Conjugate addition chiral substrates

A remarkable number of chiral phosphorus ligands (phosphoramidites, phosphites, and phosphines with modular structures) have been introduced into the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of R2Zn reagents, and high enantio-selectivities (>90%) are now possible for all three different classes of substrates 2-cyclohexenones and larger ring enones, 2-cyclopentenones, and acyclic enones. 

The enantioselective conjugate addition of dialkylzinc to nitroalkenes using other phosphoramidite,79,79a 83a sulfonamide,84 and binaphthol-based thioether ligands65 has also been studied in the past few years. Particularly noteworthy are the efficient chiral monodentate phosphoramidite ligands (S,R,R)-29 and (A,A)-55 developed by Feringa et al. and Alexakis et al., respectively, for this reaction. (S,R,R)-29 provided excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) for acyclic nitroalkenes (Scheme 25).80 It also worked well for other nitroolefin substrates such as 3-nitrocoumarin 7068 and methyl 3-nitropropenoate 7185. 

As shown by the two examples represented in Scheme 99, chiral enaminoesters are good candidates for the synthesis of saturated or partially saturated oxazolo[3,2- ]pyridine derivatives (Scheme 99) acylation of 374 with acryloyl chloride or conjugate addition of 376 to 377 afford in both cases substrates that readily undergo cyclization, respectively to 375 <2002TL2521> and 378 <1996JOC1890>. 

Tanaka et al. (152) demonstrated that a chiral copper alkoxide could be used substoichiometrically to deliver MeLi to an enone in conjugate fashion. The precatalyst is formed from amino alcohol 221, MeLi and Cul, Eq. 123a. Under stoichiometric conditions, this catalyst mediates the conjugate addition of MeLi to the macrocyclic enone, affording muscone in 91% ee. Lower enantioselectivity is observed using a substoichiometric amount of 222 (0.5 equiv), affording a 79% yield of muscone in 76% ee, Eq. 123b. These selectivities are attained by portion-wise addition of the substrate and MeLi to the alkoxy-cuprate. This catalyst also exhibits a complex nonlinear effect (78, 153). 

High levels of asymmetric induction can be achieved intramolecularly if the substrate functionality and the heteroatom ligand are contained in the same molecule. Chiral amido(a]kyl)cuprates derived from allylic carbamates [(RCH= CHCH20C(0)NR )CuR undergo intramolecular allylic rearrangements with excellent enantioselectivities (R = Me, n-Bu, Ph 82-95% ee) [216]. Similarly, chiral alkoxy(alkyl)cuprates (R OCuRLi) derived from enoates prepared from the unsaturated acids and trans-l,2-cyclohexanediol undergo intramolecular conjugate additions with excellent diasteroselectivities (90% ds) [217]. 

The use of vinyl epoxides as substrates in enantioselective copper-catalyzed reactions, on the other hand, has met with more success. An interesting chiral ligand effect on Cu(OTf)2-catalyzed reactions between cyclic vinyloxiranes and dialkylzinc reagents was noted by Feringa et al. [51]. The 2,2 -binaphthyl phosphorus amidite ligands 32 and 43 (Fig. 8.5), which have been successfully used in copper-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate additions to enones [37], allowed kinetic resolution of racemic cyclic vinyloxiranes (Scheme 8.26). 

Preliminary mechanistic studies show no polymerization of the unsaturated aldehydes under Cinchona alkaloid catalysis, thereby indicating that the chiral tertiary amine catalyst does not act as a nucleophilic promoter, similar to Baylis-Hilhnan type reactions (Scheme 1). Rather, the quinuclidine nitrogen acts in a Brpnsted basic deprotonation-activation of various cychc and acyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl donors. The conjugate addition of the 1,3-dicarbonyl donors to a,(3-unsaturated aldehydes generated substrates with aU-carbon quaternary centers in excellent yields and stereoselectivities (Scheme 2) Utility of these aU-carbon quaternary adducts was demonstrated in the seven-step synthesis of (H-)-tanikolide 14, an antifungal metabolite. 

SCHEME 1. Asymmetric conjugate addition of Grignard reagents to substrates containing chiral auxiliaries... 

Although desirable, the recovery of a chiral auxiliary is not always crucial. Some techniques employ a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds containing a disposable stereogenic center, which is removed after the (asymmetric) conjugate addition step has been performed. This concept appears to be useful only if the chiral substrate is easily accessible in high enantiomeric purity. 

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