Chiral Crown Ether Catalysts

5-(CF3)2C6H3)4] showed higher enantioselectivities than the catalysts without potassium salts. 

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Various chiral crown ethers based on [1,1 -binaphthalene]-2.2 -diol, lactose or other chiral 1,2-di-ols were tested as catalyst in the addition of methyl benzcneacetate to methyl 2-propenoate using sodium amide or potassium tert-butoxide as the base. Some pertinent examples are given261 262 396. 

The Darzens reaction can also proceed in the presence of a chiral catalyst. When chloroacetophenone and benzaldehyde are subjected to asymmetric Darzens reaction, product 89 with 64% ee is obtained if chiral crown ether 88 is used as a phase transfer catalyst (Scheme 8-30).69... 

Chiral crown ethers such as 13 are suitable alternatives to the ammonium salts and not decomposed under alkaline conditions. They usually have higher catalyst turnover than the chiral ammonium salts, and the design of catalysts will be much easier. However, they are, in general, costly and difficult to prepare on large scale. Polyols (eg., (RR)-TADDOL14) also serve as phase transfer catalysts. 

S. Aoki, S. Sasaki, K. Koga, Simple Chiral Crown Ethers Complexed with Potassium tert>Butoxide as Efficient Catalysts for Asymmetric Michael Additions , Tetrahedron Lett. 1989, 30, 7229-7230. 

Some of the polymers slowly change their helicity in solution. A chiral crown ether-potassium ferf-butoxide combined system was reported to cause polymerization of methyl, tert-butyl, and benzyl methacrylate to form isotactic polymers that had high rotation values (164). Detailed scrutiny, however, raised questions about the result (135, 165). At first, in the presence of the initiator, the oligomers exhibit considerable activity, but after removal of the catalyst, the optical activity decreases. This decrease may be attributed to unwinding of the helixes in the chain the helicity could be caused by the anchored catalyst. 

Chiral metal alkoxides and naphthoxides have been used as catalysts for asymmetric Michael reaction. An early successful example was reported by Cram et al., who used 4 mol % of KO Bu-chiral crown ether 8 complex as the catalyst to afford the Michael adduct with up to 99% ee (Scheme 8D.7) [16], In this case KO Bu complexed with chiral crown ether 8 plays two... 

Currently, the chiral phase-transfer catalyst category remains dominated by cinchona alkaloid-derived quaternary ammonium salts that provide impressive enantioselec-tivity for a range of asymmetric reactions (see Chapter 1 to 4). In addition, Maruoka s binaphthyl-derived spiro ammonium salt provides the best results for a variety of asymmetric reactions (see Chapters 5 and 6). Recently, some other quaternary ammonium salts, including Shibasaki s two-center catalyst, have demonstrated promising results in asymmetric syntheses (see Chapter 6), while chiral crown ethers and other organocatalysts, including TADDOL or NOBIN, have also found important places within the chiral phase-transfer catalyst list (see Chapter 8). 

The use of chiral crown ethers as asymmetric phase-transfer catalysts is largely due to the studies of Bako and Toke [6], as discussed below. Interestingly, chiral crown ethers have not been widely used for the synthesis of amino acid derivatives, but have been shown to be effective catalysts for asymmetric Michael additions of nitro-alkane enolates, for Darzens condensations, and for asymmetric epoxidations of a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. 

Akiyama s group employed naturally occurring L-quebrachitol 6 to prepare the C2-symmetrical 18-membered chiral crown ether 7 [14]. Compound 7 was found to be an active catalyst for the enantioselective Michael additions of glycine enolates. Thus, deprotonation of ester 8 using potassium tert-butoxide in dichloromethane (DCM) in the presence of crown ether 7 (20 mol %), followed by addition of a Michael acceptor, gave amino-acid derivatives 9 with up to 96% ee, as shown in Scheme 8.4. 

In the addition of 2-nitropropane to chalcone Toke et al. achieved 90% ee by using the D-glucose-derived chiral crown ether 38 as phase-transfer catalyst (Scheme 4.12) [19]. The related crown ether 39, with a pendant phosphonate group, afforded the chalcone adduct with 83% ee, albeit with only 39% chemical yield (Scheme 4.12) [20]. N-Alkylated or N-arylated derivatives of the crown ether 38 afforded lower ee (max. 60%) in the addition of 2-nitropropane to chalcone [21],... 

The interest in chiral crown ethers arises not only from their ability to differentiate between the enantiomers of racemic substrates8 containing substituted primary ammonium centres by virtue of N-H- -O hydrogen bonding interactions, but also because they can behave as chiral reagents or catalysts when enantioselective reactions are performed on appropriate substrates.8,9... 

In recent years, many chiral catalysts for the enantioselective synthesis of optical active 1,5-dicarbonyl compounds have been developed, such as chiral crown ethers with potassium salt bases and chiral palladium complexes, including bimetallic systems. Nakajima and coworkers reported on enantioselective Michael reactions of S-keto esters to a,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of a chiral biquinoline N,N dioxide-scandium complex, which catalyzed the additions in high yields and with enan-tioselectivities up to 84% ee . Kobayashi and coworkers found that the combination of Sc(OTf)3 with the chiral bipyridine ligand 149 (equation 41) was also effective as a chiral catalyst for asymmetric Michael additions of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds 147 to a,/3-unsaturated ketones 148. The corresponding Michael adducts 150 were obtained in good to high yields with excellent enantiomeric excesses in most cases (Table 10). 

Chiral crown-ethers were originally developed to be used as chiral carriers in enantios-elective liquid-liquid extraction and/or as chiral phase transfer catalysts. The principle of stereoselective host-guest complexation with a chiral crown-ether type host and its application to LC has been first described in 1978 by Cram and co-workers [ 12. Currently, crown-ether type CSPs. which incorporate atropisomeric binaphthyl derivatives as chiral units incorporated in a 18-crown-6 type backbone with substituents that enforce discrimination between enantiomers are commercially available as Crownpak CR (-I-) and (—) (Daicel Chemical Ind.) (see Fig. 9.23a). 

When borohydride reductions are carried out in the presence of either a chiral phase transfer catalyst or a chiral crown ether, asymmetric reduction of ketones occurs but optical yields are low. In the reduction of acetophenone with NaBH4 aided with a phase transfer catalyst (57), 10% ee was obtained. Similarly, reduction of acetophenone with NaBH4 in the presence of the chiral crown ether (58) was ineffective (6% ee)J Sodium borohydride reduction of aryl alkyl ketones in the presence of a protein, bovine semm albumin, in 0.01 M borax buffer at pH 9.2 affords (R)-carbinols in maximum 78% cc. ... 

Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldol reactions of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes are among the most powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming methods aprotic anhydrous solvents and low reaction temperatures are, however, usually needed for successful reaction. To perform the catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction in aqueous media a chiral crown ether-Pb(OTf)2 complex was employed as a chiral catalyst stable in water-ethanol [9]. Good to high yields and high levels of diastereo-and enantioselectivity were obtained at 0°C in aqueous media (Scheme 13.64). 

The asymmetric Michael addition of active methylene or methyne compounds to electron deficient olefins, particularly a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, represents a fundamental and useful approach to construct functionalized carbon frameworks [51]. The first successful, phase-transfer-catalyzed process was based on the use of well-designed chiral crown ethers 69 and 70 as catalyst. In the presence of 69, P-keto ester 65 was added to methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) in moderate yield but with virtually complete stereochemical control. In much the same way, crown 70 was shown to be effective for the reaction of methyl 2-phenylpropionate 67 with methyl acrylate, affording the Michael adduct 68 in 80% yield and 83% ee (Scheme 11.15) [52]. 

Scheme 11.15 Chiral crown ethers as phase-transfer catalysts.

Enantiomerically pure binaphthol is used as a chiral auxiliary. For example, it has been used to prepare chiral aluminum hydride reducing agents, chiral Lewis acids catalysts,8 and chiral crown ethers.9... 

Predict the steric strain in the higher-field-strength complexes that could not be synthesized Study mechanism of ionic reactions catalyzed by chiral crown ethers model stereoselectivity of catalysts... 

Many experiments have been described for the PT reduction of ketones and imines with NaBH4 as reagent. The catalysts were ammonium salts of Cinchona alkaloids and ephedrine and even chiral crown ethers. Only medium enantiose-lectivities could be achieved. 

Chiral compounds can behave as catalysts in organic reactions. For example, chiral nitrogen bases, chiral crown ethers or Lewis adds bearing chiral residues catalyze diverse types of reactions. Asymmetry can also be induced in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions if the metal bears dural ligands. These possibilities will be described in sequence. 

Lanthanide triflates are stable Lewis acids in water and are successfully used in several carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions in aqueous solutions. The reactions proceed smoothly in the presence of a catalytic amount of the triflate under mild conditions. Moreover, the catalysts can be recovered after the reactions are completed and can be re-used. Lewis acid catalysis in micellar systems will lead to clean and environmentally friendly processes, and it will become a more important topic in the future. Finally, catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous media have been attained using Ln(OTf)3-chiral crown ether complex as a catalyst. 

There are thousands of discoveries in molecular science reported every year but very few of these are destined to promote a new generation of research activity. The serendipitous preparation of di-benzo-18-crown-6 1 by Pedersen in 1967 [1] and the subsequent discovery [1,2] that 1 and other crown ethers selectively complex biologically relevant alkali and alkaline earth cations was, however, the catalyst for a huge explosion of activity in the field of host-guest or supramolecular chemistry. The resulting inspired and innovative work by Lehn [3,4] on, in particular, the 3-dimensional bicyclic cryptands (e.g., 2) and by Cram [5] on chiral crown ethers and rigid spherands (e.g., 3) was recognised by the award to Pedersen... 

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