Addition reactions asymmetric conjugate

Asymmetric syntheses of heterocycles by conjugate addition reactions 98EJO2051. 

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. 

With the success in Lewis acid-catalyzed thiol conjugate addition reactions mentioned above, we further tried to apply the J ,J -DBFOX/Ph-nickel(II) aqua complex catalyst to the catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition reactions of hydroxyl-amines [88, 89]. However, after some preliminary examinations, we found that... 

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. 

Garreira and co-workers demonstrated the asymmetric conjugate addition reaction of Meldrum s acid-derived acceptors (Scheme 23).72 The adducts were obtained in good enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee). 

This work was initiated in 1988 when Villacorta et al.71a reported the asymmetric conjugate addition of a Grignard reagent to 2-cyclohexenone. This study showed that 1,4-adducts with 4-14% ee were obtained in the presence of aminotroponeimine copper complex.713 Enhanced results (74% ee) were obtained by adding HMPA or silyl halides.71b Several other copper complexes were also used for inducing asymmetric conjugate addition reactions. Moderate results were obtained in most cases when THF was used as the solvent and HMPA as the additive. 

Shibasaki s lanthanide-alkaline metal-BINOL system, discussed in Chapters 2 and 3, can also effect the asymmetric conjugate addition reaction. As shown in Scheme 8-35, enantioselective conjugate addition of thiols to a,/ -unsaturated carbonyl compounds proceeds smoothly, leading to the corresponding products with high yield and high ee.76... 

Copper has long played a dominant role in stoichiometric organometallic reactions in synthesis. Organocuprate mediated conjugate addition reactions are a cornerstone of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. Its preeminence has not been overlooked in the search for asymmetric versions of the reaction (134-136). However, the requirement for stoichiometric amounts of the metal has dampened efforts to introduce chirality into this process. 

To investigate the effect of the substituents in the arenethiolate structure, four differently substituted copper arenethiolates, 25-28, were tested as catalysts, but very low ees were obtained in all cases [34]. The oxazolidine complex 26, developed by Pfaltz et al. [36] and used successfully in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions to cyclic enones, gave a completely racemic product with allylic substrate 20a. 

Woodward et al. have used the binaphthol-derived ligand 40 in asymmetric conjugate addition reactions of dialkylzinc to enones [46]. Compound 40 has also been studied as a ligand in allylic substitutions with diorganozinc reagents [47]. To allow better control over selectivity in y substitution of the allylic electrophiles studied, Woodward et al. investigated the influence of an additional ester substituent in the jS-position (Scheme 8.25). 

Asides from the application of imines on conjugate addition reactions, Deng [87, 88] reported the first asymmetric chiral thiourea catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with iV-tosyl imines (Scheme 35). The reaction was receptive to various aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic imines in good yield and high enantioselec-tivity (Scheme 36). 

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. 

P. Perlmutter, Conjugate Addition Reactions in Organic Synthesis, Tetrahedron Organic Chemistry Series Vol. 9, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1992 B. E. Rossiter and N. M. Swingle, Chem. Rev., 92, 111 (1992) J. Leonard, E. Dtez-Barra and S. Merino, Ear. J. Org. Chem., 2051 (1998) M. P. Sibi and S. Manyem, Tetrahedron, 56, 8033 (2000) N. Krause and A. Hoffmann-Roder, Synthesis, 171 (2001) K. Tomioka and Y. Nagaoka, in Comprehensive Asymmetric Catalysis (Eds. E. N. Jacobsen, A. Pfaltz and H. Yamamoto), Vol. Ill, Chap. 31.1, Springer, Berlin, 1999 K. Tomioka, in Modem Carbonyl Chemistry (Ed. J. Otera), Chap. 12, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2000. 

For a review on asymmetric conjugate addition reactions see Krause N, Hoffmann-Rod-er A (2001) Synthesis 171... 

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