Asymmetric -sigmatropic

The premier example of this process in an ylide transformation designed for [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement is reported in Eq. 15 [107]. The threo product 47 is dominant with the use of the chiral Rh2(MEOX)4 catalysts but is the minor product with Rh2(OAc)4. That this process occurs through the metal-stabilized ylide rather than a chiral free ylide was shown from asymmetric induction using allyl iodide and ethyl diazoacetate [107]. Somewhat lower enantioselectivities have been observed in other systems [108]. 

The thiol 48 (with R R, R = H) undergoes intramolecular cychsation in THF, in the presence of AIBN under UV irradiation, to give a 2-phosphonothiolane [36], a phosphorus and sulfur analogue of proline. More recently, an asymmetric version of the sequence, [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement and radical cychsation, has been carried out (see Sect. 5.1.1.) [41]. 

It may be of interest to note that the stereospecific transformation shown in equation 15 has been cited as the first reported observation of an 1 - 3 chirality transfer. It is evident that on rearrangement of optically active 6d to 7d, the chiral center at C-a is eliminated and a new one created at C-y. The term self-immolative asymmetric synthesis has also been used to describe syntheses of this kind. As pointed out by Hoffmann , quantitative 1 - 3 chirality transfer will follow from the suprafacial - course of rearrangement, provided the reactant has a uniform configuration at the j8, y-double bond. This stereochemical prediction has also been confirmed by the results obtained in several other [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangements, subsequently reported " . 

This section will focus on recent examples of asymmetric [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements involving dienes and polyenes. Attention will be given to Cope and Claisen rearrangements, as well as to several of their variants. For more exhaustive reviews of the subject, the reader is referred elsewhere69,70. 

A very high degree of asymmetric induction was observed by Trost and Hammen (154) in the [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of ylide 285 derived from optically active 1-adamantylallylethylsulfonium tetrafluoroborate 286. They found that the optically active l-adamantyl-2-pent-4-enyl sulfide 287 formed in this process has at... 

It is interesting to note that asymmetric induction was also observed (308) during generation of ylide 288 from achiral sulfonium salt 287a by means of chiral lithium 2,2,2-trifluoromethyl-a-phenylethoxide. The [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of the chiral ylide 288 obtained in situ in this way leads to optically active sulfide 289 of 5% optical purity. 

Natural (-l-)-polyzonimine (19) has been synthesized by a reaction sequence using the asymmetric [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement of the ammonium ylide to generate the chiral intermediate. The Homer-Emmons reaction of the ketone... 

It is known that 5-acyloxyoxazoles 132 rearrange to 4-acyl-5(4/l/)-oxazolones 133 in the presence of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridme or 4-(pyrrohdino)pyridine. Recently, an asymmetric variant of this nucleophUe-catalyzed rearrangement that employs a chiral derivative of 4-(pyrrolidino)pyridine has been described. This procedure allows the construction of quaternary stereocenters with high levels of enantioselectivity (Scheme 7.38). Representative examples of saturated 5(4//)-oxazolones prepared via sigmatropic rearrangements are shown in Table 7.16 (Fig. 7.18). 

This type of stereoselective reaction, in which a chiral unit is created and another destroyed, has been termed self-immolative by Mislow39 and an asymmetric transfer process by Pracejus40. Both terms are in use. but the latter is gaining ground in the mutated form of "chirality transfer 41, which is most often applied to sigmatropic rearrangement reactions such as the following37 ... 

Review on chirality transfer via sigmatropic rearrangements R. K. Hill in Asymmetric Synthesis, J. D. Mosher, Ed., Vol. 3, p 503, Academic, Orlando 1984. 

Stereoselective oxonium ylide reaction, in particular the asymmetric catalysis, has been a problem of considerable challenge in this field. Since the first report by McKervey and co-workers in the asymmetric induction in metal carbene-mediated ylide formation/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement in 1992, there have been efforts being directed... 

Further study by Katsuki, McMillen, Hashimoto, and Wang improved the enantioselectivity up to a moderately high level.Wang and co-workers further extended the asymmetric catalysis to the [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of propargyl sulfonium ylide to give allenic products with up to 81% ee (Equation (18))." ... 

Nitrene transfer to selenide is also possible. Catalytic asymmetric induction in this process has been studied with Cu(OTf)/bis(oxazoline) catalyst (Scheme 22). When prochiral selenide 206 and TsN=IPh are allowed to react in the presence of Cu(OTf)/chiral bis(oxazoline) 122b, selenimide 207 is obtained with enantioselectivity of 20-36% ee. When arylcinnamyl selenide 208 is applied to this reaction, corresponding selenimide 209 is produced which undergoes [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to afford chiral allylic amides 211 in up to 30% ee. 

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