Conjugate addition component

Asymmetric conjugate addition of dialkyl or diaryl zincs for the formation of all carbon quaternary chiral centres was demonstrated by the combination of the chiral 123 and Cu(OTf)2-C H (2.5 mol% each component). Yields of 94-98% and ee of up to 93% were observed in some cases. Interestingly, the reactions with dialkyl zincs proceed in the opposite enantioselective sense to the ones with diaryl zincs, which has been rationalised by coordination of the opposite enantiofaces of the prochiral enone in the alkyl- and aryl-cuprate intermediates, which precedes the C-C bond formation, and determines the configuration of the product. The copper enolate intermediates can also be trapped by TMS triflate or triflic anhydride giving directly the versatile chiral enolsilanes or enoltriflates that can be used in further transformations (Scheme 2.30) [110],... 

As is the case for aldol addition, chiral auxiliaries and catalysts can be used to control stereoselectivity in conjugate addition reactions. Oxazolidinone chiral auxiliaries have been used in both the nucleophilic and electrophilic components under Lewis acid-catalyzed conditions. (V-Acyloxazolidinones can be converted to nucleophilic titanium enolates with TiCl3(0-/-Pr).320... 

Diastereoselective conjugate addition of oxygen and nitrogen- centered nucleophiles to nitroalke-nes derived from (+)-camphoisulfonic acid and ozonolysis give a-hydroxy and a-amino thiol acid derivatives (Eq. 4.39). In all cases, the (/ )-diasteromer is formed as the major component.49... 

A simple synthesis of allethrolone, the alcohol component of the allethrine (commercially important insecticide), is shown in Scheme 4.11. The conjugated addition of 3-phenylthio-5-hexene-2-one to 1-nitro-l-propene followed by the Nef reaction and aldol condensation gives allethrolone in good yield.68... 

Barbas developed this procedure further by introducing an asymmetric three-component Michael reaction that should be applicable to many other conjugate addition reactions. He used a Wittig olefmation to prepare, in situ, an a,P-unsatu-rated ketone that subsequently underwent a conjugate addition with malonates (Scheme 21) [94]. The rate of the conjugate addition process was observed to be considerably faster than the analogous reaction reported by Jprgensen which was attributed to the presence of triphenylphosphine oxide within the reaction mixture. 

Dialkylzinc derivatives are inert towards conjugated enones (e.g. 181) in hydrocarbon or ethereal solvents. The discovery that a conjugate addition can be promoted by Cu(I) salts in the presence of suitable ligands L (e.g. sulphonamide 182) opened a new route to zinc enolates (e.g. 183), and hence to the development of three-component protocols, such as the tandem 1,4-addition/aldol addition process outlined in equation 92186. If the addition of the aldehyde is carried out at —78 °C, the single adduct 184 is formed, among four possible diastereomeric products. The presence of sulphonamide is fundamental in terms of reaction kinetics its role is supposed to be in binding both Cu(I) and Zn(II) and forming a mixed metal cluster compound which acts as the true 1,4-addition catalyst. 

Scheme 3 illustrates retrosynthetic analysis of the E and F series of PGs. The widely used Corey synthesis (2) takes notice of the presence of the two olefinic bonds in the side chains of PGF2a. The actual synthesis consists of a two-fold Wittig-type chain extension of a chiral dialdehyde equivalent with four defined stereogenic centers derived from cyclopentadiene via a series of bicyclic intermediates. A similar sequential synthesis has been developed at Upjohn Co. (la). These chemical syntheses are much more economical than enzymatic methods and are used for commercial synthesis of certain PGs. An alternative pathway pioneered by Sih is the conjugate addition approach (3). Nucleophilic addition of an E-olefinic co side-chain unit to a cyclopentenone in which the a side chain is already installed leads directly to PGE-type compounds. Untch and Stork used an co chain unit with a Z-olefinic bond (4). The most direct and flexible synthesis is the convergent three-component coupling synthesis via consecutive linking of the two side chains to unsubstituted 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone derivatives (5, 6). 

As outlined in Scheme 4, the ultimate goal of the three-component coupling synthesis is the organometallic-aided conjugate addition of an cj side-chain unit to an 0-protected (J )-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone, followed by electrophilic trapping of the enolate intermediate by an oc... 

The three-component method is applicable to the synthesis of various C(6)- or C(7)-functionalized PGs. Scheme 11 illustrates the tandem conjugate addition-aldol reaction that affords 7-hydroxy-PGE derivatives (18). Both saturated and unsaturated C7 aldehydes can be used as a side-chain units. The aldol adducts can be transformed to naturally occurring PGs (5a, 19) and, more importantly, to a variety of analogues such as tumor-suppressing A7-PGA, (20) or 7-fluoro-PGI2, a stabilized prostacyclin (21). The unique cellular behavior displayed by A7-PGA methyl ester is well correlated to its chemical reaction with thiols (20). 

The three reactive chlorines on TsT have dramatically different reactivities toward nucleophiles in aqueous solution. The first chlorine is reactive toward hydroxyls as well as primary and secondary amine groups at 4°C and a pH of 9 (Mumtaz and Bachhawat, 1991 Abuchowski et al., 1977a). Once the first chlorine is coupled, the second one requires at least room temperature conditions at the same pH to efficiently react. If two chlorines are conjugated to nucleophilic groups, the third is even more difficult to couple, requiring at least 80°C. After activation of mPEG with TsT, it is therefore, for all practical purposes, only possible to couple one additional component to the triazine ring. 

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