Chiral auxiliary aldol addition reactions

Among the most useful carbonyl derivatives are (V-acyloxazolidinones, and as we shall see in Section 2.3.4, they provide facial selectivity in aldol addition reactions. l,3-Thiazoline-2-thiones constitute another useful type of chiral auxiliary, and they can be used in conjunction with Bu2B03SCF3,44 Sn(03SCF3)2,45 or TiCl446 for generation of enolates. The stereoselectivity of the reactions is consistent with formation of a Z-enolate and reaction through a cyclic TS. 

The stereogenic centers may be integral parts of the reactants, but chiral auxiliaries can also be used to impart facial diastereoselectivity and permit eventual isolation of enantiomerically enriched product. Alternatively, use of chiral Lewis acids as catalysts can also achieve facial selectivity. Although the general principles of control of the stereochemistry of aldol addition reactions have been well developed for simple molecules, the application of the principles to more complex molecules and the... 

These examples and those in Scheme 2.6 illustrate the key variables that determine the stereochemical outcome of aldol addition reactions using chiral auxiliaries. The first element that has to be taken into account is the configuration of the ring system that is used to establish steric differentiation. Then the nature of the TS, whether it is acyclic, cyclic, or chelated must be considered. Generally for boron enolates, reaction proceeds through a cyclic but nonchelated TS. With boron enolates, excess Lewis acid can favor an acyclic TS by coordination with the carbonyl electrophile. Titanium enolates appear to be somewhat variable but can be shifted to chelated TSs by use of excess reagent and by auxiliaries such as oxazolidine-2-thiones that enhance the tendency to chelation. Ultimately, all of the factors play a role in determining which TS is favored. 

Predict the stereochemical outcome of the following aldol addition reactions involving chiral auxiliaries. 

The utilization of a-amino acids and their derived 6-araino alcohols in asymmetric synthesis has been extensive. A number of procedures have been reported for the reduction of a variety of amino acid derivatives however, the direct reduction of a-am1no acids with borane has proven to be exceptionally convenient for laboratory-scale reactions. These reductions characteristically proceed in high yield with no perceptible racemization. The resulting p-amino alcohols can, in turn, be transformed into oxazolidinones, which have proven to be versatile chiral auxiliaries. Besides the highly diastereoselective aldol addition reactions, enolates of N-acyl oxazolidinones have been used in conjunction with asymmetric alkylations, halogenations, hydroxylations, acylations, and azide transfer processes, all of which proceed with excellent levels of stereoselectivity. 

Some of the most impressive advances in the area of catalytic, enantioselective aldol addition reactions have taken place in the development of catalytic methods for enantioselective acetate aldol additions, a reaction type that has long been recalcitrant. Thus, although prior to 1992 a number of chiral-auxiliary based and catalytic methods were available for diastereo- and enantiocontrol in propionate aldol addition reactions, there was a paucity of analogous methods for effective stereocontrol in the addition of the simpler acetate-derived enol silanes. However, recent developments in this area have led to the availability of several useful catalytic processes. Thus, in contrast to the state of the art in 1992, it is possible to prepare acetate-derived aldol fragments utilizing asymmetric catalysis with a variety of transition-metal based complexes of Ti(IV), Cu(II), Sn(II), and Ag(I). 

The aldol addition reaction is one of the most versatile carbon-carbon bond forming processes available to synthetic chemists. The addition reaction involves readily accessed starting materials and can provide )9-hydroxy carbonyl adducts possessing up to two new stereocenters. The previous decade witnessed many substantive advances in the crossed aldol addition reaction as a result of the development of a variety of well-defined enolization protocols and the evolution of highly sophisticated understanding of the reaction mechanism. Moreover, the design of highly effective chiral auxiliary-based systems has allowed for impressive levels of stereocontrol in a number of asymmetric aldol processes. 

New auxiliaries and reaction methods are now available for the stereoselective synthesis of all members of the stereochemical family of propionate aldol additions. These also include improvements on previously reported methods that by insightful modification of the original reaction conditions have led to considerable expansion of the versatility of the process. In addition to novel auxiliary-based systems, there continue to be unexpected observations in diastereoselective aldol addition reactions involving chiral aldehyde/achiral enolate, achiral aldehyde/chir-al enolate, and chiral aldehyde/chiral enolate reaction partners. These stereochemical surpri.ses underscore the underlying complexity of the reaction process and how much we have yet to understand. 

The Ivanov reaction (Scheme 5.1) is an early example of an aldol addition reaction that proceeded selectively. There has been an enormous amount of work done in this area, and only a small amount of the developmental work will be covered here. A large number of chiral auxiliaries and catalysts have been developed, but we will concentrate on only a few, which suffice to provide an understanding of the structural factors that influence selectivity. The transition structures presented in the following discussion are oversimplifications, in that the enolate and its metal are represented as monomers, when in fact they are not [2-4]. On the other hand, much of the available data may be rationalized on the basis of these structures, so the simplification is justified in the absence of detailed structural and configurational information about mixed aggregate transition structures. 

In summary, several factors determine the stereochemical outcome of aldol addition reactions. The diastereochemical preference of the syn or anti isomer is determined by the configuration of the enolate and the orientation of the aldehyde within the TS. Chirality in either reactant introduces another stereochemical influence. The use of chiral auxiliaries can promote high facial selectivity in the approach of the aldehyde and thus permit the preparation of enantiomerically enriched products. The same outcome can be achieved using chiral Lewis acids as reaction catalysts. 

The aldol reaction is an important carbon-carbon bond formation reaction. The general concept of the reaction involves the nucleophilic addition of a ketone enolate to an aldehyde to form a P-hydroxy ketone, or aldol , a structural unit found in many naturally occurring molecules and pharmaceuticals. Since the aldol addition reaction creates two new stereocenters, up to four stereoisomers may result. The Evans aldol reaction performs a diasteroselective aldol transformation using an Evans s acyl oxazolidinone (also known as Evans chiral auxiliary), a chiral carbonyl compound that creates a temporary chiral enolate for the aldol addition. Upon subsequent removal of the auxiliary, the desired aldol stereoisomer is revealed. ... 

Acyl oxazolidinones 50-52 are easily prepared from commercially available chiral starting materials. As shown in Scheme 4.6, treatment of the amino-acid-derived amino alcohols with diethyl carbonate, followed by N-acylation, affords 54 [6, 46], The removal of the auxiliary following the aldol addition reactions proceeds smoothly under a variety of mild conditions to afford carboxylic acids 56 (UO2H) [47, 50], primary alcohols 57 (LiBH,) [51], esters 58 (Ti(OBn)4) [52], or Weinreb amides 59 [51]. 

One of the pervasive problems in asymmetric synthesis has been the development of stereoselective acetate ester aldol reactions. Although a number of chiral auxiliaries perform superbly well in diastereoselective propionate aldol additions, these have, with rare exceptions, been unsuccessful in the corresponding additions of unsubstituted acetate-derived enolates [19, 63, 64). Braun s disclosure of a stereoselective acetate aldol addition reaction with 103 was an important milestone in the development of the field (Scheme 4.11) [63, 65]. The diol auxiliary can easily be prepared from mandelic acid esterification of the secondary alcohol is obsei ved, without interference from the tertiary counterpart. Its use has been showcased in a number of syntheses [53]. The high yield and diastereoselectivity generally obtained with 103 were highlighted by investigators at Merck in the construction of the chiral lactone fragment that is common in a number of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, such as compactin (105) [66]. 

Aldol additions to chiral carbonyl compounds or with chiral enolates not bearing an auxiliary can also lead to products with high levels of diastereoin-duction. The approach naturally leads to concise syntheses, because no added steps to introduce and remove chiral auxiliaries are necessary. The aldol addition reaction is acutely responsive to alterations in reaction parameters, and fine tuning of conditions can lead to high induction. 

Chiral imines derived from 1-phenylethanone and (I. Sj-exo-l, 7,7-trimethyIbicyclo-[2.2.1]heptan-2-amine [(S)-isobornylamine], (.S>1-phenylethanamine or (R)-l-(1-naphthyl) ethanamine are transformed into the corresponding (vinylamino)dichloroboranes (e.g., 3) by treatment with trichloroborane and triethylamine in dichloromethane. Reaction of the chiral boron azaenolates with aromatic aldehydes at 25 "C, and subsequent acidic hydrolysis, furnishes aldol adducts with enantiomeric excesses in the range of 2.5 to 47.7%. Significantly lower asymmetric inductions are obtained from additions of the corresponding lithium and magnesium azaenolates. Best results arc achieved using (.S )-isobornylamine as the chiral auxiliary 3. 

Mukaiyama aldol reactions have been reported, usually using chiral additives although chiral auxiliaries have also been used. This reaction can also be run with the aldehyde or ketone in the form of its acetal R R C(OR )2> in which case the product is the ether R COCHR2CR R OR instead of 27. Enol acetates and enol ethers also give this product when treated with acetals and TiCLi or a similar catalyst. When the catalyst is dibutyltin bis(triflate), Bu2Sn(OTf)2, aldehydes react, but not their acetals, while acetals of ketones react, but not the ketones themselves. 

As is the case for aldol addition, chiral auxiliaries and catalysts can be used to control stereoselectivity in conjugate addition reactions. Oxazolidinone chiral auxiliaries have been used in both the nucleophilic and electrophilic components under Lewis acid-catalyzed conditions. (V-Acyloxazolidinones can be converted to nucleophilic titanium enolates with TiCl3(0-/-Pr).320... 

In Step D another thiazoline chiral auxiliary, also derived from cysteine, was used to achieve double stereodifferentiation in an aldol addition. A tin enolate was used. The stereoselectivity of this reaction parallels that of aldol reactions carried out with lithium or boron enolates. After the configuration of all the centers was established, the synthesis proceeded to P-D lactone by functional group modifications. 

Aldol addition and related reactions of enolates and enolate equivalents are the subject of the first part of Chapter 2. These reactions provide powerful methods for controlling the stereochemistry in reactions that form hydroxyl- and methyl-substituted structures, such as those found in many antibiotics. We will see how the choice of the nucleophile, the other reagents (such as Lewis acids), and adjustment of reaction conditions can be used to control stereochemistry. We discuss the role of open, cyclic, and chelated transition structures in determining stereochemistry, and will also see how chiral auxiliaries and chiral catalysts can control the enantiose-lectivity of these reactions. Intramolecular aldol reactions, including the Robinson annulation are discussed. Other reactions included in Chapter 2 include Mannich, carbon acylation, and olefination reactions. The reactivity of other carbon nucleophiles including phosphonium ylides, phosphonate carbanions, sulfone anions, sulfonium ylides, and sulfoxonium ylides are also considered. 

Chapter 2 provided a general introduction to the a-alkylation of carbonyl compounds, as well as the enantioselective nucleophilic addition on carbonyl compounds. Chiral auxiliary aided a-alkylation of a carbonyl group can provide high enantioselectivity for most substrates, and the hydrazone method can provide routes to a large variety of a-substituted carbonyl compounds. While a-alkylation of carbonyl compounds involves the reaction of an enolate, the well known aldol reaction also involves enolates. 

Among chiral auxiliaries, l,3-oxazolidine-2-thiones (OZTs) have attracted much interest for their various applications in different synthetic transformations.2 Such simple structures, directly related to far better known chiral oxazolidinones,11,12,57 have been explored in asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions and asymmetric alkylations, but mainly in condensation of their /V-acyl derivatives with aldehydes. Chiral OZTs have shown interesting characteristics in anti-selective aldol reactions58 or combined asymmetric addition. 

Alkylation of Enolates Asymmetric syntheses involving enolate reactions such as alkylations, aldol additions and acylations in which the chiral auxiliary A -H is both readily obtained and easily recoverable after the desired bond construction had been achieved by Evans et al.175). 

An alternate approach comprises replacing the pendant sugar by either a carbo-cyclic or a heterocyclic ring. The enantioselective synthesis starts by formation of the imide (45-3) by reaction of the aion from the chiral auxiliary (45-2), derived from S-phenylalaninol and the pentene ester (45-1). Treatment of the product with triethyl amine and the trifalate from dibutylboronic acid leads to the transient enol borate (45-4). Aldol addition of that enol to acrolein proceeds stereospecifically to the alcohol (45-5) due to the transfer of chirality from the chiral auxiliary. 

---