Diastereoselective Coupling

The inter molecular nickel-catalyzed reductive coupling of aldehydes and alkynes has largely been examined with the reaction variants involving either EtaB with monodentate phosphines [22] or EtaSiH with NHCs [21]. Substantial advances in simple couplings, large fragment couplings, diastereoselective variants, directed processes, and asymmetric variants have been made and are detailed below. 

For example, the Z form of methyl 2-(bromomethyl)-2-butenoate has been demonstrated to possess greater thermodynamic stability than the E isomer (Scheme 3) (27). Should this ordering carry over to the allylindium derivative and a high Felkin-Anh transition-state preference be exercised, the 3A-syn 4,5-anti product should be dominant. The illustrated examples reveal that this is so. Only a modest diminution in coupling diastereoselectivity is observed as the relative size of the aldehyde substituent is increased from methyl to the phenyl and cyclohexyl levels (20). 

Adsool and Pansare coupled diastereoselective morpholine dione addition chemistry with diene RCM using [Ru]-II catalyst to generate oxocine 133 (Scheme 3.20)... 

The (partial) description of the synthesis and coupling of the five fragments starts with the cyclohexyl moiety C —C. The first step involved the enantio- and diastereoselective harpless epoxidation of l,4-pentadien-3-ol described on p. 126f. The epoxide was converted in four steps to a d-vinyl d-lactone which gave a 3-cyclohexenecarboxylate via Ireland-CIaisen rearrangement (cf. p. 87). Uncatalysed hydroboration and oxidation (cf. p. 131) yielded the desired trans-2-methoxycyclohexanol which was protected as a silyl ether. The methyl car-... 

The key step to this first reported case of the highly diastereoselective addition of a fluorinated enolate in an aldol process is the selective formation of the enolate a,a-Difluonnated enolates prepared by a metallation process employing either a zinc-copper couple [S] or reduced titanium species [9] undergo aldol condensation smoothly (equation 9) (Table 5)... 

In a reaction closely related to the latter, pyranylidene derivatives are obtained by the intermolecular radical coupling of alkynyl- or alkenylcarbene complexes and epoxides. Good diastereoselectivities are observed when cyclic epoxides are used. Moreover, the best results are reached by the generation of the alkyl radical using titanocene monochloride dimer [90] (Scheme 43). 

Another example of a [2s+2sh-1c+1co] cycloaddition reaction was observed by Barluenga et al. in the sequential coupling reaction of a Fischer carbene complex, a ketone enolate and allylmagnesium bromide [120]. This reaction produces cyclopentanol derivatives in a [2S+2SH-1C] cycloaddition process when -substituted lithium enolates are used (see Sect. 3.1). However, the analogous reaction with /J-unsubstituted lithium enolates leads to the diastereoselective synthesis of 1,3,3,5-tetrasubstituted cyclohexane- 1,4-diols. The ring skeleton of these compounds combines the carbene ligand, the enolate framework, two carbons of the allyl unit and a carbonyl ligand. Overall, the process can be considered as a for-... 

A variety of such ternary catalytic systems has been developed for diastereoselective carbon-carbon bond formations (Table). A Cp-substituted vanadium catalyst is superior to the unsubstituted one,3 whereas a reduced species generated from VOCl3 and a co-reductant is an excellent catalyst for the reductive coupling of aromatic aldehydes.4 A trinuclear complex derived from Cp2TiCl2 and MgBr2 is similarly effective for /-selective pinacol coupling.5 The observed /-selectivity may be explained by minimization of steric effects through anti-orientation of the bulky substituents in the intermediate. 

Carboxylates, which are chiral in the a-position totally lose their optical activity in mixed Kolbe electrolyses [93, 94]. This racemization supports either a free radical or its fast dynamic desorption-adsorption at the electrode. A clearer distinction can be made by looking at the diastereoselectivity of the coupling reaction. Adsorbed radicals should be stabilized and thus react via a more product like transition state... 

Owing to the fully reversible equilibrium nature of the aldol addition process, enzymes with low diastereoselectivity will typically lead to a thermodynamically controlled mixture of erythro/threo-isomers that are difficult to separate. The thermodynamic origin of poor threo/erythro selectivity has most recently been turned to an asset by the design of a diastereoselective dynamic kinetic resolution process by coupling of L-ThrA and a diastereoselective L-tyrosine decarboxylase (Figure 10.47)... 

An unexpected result was obtained in the coupling of bis(3-alkoxypropyl)zincs with 152 [56] (Scheme 25). A substantial erosion in 1,3-anti selectivity was observed. The lower diastereoselectivity observed in these couplings may be a consequence of an equilibrium between the open-chain form (167) and the intramolecular chelated form (168) of the dialkylzinc, which increases the steric bulk about the C-Zn bond [57,58] (Fig. 6). As the steric bulk of the chelated form increases, addition from the less hindered equatorial trajectory begins to become competitive, and substantial amounts of the 5yn-l,3-diol synthon are generated. 

The couphng of N-substituted benzaldimines, mediated by the zinc-copper couple in the presence of (+)-camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) in DMF, was investigated. The best results were obtained for the imine 22, and the optimal balance of yield, diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity for the diamine 23 was obtained using 3equiv of (+)-CSA [17] (Schemes). How-... 

In the future, further studies should be addressed to improve the chemose-lectivity and diastereoselectivity of the reductive coupling process, especially searching for novel reagents and milder experimental conditions. As a matter of fact, a few novel reductive couphng procedures which showed improved efficiency and/or stereoselectivity have not been further apphed to optically active imines. For example, a new electrochemical procedure which makes use of the spatially addressable electrolysis platform with a stainless steel cathode and a sacrificial aluminum anode has been developed for imines derived from aromatic aldehydes, and the use of the N-benzhydryl substituent allowed 1,2-diamines to be obtained with good yields and dl-to-meso ratios... 

Moreover, a dramatic increase of the reaction rate was observed when the coupUng of aromatic imines mediated by samariiun diiodide was carried out in the presence of both water and a tertiary amine or tetramethylethylene-diamine (TMEDA) [29], causing the almost instantaneous formation of the 1,2-diamine, although with undetermined diastereoselectivity. Similarly, the samarium diiodide promoted reductive coupling of iminiiun ions formed in situ by reacting ahphatic aldehydes with secondary amines and benzotriazole occurred at temperatures as low as - 70 °C [30]. Even in this case a mixture of diastereomers with undetermined ratio was obtained nevertheless, the item of diastereoselectivity induced by a chiral amine (auxiliary) is worthy of investigation. 

Negishi E, Tan Z (2005) Diastereoselective, Enantioselective, and Regioselective Carbo-alumination Reactions Catalyzed by Zirconocene Derivatives. 8 139-176 Netherton M, Fu GC (2005)Pa]ladium-catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions of Unactivated Alkyl Electrophiles with Organometallic Compounds. 14 85-108 Nicolaou KC, King NP, He Y (1998) Ring-Closing Metathesis in the Synthesis of EpothUones and Polyether Natmal Products. 1 73-104 Nishiyama H (2004) Cyclopropanation with Ruthenium Catalysts. 11 81-92 Noels A, Demonceau A, Delaude L (2004) Ruthenium Promoted Catalysed Radical Processes toward Fine Chemistry. 11 155-171... 

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