2.3- Butanediol chiral acetals

Aside from the type III cyclizations described above, acetals have seen limited use in intermolecular Prins reactionsand extensive use as initiators for cation-alkene cyclizations.Only limited success has been achieved in Lewis acid catalyzed addition of acetals to alkenes. Better success has been achieved in the synthesis of C-glycosides by Lewis acid catalyzed addition of glycosyl acetates or glycals to alkenes. Johnson has extensively developed the use of acetals as initiators for cation-alkene cyclizations. Recent studies have shown that excellent asymmetric induction can be obtained using chiral acetals derived from optically active 2,3-butanediol or 2,4-pentanediol. - ... 

The reaction of butyllithium with 1-naphthaldehyde cyclohexylimine in the presence of (/C )-l,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diol dimethyl ether in toluene at —78 °C, followed by treatment with acetate buffer, gave 2-butyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene-l-carbaldehyde, which was then reduced with sodium borohydride in methanol to afford (1 R,2.S)-2-butyl-1 -hydroxymcthyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene in 80% overall yield with 91 % ee83. Similarly, the enantioselective conjugate addition of organolithium reagents to several a,/J-unsaturated aldimines took place in the presence of C2-symmetric chiral diethers, such as (/, / )-1,2-butanediol dimethyl ether and (/, / )- ,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diol dimethyl ether. 

Alternatively, as exemplified in Scheme 22, Normant reports that the chiral a, 3-un saturated acetals (126) and (127), obtained from ( , )-2,3-butanediol, undergo exclusive -addition (5n2 ) by complex (87c) with high diastereoselectivity. For example, ( )-acetals (126) and (Z)-acetals (127) afford (5)-3 substituted aldehydes and (A)-(3-substituted aldehydes, respectively (cf. Scheme 2).39... 

Pentanediol is often superior to other diols such as 2,3-butanediol for these reactions because of higher distereoselectivities in reactions with nucleophiles and the more facile cleavage of the resulting hydroxy ether by oxidation-p-elimination. Removal of the chiral auxiliary is usually carried out with Pyri-dinium Chlorochromate oxidation followed by p-elimination using KOH, K2CO3, piperidinium acetate, dibenzylammonium trifluoroacetate, " or DBU. In some cases, 1,3-butanediol is preferred because the final 3-elimination may be effected under milder conditions. ... 

As for the diols, the symmetric compounds have found most uses for nonsymmetric diols, a versatile synthesis via silyl ketones using the SAMP/RAMP methodology has been developedl5. Both enantiomers of the simplest symmetric diol, 2,3-butanediol (11), are often used in asymmetric synthesis, mostly for the formation of acetals and ketals with carbonyl compounds and subsequent reactions with acidic catalysts (Section D. 1.1.2.2.), Grignard reagents (Section D. 1.3.1.4.) and other carbanions (Sections D. 1.5.1., D. 1.5.2.4.), and diastereoselective reductions (Section D.2.3.3.). Precursors of chiral alkenes for cycloprotonations (Section D.1.6.1.5.) and for chiral allenes (Section B.I.), and chiral haloboronic acids (Section D. 1.1.2.1.) are other applications. The free diol has been employed as a chiral ligand in molybdenum peroxo complexes used for enantioselective epoxidation of alkenes (Section D.4.5.2.2.). 

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