Chiral auxiliaries, diastereoselectivity, asymmetric Michael additions

One problem in the anti-selective Michael additions of A-metalated azomethine ylides is ready epimerization after the stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation. The use of the camphor imines of ot-amino esters should work effectively because camphor is a readily available bulky chiral ketone. With the camphor auxiliary, high asymmetric induction as well as complete inhibition of the undesired epimerization is expected. The lithium enolates derived from the camphor imines of ot-amino esters have been used by McIntosh s group for asymmetric alkylations (106-109). Their Michael additions to some a, p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have now been examined, but no diastereoselectivity has been observed (108). It is also known that the A-pinanylidene-substituted a-amino esters function as excellent Michael donors in asymmetric Michael additions (110). Lithiation of the camphor... 

Taddol has been widely used as a chiral auxiliary or chiral ligand in asymmetric catalysis [17], and in 1997 Belokon first showed that it could also function as an effective solid-liquid phase-transfer catalyst [18]. The initial reaction studied by Belokon was the asymmetric Michael addition of nickel complex 11a to methyl methacrylate to give y-methyl glutamate precursors 12 and 13 (Scheme 8.7). It was found that only the disodium salt of Taddol 14 acted as a catalyst, and both the enantio- and diastereos-electivity were modest [20% ee and 65% diastereomeric excess (de) in favor of 12 when 10 mol % of Taddol was used]. The enantioselectivity could be increased (to 28%) by using a stoichiometric amount of Taddol, but the diastereoselectivity decreased (to 40%) under these conditions due to deprotonation of the remaining acidic proton in products 12 and 13. Nevertheless, diastereomers 12 and 13 could be separated and the ee-value of complex 12 increased to >85% by recrystallization, thus providing enantiomerically enriched (2S, 4i )-y-methyl glutamic add 15. 

The Michael-type addition reaction of nucleophilic reagents with chirally modified a,jff-substituted carbonyl compounds constitutes the established methodology for the preparation of y9-substituted carbonyl compounds. The disadvantage of this type of asymmetric Michael reaction is the loading and disloading process of the chiral auxiliary on the Michael acceptor. However, this type of the reaction has been well documented to give the adduct with a high level of diastereoselectivity [83, 84]. 

Amino acid derivatives have also been explored as potential chiral auxiliaries in the asymmetric aza-annulation reaction. As reported for the Michael addition to acrylate derivatives, the reaction outcome has also shown sensitivity to the special balance of complementary steric demands of the methyl and phenyl substituents. The degree of diastereoselectivity in carbon-carbon bond... 

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