Azomethine ylides asymmetric reactions

The first report on metal-catalyzed asymmetric azomethine ylide cycloaddition reactions appeared some years before this topic was described for other 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions [86]. However, since then the activity in this area has been very limited in spite of the fact that azomethine ylides are often stabilized by metal salts as shown in Scheme 6.40. 

Although the first metal-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction involved azomethine ylides, there has not been any significant activity in this area since then. The reactions that were described implied one of more equivalents of the chiral catalyst, and further development into a catalytic version has not been reported. 

This attractive protocol for the asymmetric addition of a, p-unsaturated esters to A-metalated azomethine ylides was further developed using C(2) symmetrical imidazoladine stereodirecting units in an extensive study into the effects of reaction conditions and substituent effects on the facial selectivity of the reaction (36). Both... 

The azomethine ylide was generated by treatment of A -benzyl-Af-(methoxy-methyl)-trimethylsilylmethylamine (155) with TFA and underwent the required cycloaddition step with chiral dipolarophile 156, stereocontrol being induced by Evan s auxiliary. The ot, p-unsaturated acid dipolarophile was tethered to a chiral oxazoladine in two easy, high-yielding steps. The auxiliary served three purposes to give asymmetric control to the reaction, to allow for separation of the reaction products by generating column separable diastereoisomers, and hnally to activate the olefin in the cycloaddition step (Scheme 3.45). 

In 1985, Padwa et al. (45) reported the first asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of an azomethine ylide. The treatment of a-cyanoaminosilanes with AgF has already been detailed as one of the primary methods for the generation of azomethine ylides (Section 3.1.1). Treatment of the optically active precursor 174... 

In a similar approach, Garner et al. (78) made use of silicon-based tethers between ylide and dipolarophile during their program of research into the application of azomethine ylides in the total asymmetric synthesis of complex natural products. In order to form advanced synthetic intermediates of type 248 during the asymmetric synthesis of bioxalomycins (249), an intramolecular azomethine ylide reaction from aziridine ylide precursors was deemed the best strategy (Scheme 3.84). Under photochemically induced ylide formation and subsequent cycloaddition, the desired endo-re products 250 were formed exclusively. However, due to unacceptably low synthetic yields, this approach was abandoned in favor of a longer tether (Scheme 3.85). 

Enhanced reactivity as well as high endo-selectivity based on the rigid transition structure of N-metalated azomethine ylides is attractive for asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. There are several reports known for the design of effective chiral nucleophiles in asymmetric cycloadditions. 

Azomethine ylides derived from (55,6/ )-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-5,6-diphenyl-1,4-oxazin-2-one (53) and various aldehydes have been prepared by Williams and co-workers (87,88) (Scheme 12.19). In a recent communication they reported the application of the azomethine ylide 54 in the asymmetric total synthesis of spirotryprostatin B 56 (88). The azomethine ylide 54 is preferentially formed with ( )-geometry due to the buLkiness of the aldehyde substituent. The in situ formed azomethine ylide 54 reacted with ethyl oxindolylidene acetate to give the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition adduct 55 in 82% yield as the sole isomer. This reaction, which sets four contiguous stereogenic centers, constmcts the entire prenylated tryprophyl moiety of spirotryprostatin B (56), in a single step. 

The use of chiral azomethine imines in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with alkenes is limited. In the first example of this reaction, chiral azomethine imines were applied for the stereoselective synthesis of C-nucleosides (100-102). Recent work by Hus son and co-workers (103) showed the application of the chiral template 66 for the formation of a new enantiopure azomethine imine (Scheme 12.23). This template is very similar to the azomethine ylide precursor 52 described in Scheme 12.19. In the presence of benzaldehyde at elevated temperature, the azomethine imine 67 is formed. 1,3-Dipole 67 was subjected to reactions with a series of electron-deficient alkenes and alkynes and the reactions proceeded in several cases with very high selectivities. Most interestingly, it was also demonstrated that the azomethine imine underwent reaction with the electronically neutral 1-octene as shown in Scheme 12.23. Although a long reaction time was required, compound 68 was obtained as the only detectable regio- and diastereomer in 50% yield. This pioneering work demonstrates that there are several opportunities for the development of new highly selective reactions of azomethine imines (103). 

Chiral exocyclic alkenes such as 112, also having the chiral center two bonds away from the reacting alkene moiety, have been used in highly diastereoselective reactions with azomethine ylides, and have been used as the key reaction for the asymmetric synthesis of (5)-(—)-cucurbitine (Scheme 12.37) (169). The aryl sulfone 113 was used in a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with acyclic nitrones. In 113, the chiral center is located four bonds apart from alkene, and as a result, only moderate diastereoselectivities of 36-56% de were obtained in these reactions (170). 

Grigg and co-workers (383) found that chiral cobalt and manganese complexes are capable of inducing enantioselectivity in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of azomethine ylides derived from arylidene imines of glycine (Scheme 12.91). This work was published in 1991 and is the first example of a metal-catalyzed asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The reaction of the azomethine yhde 284a with methyl acrylate 285 required a stoichiometric amount of cobalt and 2 equiv of the chiral ephedrine ligand. Up to 96% ee was obtained for the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition product 286a. 

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