Copper conjugate addition reactions

Cho reported the addition of alkyl radicals from alkyl iodide to a,P-unsaturated ketones, esters, and nitriles mediated by indium in aqueous media. Recently, enantiomeiically pure natural and unnatural a-amino acids have been synthesized from a chiral methyleneoxazolidinone by such a highly diastereoselective 1,4-conjugate addition of alkyl iodides in aqueous media (Eq. 10.31). The zinc-copper conjugate addition reaction exhibits high chemoselectivity with the possibility of using functionalized iodides to afford a single diastereomer in short reaction times with good yields. 

Copper-catalyzed Enantioselective Conjugate Addition Reactions of Organozinc Reagents... 

Nickel catalysts can be used instead of copper catalysts to promote the conjugate addition reaction, providing, in some cases, better results than the corresponding copper catalysts. In 2000, Yang et al. discovered a series of (li ,25, 3i )-3-mercaptocamphan-2-ol derivatives, which proved to be efficient ligands in the conjugate addition of ZnEt2 to chalcone upon catalysis with Ni(acac)2 (Scheme 2.29). 

Another type of mixed cyanocuprate has both methyl and alkenyl groups attached to copper. Interestingly, these reagents selectively transfer the alkenyl group in conjugate addition reactions.16 These reagents can be prepared from alkynes via hydrozirconation, followed by metal-metal exchange.17... 

The addition of terminal alkynes to carbon-carbon double bonds has not been explored until recently, possibly because C=C double bonds are not as good electrophiles as C=N or C=0. In 2003, Carreira et al. reported the first conjugate addition reaction of terminal alkynes to C=C catalyzed by copper in water. The reaction proceeded with derivatives of Meldrum s acid in water in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 and sodium ascorbate (Eq. 4.35).59 However, this method was limited to C=C double bonds with two electron withdrawing groups. 

Feringa, B. L. Naasz, R. Imbos, R. Arnold, L. A. Copper-catalyzed Enantioselective Conjugate Addition Reactions of Organozinc Reagents. In Modem Organocopper Chemistry Krause, N. Ed. Wiley-VCH GmbH Weinheim, 2002 Chapter 7, pp 224—258. 

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. 

This chapter will begin with a discussion of the role of chiral copper(I) and (II) complexes in group-transfer processes with an emphasis on alkene cyclo-propanation and aziridination. This discussion will be followed by a survey of enantioselective variants of the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction, an allylic oxidation process. Section II will review the extensive efforts that have been directed toward the development of enantioselective, Cu(I) catalyzed conjugate addition reactions and related processes. The discussion will finish with a survey of the recent advances that have been achieved by the use of cationic, chiral Cu(II) complexes as chiral Lewis acids for the catalysis of cycloaddition, aldol, Michael, and ene reactions. 

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. 

This manganese-copper-catalyzed conjugate addition reaction compares favorably with the classical copper-catalyzed reaction. The two reactions are easily and similarly carried out under mild conditions, but the first one gives higher yields. This difference, already observed in the case of p-monosubstituted o,p-ethylenic ketones, is especially noticeable with p,p-disubstituted or [Pg.70]

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