Boron enolates aldol condensation reactions

Asymmetric. syn-aldol condensation reactions employing chiral auxiliaries were reported in 1981 by both Masamune et al.2 and Evans et al.3 Masamune et al. introduced boron enolates obtained from (.S )-mandclic acid, which underwent... 

Offenhauer and Nelsen discovered that boric acid is an excellent catalyst for aldol condensations treatment of heptanal with boric acid in refluxing toluene under a Dean-Stark trap gives the condensation product in quantitative yield (equation 10). The authors suggested an intermediate enol borate this was probably the flrst example of a boron enolate aldol reaction. 

A similar model has been applied to aldol condensation reactions of boron enolates. O The reaction of E) enolate 369, for example, can lead to either transition state 371 or 372. Transition state 371 generates the... 

Scheme 5 details the asymmetric synthesis of dimethylhydrazone 14. The synthesis of this fragment commences with an Evans asymmetric aldol condensation between the boron enolate derived from 21 and trans-2-pentenal (20). Syn aldol adduct 29 is obtained in diastereomerically pure form through a process which defines both the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the newly generated stereogenic centers at carbons 29 and 30 (92 % yield). After reductive removal of the chiral auxiliary, selective silylation of the primary alcohol furnishes 30 in 71 % overall yield. The method employed to achieve the reduction of the C-28 carbonyl is interesting and worthy of comment. The reaction between tri-n-butylbor-... 

A key step in the synthesis of the spiroketal subunit is the convergent union of intermediates 8 and 9 through an Evans asymmetric aldol reaction (see Scheme 2). Coupling of aldehyde 9 with the boron enolate derived from imide 8 through an asymmetric aldol condensation is followed by transamination with an excess of aluminum amide reagent to afford intermediate 38 in an overall yield of 85 % (see Scheme 7). During the course of the asymmetric aldol condensation... 

Although the results are easily rationalised in the case of the a-alkylation (attack of the electrophile at the Re face, i.e., attack from the less hindered a face), in the aldol condensation it is somewhat more difficult to rationalise and several factors should be considered. According to Evans [14] one possible explanation for the diastereofacial selection observed for these chiral enolates is illustrated in Scheme 9.14. In the aldol reactions, the more basic carbonyl group of the aldehyde partner interacts with the chelated boron enolate 45 to give the "complex" A which may... 

Although in the recent years the stereochemical control of aldol condensations has reached a level of efficiency which allows enantioselective syntheses of very complex compounds containing many asymmetric centres, the situation is still far from what one would consider "ideal". In the first place, the requirement of a substituent at the a-position of the enolate in order to achieve good stereoselection is a limitation which, however, can be overcome by using temporary bulky groups (such as alkylthio ethers, for instance). On the other hand, the ( )-enolates, which are necessary for the preparation of 2,3-anti aldols, are not so easily prepared as the (Z)-enolates and furthermore, they do not show selectivities as good as in the case of the (Z)-enolates. Finally, although elements other than boron -such as zirconium [30] and titanium [31]- have been also used succesfully much work remains to be done in the area of catalysis. In this context, the work of Mukaiyama and Kobayashi [32a,b,c] on asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes promoted by tributyltin fluoride and a chiral diamine coordinated to tin(II) triflate... 

This dual behaviour must allow control of the configuration at the a carbon atom in an aldol reaction, provided that one can control whether or not the metal is chelated at the time the aldol condensation occurs. Thornton and Nerz-Stormes [35] reported an approach to this problem by using titanium enolates to obtain "non-Evans" 5jn-aldols. On the other hand, Heathcock and his associated found that aldehydes react with chelated boron enolates 100b to afford the anh-aldols 102 or the "non-Evans" i yn-aldols 103 depending upon the reaction conditions (Scheme 9.32). 

The synthesis in Scheme 13.30 uses stereoselective aldol condensation methodology. Both the lithium enolate and the boron enolate method were employed. The enol derivatives were used in enantiomerically pure form, so the condensations are examples of double stereodifferentiation (Section 2.1.3). The stereoselectivity observed in the reactions is that predicted for a cyclic transition state for the aldol condensations. 

Vinyloxyboranes (boron enolates) are obtained in quantitative yield by reaction of silyl enol ethers with dialkylboron triflates in CH2C12 at —22 . The products can be used for stereoselective aldol condensations.3 Example ... 

Boron enolates bearing menthol-derived chiral ligands have been found to exhibit excellent diastereo- and enantio-control on reaction with aldehydes34 and imines.35 Highly diastereo- and enantio-selective aldol additions of geometrically defined trichlorosilyl ketone enolates (31) and (32) have been achieved by promoting the reactions with chiral Lewis bases, of which (,S., S )-(33) proved to be the most effective.36 Moderate enantiomeric excesses have been achieved by using chiral ammo alcohols as catalysts for the Baylis-Hillman condensation of aldehydes with methyl vinyl ketone the unexpected pressure effect on the reaction has been rationalized.37... 

In 1992 Ghosh and co-workers provided the first example of the utility of rigid cis-1 -amino-2-indanol-derived oxazolidinone 36 as the chiral auxiliary in the asymmetric. vv//-aldol reaction.60-61 Aldol condensation of the boron enolate of 37 with various aldehydes proceeded with complete diastereofacial selectivity. Effective removal and recovery of the chiral auxiliary was carried out under mild hydrolysis conditions (Scheme 24.6). As both enantiomers of the chiral auxiliary were readily available, both enantiomers of the. yyn-aldol could be prepared with equal asymmetric induction. 

Regio- and stereoselective aldol condensations. The enol boronates of ketones, obtained by reaction with 1 and diisopropylethylamine (1 equiv.), react with both aliphatic and aromatic ketones at —78° to —15° to form p-hydroxy ketones with high sy/t-dia-stereoselectivity.2... 

Hexafluoroacetone has also demonstrated unusual reactivity when condensed with the boron cnolatc of an optically active oxazolidinone or the boron enolate of the sultam derived from camphorsulfonic acid s to give products 3 and 4, respectively. The absolute stereochemistry of the products 3 and 4 is the opposite of that formed on addition to nonfluorinated ketones and aldehydes. This change was attributed to the involvement of an open transition state in the aldol reaction, a consequence of the diminished basicity of fluorinated carbonyl oxygens. 

CAB 2, R = H, derived from monoacyloxytartaric acid and diborane is also an excellent catalyst (20 mol %) for the Mukaiyama condensation of simple enol silyl ethers of achiral ketones with various aldehydes. The reactivity of aldol-type reactions can, furthermore, be improved, without reducing the enantioselectivity, by use of 10-20 mol % of 2, R = 3,5-(CF3)2C6H3, prepared from 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl-boronic acid and a chiral tartaric acid derivative. The enantioselectivity could also be improved, without reducing the chemical yield, by using 20 mol % 2, R = o-PhOCgH4, prepared from o-phenoxyphenylboronic acid and chiral tartaric acid derivative. The CAB 2-catalyzed aldol process enables the formation of adducts in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective manner (up to 99 % ee) under mild reaction conditions [47a,c]. These reactions are catalytic, and the chiral source is recoverable and re-usable (Eq. 62). 

Monohydroboration of 1-alkynes followed by oxidation gives the corresponding aldehydes in high yields.-" Oxidation of the vinyl carbon-boron bond produces the enol, which then tautomerizes to the carbonyl group. To minimize aldol condensation of the aldehyde formed during oxidation, the reaction should be carried out at pH 8 or in buffered medium. " ... 

In analogous fashion, titanium and tin enolates are formed by the reaction of enolizable ketones with a tertiary amine and TiCl4 or SnOTf2, respectively. The reactions of titanium enolates are highly selective and comparable to boron enolates in aldol condensations. 

Boron enolates generated from a-heterosubstituted thioacetates by treatment with 105 undergo highly enantioselective and diastereoselective condensations. On the other hand, chiral esters 106 and 107, and amides 108 behave differently. V-Acyl derivatives of the bicyclic isoxazolidine 109 ° readily undergo syn-selective aldol reactions via enol borates. 

The Masamune aldol condensation, in common with the Evans aldol condensation, involves a boron enolate of an ester containing a norephedrine derived chiral auxiliary however, unlike the latter, the Masamune aldol delivers a 3-hydroxy-2-methyl carbonyl moiety with the an/z-stereochemistry. Crucial to the success of this reaction is the use of dicyclohexylboron triflate to generate the boron enolate. Note in the Evans aldol condensation, dibutylboron triflate is utilized. 

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