Asymmetric Enolate Alkylations Using Chiral Auxiliaries

4 Asymmetric Enolate Alkylations Using Chiral Auxiliaries 

Some of the early asymmetric alkylation processes using chiral auxiliaries involved weakly nucleophilic enolates and thus provided access to a limited set of products, because only reactive electrophiles such as methyl, benzyl, and allyl halides could be employed. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that despite the evolution in the field, some of these traditional methods continue to be used extensively both in academia and industry for the convenient preparation of specific product classes. 

The investigations of Enders, Evans, and others have demonstrated the versatility of chiral auxiliaries based on the proline skeleton [80]. Katsuki designed and utilized a C2-symmetric, 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine auxiliary for asymmetric enolate alkylations (Equation 10) [81]. Enolates prepared from 112 generally undergo alkylations with superb diastereoselectivity dr 95 5). However, in contrast to the prolinol amide-derived systems described above, accessibility of the chiral auxiliary hinged upon a multi-step synthetic preparation involving resolution, and the hydrolytic removal of the auxiliary necessitated considerably harsher reaction conditions. 

As carboxylic acid derivatives, the enolates derived from N-acyl oxazolidinones approximate the reactivity patterns of thioesters the derived alkali metal enolates display moderate nucleophilicity [82]. Investigations of these systems have revealed that there is a pronounced difference in alkylation rates between the various alkali metal enolates. Thus, although the reactivity of the lithium enolates is limited (reaction temperatures = 0°C), the corresponding sodium enolates undergo allcylation at lower temperatures (-78 °C). This feature resulted in higher observed diastereoselectivity for the corresponding sodium enolates in the alkylation reactions. 

126 is the preferred ground state structure, which is attributed to the favorable alignment of dipoles [83]. 

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The work of Myers et al. [6] illustrates the synthetic potential of the use of metal salts (instead of HMPA ) in alkylation reactions of enolates, employing easily accessible amide, enolates of the chiral auxiliary pseudoephed-rine. It is not surprising that the mechanism of chiral induction is not yet fully understood further investigations are necessary. Nonetheless, unanswered questions in enolate chemistry remain even for tailor-made, well-established auxiliaries, whose asymmetric induction can be explained convincingly by working models on monomer enolate structures, considering chelation control and steric factors. 

In conclusion, the asymmetric alkylation of chiral enolates and enamines can be completed with high stereoselectivity affording final products with high optical purity [17], The chiral economy of this and other noncatalytic methods that use chiral auxiliary agents in a stoichiometric quantity depends on their availability and effective recycling in the process. 

Seminal Work In the early 1980s, Evans introduced the use of chiral oxazolidinones as auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis [47]. These chiral auxiliaries found use in a variety of synthetic transformations, including the diastereoselective alkylation of enolates, usually generated using a hindered... 

The first three sections of this chapter describe diastereoselective alkylations of chiral enolates including heteroatom-substituted enolates [15, 20]. Section 3.4 deals with the class of enolate alkylations that have typically been included under the rubric of chiral-auxiliary-controlled processes. As suggested by the term, the auxiliary is only transiently utilized and, following alkylation, is subsequently excised. The facile use of chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric enolate alkylations has played and continues to play a pivotal role in the stereoselective formation of new C-C bonds. After a brief survey of the relatively few developments in catalytic enantioselective enolate alkylations (Section 3.5) [21, 22], selected examples of enolate a-hydroxylations (Section 3.6) [23-25] and a-halogenations (Section 3.7) [26, 27] are covered. The corresponding a-aminations of enolates are discussed in Chapter 10, describing stereoselective formation of a-amino acids. 

Besides their application in asymmetric alkylation, sultams can also be used as good chiral auxiliaries for asymmetric aldol reactions, and a / -product can be obtained with good selectivity. As can be seen in Scheme 3-14, reaction of the propionates derived from chiral auxiliary R -OH with LICA in THF affords the lithium enolates. Subsequent reaction with TBSC1 furnishes the 0-silyl ketene acetals 31, 33, and 35 with good yields.31 Upon reaction with TiCU complexes of an aldehyde, product /i-hydroxy carboxylates 32, 34, and 36 are obtained with high diastereoselectivity and good yield. Products from direct aldol reaction of the lithium enolate without conversion to the corresponding silyl ethers show no stereoselectivity.32... 

The utilization of a-amino acids and their derived 6-araino alcohols in asymmetric synthesis has been extensive. A number of procedures have been reported for the reduction of a variety of amino acid derivatives however, the direct reduction of a-am1no acids with borane has proven to be exceptionally convenient for laboratory-scale reactions. These reductions characteristically proceed in high yield with no perceptible racemization. The resulting p-amino alcohols can, in turn, be transformed into oxazolidinones, which have proven to be versatile chiral auxiliaries. Besides the highly diastereoselective aldol addition reactions, enolates of N-acyl oxazolidinones have been used in conjunction with asymmetric alkylations, halogenations, hydroxylations, acylations, and azide transfer processes, all of which proceed with excellent levels of stereoselectivity. 

Conversion of 2 to the highly crystalline oxazolidinone 3 with phosgene has been described by Thornton who has employed this substance as a chiral auxiliary in asymmetric aldol reactions of its N-propionyl derivative. Kelly has also used an oxazoline derived from 3 as a chiral auxiliary in asymmetric alkylation of a glycolate enolate. Oxazolidinone 3 has also been prepared from 2 with diethyl carbonate in the presence of potassium carbonate. The conversion of 2 to the oxazolidinone 3 is accomplished using triphosgene in this procedure because of the high toxicity of phosgene. 

In the laboratory of T.F. Jamison, the synthesis of amphidinolide T1 was accomplished utilizing a catalytic and stereoselective macrocyclization as the key step. ° The Myers asymmetric alkylation was chosen to establish the correct stereochemistry at the C2 position. In the procedure, the alkyl halide was used as the limiting reagent and almost two equivalents of the lithium enolate of the A/-propionyl pseudoephedrine chiral auxiliary was used. The alkylated product was purified by column chromatography and then subjected to basic hydrolysis to remove the chiral auxiliary. 

Alkylations of acyclic enolates containing a collection of chiral auxiliary groups have been used successfully for the asymmetric synthesis of carboxylic acids. The chiral, nonracemic substrates that have been used include amides, imides, esters, imine derivatives of glycinates and acyl derivatives of chiral transition metals. In these systems either extraannular or chelate-enforced intraannular chirality transfer may control the sense of the alkylation step. 

A variety of methods exists for the synthesis of optically active amino acids, including asymmetric synthesis [85-93] and classic and enzymatic resolutions [94-97], However, most of these methods are not applicable to the preparation of a,a-disubstituted amino acids due to poor stereoselectivity and lower activity at the a-carbon. Attempts to resolve the racemic 2-amino-2-ethylhexanoic acid and its ester through classic resolution failed. Several approaches for the asymmetric synthesis of the amino acid were evaluated, including alkylation of 2-aminobutyric acid using a camphor-based chiral auxiliary and chiral phase-transfer catalyst. A process based on Schollkopf s asymmetric synthesis was developed (Scheme 12) [98]. Formation of piperazinone 24 through dimerization of methyl (5 )-(+)-2-aminobutyrate (25) was followed by enolization and methylation to give (35.6S)-2,5-dimethoxy-3,6-diethyl-3.6-dihydropyrazine (26) (Scheme 12). This dihydropyrazine intermediate is unstable in air and can be oxidized by oxygen to pyrazine 27, which has been isolated as a major impurity. 

The enolates of //-acylimidazolidinones derived from 1.131 generated from ephedrine 1.61 (R = H) are useful in asymmetric alkylations [447, 448] and aldol reactions [449, 450] and cuprate additions to the a,p-unsaturated acyl analogs have recently been described [451], These chiral auxiliaries are cleaved by MeONa/MeOH or LiEtBHj. Recently, Davies and coworkers have suggested the use of symmetrical AyV-diacyl-1,3-imidazolidin-2-ones 1.132, formed from diamines having a C2 axis of symmetry [452], for asymmetric aldol reactions [449]. Juaristi [453] has used peihydropyrimidin-4-ones for related purposes. 

Oppolzer and coworkers [147, 454] have developed a class of reagents based on the enantiomeric bomane-2,10-sultam skeleton 1.133. These chiral auxiliaries are easily prepared from the enantiomeric 10-camphosulfonic adds [455]. Saturated or a,P-unsaturated TV-acylsultams 1.134, occasionally prepared from Af-silyl precursors [396], have been used very frequently. Asymmetric alkylations, animations and aldol reactions of enolates or enoxysilane derivatives of 1.134 (R = R CH2) [147, 404, 407, 456-460] are highly selective. The a,(3-unsaturated TV-acylsultams 1.134 (R = R R"C=CH) suffer highly stereoselective organocuprate 1,4-additions [147, 173], cyclopropanations [461], [4+2] and [3+2] cydoadditions [73,276,454,462], OSO4 promoted dihydroxylations [454,463] and radical addi-... 

Asymmetric halogenation of chiral acetals has been realized by C. Giordano (refs. 2-7). Using alkyl esters of optically active tartaric acids as chiral auxiliaries, a high diastereoselectivity is obtained even at room temperature. The results are best explained by a fast electrophilic addition of bromine on the electron rich enol ether, originating from an acid-catalyzed equilibrium with the chiral acetal. If (2R, 3R)-tartaric acid is involved, a S-configuration prevails at the new stereogenic center. Finally, cautious hydrolysis provides a set of 2-bromo alkyl aryl ketones, which can be obtained in enantiomerically pure form after crystallization (Fig. 2) ... 

It is generally true that restrictions on conformational mobility minimize the number of competing transition states and simplify analysis of the factors that affect selectivity. Chelation of a metal by a heteroatom often provides such restriction and also often places the stereocenter of a chiral auxiliary in close proximity to the a-carbon of an enolate. This proximity often results in very high levels of asymmetric induction. A number of auxiliaries have been developed for the asymmetric alkylation of carboxylic acid derivatives using chelate-enforced intraannular asymmetric induction. The first practical method for asymmetric alkylation of carboxylic acid derivitives utilized oxazolines and was developed by the Meyers group in the 1970 s (Scheme 3.16a), whose efforts established the importance and potential for chelation-induced rigidity in asymmetric induction (reviews [77-79]). In 1980, Sonnet [80] and Evans [81,82] independently reported that the dianions of prolinol amides afford more highly selective asymmetric alkylations (Scheme 3.16b). 

Alkylation of lactates is not possible directly, since any enolate formation would destroy the chirality at the asymmetric center. This can be circumvented without use of a chiral auxiliary by employing the self-reproduction of chirality approach of Seebach, which incorporates lactic acid into a dioxolane ring and takes advantage of the bulky R group at the newly formed stereo center at C-2 to direct alkylation to the C-5 carbon. 

Excellent levels of asymmetric induction in various carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, such as alkylation, conjugate addition and aldol reactions, are possible using a suitable chiral enolate and an achiral electrophile under appropriate reaction conditions. A variety of chiral enolates have been investigated, the most common and useful synthetically being those with a chiral auxiliary attached to the carbonyl group. The 2-oxazolidinone group, introduced by Evans, has proved to be an efficient and popular chiral auxiUary. Both enantiomers of the product are... 

The final fragment is a simple chiral carboxylic acid, so we need a method for its asymmetric synthesis. The most obvious choice is probably an asymmetric alkylation using Evans oxazolidinone auxiliary formation of the appropriate derivative of hexanoic acid is simple, and the enolate will be alkylated diastereoselectively by methyl iodide. You would probably take this approach if you need to make a few grams for initial studies. 

Use as chiral auxiliary. Whitesell has reviewed use of this chiral alcohol (1), particularly as compared with that of (—)-menthol and (lR)-(+)-8-phenylmenthol. One advantage is that both enantiomers of 1 are available by resolution of trans-2-phenyl-cyclohexanol by means of enzymatic hydrolysis of the esters and that 2-substituted cyclohexanols are readily available. Although this chiral auxiliary was used originally for control of ene reactions of glyoxylates, it is also useful for asymmetric alkylation of enolates, and for control of various cycloaddition reactions. 

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