good as in the case of the (Z)-enolates. Finally, although elements other than boron -such as zirconium [30] and titanium [31]- have been also used succesfully much work remains to be done in the area of catalysis. In this context, the work of Mukaiyama and Kobayashi [32a,b,c] on asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by tributyltin fluoride and a chiral diamine coordinated to tin(II) triflate... 

Suzuki, T., Hirama, M. Asymmetric aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by the combined use of chiral diamine coordinated tin(ll) triflate and tribulyltin fluoride. Chemtracts Org. Chem. 1989, 2, 268-270. 

Since the middle of the 198O s remarkable progress has been achieved in the development of asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enolates. In the beginning of this evolution, chiral auxiliary-controlled reactions were extensively studied for this challenging subject [106]. As new efficient catalysts and catalytic systems for the aldol reactions were developed, much attention focused on catalytic enantiocontrol using chiral Lewis acids and transition metal complexes. Thus, a number of chiral catalysts realizing high levels of enantioselectivity have been reported in the last decade. 

In 1986, Reetz et al. reported that chiral Lewis acids (B, Al, and ll) promoted the aldol reaction of KSA with low to good enantioselectivity [115]. The following year they also introduced asymmetric aldol reaction under catalysis by a chiral rhodium complex [116]. Since these pioneering works asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enolates using chiral Lewis acids and transition metal complexes have been recognized as one of the most important subjects in modern organic synthesis and intensively studied by many synthetic organic chemists. 

In sharp contrast to the utility of chiral boron Lewis acids, chiral aluminum Lewis acids have been little used for asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enolates since the first example reported by Reetz et al. [115]. Fujisawa et al. have reported that an equimolar amount of a chiral Lewis acid prepared from Et2AlCl and a bor-nane-2,3-diol promotes the aldol reaction of 48 in moderate yields with good enantioselectivity [127]. 

Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes are among the most powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming methods aprotic anhydrous solvents and low reaction temperatures are, however, usually needed for successful reaction. To perform the catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction in aqueous media a chiral crown ether-Pb(OTf)2 complex was employed as a chiral catalyst stable in water-ethanol [9]. Good to high yields and high levels of diastereo-and enantioselectivity were obtained at 0°C in aqueous media (Scheme 13.64). 

The aldol reachon is one of the most efficient methods for extending the carbon framework of an organic synthon. Since the discovery of the Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers by Mukaiyama, numerous variations of this type of reaction have been reported [80]. Recently, more attention has been focused on the development of new organocatalysts for the asymmetric direct aldol... 

Asymmetric aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers. (16,221-222). The use of TiCI4 as promoter of aldol condensation of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes, first reported in 1973 (6,590-591), has seen wide use, but has the drawbacks that 1 cquiv. of the Lewis acid is required and that an asymmetric version requires use of chiral aldehydes or chiral silyl enol ethers. More recently, the combination of a salt and a weak Lewis acid, neither effective catalysts themselves, was found to be effective in catalytic (5-10 mol %) amounts. Further research showed that tin(ll) triflatc when coordinated with a chiral diamine can effect catalytic asymmetric allylation of aldehydes (13,302) and Michael reactions (15,313-314), even though this complex cannot promote aldol condensation. Eventually the combination of tin(Il) triflatc, a chiral diamine,... 

A similar enantiomer-selective activation has been observed for aldol " and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions.Asymmetric activation of (R)-9 by (/f)-BINOL is also effective in giving higher enantioselectivity (97% ee) than those by the parent (R)-9 (91% ee) in the aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers (Scheme 8.12a). Asymmetric activation of R)-9 by (/f)-BINOL is the key to provide higher enantioselectivity (84% ee) than those obtained by (R)-9 (5% ee) in the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with Danishefsky s diene (Scheme 8.12b). Activation with (/ )-6-Br-BINOL gives lower yield (25%) and enantioselectivity (43% ee) than the one using (/f)-BINOL (50%, 84% ee). One can see that not only steric but also electronic factors are important in a chiral activator. 

In the following a few examples of the asymmetric aldol reaction are given. Silyl enol ethers (0-Si) resemble very much allylsilanes (C-Si) in terms of structure and mode of action. That is why Lewis base catalyzed aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers have been extensively studied. The first example of Lewis base catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of trichlorosilyl enol ether with chiral phosphoramide [80-91] was reported by Denmark et al. (Scheme 24). 

Carbonyl Addition Diethylzinc has been added to benzaldehyde at room temperature in the presence of an ephedra-derived chiral quat (8) to give optically active secondary alcohols, a case in which the chiral catalyst affords a much higher enantioselectivity in the solid state than in solution (47 to 48, Scheme 10.6) [30]. Asymmetric trifluoromethylation of aldehydes and ketones (49 to 50, Scheme 10.6 [31]) is accomplished with trifluoromethyl-trimethylsilane, catalyzed by a quaternary ammonium fluoride (3d). Catalyst 3d was first used by the Shioiri group for catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions from silyl enol ethers 51 or 54 (Scheme 10.6) [32]. Various other 1,2-carbonyl additions [33] and aldol reactions [34] have been reported. 

Further examination of the fluoride ion-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reaction of the enol silyl ethers prepared from acetophenones and pinacolone with benzaldehyde using 4b and its pseudoenantiomer 4c revealed the dependence of the stereochemistry of the reactions on the hydroxymethyl-quinudidine fragment of the catalyst (Table 9.3) [10,15]. 

Optically active 1,2-diol units are often observed in nature as carbohydrates, macrolides or polyethers, etc. Several excellent asymmetric dihydroxylation reactions of olefins using osmium tetroxide with chiral ligands have been developed to give the optically active 1,2-diol units with high enantioselectivities. However, there still remain some problems, for example, preparation of the optically active anti-1,2-diols and so on. The asymmetric aldol reaction of an enol silyl ether derived from a-benzyloxy thioester with aldehydes was developed in order to introduce two hydroxyl groups simultaneously with stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation by using the chiral tin(II) Lewis acid. For example, various optically active anti-a,p-dihydroxy thioester derivatives are obtained in good yields with excellent diastereo-... 

Cationic Pd complexes can be applied to the asymmetric aldol reaction. Shibasaki and coworkers reported that (/ )-BINAP PdCP, generated from a 1 1 mixture of (i )-BINAP PdCl2 and AgOTf in wet DMF, is an effective chiral catalyst for asymmetric aldol addition of silyl enol ethers to aldehydes [63]. For instance, treatment of trimethylsi-lyl enol ether of acetophenone 49 with benzaldehyde under the influence of 5 mol % of this catalyst affords the trimethylsilyl ether of aldol adduct 113 (87 % yield, 71 % ee) and desilylated product 114 (9 % yield, 73 % ee) as shown in Sch. 31. They later prepared chiral palladium diaquo complexes 115 and 116 from (7 )-BINAP PdCl2 and (i )-p-Tol-BINAP PdCl2, respectively, by reaction with 2 equiv. AgBF4 in wet acetone [64]. These complexes are tolerant of air and moisture, and afford similar reactivity and enantioselec-tivity in the aldol condensation of 49 and benzaldehyde. Sodeoka and coworkers have recently developed enantioselective Mannich-type reactions of silyl enol ethers with imi-nes catalyzed by binuclear -hydroxo palladium(II) complexes 117 and 118 derived from the diaquo complexes 115 and 116 [65]. These reactions are believed to proceed via a chiral palladium(fl) enolate. 

Akiyama, Y, Ishikawa, K, OzaM, S, Asymmetric synthesis of functionalized tertiary alcohols by diastereoselective aldol reaction of silyl enol ether and ketene silyl acetals with a-keto esters bearing an optically active cyclitol as a chiral auxihary, Synlett, 275-276, 1994. 

Asymmetric Aldol Reaction between Silyl Enol Ethers of Thiol Esters and Aldehydes... 

These findings brought about extensive studies of asymmetric aldol reactions using silyl enol ethers of thiol esters that employed other chiral diamines [24] or organometals such as Cu [25], Zr [26], Ti [27], B [28], Sc [29], and Pr... 

Scandium trifiate was found to be an effective catalyst for the aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes in aqueous solvent/micellar systems (205). While the reactions proceeded sluggishly in water, remarkable enhancement of the reactivity was observed in the presence of a small amount of a surfactant (206). In related asymmetric version, scandium trifiate (Sc(OTf)3) catalyzed asymmetric aldol of formaldehyde (hydroxymethylation) could be conducted with highly enantioselectively in the presence of chiral bipyridine based ligand (Scheme 53) (207). A significant progress was also made by Feng and co-workers recently a C-2-symmetric iV,iV -dioxide-Sc(III) complex has been developed to asymmetric catalytic aldol reaction of a-ketoesters and diazoacetate... 

At the time the chemistry of main group enolates flourished already for a while, that of late transition metals had a shadowy existence in synthetic organic chemistry. Their stoichiometric preparation and the sluggish reactivity - tungsten enolates, for example, required irradiation to undergo an aldol addition [24a] - did not seem to predestine them to become versatile tools in asymmetric syntheses [27]. The breakthrough however came when palladium and rhodium enolates were discovered as key intermediates in enantioselective catalyses. After aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers or silyl ketene acetals under rhodium catalysis were shown to occur via enolates of the transition metal [8] and after the first steps toward enantioselective variants were attempted [28], palladium catalysis enabled indeed aldol additions with substantial enantioselectivity... 

Kobayashi et al. developed the method for the catalytic asymmetric reaction (Scheme 8.24). The aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes by using chiral diamine-coordinated tin(II) triflate was promoted in the presence of tributylstannyl fluoride. With exo-olefin 145, the a-nonsubstituted aldol adduct 147 was obtained in high enantioselectivity. On the other hand, Z-enol ether 148 was reacted to give syn adduct 150 in excellent stereoselectivity. 

The Mukaiyama-aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers is one of the most important carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions in organic synthesis. Therefore, its application to catalytic asymmetric synthesis has been investigated in depth for the last decade (52-56). In an analogy to the F-C reaction of vinyl ether, if a catalytic asymmetric F-C reaction proceeds under Mukaiyama conditions to give additional reactive silyl enol hers, sequential reactions with electrophiles could provide further functionalized products (chiral syn or a fi-a,/8-dihydroxythioesters as a-... 

A useful catalyst for asymmetric aldol additions is prepared in situ from mono-0> 2,6-diisopropoxybenzoyl)tartaric acid and BH3 -THF complex in propionitrile solution at 0 C. Aldol reactions of ketone enol silyl ethers with aldehydes were promoted by 20 mol % of this catalyst solution. The relative stereochemistry of the major adducts was assigned as Fischer- /ir o, and predominant /i -face attack of enol ethers at the aldehyde carbonyl carbon atom was found with the (/ ,/ ) nantiomer of the tartaric acid catalyst (K. Furuta, 1991). 

In the presence of a chiral promoter, the asymmetric aldol reaction of pro-chiral silyl enol ethers 71 with prochiral aldehydes will also be possible (Table 3-6). In this section, a chiral promoter, a combination of chiral diamine-coordinated tin(II) triflate and tributyl fluoride, is introduced. In fact, this is the first successful example of the asymmetric reactions between prochiral silyl enol ethers and prochiral aldehyde using a chiral ligand as promoter. 

Scheme 14. Asymmetric aldol reaction of the silyl enol ethers 41.

Fluoral hydrate and hemiacetals are industrial products. They are stable liquids that are easy to handle, and they react as fluoral itself in many reactions. Thus, in the presence of Lewis acids, they react in Friedel-Crafts reactions. They also react very well with organometallics (indium and zinc derivatives) and with silyl enol ethers.Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reaction of fluoral ethyl hemiac-etal with ketones produced jS-hydroxy-jS-trifluoromethylated ketones with good to excellent diastereo- (up to 96% de) and enantioselectivities. With imine reagents, the reaction proceeds without Lewis acid activation. The use of chiral imines affords the corresponding 8-hydroxy ketones with a 60-80% de (Figure 2.49). ° ... 

The silatropic ene pathway, that is, direct silyl transfer from an silyl enol ether to an aldehyde, may be involved as a possible mechanism in the Mukaiyama aldol-type reaction. Indeed, ab initio calculations show that the silatropic ene pathway involving the cyclic (boat and chair) transition states for the BH3-promoted aldol reaction of the trihydrosilyl enol ether derived from acetaldehyde with formaldehyde is favored [60], Recently, we have reported the possible intervention of a silatropic ene pathway in the catalytic asymmetric aldol-type reaction of silyl enol ethers of thioesters [61 ]. Chlorine- and amine-containing products thus obtained are useful intermediates for the synthesis of carnitine and GABOB (Scheme 8C.26) [62],... 

Table 9.3 Asymmetric aldol reactions of enol silyl ethers with benzaldehyde catalyzed by chiral quaterna7 ammonium fluorides 4b or 4c.

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