Asymmetric Allylic Addition

Figure 5.1. Chiral boron compounds for asymmetric allyl addition to achiral primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl, vinyl, and aryl aldehydes, and their typical enantioselectivities (a-e at -78°, g-j at -100°). (a) [17] (b) [18] (c) [19] (d) [19] (e) [20] (f-h) [21-24] (i-j) [25].

Figure 5.1 lists a number of auxiliaries for asymmetric allyl addition to aldehydes. Substituted allyl boron compounds have also been used in reactions with achiral aldehydes. Table 5.1 lists several examples of 2- and 3-substituted allyl boron compounds, and the products derived from their addition. Note that for the E- and Z-crotyl compounds, the enantioselectivity indicated is for the isomer illustrated. In some cases, there was more than one of the other three possible isomers found as well. 

Both carenes 40 and 41 are readily hydroborated by borane dimethyl sulfide complex to give the diisocaranylboranes (Icr.BH) which can be isolated in pure form. Treatment w ith methanol gives the S-methoxy derivatives, which readily react with allylic carbanions to give the corresponding allyldiisocaranylboranes 42-45. These compounds have been used for asymmetric allyl additions to carbonyl compounds (Sections D. 1.3.3.3. and D.2.5.2.). The reagents 44 and 45, derived from 2-carene39, are more enantioselective than those from 3-carene(1. 

An asymmetric synthesis of estrone begins with an asymmetric Michael addition of lithium enolate (178) to the scalemic sulfoxide (179). Direct treatment of the cmde Michael adduct with y /i7-chloroperbenzoic acid to oxidize the sulfoxide to a sulfone, followed by reductive removal of the bromine affords (180, X = a and PH R = H) in over 90% yield. Similarly to the conversion of (175) to (176), base-catalyzed epimerization of (180) produces an 85% isolated yield of (181, X = /5H R = H). C8 and C14 of (181) have the same relative and absolute stereochemistry as that of the naturally occurring steroids. Methylation of (181) provides (182). A (CH2)2CuLi-induced reductive cleavage of sulfone (182) followed by stereoselective alkylation of the resultant enolate with an allyl bromide yields (183). Ozonolysis of (183) produces (184) (wherein the aldehydric oxygen is by isopropyUdene) in 68% yield. Compound (184) is the optically active form of Ziegler s intermediate (176), and is converted to (+)-estrone in 6.3% overall yield and >95% enantiomeric excess (200). 

The best procedure reported to date for the asymmetric allylation of aldehydes using tributyl(2-propenyl)stannane involves the catalyzed addition with the BINOL-TiCl2 complex as catalyst. Good yields and ee s were obtained for both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes using 20 mol% of the catalyst127. 

This type of asymmetric conjugate addition of allylic sulfinyl carbanions to cyclopen-tenones has been applied successfully to total synthesis of some natural products. For example, enantiomerically pure (+ )-hirsutene (29) is prepared (via 28) using as a key step conjugate addition of an allylic sulfinyl carbanion to 2-methyl-2-cyclopentenone (equation 28)65, and (+ )-pentalene (31) is prepared using as a key step kinetically controlled conjugate addition of racemic crotyl sulfinyl carbanion to enantiomerically pure cyclopentenone 30 (equation 29) this kinetic resolution of the crotyl sulfoxide is followed by several chemical transformations leading to (+ )-pentalene (31)68. 

The catalytic enantioselective addition of vinylmetals to activated alkenes is a potentially versatile but undeveloped class of transformations. Compared to processes with arylmetals and, particularly alkylmetals, processes with the corresponding vinylic reagents are of higher synthetic utility but remain scarce, and the relatively few reported examples are Rh-catalysed conjugate additions. In this context, Hoveyda et al. reported very recently an efficient method for catalytic asymmetric allylic alkylations with vinylaluminum reagents that were prepared and used in Thus, stereoselective reactions... 

A fourth focus of catalytic chemistry in our laboratory has been iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution. Dr. Toshimichi Ohmura had been studying additions to rhodium and iridium allyl and benzyl complexes in hopes of developing... 

Asymmetric nucleophilic addition of Jt-allyl molybdenum complex as the final route. 

We will discuss each topic below. Later, we will discuss the key reaction, asymmetric nucleophilic addition of a n-allyl Mo complex, in great detail. 

Asymmetric Nucleophilic Addition of a ir-Allyl Mo Complex route... 

A newly developed asymmetric nucleophilic addition of malonate to 7i-allyl Mo complex was the cornerstone for this preparative campaign. 

When we used asymmetric nucleophilic addition of malonate to the Mo tt-allyl complex in our first delivery, the Mo chemistry was not so clearly understood, and our application would be the first large scale example, to the best of our knowledge. Initially our contributions to Mo chemistry were two-fold (i) replacement of non-commercially available (EtCN)3Mo(CO)3 or (C7H8)Mo(CO)3 by more stable and inexpensive Mo(CO)6 by incorporation of proper pre-activating time (ii) simplified preparation of the chiral ligand. Even after we completed the project, we still had a strong interest in Mo chemistry. 

As shown in Scheme 2.20, selective lithiation of substrate 2-87 by treatment with LDA in THF at -78 °C triggers an intramolecular Michael/intermolecular aldol addition process with benzaldehyde to give a mixture of diastereomers 2-90 and 2-91. 2-91 was afterwards transformed into 2-92, which is used as a chiral ligand for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions [29]. 

The asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) reaction has been adapted for use with pyrrole nucleophiles <06JACS6054>. For example, treatment of pyrrole 55 and cyclopentene 56 with a palladium catalyst in the presence of a chiral additive gave pyrrole 57 in up to 92% ee. The latter was elaborated into piperazinone-pyrrole natural product, agelastatin A 94. 

Nitrones have a more reactive C=N bond toward nucleophilic addition compared to imines. In spite of this fact, there have been only a limited number of studies on the nucleophilic addition reactions of nitrones, particularly organometallic reagents.352-355 During the last decade, research related to reactions of nitrones with zinc-containing reagents was essentially focused on (i) dialkylzinc-assisted alkynylations356-358 and vinylations359 of nitrones, (ii) catalytic asymmetric nucleophilic additions to the C=N bond,360-364 and (iii) nitrone allylations by allylzinc halides.365,366... 

For a review of allyl additions to aldehydes, see A. Yanagi-sawa, in Comprehensive Asymmetric Catalysis (Eds. E. N. Jacobsen, A. Pfaltz, H. Yamamoto), Springer, Berlin, 1999 pp. 965-982. 

To investigate the effect of the substituents in the arenethiolate structure, four differently substituted copper arenethiolates, 25-28, were tested as catalysts, but very low ees were obtained in all cases [34]. The oxazolidine complex 26, developed by Pfaltz et al. [36] and used successfully in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions to cyclic enones, gave a completely racemic product with allylic substrate 20a. 

The moderate ees obtained with the copper arenethiolate ligands discussed above prompted a search for new chiral ligands for use in asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. The binaphthol-derived phosphoramidite ligand 32, used successfully by Feringa et al. in copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition reactions [37], was accordingly tested in the reaction between 21 and n-BuMgl. 

Woodward et al. have used the binaphthol-derived ligand 40 in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions of dialkylzinc to enones [46]. Compound 40 has also been studied as a ligand in allylic substitutions with diorganozinc reagents [47]. To allow better control over selectivity in y substitution of the allylic electrophiles studied, Woodward et al. investigated the influence of an additional ester substituent in the jS-position (Scheme 8.25). 

Mechanistic studies showed that metalacycle la is competent to be a catalyst in asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. The reaction of benzylamine with methyl ciimamyl carbonate catalyzed by a mixture of LI and [Ir(COD)Cl]2 occurs with an induction period and forms product in 84% yield and 95% ee, whereas the same reaction catalyzed by a mixture of metalacycle la and [Ir(COD)Cl]2 occurs without an induction period in just 2 hours to form the substitution product in 81% yield and 97% ee. The latter reaction was conducted with added [Ir(COD)Cl]2 to trap the -bound LI after dissociation. This ligand must dissociate to provide a site for oxidative addition of the allylic carbonate. 

MgBr2-mediated asymmetric nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents and allyl-tributyltin to aldehydes bearing sugar-derived jS- or y-tetrahydropyranyloxy chiral auxiliaries designed to complex with MgBt2 has been achieved. ... 

When nitroalkenes were used as Michael acceptors, high yields and enantioselectivities of the desired Michael addition products were also obtained (Scheme 5.22). In these reactions, a well-defined chiral Ru amido complex (Figure 5.9) was an efficient catalyst. The mild reaction conditions and high reactivities and stereoselectivities allowed a large-scale reaction in the presence 1 mol% Ru catalyst. By using a chiral Pd(II) catalyst, an asymmetric allylic arylation was reported by Mikami and coworkers to give the cross-couphng product via the activation of both allylic C H and aryl C H bonds in moderate enantioselectivity (Scheme 5.23). ... 

Leighton has combined this concept of strained silacycles [62-66] with the asymmetric allylation chemistry in a series of pubhcations [60, 67-70], Leighton s aUyhc silacyclopentane 29 [67] (Scheme 20) works equally for allylation of aromatic and ahphatic aldehydes in the absence of additional Lewis bases (promoter activator) or Lewis acids with high yield and enantioselectivity. The mechanism of... 

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