Chiral enamines formation

This catalytic enamine formation is limited to aldehydes and ketones as starting materials - it does not appear to be possible to prepare corresponding enamines , i.e. A,0-ketene acetals, from esters in this fashion. Nevertheless, the preparation of simple, reactive nucleophiles from normally electrophilic species, aldehydes and ketones, in a catalytic fashion sounds highly attfactive. Furthermore, the catalytic nature of these reactions allows the use of chiral amines, and the further possibility that these reactions can be rendered enantioselective. Enamines react readily with a wide variety of electrophiles, and the range of reactions that can be catalyzed by enamine catalysis is summarized in Scheme 2. 

Simple alkylation of the chiral chelate complex leads to formation of chiral dialkylacetic acids (Scheme 109).3S5 388 Simpler chiral enamines can also be used. The formation of chiral propanoic acids results from a resolution of racemic alkyl halides by the interaction of a chiral lithiooxazoline, which recognizes and reacts with one enantiomer at the expense of the other (Scheme 110).389 The above aspects of the asymmetric carbon—carbon bond formation from chiral oxazolines have been reviewed by Meyers.390... 

A pyrrolidine-thiourea organocatalyst (69) facilitates Michael addition of cyclohexanone to both aryl and alkyl nitroalkenes with up to 98% de and ee 202 The bifunctional catalyst (69) can doubly hydrogen bond to the nitro group, leaving the chiral heterocycles positioned for cyclohexyl enamine formation over one face of the alkene. 

Small chiral organic molecules may catalyze the asymmetric addition of ketones, and aldehydes to electron-deficient olefins, such as vinylidene acetones, nitroole-fins, enones, and vinyl sulfones. In this chapter we will describe the inter- and intramolecular reactions in which activation of the carbonyl compound takes place via enamine formation. 

Proline was among the first compounds to be tested in asymmetric conjugated reactions, both as a chiral ligand [8] and also as an organic catalyst [3]. The earliest asymmetric intermolecular Michael-type addition, in which proline catalyzed the reaction (arguably via enamine formation) was reported by Barbas and colleagues [9, 10] and by List and co-workers [11]. The reaction, which proceeded in high chemical yield (85-97%) and diastereoselectivity, albeit afforded near-racemic products in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) [11] (Scheme 2.37). The enantio-selectivity of the addition was later ameliorated by Enders, who demonstrated that a small amount of methanol rather than DMSO was beneficial to the enantiose-lectivity of the addition reaction [12]. 

Nicewicz and MacMillan merged later photoredox catalysis and asymmetric organocatalysis to an efficient approach to the otherwise difficult asymmetric a-alkylation of aldehydes 118 by activated alkyl bromides 117 (Fig. 30) [183]. The concept of face differentiation at the a-position of aldehydes via chiral enamines 121 provides the basis for the method. This allows the formation of functionalized... 

The process mechanism as shown in Figure 2.23 consists of an initial activation of the aldehyde (66) by the catalyst [(5)-67] with the formation of the corresponding chiral enamine, which then, selectively, adds to nitroalkene (65) in a Michael-type reaction. The following hydrolysis liberates the catalyst, which forms the iminium ion of the a,(3-unsaturated aldehyde (62) to accomplish the conjugate addition with the nitroalkane A. In the third step, another enamine activation of the intermediate B leads to an intramolecular aldol condensation via C. Finally, the hydrolysis of it returns the catalyst and releases the desired chiral tetra-substituted cyclohexene carbaldehyde (68). 

Two representative organocatalytic reaction systems can be considered for nucleophilic a-substitution of carbonyl compounds, the issue of this chapter. One involves the in situ formation of a chiral enamine through covalent bond between organo-catalyst (mainly a chiral secondary amine such as proline) and substrate (mainly an aldehyde), followed by asymmetric formation of new bond between the a-carbon of carbonyl compound and electrophile. Detachment of organocatalyst provides optically active a-substituted carbonyl compound, and the free organocatalyst then participates in another catalytic cycle (Figure 6.1a) [2]. 

The corresponding AGV -dimethyl compound [DMPEDA, (/ ,/ )-27] was similarly obtained by reductive coupling, together with the me.yocompound2l,2 purified by flash chromatography, and resolved with tartaric acid22. It has been used for the formation of chiral enamines with aldehydes (Section D.l.5.2.1.) or dicarbonyl compounds and for enantioselective Grignard addition (Section D.l.3.1.4.). 

Cyclopentanoids may also arise from the reaction of alkenylcarbene complexes with enamines. As shown in Scheme 33, tungsten carbene 66 reacts with enamines 67 and 68 to afford the enol ethers 69 which give cyclopentenone 70 upon acidic hydrolysis. [83] The formation of 69 generates two carbon-carbon bonds and three stereogenic centers with remarkable regio- and stereoselectivity. The reaction of enamine 67 results in a racemic mixture of 70 the chiral enamine 68, however, adds to carbene complex 66 to give enantiomerically enriched (87% e.e.) cyclopentenone 70. 

Scheme 34. Enantioselective formation of cyclopentanones from alkenylcarbene complexes and chiral enamines.

An alternative and useful method for intramolecular conjugate addition when the Michael donor is a ketone is the formation of an enamine and its reaction with a Michael acceptor. This can be advantageous as enamine formation occurs under reversible conditions to allow the formation of the product of greatest thermodynamic stability. Treatment of the ketone 40 with pyrrolidine and acetic acid leads to the bicyclic product 41, formed by reaction of only one of the two possible regio-isomeric enamines (1.51). Such reactions can be carried out with less than one equivalent of the secondary amine and have recently been termed organo-catalysis (as opposed to Lewis acid catalysis with a metal salt). The use of chiral secondary amines can promote asymmetric induction (see Section 1.1.4). 

A particularly synergistic situation is found when chiral primary amines containing a thiourea moiety in their structure are used as catalysts. In this case, after the enamine formation step takes place, the thiourea moiety finds a direct way for interacting with the nitro group due to the effective formation of two hydrogen bonds between the NH groups and the nitro moiety, leading to a... 

In the previons section, secondary chiral amines were employed that give rise to enamine formation npon reaction with ketones or aldehydes. Chiral tertiary amines, unable to form enamines, are nevertheless capable of inducing enantioselectivity in case substrates are used that contain sufficiently acidic protons such as aldehydes, ketones or active methylene compounds [33]. The cinchona alkaloids, by far the most versatile source of Brpnsted base catalysts, have played a prominent role in various types of asymmetric organocatalytic reactions [34], which is also true for the Mannich reaction. 

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