Catalytic Asymmetric Dialkylzinc Additions

A complementary reaction towards the construction of secondary alcohols consists of a dialkylzinc addition to aldehydes in the presence of substoichiometric amounts of suitable chiral ligands, mostly amino alcohols [42-44]. For this reaction, which already is one of the classical asymmetric catalytic syntheses, three structurally related catalyst precursors have been described. 

A different ligand type was presented with ACTC 63 [46]. From the four structurally related ligands, complex 65 performed best yielding the (S)-configurated alcohol with 70% ee from the reaction of benzaldehyde with diethyl zinc. In this 

Finally, ACTCs 66 and 67 were employed in the asymmetric addition of dimethyl or diethylzinc to benzaldehyde and ferrocenecarbaldehyde [47]. In order to obtain acceptable conversion and enantioselectivities the catalyst loading had to be 10 mol%. In such circumstances, enantiomeric excess of up to 86% could be obtained. Complex 67 with its diphenylhydroxymethyl substituent performed much better than 66, which is in accord with the observation made for the series of ACTCs 59-64. 

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Figure 52 A model for catalytic asymmetric dialkylzinc additions to aldehydes...

Nitrones have a more reactive C=N bond toward nucleophilic addition compared to imines. In spite of this fact, there have been only a limited number of studies on the nucleophilic addition reactions of nitrones, particularly organometallic reagents.352-355 During the last decade, research related to reactions of nitrones with zinc-containing reagents was essentially focused on (i) dialkylzinc-assisted alkynylations356-358 and vinylations359 of nitrones, (ii) catalytic asymmetric nucleophilic additions to the C=N bond,360-364 and (iii) nitrone allylations by allylzinc halides.365,366... 

As part of an ongoing research program directed toward the use of chiral aziridines in asymmetric synthesis [36], Andersson, Tanner and co-workers have recently reported the detailed results of their own findings in the field of catalytic asymmetric dialkylzinc alkylation of imines [37dj. Tanner et al. had previously communicated their success in the catalytic asymmetric addition of organolith-ium reagents to imines with C2-symmetric bis(aziridines) [37a, 37b]. This was followed by a preliminary report on the use of aziridino alcohols as well as simple aziridines for the addition of diethylzinc to M-diphenylphosphinoylimines [37c]. The most recent report is an extension of this study, and includes the detailed preparation of the ligands [37d]. 

CotLespondingly, tlie catalytic 1,4-addition of dialkylzinc reagents to 3-nitro-iimarin 89 iSdieme 7.24), witli a fixed irans orientation of tlie aiyl and nitro oiips, proceeds witli excellent yidds 190-99 96), bigli diastereoselectivity Id.r. up to ), and enantiosdectivities of up to 9296. Hydrolysis of tlie lactone moiety in 90 IS accompanied by decarboxylation, providing an asymmetric syntliesis of /J-aiyl-troalkane 91. 

CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC ADDITIONS OF DIALKYLZINC TO KETONES ENANTIOSELECTIVE FORMATION OF TERTIARY ALCOHOLS... 

Correspondingly, the catalytic 1,4-addition of dialkylzinc reagents to 3-nitro-coumarin 89 (Scheme 7.24), with a fixed trans orientation of the aryl and nitro groups, proceeds with excellent yields (90-99%), high diastereoselectivity (d.r. up to 20 1), and enantioselectivities of up to 92%. Hydrolysis of the lactone moiety in 90 was accompanied by decarboxylation, providing an asymmetric synthesis of 8-aryl-nitroalkane 91. 

Another significant development in oxazoline chemistry is the application of oxazoline-containing ligands for asymmetric catalysis, such as palladium-catalyzed allylic substimtions, Heck reactions, hydrogenations, dialkylzinc additions to aldehydes, and Michael reactions. The discovery of diastereoselective metalation of chiral ferrocenyloxazolines has further expanded the availability of chiral ligands for metal-catalytic reactions. 

Meanwhile, copper salt catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkylzincs has been developed. Alexakis and coworkers reported the catalytic addition of diethylzinc to cyclohexenone using copper salt111. Feringa and coworkers developed a marvelous phosphoramidite (49)112. In the presence of 49 and Cu(OTf)2, diethylzinc adds to cyclohexenone in >98% . Recently, asymmetric addition of diphenylzinc using 49 has been reported113. Nowadays, compounds 50114, 51115, 52116, 53117 and 54118 are known as highly enantioselective catalysts. 

Reagents of this type are suitable for performing catalytic asymmetric additions to aldehydes. For example, an enantiomerically pure Lewis acid is generated in situ from Ti(OiPr)4 and the enantiomerically pure bis(sulfonamide) C. It catalyzes the enantioselective addition of functionalized (or unfunctionalized) dialkylzinc compounds to widely variable aldehydes. There is no detailed, substantiated rationalization of the underlying addition mechanism in this case. 

A different method for the catalytic asymmetric addition of a dialkylzinc compound—Et2Zn and aromatic aldehydes have almost always been used—is shown in Figure 8.31. With regard to stereoselective synthesis, this method has an importance... 

Oguni has reported asymmetric amplification [12] ((-i-)-NLE) in an asymmetric carbonyl addition reaction of dialkylzinc reagents catalyzed by chiral ami-noalcohols such as l-piperidino-3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol (PDB) (Eq. (7.1)) [13]. Noyori et al. have reported a highly efficient aminoalcohol catalyst, 2S)-3-exo-(dimethylamino)isobomeol (DAIB) [14] and a beautiful investigation of asymmetric amplification in view of the stability and lower catalytic activity of the het-ero-chiral dimer of the zinc aminoalcohol catalyst than the homo-chiral dimer (Fig. 7-5). We have reported a positive non-linear effect in a carbonyl-ene reaction [15] with glyoxylate catalyzed by binaphthol (binol)-derived chiral titanium complex (Eq. (7.2)) [10]. Bolm has also reported (-i-)-NLE in the 1,4-addition reaction of dialkylzinc by the catalysis of nickel complex with pyridyl alcohols [16]. 

The addition of dialkylzinc to aldehyde proceeds smoothly in the presence of a Lewis acid. Several catalytic asymmetric alkylations catalyzed by chiral titanium complexes have been reported using dialkylzinc reagents. 

Katritzky and Harris reported in 1992 the use of diethylzinc for the chiral amino alcohol-mediated enantioselective addition to the C=N bond in these compounds (Scheme 12) [34]. These substrates act as masked activated N-acylimines. Of the large variety of Hgands available for the catalytic asymmetric reactions of dialkylzinc reagents,the sterically constrained P-dialkylamino alcohol, (-)-N,N-dibutylnorephedrine (DBNE) 18, prepared by alkylation of commercially available norephedrine, was selected for this study. Some preliminary experiments conducted with the use of -(aminobenzyl)benzotriazoles gave the ethylated product, but with no enantioselectivity. Diethylzinc (Et2Zn) was found to react even in the absence of a chiral promoter. The behavior of the less reactive N-(amidobenzyl)benzotriazoles 19a-g was then investigated. 

In this section, the asymmetric synthesis of the vicinal thio- and selenoalcohols 42 — 45 is described based on the highly enantio- and diastereoselective addition of diethylzinc reagent to racemic a-thio- and selenoaldehydes 41, catalyzed by 20o (( —)-DFPE) and S,R)-2Qo ((+)-DFPE) (Scheme 3-20). Although the enantio-selective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to achiral aldehydes using chiral catalysts has been well investigated [10], there are no known catalytic enantio- and di-asteroselective dialkylzinc additions to aldehydes with chiral centers, except for the alkylation of a-methyl- [58, 59], a-chloro- [59], and j5-alkoxyaldehydes [60]. The reaction of diethylzinc with racemic a-thio- and selenoaldehydes 41 was carried out in the presence of 20o or (S,il)-20o (5 — 50 mol%) in hexane at room temperature for 12 —16h. The results are summarized in Table 3-11. 

Langer, R, Schwink, L., Devasagayaraj, A., Chavant, P. Y. and Knochel, P. 1996. Preparation of functionalized dialkylzincs via a horon-zinc exchange Reactivity and catalytic asymmetric addition to aldehydes. J. Org. Chem. 61 8229-8243. 

Ostwald, R. et al.. Catalytic asymmetric addition of polyfunctional dialkylzincs to P-stannylated and P-silylated unsaturated aldehydes, J. Org. Chem., 59, 4143, 1994. 

Soai ei al. reported the catalytic asymmetric automultiplication in the addition of the dialkylzinc reagents to pyrimidine aldehydes without decrease in the optical purity of the product. The 1,2-addition in the presence of a small amount of optically active material resulted in enhancement of the ee value in the product formation. ) The asymmetric reaction was widely spread to the use of chiral crystals as a chiral trigger. The reaction promoted on the surface of the crystal of quartz gave optically active carbonyl addition product in 97% ee. Furthermore, the reaction with chiral crystals of NaClOs, benzoylglycine, and cocrystals resulted in the formation of product with high ee value. 

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