Baylis-Hillman conditions

Kissel, Ramsden, and other researchers at Pfizer and Chirotech jointly published a novel chiral synthesis of pregabalin (2) in 2003 based on asymmetric hydrogenation (Burk et al., 2001, 2003). Their synthesis started with the condensation of isobutyralde-hyde with acrylonitrile under Baylis-Hillman conditions to give allylic alcohol 65. This alcohol was activated as the carbonate 66 and subjected to palladium-catalyzed car-bonylation conditions to give cyanoester 67. The ester 67 was hydrolyzed and converted to... 

Hydroxybenzaldehydes and 2-hydroxy-l-naphthaldehydes react under Baylis-Hillman conditions with various activated alkenes to yield 3-substituted 2//-chromene derivatives (Equation 35) <2002J(P1)1318>. 2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde also reacts with acrylic acid and acrylic esters under Baylis-Hillman conditions to afford 3-carboxylatc-2//-chromenes in high yield <2001SC1233>. 

Nitroethenes react with 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde under Baylis-Hillman conditions to afford 3-nitro-2/7-chromenes in high yield (Equation 36) <2001TL2717>. Likewise, the polycyclic nitroethenes 62-65 react with 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde to form the corresponding 2-spirocyclic-3-nitro-27/-chromenes in good yield (49-99%) <2001TL2717>. 

A case of anomalous 1,3-dioxolane formation has been reported when the sesquiterpene lactone parthenin 9 is treated under Baylis-Hillman conditions with aromatic aldehydes and affords products of type 10 <07TL955>. A computational study of copper-catalysed carbonyl... 

It was shown in the laboratory of P.T. Kaye that the reactions of 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehydes with various activated aikenes proceeded with regioseiective cyclization under Baylis-Hillman conditions to afford the corresponding 3-substituted 2H-chromene derivatives in high yields. Previous attempts to prepare 2H-chromenes chemoselectively via the cyclization of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-derived Baylis-Hillman products had proven unsuccessful. Complex mixtures containing coumarin and chromene derivatives were obtained. Good results were observed after the careful and systematic study of the various reactants and reaction conditions. 

Allyl cyanide on the other hand, Eq. (20), results in an allylic transposition affording only the Baylis-Hillman product. The Baylis-Hillman reaction has long been of interest. Generally, high pressure is required to induce such a reaction and an amine such as DABCO as well as lengthy reaction times (1-4 weeks) are usually required [131]. The transformation shown in Eq. (20) advantageously affords this product under very mild conditions and in very short reaction times compared with both older as well as more recent literature approaches. Furthermore, this reaction is successful with aromatic aldehydes that have generally led to unreliable results under typical Baylis-Hillman conditions. 

The Baylis-Hillman reaction is usually carried out under mild conditions (0°C or room temperature). The reaction time varies from a few minutes to even days. With the proper catalyst, good yields are possible. In the absence of an aldehyde or ketone as the electrophilic component, a dimerization of the activated alkene can take place under the influence of the catalyst, as also observed as a side reaction under the usual reaction conditions ... 

A new method has been developed for the synthesis of ( )-3-methyl Baylis-Hillman-type adducts with high E/Z (>93%) selectivity in modest to good yields. The process consists of two steps an indium-mediated allylation reaction and a simple base-catalyzed isomerization step (Eq. 8.61). Various aldehydes were allylated with allyl bromides using indium under very mild conditions in aqueous media and thus converted to the Baylis-Hillman-type adducts.150... 

The asymmetric Baylis-Hillman reaction of sugar-derived aldehydes as chiral electrophiles with an activated olefin in dioxane water (1 1) proceeded with 36-86% de and in good yields of the corresponding glycosides (Eq. 10.47).104 The use of chiral /V-mcthylprolinol as a chiral base catalyst for the Baylis-Hillman reaction of aromatic aldehydes with ethyl acrylate or methyl vinyl ketone gave the adducts in good yields with moderate-to-good enantioselectivities in l,4-dioxane water (1 1, vol/vol) under ambient conditions.105... 

In the next step of the sequence, the authors sought to introduce a hydroxy-methylene substituent at the unsubstituted 7-position of the enone. This bond construction can be carried out by conducting a Baylis-Hillman reaction with formaldehyde. In this instance, the authors used a modification of the Baylis-Hillman reaction which involves the use of a Lewis acid to activate the enone [26]. Under these conditions, the enone 42 is treated with excess paraformaldehyde in the presence of triethylphosphine (1 equiv), lanthanum triflate (5 mol%), and triethanolamine (50 mol%). It is proposed that the lanthanum triflate forms a complex with the triethanolamine. This complex is able to activate the enone toward 1,4-addition of the nucleophilic catalysts (here, triethylphosphine). In the absence of triethanolamine, the Lewis acid catalyst undergoes nonproductive complexation with the nucleophilic catalyst, leading to diminution of catalysis. Under these conditions, the hydroxymethylene derivative 37 was formed in 70 % yield. In the next step of the sequence, the authors sought to conduct a stereoselective epoxidation of the allylic... 

Even though the CMR and MBR operate under conditions in which pressure is developed, gaseous reactants or media often can be handled in these systems without problems arising through over-pressure. Mannich reactions with dimethylamine, Baylis-Hillman reactions with formaldehyde, aminoreductone formation with ammonia, all proceeded without difficulty, as did Willgerodt reactions in which gases are formed during the process. 

A fundamentally different approach to the synthesis of 3-pyrrolines is evidenced in the annulation in Eq. 13.50 [58]. Ethyl 2,3-butadienoate 150 reacts with N-sulfony-limine 151 in the presence of triphenylphosphine under very mild conditions to give JV-protected 3-pyrroline 152 in 90% yield. The mechanism that has been postulated is related to that of the Baylis-Hillman reaction. Michael addition of triphenylphosphine to the allenyl ester generates a zwitterion that combines with the imine to give 153 in a non-concerted process. This is followed by ring closure, proton exchange and expulsion of triphenylphosphine to give 152. This annulation is successful only for aromatic or cinnamyl imines [59]. 

Initial experiments were performed with a Baylis-Hillman setup, with p-nitrobenzaldehyde and methyl acrylate, in the presence of DABCO as catalyst (Scheme 39). Optimized conditions with a 118 min residence time (30% faster than the required time under batch conditions) at room temperature and 0.4 ml/ min flow resulted in encouraging conversions and yields (up to 93 and 82%, respectively). 

Unfortunately, starting from the preformed imine and acrylate under conditions optimized for the Baylis-Hillman reaction, the authors could not reproduce the results from the Baylis-Hillman trials they obtained only conversions up to 46% and yields of up to 30% (Scheme 39) [89]. 

In the proposed mechanism (Scheme 9), the rate-determining step is the reaction between aldehyde and enolate. In the absence of a solvent, a major issue with this reaction is the typical low rate and the need for a high concentration of catalyst (usually DABCO). It was reported recently that, under basic conditions, the ionic liquid [BDMIM][PF6] is inert and that the Baylis Hillman reaction in [BDMIMjPFg proceeds smoothly with better yields than in [BMIMjPFg (163). 

Substituted allyl alcohols can be prepared on insoluble supports under mild conditions using the Baylis-Hillman reaction (Figure 7.2). In this reaction, an acrylate is treated with a nucleophilic tertiary amine (typically DABCO) or a phosphine in the presence of an aldehyde. Reversible Michael addition of the amine to the acrylate leads to an ester enolate, which then reacts with the aldehyde. The resulting allyl alcohols are valuable intermediates for the preparation of substituted carboxylic acids [43,44],... 

Sulfonamides can also be alkylated by support-bound electrophiles (Table 8.10). Polystyrene-bound allylic alcohols have been used to N-alkylate sulfonamides under the conditions of the Mitsunobu reaction. Oxidative iodosulfonylamidation of support-bound enol ethers (e.g. glycals Entry 3, Table 8.10) has been used to prepare /V-sulfonyl aminals. Jung and co-workers have reported an interesting variant of the Baylis-Hillman reaction, in which tosylamide and an aromatic aldehyde were condensed with polystyrene-bound acrylic acid to yield 2-(sulfonamidomethyl)acrylates (Entry 4, Table 8.10). 

A study of the effect of the Michael acceptor configuration on the efficiency of intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions has been performed. Enones containing a pendant aldehyde moiety attached at the -position of the alkene group were employed as substrates and the reactions were catalysed by a phosphine. In all cases examined, with Ph3P as the catalyst, cyclization of (Z)-alkene (117) gave 2.5-8.5 times higher yield than with the E-isomer (115) under identical reaction conditions, both affording the same product (116). Steric effects are believed to be the source of this difference in reactivity.172... 

One potential problem in the reactions of stabilized allylic or propargylic carb-anions is the dimerization of the starting material if the carbanions are not formed stoichiometrically. Alkenes substituted with electron-withdrawing groups are good Michael acceptors, to which nucleophiles will undergo conjugate addition. For instance, the Baylis-Hillman reaction of allyl cyanide with benzaldehyde requires careful optimization of the reaction conditions to avoid dimerization of the nitrile (Scheme 5.12). This problem is related to a common side reaction of Michael additions reaction of the product with the Michael acceptor (Scheme 10.21). 

Methylimidazole 3-A-oxide (49) catalyses the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction at room temperature under solvent-free conditions addition to the enone reactant to give a zwitterionic enolate (50) is proposed, followed by reaction with aldehyde.177... 

A A /V /V -Tetramethylelhylcncdiaminc (TMEDA) as catalyst of the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction has been found to be more efficient than DABCO in aqueous media.146 1-Methylimidazole 3-/V-oxide promotes the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of various activated aldehydes with ,/i-unsaturated ketones and esters CH2= CHCOR (R = Me, OMe) in solvent-free systems.147 In another study, the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction has been successfully performed under aqueous acidic conditions at pH 1, using a range of substrates and tertiary amines as catalysts.148... 

Figure 2.9 Base catalysed Baylis-Hillman reaction under solvent free conditions and using an HSBM.

Another atom-efficient process that has been studied solvent free is the Baylis-Hillman reaction.This reaction affords useful multifunctional products from an addition reaction between an electrophile (often an aldehyde) and an electron-deficient olefin. Unfortunately, under most conditions it has the significant drawback of a slow rate of reaction. However, this has been overcome through a solvent free approach that uses a high-speed ball mill (HSBM) (Figure 2.9). Previous solvent free studies of this reaction took 3-4 days to achieve completion. In contrast, using an HSBM, the reaction is complete in 30 min. Unfortunately, a chlorinated solvent was chosen for reaction work up clearly, it would be desirable to use a less hazardous VOC here. 

Substituted pyrazoline derivatives 744 were synthesized in high yields through the cycloaddition reactions of azides 742 with acrylates 743 under Baylis-Hillman reaction conditions (Equation 158) <2002SL513>. 

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