Corey phase-transfer catalyst

Epoxidation of aldehydes and ketones is the most profound utility of the Corey-Chaykovsky reaction. As noted in section 1.1.1, for an a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compound, 1 adds preferentially to the olefin to provide the cyclopropane derivative. On the other hand, the more reactive 2 generally undergoes the methylene transfer to the carbonyl, giving rise to the corresponding epoxide. For instance, treatment of P-ionone (26) with 2, derived from trimethylsulfonium chloride and NaOH in the presence of a phase-transfer catalyst Et4BnNCl, gave rise to vinyl epoxide 27 exclusively. ... 

E. J. Corey, M. C. Noe, F. Xu, Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclic Functionalized a-Amino Acids by Means of a Chiral Phase Transfer Catalyst , Tetrahedron Lett. 1998, 39, 5347-5350. 

Corey employed a cinchona alkaloid-derived ammonium salt 5 for the solid-liquid phase transfer catalyst, and attained 99% ee in the addition of a glycine-derived imine to 2-cyclohexenone (Scheme 6) [13,14]. 

A chiral quartemary ammonium salt works as a chiral-phase transfer catalyst, and this chemistry has been applied to asymmetric Michael reaction by Corey et al. (Scheme 8D.16) [33]. It has been shown that the cinchonidine salt 28, which has been designed by rigidifying... 

Since Corey s group first reported 0(9)-allyl-N-(9-anthracenylmethyl) cinchonidi-nium bromide as a new phase-transfer catalyst [13], its application to various asymmetric reactions has been investigated. In particular, this catalyst represents a powerful tool in various conjugated additions using chalcone derivatives (Scheme 3.2). For example, nitromethane [14], acetophenone [15], and silyl eno-lates [16] produce the corresponding adducts in high enantioselectivity. When p-alkyl substrates are used under PTC conditions, asymmetric dimerization triggered by the abstraction of a y-proton proceeds smoothly, with up to 98% ee [17]. 

A similar approach was reported by Lygo and co-workers who applied comparable anthracenylmethyl-based ammonium salts of type 26 in combination with 50% aqueous potassium hydroxide as a basic system at room temperature [26, 27a], Under these conditions the required O-alkylation at the alkaloid catalyst s hydroxyl group occurs in situ. The enantioselective alkylation reactions proceeded with somewhat lower enantioselectivity (up to 91% ee) compared with the results obtained with the Corey catalyst 25. The overall yields of esters of type 27 (obtained after imine hydrolysis) were in the range 40 to 86% [26]. A selected example is shown in Scheme 3.7. Because the pseudo-enantiomeric catalyst pairs 25 and 26 led to opposite enantiomers with comparable enantioselectivity, this procedure enables convenient access to both enantiomers. Recently, the Lygo group reported an in situ-preparation of the alkaloid-based phase transfer catalyst [27b] as well as the application of a new, highly effective phase-transfer catalyst derived from a-methyl-naphthylamine, which was found by screening of a catalyst library [27c],... 

The Corey group extended the use of its successful alkylation process, key features of which are the phase-transfer catalyst 25 and solid CSOH H2O [25], to a key step in the preparation of (S)-pipelonic acid ester, 39 (Scheme 3.15 Eq. 2)... 

Use of an organocatalyst in a highly diastereoselective nitroaldol reaction was reported by the Corey group in the synthesis of 123 [128]. This compound is a key building block in the synthesis of the HIV-protease inhibitor amprenavir. The alkaloid-based fluoride salt, 122, was used as an efficient chiral phase-transfer catalyst (this type of catalyst was developed by the same group [129-131]) and led to formation of the (2R,3S) diastereomer (2H,3S)-123 in 86% yield and with a diastereo-meric ratio of d.r. = 17 1 (Scheme 6.53) [128], It is worthy of note that a much... 

Stoichiometric sulfur ylide epoxidation was first reported by A.W. Johnson [23] in 1958, and subsequently the method of Corey and Chaykovsky has found widespread use [24-26]. The first enantioselective epoxidations using stoichiometric amounts of ylide were reported in 1968 [27, 28]. In another early example, Hiyama et al. used a chiral phase-transfer catalyst (20 mol%) and stoichiometric amounts of Corey s ylide to effect asymmetric epoxidation of benzaldehyde in moderate to good enantiomeric excess (ee) of 67 to 89% [29]. Here, we will focus on epoxidations using catalytic amounts of ylide [30-32]. A general mechanism for sulfur ylide epoxidation is shown in Scheme 10.2, whereby an attack by the ylide on a carbonyl group yields a betaine intermediate which collapses to yield... 

In an attempt to develop a PEG-supported version of a chiral phase-transfer catalyst the Cinchona alkaloid-derived ammonium salt 15 used by Corey and Lygo in the stereoselective alkylation of amino acid precursors was immobilized on a modified PEG similar to that used in the case of 13. The behaviour of the catalyst obtained 16, however, fell short of the expectations (Danelli et al. 2003). Indeed, while this catalyst (10 mol%) showed good catalytic activity promoting the benzy-lation of the benzophenone imine derived from tert-butyl glycinate in 92% yield (solid CsOH, DCM, -78 to 23 °C, 22 h), the observed ee was only 30%. Even if this was increased to 64% by maintaining the reac-... 

The glycinate Schiff base of benzophenone 17 was also shown to be a suitable Michael donor for the asymmetric 1,6-addition to the activated dienes 44 having ketones, esters, and sulfones as substituents. Using Corey s phase-transfer catalyst, 16, the corresponding allylated products 47 were obtained as a single E-isomer with high enantioselectivity (from 92 to 98% ee). The synthetic utility of this reaction... 

The enantioselective phase-transfer catalyzed Michael addition of A-(diphenyl-methylene)glycine fert-butyl ester to several Michael acceptors such as methyl acrylate, cyclohex-2-enone and ethyl vinyl ketone was initially studied by Corey et al. employing 0(9)-aUyl-Af-9-anlhraceny]melhylcinchonidimum bromide (173) (Fig. 2.24) as catalyst and cesium hydroxide as base [272]. Different studies followed this pioneering woik, presenting diverse modifications over the standard procedure such as the employment of non-ionic bases [273], variations of the nucleophile functionality [274], and using new chiral phase-transfer catalysts, the most attention paid to this latter feature. For instance, catalyst 173 was successfully employed in the enantioselective synthesis of any of the isotopomers of different natural and unnatural amino acids... 

Corey et al. [20] developed the catalyst 12c, which showed superior results to Lygo s catalysts in the same reaction at very low temperature. They provided a general idea in the cinchona-based phase-transfer catalyst design the quaternary... 

In 1997 the Corey [1] and Lygo [2] groups disclosed the use of N-(anthracenyl)methyl-modified Cinchona alkaloids (e.g., 1) as catalysts in phase transfer alkylations, which afforded remarkable enantiomeric excesses of up to 99%. During the ensuing years, these groups have expanded the scope and limitations of these catalysts, as summarized below. 

Enantioselective Michael addition of glycine derivatives by means of chiral phase-transfer catalysis has been developed to synthesize various functionalized a-alkyl-a-amino acids. Corey utilized 4d as catalyst for asymmetric Michael addition of glycinate Schiff base 1 to a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl substrates with high enantioselectivity (Scheme 2.15) [35,36]. With methyl acrylate as an acceptor, the a-tert-butyl-y-methyl ester of (S)-glutamic acid can be produced, a functionalized glutamic acid... 

Asymmetric nucleophilic addition to C=C double bonds (see also Chapter 4) can also proceed highly stereoselectively. Several examples of enantio- and diastereo-selective Michael additions with 99% ee for the resulting products have been described by the Corey group [19]. A cinchonidine-derived phase-transfer organo-catalyst (10 mol%) was used. 

Corey studied the X-ray crystal structures of cinchonidinium salts and has formulated a model which explains the highly enantioselective alkylation of the enolate of 3 [3]. This model accounts for the sense of asymmetric induction in this process and the importance of the size of the R1 substituent in the salts 1 and 2 the model can be used to rationalise other phase transfer catalysed processes involving similar catalysts. The enolate 37 is thought to be in close contact with the least hindered face of the tetrahedron formed by the four atoms surrounding the quaternary nitrogen atom (the rear face of this tetrahedron is blocked by the bulky 9-anthracenylmethyl group). Alkylation of the less hindered face of 37 leads to the observed enantiomer of the product (see Figure 1). 

Enantioselective Michael addition of glycine derivatives by means of chiral phase-transfer catalysis has been developed to synthesize various functionalized a-alkyl-amino acids. Corey and colleagues utilized 30d as a catalyst for the asymmetric... 

---