Conjugate stereoselectivity

The condensation of aldehydes or ketones with secondary amines leads to "encunines via N-hemiacetals and immonium hydroxides, when the water is removed. In these conjugated systems electron density and nudeophilicity are largely transferred from the nitrogen to the a-carbon atom, and thus enamines are useful electroneutral d -reagents (G.A. Cook, 1969 S.F. Dyke, 1973). A bulky heterocyclic substituent supports regio- and stereoselective reactions. 

The addition of large enolate synthons to cyclohexenone derivatives via Michael addition leads to equatorial substitution. If the cyclohexenone conformation is fixed, e.g. as in decalones or steroids, the addition is highly stereoselective. This is also the case with the S-addition to conjugated dienones (Y. Abe, 1956). Large substituents at C-4 of cyclic a -synthons direct incoming carbanions to the /rans-position at C-3 (A.R. Battersby, 1960). The thermodynamically most stable products are formed in these cases, because the addition of 1,3-dioxo compounds to activated double bonds is essentially reversible. 

The Birch reductions of C C double bonds with alkali metals in liquid ammonia or amines obey other rules than do the catalytic hydrogenations (D. Caine, 1976). In these reactions regio- and stereoselectivities are mainly determined by the stabilities of the intermediate carbanions. If one reduces, for example, the a, -unsaturated decalone below with lithium, a dianion is formed, whereof three different conformations (A), (B), and (C) are conceivable. Conformation (A) is the most stable, because repulsion disfavors the cis-decalin system (B) and in (C) the conjugation of the dianion is interrupted. Thus, protonation yields the trans-decalone system (G. Stork, 1964B). 

Diacetoxylation of various conjugated dienes including cyclic dienes has been extensively studied. 1,3-Cyclohexadiene was converted into a mixture of isomeric l,4-diacetoxy-2-cyclohexenes of unknown stereochemistry[303]. The stereoselective Pd-catalyzed 1,4-diacetoxylation of dienes is carried out in AcOH in the presence of LiOAc and /or LiCI and beiizoquinone[304.305]. In the presence of acetate ion and in the absence of chloride ion, /rau.v-diacetox-ylation occurs, whereas addition of a catalytic amount of LiCl changes the stereochemistry to cis addition. The coordination of a chloride ion to Pd makes the cis migration of the acetate from Pd impossible. From 1,3-cyclohexadiene, trans- and ci j-l,4-diacetoxy-2-cyclohexenes (346 and 347) can be prepared stereoselectively. For the 6-substituted 1,3-cycloheptadiene 348, a high diaster-eoselectivity is observed. The stereoselective cij-diacetoxylation of 5-carbo-methoxy-1,3-cyclohexadiene (349) has been applied to the synthesis of dl-shikimic acid (350). 

The coupling of alkenylboranes with alkenyl halides is particularly useful for the stereoselective synthesis of conjugated dienes of the four possible double bond isomers[499]. The E and Z forms of vinylboron compounds can be prepared by hydroboration of alkynes and haloalkynes, and their reaction with ( ) or (Z)-vinyl iodides or bromides proceeds without isomerization, and the conjugated dienes of four possible isomeric forms can be prepared in high purity. 

Conjugated dienes, upon complexation with metal carbonyl complexes, are activated for Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction at the akyhc position. Such reactions are increasingly being used in the stereoselective synthesis of acylated dienes. Friedel-Crafts acetylation of... 

A noteworthy development is the use of KH for complexing alkylboranes and alkoxyboranes to form various boron hydrides used as reducing agents in the pharmaceutical industry. Potassium tri-j -butylborohydride [54575-50-7] KB(CH(CH2)C2H )2H, and potassium trisiamylborohydride [67966-25-0] KB(CH(CH2)CH(CH2)2)3H, are usefiil for the stereoselective reduction of ketones (66) and for the conjugate reduction and alkylation of a,P-unsaturated ketones (67). 

The primary disadvantage of the conjugate addition approach is the necessity of performing two chiral operations (resolution or asymmetric synthesis) ia order to obtain exclusively the stereochemicaHy desired end product. However, the advent of enzymatic resolutions and stereoselective reduciag agents has resulted ia new methods to efficiently produce chiral enones and CO-chain synthons, respectively (see Enzymes, industrial Enzymes in ORGANIC synthesis). Eor example, treatment of the racemic hydroxy enone (70) with commercially available porciae pancreatic Hpase (PPL) ia vinyl acetate gave a separable mixture of (5)-hydroxyenone (71) and (R)-acetate (72) with enantiomeric excess (ee) of 90% or better (204). 

Lithium-ammonia reductions of most steroidal enones of interest create one or two new asymmetric centers. Such reductions are found to be highly stereoselective and this stereoselectivity constitutes the great utility of the reaction. For conjugated enones of the normal steroid series, the thermodynamically most stable products are formed predominantly and perhaps exclusively. Thus the following configurations are favored 5a, 8/ , 9a, and in certain cases 14a (see page 35). Starr has listed numerous examples illustrating these facts and Smith " and Barton have tabulated similar data. 

H )-Euranones are useful building blocks in the synthesis of a variety of organic compounds. In addition, they often serve as valuable synthetic intermediates in the stereoselective construction of substituted y-butyrolactones via conjugated addition to the Q ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl moiety or catalytic hydrogenation of the double bond (88JOC1560). 

The stereoselective introduction of two methyl groups into / -(- -)-5-hydroxy-methyl-2(5// )-furanone 143 was effected by tritylation followed by the conjugated addition (87JOC1170) of McaCuLi (TMSCl/EtaO, -78°C) and, finally, treatment with LiN(TMS)2/MeI (Scheme 43) (97TL1439). 

Based on the facile formation and reactivity of323, and the retro Diels-Alder reaction of 325306,310, a simple procedure has been developed for the stereoselective synthesis of functionalized conjugated dienes as well as vinylallenes311 (see equation 119). 

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