Carbonyl compounds catalytic asymmetric reactions

Intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions of alkenyl diazo carbonyl compounds are among the most useful catalytic metal carbene transformations, and the diversity of their applications for organic syntheses is substantial [7,10,24,84]. Their catalytic asymmetric reactions, however, have only recently been reported. An early application of the Aratani catalyst 2 (A = PhCH2) to... 

The use of chiral bis(oxazoline) copper catalysts has also been often reported as an efficient and economic way to perform asymmetric hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds and imines with conjugated dienes [81], with the main focus on the application of this methodology towards the preparation of biologically valuable synthons [82]. Only some representative examples are listed below. For example, the copper complex 54 (Scheme 26) has been successfully involved in the catalytic hetero Diels-Alder reaction of a substituted cyclohexadiene with ethyl glyoxylate [83], a key step in the total synthesis of (i )-dihydroactinidiolide (Scheme 30). 

The prime functional group for constructing C-C bonds may be the carbonyl group, functioning as either an electrophile (Eq. 1) or via its enolate derivative as a nucleophile (Eqs. 2 and 3). The objective of this chapter is to survey the issue of asymmetric inductions involving the reaction between enolates derived from carbonyl compounds and alkyl halide electrophiles. The addition of a nucleophile toward a carbonyl group, especially in the catalytic manner, is presented as well. Asymmetric aldol reactions and the related allylation reactions (Eq. 3) are the topics of Chapter 3. Reduction of carbonyl groups is discussed in Chapter 4. 

Nucleophilic addition of metal alkyls to carbonyl compounds in the presence of a chiral catalyst has been one of the most extensively explored reactions in asymmetric synthesis. Various chiral amino alcohols as well as diamines with C2 symmetry have been developed as excellent chiral ligands in the enantiose-lective catalytic alkylation of aldehydes with organozincs. Although dialkylzinc compounds are inert to ordinary carbonyl substrates, certain additives can be used to enhance their reactivity. Particularly noteworthy is the finding by Oguni and Omi103 that a small amount of (S)-leucinol catalyzes the reaction of diethylzinc to form (R)-l-phenyl-1 -propanol in 49% ee. This is a case where the... 

Catalyst 329, prepared from trimethylaluminum and 3,3/-bis(triphenylsily 1)-1,1 /-bi-2-naphthol, allowed the preparation of the endo cycloadduct (2S )-327 with 67% ee. The use of non-polar solvents raised the ee, but lowered the chemical yield213. Recently, it was reported that the reaction to form 327 exhibited autoinduction when mediated by catalyst 326214. This was attributed to a co-operative interaction of the cycloadduct with the catalyst, generating a more selective catalytic species. A wide variety of carbonyl ligands were tested for their co-operative effect on enantioselectivity. Sterically crowded aldehydes such as pivaldehyde provided the best results. Surprisingly, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds were even more effective than monocarbonyl compounds. The asymmetric induction increased from 82 to 92% ee when di(l-adamantyl)-2,2-dimethylmalonate was added while at the same time the reaction temperature was allowed to increase by 80 °C, from -80 °C to 0°C. 

The Pictet-Spengler reaction is the method of choice for the preparation of tetrahydro-P-carbolines, which represent structural elements of several natural products such as biologically active alkaloids. It proceeds via a condensation of a carbonyl compound with a tryptamine followed by a Friedel-Crafts-type cyclization. In 2004, Jacobsen et al. reported the first catalytic asymmetric variant [25]. This acyl-Pictet-Spengler reaction involves an N-acyliminium ion as intermediate and is promoted by a chiral thiourea (general Brpnsted acid catalysis). 

As with any modern review of the chemical Hterature, the subject discussed in this chapter touches upon topics that are the focus of related books and articles. For example, there is a well recognized tome on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction that is an excellent introduction to the many varieties of this transformation [1]. More specific reviews involving the use of rhodium(II) in carbonyl ylide cycloadditions [2] and intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions have also appeared [3, 4]. The use of rhodium for the creation and reaction of carbenes as electrophilic species [5, 6], their use in intramolecular carbenoid reactions [7], and the formation of ylides via the reaction with heteroatoms have also been described [8]. Reviews of rhodium(II) ligand-based chemoselectivity [9], rhodium(11)-mediated macrocyclizations [10], and asymmetric rho-dium(II)-carbene transformations [11, 12] detail the multiple aspects of control and applications that make this such a powerful chemical transformation. In addition to these reviews, several books have appeared since around 1998 describing the catalytic reactions of diazo compounds [13], cycloaddition reactions in organic synthesis [14], and synthetic applications of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition [15]. 

On the basis of encouraging work in the development of L-proline-DMSO and L-proline-ionic liquid systems for practical asymmetric aldol reactions, an aldolase antibody 38C2 was evaluated in the ionic liquid [BMIM]PF6 as a reusable aldolase-ionic liquid catalytic system for the aldol synthesis of oc-chloro- 3-hydroxy compounds (288). The biocatalytic process was followed by chemical catalysis using Et3N in the ionic liquid [BMIM]TfO at room temperature, which transformed the oc-chloro-(3-hydroxy compounds to the optically active (70% ee) oc, (3-epoxy carbonyl compounds. The aldolase antibody 38C2-ionic liquid system was also shown to be reusable for Michael additions and the reaction of fluoromethylated imines. 

Until 1968, not a single nonenzymic catalytic asymmetric synthesis had been achieved with a yield above 50%. Now, barely 15 years later, no fewer than six types of reactions can be carried out with yields of 75-100% using amino acid catalysts, i.e., catalytic hydrogenation, intramolecular aldol cyclizations, cyanhydrin synthesis, alkylation of carbonyl compounds, hydrosilylation, and epoxidations. 

As an interesting challenge we examined an extension of this procedure to its vinylogous analogue [71]. Commonly, reactions between extended dienolates such as 90 and carbonyl compounds have focused on the use of aldehydes as an acceptor component. In contrast, we decided to investigate catalytic asymmetric... 

The catalytic asymmetric epoxidation of a,/i-unsaturated carbonyl compounds is one of the synthetically useful reactions in organic synthesis.The resulting chiral epoxides are easily converted to various useful chiral compounds. We developed a new yttrium-(5)-6,6 -[oxybis(ethylene)dioxy]biphenyl-2,2 -diol (1) (Figure 6.10)... 

Recent developments in enantioselective protonation of enolates and enols have been reviewed, illustrating the reactions utility in asymmetric synthesis of carbonyl compounds with pharmaceutical or other industrial applications.150 Enolate protonation may require use of an auxiliary in stoichiometric amount, but it is typically readily recoverable. In contrast, the chiral reagent is not consumed in protonation of enols, so a catalytic quantity may suffice. Another variant is the protonation of a complex of the enolate and the auxiliary by an achiral proton source. Differentiation of these three possibilities may be difficult, due to reversible proton exchange reactions. 

Asymmetric hydrosilylation of prochiral carbonyl compounds, imines, alkenes and 1,3-dienes has been extensively studied and continues to be one of the most important subjects in the hydrosilylation reactions. This topic has been reviewed at each stage of its development as a useful synthetic method based on asymmetric catalytic processes1,3,187-189. In the last decade, however, substantial progress has been made in the efficiency of this reaction. Accordingly, this section summarizes the recent advances in this reaction. 

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