Asymmetric amplification mechanistic studies

Mechanistic studies of asymmetric amplification using a chiral amino alcohol catalyst have continued to dale"1 151 155. In the case of the chiral titanium complex, the observed asymmetric amplification was influenced by the method of preparation of the catalyst153. Asymmetric amplification is also observed in the catalytic addition of diphenylzinc to ketones100. 

The most fully understood system in this class of reactions, however, is the DAIB-catalyzed addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes, due to the very detailed mechanistic studies performed by Noyori et al.32-37 They were able to determine the structure of several intermediates involved in the reaction and established the kinetic law. Part of the catalytic cycle is depicted in Scheme 13. The origin of the asymmetric amplification lies in the formation of dimers of DAIB-zinc alkoxides. The heterochiral dimer is quite stable in the concentration range of the experiment (2 x 10 1 to 5 x 10 1 M in toluene for DAIB), whereas the homodimers are prone to dissociation and react further with diethylzinc to give a di-zinc complex that is the active species in the catalytic cycle. They react with benzaldehyde and give rise to the asymmetric transfer of the ethyl group. The final product, as a zinc alkoxide, does not interfere with the reaction (and hence there is no autoinduction), since it... 

The presence of a nonlinear effect, either negative or positive, is a useful piece of information for the mechanistic study of a reaction. It implies that diastereomeric species are formed from the chiral auxiliary. If an asymmetric amplification is observed, it can be indicative of the formation of meso dimers (or tetramers etc.) of low reactivity. When the kinetic study of an asymmetric catalysis shows a rate second order with respect to catalyst concentration, it may be useful to investigate the possibility of nonlinear effects in the system. Jacobsen et al., for example, studied the... 

Asymmetric amplification in reactions involving partially resolved chiral auxiliaries is now a well-established phenomenon that is very attractive since it gives improved enantioselectivities witb respect to expectations based upon the ee of the auxiliary. It may have practical application in that enantiomerically pure chiral auxiliaries are not always required for highly selective asymmetric synthesis. Asymmetric amplification is also of fundamental importance in order to achieve efficient asymmetric autocatalysis. Finally, evidence of an asymmetric amplification is a very useful piece of information in mechanistic studies. 

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