Chiral auxiliaries, diastereoselectivity, asymmetric intramolecular cycloadditions

Our initial improvement in the synthesis of pyrrolidine acid 3 relied on a racemic 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition followed by resolution. Attempts to devise asymmetric protocols of this reaction using chiral auxiliaries were not productive. The results from our laboratories were consistent with literature findings, with a moderate diastereoselectivity of 3 to 4 1 at best obtained even when double chiral auxiliaries were used. Several other approaches, such as Aza-Cope/Mannich reaction, intramolecular C-H insertion, and asymmetric aryl 1,4 addition, did not bear fruit. 

As one of the pioneering works on asymmetric synthesis, Evans and coworkers reported diastereoselective Diels-Alder reaction of acryloyl oxazolidinones mediated by Et2AlCl [140]. Intramolecular version of this cycloaddition was also reported, in which interesting stereochemical difference depending on substituents at oxazo-lidinone ring was found. As an another excellent example, Oppolzer and coworkers reported diastereoselective Diels-Alder reaction of chiral dienophiles equipped with camphorsultam auxiliary [141]. Recently, these diastereoselective reactions were applied to enantioselective synthesis of ceralure Bl, known as Mediterranean fruit fly attr actant (Scheme 6.118) [142]. 

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