Catalytic enantioselective intermolecular aldol reaction

Surprisingly, the catalytic potential of proline (1) in asymmetric aldol reactions was not explored further until recently. List et al. reported pioneering studies in 2000 on intermolecular aldol reactions [14, 15]. For example, acetone can be added to a variety of aldehydes, affording the corresponding aldols in excellent yields and enantiomeric purity. The example of iso-butyraldehyde as acceptor is shown in Scheme 1.4. In this example, the product aldol 13 was obtained in 97% isolated yield and with 96% ee [14, 15]. The remarkable chemo- and enantioselectivity observed by List et al. triggered massive further research activity in proline-catalyzed aldol, Mannich, Michael, and related reactions. In the same year, MacMillan et al. reported that the phenylalanine-derived secondary amine 5 catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction of a,/>-un saturated aldehydes with enantioselectivity up to 94% (Scheme 1.4) [16]. This initial report by MacMillan et al. was followed by numerous further applications of the catalyst 5 and related secondary amines. 

The concept The possibility of using a simple organic molecule from the chiral pool to act like an enzyme for the catalytic intermolecular aldol reaction has recently been reported by the List and Barbas groups [69-71]. L-proline, (S)-37, was chosen as the simple unmodified catalytic molecule from the chiral pool . The proline-catalyzed reaction of acetone with an aldehyde, 36, at room temperature resulted in the formation of the desired aldol products 38 in satisfactory to very good yields and with enantioselectivity up to >99% ee (Scheme 6.18) [69, 70a],... 

Scheme 11.26 First catalytic, enantioselective intermolecular reductive aldol reaction [43, 44].

The first asymmetric direct intermolecular aldol reaction catalyzed by L-proline was disclosed by List, Lemer, and Barbas III in 2000 [5]. Other amino acids possessing secondary amine groups were also screened but at best exhibited the same activity [14]. Both functional groups present on an amino acid are essential for good catalytic activity. Additionally, enantioselectivity is dependent on the distance between the amino and carboxylic groups, with (3-amino acids exhibiting lower enantioselectiv-ities [8f, 15]. 

Class II aldolase mimics (Scheme 10.4) were the first small-molecule catalysts that were reported for the direct intermolecular aldol reaction. These catalysts are characterized as bimetallic complexes that contain both Lewis acidic and Brpnsted basic sites. Shibasaki et al. first reported on the use of such a catalyst in the aldol reaction in 1997, demonstrating its potential with the reaction of various acetophenones 52 and aldehydes 53 (Scheme 10.13). Aldols 55 were obtained in good yields and enantioselectivities. A similar approach was used in the direct catalytic asymmetric aldol-Tishchenko reaction.Nevertheless, for the moment, this method does not provide access to true polypropionate fragments. ... 

In contrast to the mechanism discussed in the previous section, catalytic, enantioselective aldol addition processes have been described which proceed through an intermediate aldolate that undergoes subsequent intermolecular silylation. Denmark has discussed this possibility in a study of the triarylmethyl-cation-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol reaction (Scheme 10) [73]. The results of exploratory experiments suggested that it would be possible to develop a competent catalytic, enantioselective Lewis-acid mediated process even when strongly Lewis acidic silyl species are generated transiently in the reaction mixture. A system of this type is viable only if the rate of silylation of the metal aldolate is faster than the rate of the competing silyl-catalyzed aldol addition reaction (ksj>> ksi-aidoi Scheme 10). A report by Chen on the enantioselective aldol addition reaction catalyzed by optically active triaryl cations provides support for the mechanistic conclusions of the Denmark study [74]. 

Barbas and researchers identified that the diamine la TFA salt can catalyse the asymmetric intermolecular direct aldol reactions of a,a-dialkylaldehydes with aromatic aldehydes (Scheme 9.2). The bifunctional catalytic system exhibited excellent reactivity to give products with moderate diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Notably, L-proline is an ineffective catalyst for this class of aldol reactions. The re-face attack of an enamine intermediate on an aryl aldehyde was proposed, causing the observed stereochemistry. 

The direct application of unmodified aldehydes in catalytic Michael additions can be severely hindered due to the presence of undesirable intermolecular self-aldol reactions (Hagiwara, Komatsubara et al. 2001 Hagiwara, Okabe et al. 2001). Barbas and co-workers achieved the first direct catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction between unmodified aldehydes and nitroolefins. The usage of an (S)-2-(morphohnomethyl) pyrrolidine catalyst in 20 % furnished the Michael addition products in 72 % enantioselectivity, 12 1 diastereoselectivity and 78 % yield (Betancort and Barbas 2001 Betancort, Sakthivel et aL 2004 Mosse, Andrey et al. 2006). The utilization of the ionic hquid tagged catalysts 25 and 26 in the Michael reactions of frans- -nitrostyrenes to aldehydes resulted in high yields but... 

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