Asymmetric epoxidation nucleophilic reactions

Dual activation of nucleophile and epoxide has emerged as an important mechanistic principle in asymmetric catalysis [110], and it appears to be particularly important in epoxide ARO reactions. Future work in this area is likely to build on the concept of dual substrate activation in interesting and exciting new ways. 

Alternatively, epoxides can be formed with concomitant formation of a C-C bond. Reactions between aldehydes and various carbon nucleophiles are an efficient route to epoxides, although the cis. trans selectivity can be problematic (see Section 9.1.4). Kinetic resolution (see Section 9.1.5.2) or dihydroxylation with sequential ring-closure to epoxides (see Section 9.1.1.3) can be employed when asymmetric epoxidation methods are unsatisfactory. 

In the present study the dimer (salen)CoAlX3 showed enhanced activity and enantioselectivity. The catalyst can be synthesized easily by readily commercially available precatalyst Co(salen) in both enantiomeric forms. Potentially, the catalyst may be used on an industrial scale and could be recycled. Currently we are looking for the applicability of the catalyst to asymmetric reaction of terminal and meso epoxides with other nucleophiles and related electrophile-nucleophile reactions. 

Asymmetric epoxidation of olefins is an effective approach for the synthesis of enan-tiomerically enriched epoxides. A variety of efficient methods have been developed [1, 2], including Sharpless epoxidation of allylic alcohols [3, 4], metal-catalyzed epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins [5-10], and nucleophilic epoxidation of electron-deficient olefins [11-14], Dioxiranes and oxazirdinium salts have been proven to be effective oxidation reagents [15-21], Chiral dioxiranes [22-28] and oxaziridinium salts [19] generated in situ with Oxone from ketones and iminium salts, respectively, have been extensively investigated in numerous laboratories and have been shown to be useful toward the asymmetric epoxidation of alkenes. In these epoxidation reactions, only a catalytic amount of ketone or iminium salt is required since they are regenerated upon epoxidation of alkenes (Scheme 1). 

Asymmetric epoxidation of a prochiral alkene is an appealing process because two stereogenic centers are established in the course of the reaction. Often, the starting alkene is inexpensive. There have been several interesting recent advances in the asymmetric nucleophilic epoxidation. 

Nucleophilic ring opening of epoxy sugars is a valuable method for the synthesis of many modified sugar derivatives. The reaction is accompanied by Walden inversion, and a wide range of nucleophiles can be used. The cyclic nature of epoxides renders the competing elimination process stereoelectronically unfavourable. For asymmetric epoxides, in principle, two regio-isomeric products can be formed however, in... 

A polymeric binaphthyl zinc complex has been used for related epoxidation reactions <1999JOC8149>.A bimetallic samarium-based Lewis acid complex catalyzes the nucleophilic epoxidation of unsaturated carbonyl compounds very efficiently <2002JA14544>. The use of amino acids has organocatalysts for asymmetric epoxidations of enones and enals has been investigated <2005OL2579, 2005JA6964>. 

Reactions of chiral allylic boranes with carbonyl compounds Reactions of chiral allyl boranes with imines Asymmetric Addition of Carbon Nucleophiles to Ketones Addition of alkyl lithiums to ketones Asymmetric epoxidation with chiral sulfur ylids Asymmetric Nucleophilic Attack by Chiral Alcohols Deracemisation of arylpropionic acids Deracemisation of a-halo acids Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Nitrogen Nucleophiles An asymmetric synthesis of thienamycin Asymmetric Protonation... 

Some of the most pertinent virtues of asymmetric epoxidations and dihydroxylations were already present in their classical versions. Both reactions are highly chemo-selective and can be carried out in the presence of many other functional groups. More important with respect to stereochemistry, each reaction is stereospecific in that the product faithfully reflects the E or Z configuration of the starting olefin (the nucleophilic epoxidation of a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is an important exception). And one should not underestimate the importance of experimental simplicity in most cases, one can carry out these reactions by simply adding the often commercially available reagents to a substrate in solvent, without extravagant precautions to avoid moisture or air. 

The turn of the millenium will see the 20th anniversary of the seminal discovery of the asymmetric epoxidation [1, 2] of ally lie alcohols catalysed by titanium(IV) isopropoxide and tartrate esters. The utility of this transformation largely results from the regio- and stereocontrol possible in subsequent nucleophilic ring opening reactions of the derived epoxy alcohols. Thus, a sequence of asymmetric epoxidation, epoxide opening and further functionalisation leads to a diverse array of molecules in enantiomerically pure form. In comparision, asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalised alkenes [3] has yet to match the enantioselectivities which the Ti-tartrate system can deliver with allylic alcohols. The recent discovery of other asymmetric epoxidation reactions [4] suggests that a number of practical options may eventually become available. 

In a nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of asymmetric epoxides, two regio-isomers can form (Scheme 3). It is the reaction conditions that decide the structure of the formed product. In the presence of a strong thiolate anion (under basic conditions) and a poor leaving group (an alkoxide anion), an Sn pathway prevails and the best... 

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