Conjugate acceptors nucleophiles

Another important reaction in synthetic chemistry leading to C-C bond formation is the Michael addition. The reaction typically involves a conjugate or nucleophilic 1,4-addition of carbanions to a,/l-unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, esters, nitriles, or sulfones 157) (Scheme 21). A base is used to form the carbanion by abstracting a proton from an activated methylene precursor (donor), which attacks the alkene (acceptor). Strong bases are usually used in this reaction, leading to the formation of byproducts arising from side reactions such as condensations, dimerizations, or rearrangements. 

The new methodology is particularly effective for the conjugate alkylation to a,/3-unsaturated aldehydes, which, among various conjugate acceptors, are prone to be more susceptible to 1,2 addition with a number of nucleophiles than a,/3-unsaturated ketones, esters, and amides, as exemplified in Sch. 97 [135]. 

These two electron sinks are the least common of the six that make up the set of multiple-bonded electron sinks with no attached leaving group. They behave very similarly to the conjugate acceptors previously discussed. The electronegative C-ewg group replaces the electronegative Y in accepting the electron flow from the nucleophile. 

Simple pi bonds are not good enough nucleophiles to react with conjugate acceptors. It is basically a case of little push and little pull, so no electron flow occurs. If the pi bond is made more nucleophilic by adding a pi donor (making it an allylic source), then the reaction is similar to the one above. Alternatively, a Brpnsted acid or a Lewis acid could be added to improve the electron sink few examples of this reaction are known. 

Aromatic rings are usually not good enough nucleophiles to react with conjugate acceptors. If a Brpnsted acid or a Lewis acid is added to improve the electron sink, then electrophilic aromatic substitution can occur. 

Palladium-catalyzed annulation reactions of conjugate acceptors and allenyl boronic ester provide substituted cyclopentenes in high yields and diastereose-lectivities (Scheme 6.24). These reactions are hypothesized to commence by the conjugate addition of a nucleophilic propargyl-palladium complex. Transmetalation of allenylboronic acid pinacol ester with a Pd(II) catalyst proceeds via an SE2 mechanism to provide the propargyl-palladium complex, which on conjugate attack on the electrophile furnishes an allene intermediate. Finally, endo carbopalladation of the pendant allene and protodepalladation generates the cyclopentene [28]. 

The oxa-Michael reaction is particularly suitable for the rapid generation of molecular complexity when it is embedded in domino reactions. The enolates generated by addition of alcoholates to conjugate acceptors are potent nucleophiles that can further react with suitable electrophiles. Wang and Menche used this reactivity to combine an oxa-Michael reaction with a Tsuji-Trost coupling (Scheme 5-211). " ... 

Quite a number of asymmetric thiol conjugate addition reactions are known [84], but previous examples of enantioselective thiol conjugate additions were based on the activation of thiol nucleophiles by use of chiral base catalysts such as amino alcohols [85], the lithium thiolate complex of amino bisether [86], and a lanthanide tris(binaphthoxide) [87]. No examples have been reported for the enantioselective thiol conjugate additions through the activation of acceptors by the aid of chiral Lewis acid catalysts. We therefore focussed on the potential of J ,J -DBFOX/ Ph aqua complex catalysts as highly tolerant chiral Lewis acid catalyst in thiol conjugate addition reactions. 

The l ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition metal aqua complex catalysts should be suitable for the further applications to conjugate addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles [90-92]. What we challenged is the double activation method as a new methodology of catalyzed asymmetric reactions. Therein donor and acceptor molecules are both activated by achiral Lewis amines and chiral Lewis acids, respectively the chiral Lewis acid catalysts used in this reaction are J ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition metal aqua complexes. 

The conjugate addition of a carbon nucleophile to an a./3-unsiituratcd acceptor is known as the Michael reaction. The best Michael reactions take place between unusually acidic donors (/3-keto esters or /3-diketones) and unhindered n,/3-unsaturated acceptors. Knamines, prepared by reaction of a ketone with a disu Instituted amine, are also good Michael donors. 

Ferrocen-l,l -diylbismetallacycles are conceptually attractive for the development of bimetal-catalyzed processes for one particular reason the distance between the reactive centers in a coordinated electrophile and a coordinated nucleophile is self-adjustable for specific tasks, because the activation energy for Cp ligand rotation is very low. In 2008, Peters and Jautze reported the application of the bis-palladacycle complex 56a to the enantioselective conjugate addition of a-cyanoacetates to enones (Fig. 31) [74—76] based on the idea that a soft bimetallic complex capable of simultaneously activating both Michael donor and acceptor would not only lead to superior catalytic activity, but also to an enhanced level of stereocontrol due to a highly organized transition state [77]. An a-cyanoacetate should be activated by enolization promoted by coordination of the nitrile moiety to one Pd(II)-center, while the enone should be activated as an electrophile by coordination of the olefinic double bond to the carbophilic Lewis acid [78],... 

There have been several studies of the stereochemistry of conjugate addition reactions. If there are substituents on both the nucleophilic enolate and the acceptor, either syn or anti adducts can be formed. 

Most reactive metabolites produced by CYP metabolic activation are electrophilic in nature, which means that they can react easily with the nucleophiles present in the protein side chains. Several functional groups are recurrent structural features in M Bis. These groups have been reviewed by Fontana et al. [26] and can be summarized as follows terminal (co or co — 1) acetylenes, olefins, furans and thiophenes, epoxides, dichloro- and trichloroethylenes, secondary amines, benzodioxoles (methylenediox-yphenyl, MDP), conjugated structures, hydrazines, isothiocyanates, thioamides, dithiocarbamates and, in general, Michael acceptors (Scheme 11.1). 

It was recognized in early examples of nucleophilic addition to acceptor-substituted allenes that formation of the non-conjugated product 158 is a kinetically controlled reaction. On the other hand, the conjugated product 159 is the result of a thermodynamically controlled reaction [205, 215]. Apparently, after the attack of the nucleophile on the central carbon atom of the allene 155, the intermediate 156 is formed first. This has to execute a torsion of 90° to merge into the allylic carbanion 157. Whereas 156 can only yield the product 158 by proton transfer, the protonation of 157 leads to both 158 and 159. 

As in the case of addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to activated dienes (Section HA), organocopper compounds are the reagents of choice for regio- and stereoselective Michael additions to acceptor-substituted enynes. Substrates bearing an acceptor-substituted triple bond besides one or more conjugated double bonds react with organocuprates under 1,4-addition exclusively (equation 51)138-140 1,6-addition reactions which would provide allenes after electrophilic capture were not observed (cf. Section IV). 

Silylcuprates have been reported to undergo reactions with a number of miscellaneous Michael acceptors [65]. Conjugate addition to 3-carbomethoxy acyl pyri-dinium salts [65a] affords 4-silyl-l,4-dihydropyridines. Oxidation with p-chlorand generates a 4-acyl pyridinium salt that gives the 4-silylnicotinate upon quenching with water, and methyl 4-silyl-2-substituted dihydronicotinates upon quenching with nucleophiles (nucleophilic addition at the 6-position). The stabilized anion formed by conjugate addition to an a, j8-unsaturated sulfone could be trapped intramolecularly by an alkyl chloride [65b]. 

Besides direct nucleophilic attack onto the acceptor group, an activated diene may also undergo 1,4- or 1,6-addition in the latter case, capture of the ambident enolate with a soft electrophile can take place at two different positions. Hence, the nucleophilic addition can result in the formation of three regioisomeric alkenes, which may in addition be formed as E/Z isomers. Moreover, depending on the nature of nucleophile and electrophile, the addition products may contain one or two stereogenic centers, and, as a further complication, basic conditions may give rise to the isomerization of the initially formed 8,y-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (and other acceptor-substituted alkenes of this type) to the thermodynamically more stable conjugated isomer (Eq. 4.1). 

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