Carbonyl allylation/crotylation reactions

Allyltrimethylsilanes can be activated by a nucleophilic Lewis base such as TBAF and metal alkoxides to undergo carbonyl allylation. The reaction of crotylsilane gives a regioisomeric mixture of carbonyl addition products, suggesting that free allylic anion is possibly involved (Scheme 3-116). On the other hand, the reaction of crotyl(trifluoro)silane shows perfect ) selectivity derived probably Irom a six-... 

In the reaction of (R,R)-tartrate allyl-boronate with aldehydes, Si attack of the nucleophile on the carbonyl group has been observed, while Re attack occurs in (S, S )-tartrate allyl-boronate reactions. Thus, an (S )-alcohol is produced preferentially when an (R,R)-allyl reagent is used, and the (R)-product can be obtained from an (S.Sj-reagent. assuming that the R substituent in the aldehyde substrate takes priority over the allyl group to be transferred. In fact, no exceptions to this generalization have yet been found in over 40 well-characterized cases where the tartrate auxiliary controls the stereochemical outcome of the allyl or crotyl transfer.72... 

Besides aUylsUanes or stannanes, allyl boron species have found widespread apphcations in synthesis. The Roush crotylation is a very well-estabhshed method with a broad substrate scope, and is therefore commonly used in organic synthesis [73]. The following example depicts a reversal in enantioselectivity induced by a cobalt complex present in the substrate. Roush et al. reported that the use of metal carbonyl complexes as substrate surrogates led to an improvement of enantioselectivity in the asymmetric crotylation of the respective aldehydes. These results were attributed to electronic effects exerted by the metal complexes that stabilize the transition state of the crotylation reaction (Scheme 3.47) [74]. 

The allylation of carbonyl compounds in aqueous media with SnCl2 can also employ allylic alcohols (Eq. 8.39)84 or carboxylates85 in the presence of a palladium catalyst. The diastereoselectivity of the reactions with substituted crotyl alcohols was solvent dependent. Improved diastereoselectivity was obtained when a mixture of water and THF or DMSO was used, instead of the organic solvent alone. 

Durandetti et al. have described iron-catalyzed electrochemical allylation of carbonyl compounds with allylic acetates (Equation (27)).333 In the case of aldehydes, slow addition of the corresponding aldehyde is required in order to avoid pinacol formation. With crotyl acetate (R3 = Me), the reaction proved to be highly regioselective, providing almost exclusively branched homoallylic alcohols 150. 

Syntheses of primary ally lie amines have been reviewed183. The regiochemistry of the reaction of iron carbonyl complexes with nucleophiles such as morpholine has been investigated. The (r 3-crolyl) Fe+(CO)4 BF4- complexes 172 (R1 = H R2 = Me or R1 = Me R2 = H) undergo preferential attack at the less substituted allyl terminus to yield allylic amines 173. The (/j2-crotyl acetate) Fe(CO)4 complex 174, on the other hand, does not react with morpholine184. 

If the latter reaction proceeds through a closed transition state (e.g., 5 in Scheme 7.2), good diastereocontrol can be expected in the case of trans- and cis-CrotylSiCl3 (2b/2c) [14, 15]. Here, the anh-diastereoisomer 3b should be obtained from trans-crotyl derivative 2b, whereas the syn-isomer 3c should result from the reaction of the cis-isomer 2c (Scheme 7.2). Furthermore, this mechanism creates an opportunity for transferring the chiral information if the Lewis base employed is chiral. Provided that the Lewis base dissociates from the silicon in the intermediate 6 at a sufficient rate, it can act as a catalyst (rather than as a stoichiometric reagent). Typical Lewis bases that promote the allylation reaction are the common dipolar aprotic solvents, such as dimethylformamide (DMF) [8,12], dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) [8, 9], and hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) [9, 16], in addition to other substances that possess a strongly Lewis basic oxygen, such as various formamides [17] (in a solution or on a solid support [7, 8, 18]), urea derivatives [19], and catecholates [10] (and their chiral modifications [5c], [20]). It should be noted that, upon coordination to a Lewis base, the silicon atom becomes more Lewis acidic (vide infra), which facilitates its coordination to the carbonyl in the cyclic transition state 5. 

Several methods promoted by a stoichiometric amount of chiral Lewis acid 38 [51] or chiral Lewis bases 39 [52, 53] and 40 [53] have been developed for enantioselective indium-mediated allylation of aldehydes and ketones by the Loh group. A combination of a chiral trimethylsilyl ether derived from norpseu-doephedrine and allyltrimethylsilane is also convenient for synthesis of enan-tiopure homoallylic alcohols from ketones [54,55]. Asymmetric carbonyl addition by chirally modified allylic metal reagents, to which chiral auxiliaries are covalently bonded, is also an efficient method to obtain enantiomerically enriched homoallylic alcohols and various excellent chiral allylating agents have been developed for example, (lS,2S)-pseudoephedrine- and (lF,2F)-cyclohex-ane-1,2-diamine-derived allylsilanes [56], polymer-supported chiral allylboron reagents [57], and a bisoxazoline-modified chiral allylzinc reagent [58]. An al-lyl transfer reaction from a chiral crotyl donor opened a way to highly enantioselective and a-selective crotylation of aldehydes [59-62]. Enzymatic routes to enantioselective allylation of carbonyl compounds have still not appeared. 

Chromium compounds of this type feature one to four carbonyls and one or more ancillary ligands, as seen, for example, in ( -C5H5)Cr(CO)2( -allyl). A general synthesis for allyl complexes of this type, including the aforementioned parent complex has just been published. Alternatively, the reaction of butadiene with [( -C5H5)Cr(CO)3]2 in the presence of mercury yields the crotyl derivative in... 

Comparison of reaction rates and selectivities for BF3-promoted additions of crotyl tributylstannanes to aldehydes revealed that the trans crotyl isomer reacts faster and is more yn-selective than the cis isomer (Table 8) [18]. It is proposed that the synclinal transition state arrangement for the frans-crotylstannane is stabilized by a favorable interaction between the LUMO of the carbonyl oxygen and the allylic tin sigma HOMO. The analogous transition state for addition of the dx-crotylstannane is destabilized by unfavorable steric interactions (Fig. 3). 

Crotyl silanes offer the possibility of diastereoselectivity in reactions with aldehydes in the same way as the corresponding boranes. The mechanism is completely different because crotyl trialkylsilanes react via an open transition state as the silicon is not Lewis acidic enough to bind the carbonyl oxygen of the electrophile. Instead, the aldehyde has to be activated by an additional Lewis acid or by conversion into a reactive oxonium ion by one of the methods described above. The stereoelectronic demands of the allylic silane system contribute to the success of this transformation. Addition takes place in an Se2 sense so that the electrophile is attached to the remote carbon on the opposite side of the n system to that originally occupied by silicon and the newly formed double bond is trans to minimize allylic strain. 

Control of enantioselectivity will be discussed in the corresponding sections on carbonyl reduction (Chapter 4) alkene hydrogenation, epoxidation, and dihydroxylation (Chapter 5) aldol condensation (Chapter 6) allylation and crotylation (Chapter 7) Claisen rearrangement (Chapter 8) and the Diels-Alder reaction (Chapter 9). 

The Brown asymmetric crotylation is a highly regioselective and stereospecific reaction. Many organoboranes are now commercial available. Reviews (a) Denmark, S. E. Alrnstcad, N. G. In Modem Carbonyl Chemistry, Otera, J, Ed. Wiley-VCH Weinheim, 2000 Chapter 10 Allylation of Carbonyls Methodology and Stereochemistry,... 

Examples of imine allylation in aqueous media are rafher limited compared with the carbonyl version. This is ascribed to the lower electrophilicity of the C=N function and its ease of hydrolysis to carbonyl compounds. To overcome undesired side reactions, sulfonimines are used in place of simple imines for the allylation under aqueous conditions (Scheme 8.36) [54]. Crotylation of a-sulfoirnirio esters gives the syn adducts as high as 19 1 in FD.O/THF (1 1) (Tab. 8.7) [54 c]. 

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