Asymmetric reactions prochiral nucleophiles

Trost and his co-workers succeeded in the allylic alkylation of prochiral carbon-centered nucleophiles in the presence of Trost s ligand 118 and obtained the corresponding allylated compounds with an excellent enantioselec-tivity. A variety of prochiral carbon-centered nucleophiles such as / -keto esters, a-substituted ketones, and 3-aryl oxindoles are available for this asymmetric reaction (Scheme jg) Il3,ll3a-ll3g Q jjg recently, highly enantioselective allylation of acyclic ketones such as acetophenone derivatives has been reported by Hou and his co-workers, Trost and and Stoltz and Behenna - (Scheme 18-1). On the other hand, Ito and Kuwano... 

Despite the obvious potential of cinchona alkaloids as bifunctional chiral catalysts of the nucleophilic addition/enantioselective protonation on prochiral ketenes, no further contribution has appeared to date and only a few papers described this asymmetric reaction with other catalysts [13], When the reaction is carried out with soft nucleophiles, the catalyst, often a chiral tertiary amine, adding first on ketene, is covalently linked to the enolate during the protonation. Thus, we can expect an optimal control of the stereochemical outcome of the protonation. This seems perfectly well suited for cinchona analogues and we can therefore anticipate successful applications of these compounds for this reaction in the near future. 

A-(Diphenylmethylene)glycine t-butyl ester (t-butyl glycinate-benzophenone Schiff base) (171) is a reactive prochiral nucleophile and a-allyl-a-amino acids can be prepared by allylation and hydrolysis of the allylated product. Asymmetric allylation of 171 with cinnamyl acetate (41) afforded 172 regioselec-tively with high % ee when the reaction was carried out in presence of achiral phosphite P(OPh)3, and a ehiral phase-transfer catalyst of alkaloid [0-allyl-(9-anthracenylmethyOcinchonidinium iodide] [65,66]. 

The use of a prochiral nucleophile in allylic substitution reactions provides an additional opportunity for asymmetric indnction. Allyl acetate itself can be used as the electrophilic partner and the new stereogenic center is positioned further away from the allyl group (Scheme 28). 

Synthesis of a chiral compormd from an achiral compound requires a prochiral substrate that is selectively transformed into one of the possible stereoisomers. Important prochiral substrates are, for example, alkenes with two different substituents at one of the two C-atoms forming the double bond. Electrophilic addition of a substitutent different from the three existing ones (the two different ones above and the double bond) creates a fourth different substituent and, thus, an asymmetric carbon atom. Another class of important prochiral substrates is carbonyl compounds, which form asymmetric compounds in nucleophilic addition reactions. As exemplified in Scheme 2.2.13, prochiral compounds are characterized by a plane of symmetry that divides the molecule into two enantiotopic halves that behave like mirror images. The side from which the fourth substituent is introduced determines which enantiomer is formed. In cases where the prochiral molecule already contains a center of chirality, the plane of symmetry in the prochiral molecules creates two diastereotopic halves. By introducing the additional substituent diasterom-ers are formed. 

A comprehensive review of asymmetric allylic alkylation since our initial publication would be beyond the scope of this accotmt. Instead, we will highlight the use of prochiral nucleophiles in asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions. Unlike the majority of asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions, reactions involving prochiral nucleophiles generate a stereocenter on the nucleophile. Major advances have occurred with regard to the classes of prochiral nucleophiles that can be used in these reactions. 

The asymmetric Pd-catalyzed allylation of prochiral nucleophiles such a-acetoamido- 8-keto esters in toluene at —30 °C has been reported. The reaction with (/ )-BINAP provided an optically active a -allyl-Q -acetamido- 8-keto ester with high enantioselectiv-ity (eq 58). ... 

Significant asymmetric induction (18-60% e.e.) is observed in the alkylation of the chiral alkyl complexes [Fe(T7-C5H5)(CO)(L)(CH2Cl)] [(5) L = PPh3 or tri(o-biphenyl)phosphite] by the prochiral nucleophiles sodium r-butyl acetoacetate and pyrrolidine cyclohexanone enamine. The product diastereomer ratio in the former case was shown to be thermodynamically controlled, while kinetic control was assumed in the latter reaction. 

Sulfoxides (R1—SO—R2), which are tricoordinate sulfur compounds, are chiral when R1 and R2 are different, and a-sulfmyl carbanions derived from optically active sulfoxides are known to retain the chirality. Therefore, these chiral carbanions usually give products which are rich in one diastereomer upon treatment with some prochiral reagents. Thus, optically active sulfoxides have been used as versatile reagents for asymmetric syntheses of many naturally occurring products116, since optically active a-sulfinyl carbanions can cause asymmetric induction in the C—C bond formation due to their close vicinity. In the following four subsections various reactions of a-sulfinyl carbanions are described (A) alkylation and acylation, (B) addition to unsaturated bonds such as C=0, C=N or C= N, (C) nucleophilic addition to a, /5-unsaturated sulfoxides, and (D) reactions of allylic sulfoxides. 

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. 

An interesting use of the nickel-catalyzed allylic alkylation has prochiral allylic ketals as substrate (Scheme 8E.47) [206]. In contrast to the previous kinetic-resolution process, the enantioselectivity achieved in the ionization step is directly reflected in the stereochemical outcome of the reaction. Thus, the commonly observed variation of the enantioselectivity with respect to the structure of the nucleophile is avoided in this type of reaction. Depending on the method of isolation, the regio- and enantioselective substitution gives an asymmetric Michael adduct or an enol ether in quite good enantioselectivity to provide further synthetic flexibility. 

An interesting asymmetric Baeyer-Villiger reaction of prochiral ketones via chiral ketals (9) allowed the synthesis of chiral 3-butyrolactones in ees of up to 89%.167 An SnCU mCPBA ratio of >1 in dichloromethane at —100 °C gave the best results and this is attributed to a high 5k 1 character due to lowered nucleophilicity of peracid by coordination to S11CI4. This is mirrored by die beder selectivity of BH3 dian EtjSiH in acetal reductions. 

In the Michael-addition, a nucleophile Nu is added to the / -position of an a,fi-unsaturated acceptor A (Scheme 4.1) [1], The active nucleophile Nu is usually generated by deprotonation of the precursor NuH. Addition of Nu to a prochiral acceptor A generates a center of chirality at the / -carbon atom of the acceptor A. Furthermore, the reaction of the intermediate enolate anion with the electrophile E+ may generate a second center of chirality at the a-carbon atom of the acceptor. This mechanistic scheme implies that enantioface-differentiation in the addition to the yfi-carbon atom of the acceptor can be achieved in two ways (i) deprotonation of NuH with a chiral base results in the chiral ion pair I which can be expected to add to the acceptor asymmetrically and (ii) phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) in which deprotonation of NuH is achieved in one phase with an achiral base and the anion... 

Besides the transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric addition reactions to prochiral olefins, the substitution reaction of a carbon nucleophile to allylic esters has been investigated using a variety of chiral transition-metal catalysts. Using the aforementioned sugar diphosphites... 

The naturally occurring cinchona alkaloids (Figure 8.1), as described in other chapters of this book, have proven to be powerful organocatalysts in most major chemical reactions. They possess diverse chiral skeletons and are easily tunable for diverse catalytic reactions through different mechanisms, which make them privileged organocatalysts. The vast synthetic potential of cinchona alkaloids and their derivatives in the asymmetric nucleophilic addition of prochiral C=0 and C=N bonds has also been well demonstrated over the last decade. 

Having demonstrated the potential of artificial metalloenzymes for the reduction of V-protected dehydroaminoacids, we turned our attention towards organometallic-catalyzed reactions where the enantiodiscrimination step occurs without coordination of one of the reactants to the metal centre. We anticipated that incorporation of the metal complex within a protein enviromnent may steer the enantioselection without requiring transient coordination to the metal. In this context, we selected the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation, the ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation as well as the vanadyl-catalyzed sulfoxidation reaction. Indeed, these reactions are believed to proceed without prior coordination of the soft nucleophile, the prochiral ketone or the prochiral sulfide respectively. Figure 13.5. 

The development of the first highly enantioselective cyanocarbonation of prochiral ketones promoted by a chiral base catalyst, such as a cinchona alkaloid derivative, was reported by Tian and Deng in 2006. " Importantly, the reaction complemented known enzyme- and transition metal based methods in substrate scope via its unique ability to promote highly enantioselective cyanocarbonation of sterically hindered simple dialkyl ketones. Mechanistic studies provided experimental evidence to shed significant light on the asymmetric induction step in which the modified cinchona alkaloid acted as a chiral nucleophilic catalyst. Moreover, experimental evidence supported the mechanistic proposal that the enantioselectivity determination step in the cyanocarbonation was a DKR of the putative intermediates G and H via asymmetric transfer of the alkoxycarbonyl group (Scheme 2.105). 

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