Asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis metal enolates

The representative reaction system applied in asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis is the biphasic system composed of an organic phase containing an acidic methylene or methine compound and an electrophile, and an aqueous or solid phase of inorganic base such as alkaline metal (Na, K, Cs) hydroxide or carbonate. The key reactive intermediate in this type of reaction is the onium carbanion species, mostly onium enolate or nitronate, which reacts with the electrophile in the organic phase to afford the product. 

The synthesis of the chiral copper catalyst is very easy to reproduce. The complex catalyses the asymmetric alkylation of enolates of a range of amino acids, thus allowing the synthesis of enantiomeric ally enriched a,a disubstituted amino acids with up to 92% ee. The procedure combines the synthetic simplicity of the Phase Transfer Catalyst (PTC) approach, with the advantages of catalysis by metal complexes. The chemistry is compatible with the use of methyl ester substrates, thus avoiding the use of iso-propyl or ferf-butyl esters which are needed for cinchona-alkaloid catalyzed reactions[4], where the steric bulk of the ester is important for efficient asymmetric induction. Another advantage compared with cinchona-alkaloid systems is that copper(II)(chsalen) catalyses the alkylation of substrates derived from a range of amino acids, not just glycine and alanine (Table 2.4). 

---