Complexes Lewis acid-ester

The origin(s) for the preference of stereostructure A in the acrylic acid ester addition is not known with certainty. A steric effect may explain the observation. The bulky acceptor substituent of the dienophile might be less hindered—and this is quite counterintuitive—in the enrfo-orientation in the transition state shown in Figure 15.31 than in the alternative exo-position. One might use the structure B to suggest that the substituent of the dienophile in A does not try to avoid the C atoms C2 and C3 as much as it tries to stay away from the H atoms cis-H1 and cis-H4. The increase of e/w/o-selectivity upon addition of a Lewis acid could then be explained by the premise that the complexing Lewis acid renders the ester group more bulky. This increased steric demand enhances its desire to avoid the steric hindrance in its ew-posi-tion. 

Lewis acid (BF3 or EtAlC ) complexes of a,(3-unsaturated esters can shift the photoequilibrium (PSS) toward the thermodynamically less stable Z-isomer even more and may inhibit other competing unimolecular photochemical processes.563 Such enhanced isomerization results are explained by selective excitation of the ground-state Lewis acid ester carbonyl complex, which exhibits a red shift in the long-wavelength k,k absorption band (/lmax) and higher molar absorption coefficients ( 313) (Scheme 6.6). 

Benzoates and/r-nitrobenzoate esters can be used as well as acetates, higher yields being obtained with the former. Yields are in the range 50-95%. Replacement of metallic zinc by anhydrous zinc acetate gives similar results. Ghera discusses the mechanism and stereochemistry of the Serini reaction. He suggests that the catalyst functions as a complexing Lewis acid. 

Diesters such as dialkyl glutarates were able to chelate the Lewis acid and form the dialkyl glutarate-Lewis acid complex, thus allowing the detection of Lewis acid-ester complexes by ESI-MS. For example, the complexwith Sc(OTf)3 dissociates to form a chelate complex cation, and a triflate anion was intercepted. In addition to monomeric complex ions, dimeric complex ions [82-Sc2(OTf)5] were also observed, giving evidence of the respective dimeric complexes in solution [44]. 

Perhaps the most extensively studied catalytic reaction in acpreous solutions is the metal-ion catalysed hydrolysis of carboxylate esters, phosphate esters , phosphate diesters, amides and nittiles". Inspired by hydrolytic metalloenzymes, a multitude of different metal-ion complexes have been prepared and analysed with respect to their hydrolytic activity. Unfortunately, the exact mechanism by which these complexes operate is not completely clarified. The most important role of the catalyst is coordination of a hydroxide ion that is acting as a nucleophile. The extent of activation of tire substrate througji coordination to the Lewis-acidic metal centre is still unclear and probably varies from one substrate to another. For monodentate substrates this interaction is not very efficient. Only a few quantitative studies have been published. Chan et al. reported an equilibrium constant for coordination of the amide carbonyl group of... 

Diels-Alder reactions in the presence of Lewis acids represent a case in which the Lewis acid is often used in catalytic quantities. The complexed ester (ethyl acrylate in the example given below) is substantially more reactive than the uncomplexed molecule, and the reaction proceeds through the complex. The reactive complex is regenerated by exchange of the Lewis acid from the adduct. 

The chlorination of phosphonic and phosphinic acids and esters are of considerable importance. PCI5 can also act as a Lewis acid to give 6-coordinate P complexes, e.g. pyPClf, and pyz-PCI5, where py = C5H5N (pyridine) and pyz = cyclo-1, 4-C4H4N2 (pyrazine). ... 

The enantioselective inverse electron-demand 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with alkenes described so far were catalyzed by metal complexes that favor a monodentate coordination of the nitrone, such as boron and aluminum complexes. However, the glyoxylate-derived nitrone 36 favors a bidentate coordination to the catalyst. This nitrone is a very interesting substrate, since the products that are obtained from the reaction with alkenes are masked a-amino acids. One of the characteristics of nitrones such as 36, having an ester moiety in the a position, is the swift E/Z equilibrium at room temperature (Scheme 6.28). In the crystalline form nitrone 36 exists as the pure Z isomer, however, in solution nitrone 36 have been shown to exists as a mixture of the E and Z isomers. This equilibrium could however be shifted to the Z isomer in the presence of a Lewis acid [74]. 

Carbene complexes which have an all-carbon tether between the diene and the dienophile react via intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction to give the corresponding bicyclic compound. The stereoselectivities of these reactions are comparable to those observed for the Lewis acid-catalysed reactions of the corresponding methyl esters and much higher than those of the thermal reactions of the methyl esters which are completely unselective. Moreover, the ris-sub-stituted complexes undergo endo-selective reactions where the corresponding reaction of the ester fails [109] (Scheme 61). 

Transition-metal-based Lewis acids such as molybdenum and tungsten nitro-syl complexes have been found to be active catalysts [49]. The ruthenium-based catalyst 50 (Figure 3.6) is very effective for cycloadditions with aldehyde- and ketone-bearing dienophiles but is ineffective for a,)S-unsaturated esters [50]. It can be handled without special precautions since it is stable in air, does not require dry solvents and does not cause polymerization of the substrates. Nitromethane was the most convenient organic solvent the reaction can also be carried out in water. 

When a Lewis acid coordinates to a base, the resulting complex can have conformational properties that influence reactivity. Coordination of SnCl4 with aldehydes and esters, for example, leads to a complex where the conformation is determined by interactions of the C=0"-SnCl4 unit with substituents attached to the carbonyl. 

Si. rra(pentafluorophenyl)boron was found to be an efficient, air-stable, and water-tolerant Lewis-acid catalyst for the allylation reaction of allylsilanes with aldehydes.167 Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed allylations of hydrates of a-keto aldehydes, glyoxylates and activated aromatic aldehydes with allyltrimethylsilane in H2O-CH3CN were examined. a-Keto and a-ester homoallylic alcohols and aromatic homoallylic alcohols were obtained in good to excellent yields.168 Allylation reactions of carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and reactive ketones using allyltrimethoxysilane in aqueous media proceeded smoothly in the presence of 5 mol% of a CdF2-terpyridine complex (Eq. 8.71).169... 

The utilization of copper complexes (47) based on bisisoxazolines allows various silyl enol ethers to be added to aldehydes and ketones which possess an adjacent heteroatom e.g. pyruvate esters. An example is shown is Scheme 43[126]. C2-Symmetric Cu(II) complexes have also been used as chiral Lewis acids for the catalysis of enantioselective Michael additions of silylketene acetals to alkylidene malonates[127]. 

The addition of an enolsilane to an aldehyde, commonly referred to as the Mukaiyama aldol reaction, is readily promoted by Lewis acids and has been the subject of intense interest in the field of chiral Lewis acid catalysis. Copper-based Lewis acids have been applied to this process in an attempt to generate polyacetate and polypropionate synthons for natural product synthesis. Although the considerable Lewis acidity of many of these complexes is more than sufficient to activate a broad range of aldehydes, high selectivities have been observed predominantly with substrates capable of two-point coordination to the metal. Of these, benzy-loxyacetaldehyde and pyruvate esters have been most successful. 

The considerable Lewis acidity of bis(oxazoline)-copper(II) complexes held promise for catalyzing the ene reaction, a process that usually requires strong Lewis acids. Indeed, these catalysts effect a highly selective ene reaction between a variety of alkene partners and glyoxylate esters to produce a-hydroxy esters in good yield, Eq. 210 (245). The ene reaction between cyclohexene and ethyl glyoxylate proceeds in excellent diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, Eq. 211. As a testament to the Lewis acidity of these complexes, it is noteworthy that... 

Lectka and co-workers found that cationic Cu phosphine complexes are efficient Lewis acids in the activation of a-imino esters (248). The Tol-BINAP was found to be the most effective ligand providing the adduct of acetophenone enol-... 

Takaya and co-workers (256) disclosed that chiral copper alkoxide complexes catalyze the transesterification and kinetic resolution of chiral acetate esters. Selec-tivities are very poor (E values of 1.1-1.5) but it was noted that the Lewis acid BINAP CuOTf was not an effective catalyst. The observation thatp-chlorophcnyl-BINAP-CuOf-Bu complex gave faster rates than BINAP-CuOt-Bu suggests that both the Lewis acidic and Lewis basic properties of the copper alkoxide are required for optimal reactivity. 

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