Asymmetric aldol reactions chemical reductions

Analogous with the previous results of enol silyl ethers of ketones, nonsubstituted ketene silyl acetals are found to exhibit lower levels of stereoregulation, while the propionate-derived ketene silyl acetals display a high level of asymmetric induction. The reactions with aliphatic aldehydes, however, resulted in a slight reduction in optical and chemical yields. With phenyl ester-derived ketene silyl acetals, syn adducts predominate, but the selectivities are moderate in most cases in comparison with the reactions of ketone-derived silyl enol ethers. Exceptions are a,p-unsaturated aldehydes, which revealed excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The observed syn selectivity and re-face attack of nucleophiles on the carbonyl carbon of aldehydes are consistent with the aforementioned aldol reactions of ketone-derived enol silyl ethers. 

Annual Volume 71 contains 30 checked and edited experimental procedures that illustrate important new synthetic methods or describe the preparation of particularly useful chemicals. This compilation begins with procedures exemplifying three important methods for preparing enantiomerically pure substances by asymmetric catalysis. The preparation of (R)-(-)-METHYL 3-HYDROXYBUTANOATE details the convenient preparation of a BINAP-ruthenium catalyst that is broadly useful for the asymmetric reduction of p-ketoesters. Catalysis of the carbonyl ene reaction by a chiral Lewis acid, in this case a binapthol-derived titanium catalyst, is illustrated in the preparation of METHYL (2R)-2-HYDROXY-4-PHENYL-4-PENTENOATE. The enantiomerically pure diamines, (1 R,2R)-(+)- AND (1S,2S)-(-)-1,2-DIPHENYL-1,2-ETHYLENEDIAMINE, are useful for a variety of asymmetric transformations hydrogenations, Michael additions, osmylations, epoxidations, allylations, aldol condensations and Diels-Alder reactions. Promotion of the Diels-Alder reaction with a diaminoalane derived from the (S,S)-diamine is demonstrated in the synthesis of (1S,endo)-3-(BICYCLO[2.2.1]HEPT-5-EN-2-YLCARBONYL)-2-OXAZOLIDINONE. 

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