Catalytic Reactions with Chiral Ligands

Compared to the intensive and successful development of copper catalysts for asymmetric 1,4-addition reactions, discussed in Chapt. 7, catalytic asymmetric al-lylic substitution reactions have been the subjects of only a few studies. Difficulties arise because, in the asymmetric y substitution of unsymmetrical allylic electrophiles, the catalyst has to be capable of controlling both regioselectivity and enan-tioselectivity. 

In 1995, Backvall and van Koten reported the first example of a catalytic, enantioselective Sn2 substitution of a primary allylic acetate in the presence of a chiral copper complex [28, 29]. 

The copper)I) arenethiolate complexes 19 [30], first developed and studied by van Koteris group, can be used as catalysts for a number of copper-mediated reactions such as 1,4-addition reactions to enones [31] and 1,6-addition reactions to enynes [32]. 

Initial studies on the application of these catalysts to allylic substitution reactions showed that the arenethiolate moiety functions as an excellent nontransferable group, and that the regioselectivity can be completely reversed by suitable changes in the reaction parameters [33]. If the reaction between geranyl acetate and n-BuM gl was carried out inTHFat—30°C with fast addition of the Grignard reagent to the reaction mixture, complete a selectivity was obtained. Raising the tempera- 

To investigate the effect of the substituents in the arenethiolate structure, four differently substituted copper arenethiolates, 25-28, were tested as catalysts, but very low ees were obtained in all cases [34]. The oxazolidine complex 26, developed by Pfaltz et al. [36] and used successfully in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions to cyclic enones, gave a completely racemic product with allylic substrate 20a. 

Sdieme 8.19. Reactiors of cyclic allylic esters 23 and 24, with catalysis by 19b. 

Hie use of tlie cliiral catalyst 19b for asymmetric allylic substitution of allylic substrates bas been studied in some deta d fSdieme 8.18) and, under ji-selective reaction conditions, asymmetric induction was indeed obtained [28, 34]. 

To study die effect of corifotciiatiotially tiior esters f23 and 24) were employed as substrat employing 19b as catalyst, produced very low i 

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The reactivity of /V-d i pheny 1 phosphi nyI imines toward dialkylzinc addition in the presence of a stoichiometric or catalytic amount of chiral ligand 165, 166, or 167 has also been meticulously investigated. The reaction in Scheme 3-57 gives good yield with up to 95% ee.106... 

A more versatile method to use organic polymers in enantioselective catalysis is to employ these as catalytic supports for chiral ligands. This approach has been primarily applied in reactions as asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral alkenes, asymmetric reduction of ketone and 1,2-additions to carbonyl groups. Later work has included additional studies dealing with Lewis acid-catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions, asymmetric epoxidation, and asymmetric dihydroxylation reactions. Enantioselective catalysis using polymer-supported catalysts is covered rather recently in a review by Bergbreiter [257],... 

Due to increasing demands for optically active compounds, many catalytic asymmetric reactions have been investigated in this decade. However, asymmetric catalysis in water or water/organic solvent systems is difficult because many chiral catalysts are not stable in the presence of water [19]. In particular, chiral Lewis acid catalysis in aqueous media is extremely difficult because most chiral Lewis acids decompose rapidly in the presence of water [20, 21]. To address this issue, catalytic asymmetric reactions using water-compatible Lewis acids with chiral ligands have been developed [22-29]. 

The chiral nonracemic bis-benzothiazine ligand 75 has been screened for activity in asymmetric Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylation reactions (Scheme 42) <20010L3321>. The test system chosen for this ligand was the reaction of 1,3-diphenylallyl acetate 301 with dimethyl malonate 302. A stochiometric amount of bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide (BSA) and a catalytic amount of KOAc were added to the reaction mixture. A catalytic amount of chiral ligand 75 along with a variety of Pd-sources afforded up to 90% yield and 82% ee s of diester 303. Since both enantiomers of the chiral ligand are available, both R- and -configurations of the alkylation product 303 can be obtained. The best results in terms of yield and stereoselectivity were obtained in nonpolar solvents, such as benzene. The allylic alkylation of racemic cyclohexenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate was performed but with lower yields (up to 53%) and only modest enantioselectivity (60% ee). 

On the other hand, approaches to the use of catalytic amounts of chiral ligands have been developed. Thus, the use of a sub-stoichiometric amount (50 mol%) of DBNE (1) affords A,A-diphenylphosphinylamine with 85% in 69% yield121a. Similarly, 25 mol% of chiral aziridinyl alcohol 56 (R = - ) affords (V,(V-diphenylphosphinylamine with 65% in 60% yield123. In the enantioselective addition reaction of diethylzinc to a nitrone, 20 mol% of the metal alkoxide of diisopropyl tartrate 62 catalyzed the formation of a... 

Asymmetric catalysis with chiral ligands [82] is commonly considered to be advantageous instead of using chiral auxiliaries. Catalytic asymmetric Michael reactions are known [83], but not with iron as the catalytically active metal. Only two reports on iron catalyzed catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction with dipeptides [84] or diamino thioethers [85] exist, but the enantioselectivities were disappointing (18% ee and 10% ee, respectively). 

In 2008, the same group developed an asymmetric version of this reaction (Scheme 10.10).24 Run under similar conditions, but with more silver oxide (1 equiv) and thus less reoxidant (benzoquinone 0.5 equiv) and in the presence of catalytic amounts of chiral ligand (20 mol%), the best enantiomeric excesses and yields were obtained with menthyl-L-leucine ester as the chiral ligand. 

Attempts were then made to perform asymmetric catalytic reactions using chiral Lewis acid catalysts [59]. Reaction of the nitrone 73 and the oxazolidinone 76 with 10 mol % of the bis(oxazoline) 12-Mg(II) catalyst, prepared by Corey s method [13], in the presence of 4-A molecular sieves afforded the cycloadduct 77 in high yield (>95 %) and high (> 95 %) endo selectivity and 82 % ee (Sch. 33). The presence of activated powdered 4-A molecular sieves was essential to the endo and enantioselec-tivity of the reaction in their absence they were 65 % and < 2 %, respectively. The reaction proceeded via an intermediate XXIX, proposed by Corey [13], in which the bis(oxazoline) ligand 12 and the oxazolidinone 76 are both bidentately coordinated to the magnesium and addition to the re face is favored because the si face of the bound oxazolidinone is masked by one of the phenyl substituents on the oxazoline rings. 

Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions with Chiral Ferrocenylphosphine Ligands 113... 

Using optically active epoxides, chiral N-alkylated pyrazole and imidazole derivative ligands have been prepared by high pressure reactions with 103 or 104 their catalytic efficiency as chiral ligands in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde has been tested. 

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