Asymmetric Epoxidation Reactions

Macromolecular metal complexes with modified poly(ethylene oxide)s have also been applied as catalysts for asymmetric reactions epoxidation, dihydroxy-lation, hydrogenation, and hydroformylation. 

Boger et al. prepared Duocarmycin SA via asymmetric epoxidation of a cyclic olefin 54." The stereochemistry set by the epoxidation step was used for subsequent C-C bond forming reactions. Epoxidation of olefin 54 was carried at -78°C to provide... 

The cyclohexyloxy(dimethyl)silyl unit in 8 serves as a hydroxy surrogate and is converted into an alcohol via the Tamao oxidation after the allylboration reaction. The allylsilane products of asymmetric allylboration reactions of the dimethylphenylsilyl reagent 7 are readily converted into optically active 2-butene-l, 4-diols via epoxidation with dimethyl dioxirane followed by acid-catalyzed Peterson elimination of the intermediate epoxysilane. Although several chiral (Z)-y-alkoxyallylboron reagents were described in Section 1.3.3.3.3.1.4., relatively few applications in double asymmetric reactions with chiral aldehydes have been reported. One notable example involves the matched double asymmetric reaction of the diisopinocampheyl [(Z)-methoxy-2-propenyl]boron reagent with a chiral x/ -dialkoxyaldehyde87. 

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. 

Porco s synthesis of ( )-kinamycin C (3) constituted the first reported route to any of the diazofluorene antitumor antibiotics. This synthesis invokes several powerful transformations, including a modified Baylis-Hillman reaction, a catalyst-controlled asymmetric nucleophilic epoxidation, and a regioselective epoxide opening to establish the D-ring of the kinamycins. The tetracyclic skeleton was constructed by an... 

Another microwave-mediated intramolecular SN2 reaction forms one of the key steps in a recent catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the cinchona alkaloid quinine by Jacobsen and coworkers [209]. The strategy to construct the crucial quinudidine core of the natural product relies on an intramolecular SN2 reaction/epoxide ringopening (Scheme 6.103). After removal of the benzyl carbamate (Cbz) protecting group with diethylaluminum chloride/thioanisole, microwave heating of the acetonitrile solution at 200 °C for 2 min provided a 68% isolated yield of the natural product as the final transformation in a 16-step total synthesis. 

The asymmetric oxidation of organic compounds, especially the epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, aziridination, and related reactions have been extensively studied and found widespread applications in the asymmetric synthesis of many important compounds. Like many other asymmetric reactions discussed in other chapters of this book, oxidation systems have been developed and extended steadily over the years in order to attain high stereoselectivity. This chapter on oxidation is organized into several key topics. The first section covers the formation of epoxides from allylic alcohols or their derivatives and the corresponding ring-opening reactions of the thus formed 2,3-epoxy alcohols. The second part deals with dihydroxylation reactions, which can provide diols from olefins. The third section delineates the recently discovered aminohydroxylation of olefins. The fourth topic involves the oxidation of unfunc-tionalized olefins. The chapter ends with a discussion of the oxidation of eno-lates and asymmetric aziridination reactions. 

Abstract In the first part of this mini review a variety of efficient asymmetric catalysis using heterobime-tallic complexes is discussed. Since these complexes function at the same time as both a Lewis acid and a Bronsted base, similar to enzymes, they make possible many catalytic asymmetric reactions such as nitroal-dol, aldol, Michael, Michael-aldol, hydrophosphonyla-tion, hydrophosphination, protonation, epoxide opening, Diels-Alder and epoxi-dation reaction of a, 3-unsaturated ketones. In the second part catalytic asymmetric reactions such as cya-nosilylations of aldehydes... 

Scheme 20. Jacobsen s sequential use of catalytic asymmetric reactions, including his Cr-catalyzed kinetic resolution of epoxides in the total synthesis of taurospongin A (1998).

The above-mentioned facts have important consequences on the stereochemical outcome of the kinetic resolution of asymmetrically substituted epoxides. In the majority of kinetic resolutions of esters (e.g. by ester hydrolysis and synthesis using lipases, esterases and proteases) the absolute configuration at the stereogenic centre(s) always remains the same throughout the reaction. In contrast, the enzymatic hydrolysis of epoxides may take place via attack on either carbon of the oxirane ring (Scheme 7) and it is the structure of the substrate and of the enzyme involved which determine the regioselec-tivity of the attack [53, 58-611. As a consequence, the absolute configuration of both the product and substrate from a kinetic resolution of a racemic... 

We began these studies with the intention of applying this tandem asymmetric epoxidation/asymmetric allylboration sequence towards the synthesis of D-olivose derivative 63 (refer to Figure 18). As the foregoing discussion indicates, our research has moved somewhat away from this goal and we have not yet had the opportunity to undertake this synthesis. This, as well as the synthesis of the olivomycin CDE trisaccharide, remain as problems for future exploration. Because it is the enantioselectivity of the tartrate ester allylboronates that has limited the success of the mismatched double asymmetric reactions discussed here, as well as in several other cases published from our laboratorythe focus of our work on chiral allyiboronate chemistry has shifted away from synthetic applications and towards the development of a more highly enantioselective chiral auxiliary. One such auxiliary has been developed, as described below. 

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. 

The development of asymmetric cyclopropanation protocols has been actively studied and in recent years remarkable progress has been made. The extent of chiral induction that can now be obtained in these reactions approaches the level of other classic catalytic asymmetric reactions on alkenes, such as catalytic hydrogenation and the Sharpless epoxidation.37... 

This epoxidation is one of the most useful asymmetric reactions available to the synthetic chemist. The results show that, irrespective of the substitution pattern around the starting allylic alcohol, very good yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses are obtained148-152. 

This chapter also includes reactions of epoxides and surrogates, as well as reactions at isolated centers. In the cases of vicinal functional groups, an asymmetric reaction can be used to introduce the vicinal functionalization and generate the stereogenic center, as with an epoxidation reaction.1... 

The first part of this chapter describes recent advances in the use of novel, chiral, alkali metal free-lanthanoid-BINOL derivative complexes for a variety of efficient, catalytic, asymmetric reactions. For example, using a catalytic amount of chiral Ln-BINOL derivative complexes, asymmetric Michael reactions and asymmetric epoxidations of enones proceed in a highly enantioselective manner. 

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