Cross-aldolization

AldolRea.ctlons, In the same way, hydroxybenzaldehydes react readily with aldehydes and ketones to form a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the Claisen-Schmidt or crossed-aldol condensation (60). 

Butyraldehyde undergoes stereoselective crossed aldol addition with diethyl ketone [96-22-0] ia the presence of a staimous triflate catalyst (14) to give a predominantiy erythro product (3). Other stereoselective crossed aldol reactions of //-butyraldehyde have been reported (15). 

Trimethylolpropane (TMP), the reduced crossed aldol condensation product of //-butyraldehyde and formaldehyde, competes in many of the same markets as glycerol (qv) and pentaerythritol. The largest market for TMP is as a precursor in unsaturated polyester resins, short-oil alkyds, and urethanes for surface coatings (see Alkyd resins). 

Methyl amyl ketone, derived from the crossed aldol condensation of -butyraldehyde and acetone, is used predominandy as a high soHds coatings solvent. It is also employed as a replacement for the very toxic 2-ethoxyethyl acetate [111 -15-9J. 

The principal markets for neopentyl glycol (NPG), the hydrogenated, crossed aldol condensation product of isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde, are in water-borne and alkyd-surface coatings. 

Stannous triflate is an efficient catalyst for aldol-type condensations [ 23, 124, 125 Under conditions of kinetic control, it provides excellent diastereo-selectivity in various cross-aldol reactions (equation 61)... 

A different situation is found in the case of crossed aldol reactions, which are also called Claisen-Schmidt reactions. Here the problem arises, that generally a mixture of products might be obtained. 

From a mixture of two different aldehydes, each with a-hydrogens, four different aldols can be formed—two aldols from reaction of molecules of the same aldehyde -I- two crossed aldol products not even considering possible stereoisomers (see below). By taking into account the unsaturated carbonyl compounds which could be formed by dehydration from the aldols, eight different reaction products might be obtained, thus indicating that the aldol reaction may have preparative limitations. 

If only one of the two aldehydes has an a-hydrogen, only two aldols can be formed and numerous examples have been reported, where the crossed aldol reaction is the major pathway. For two different ketones, similar considerations do apply in addition to the unfavorable equilibrium mentioned above, which is why such reactions are seldom attempted. 

An analogous reaction has been carried out using malononitrile and different products derived by a Cross-Aldol reaction of acetone (Scheme 32). The cyclic furanimide 91 was then reacted under microwave irradiation in the presence of NaOEt with a second molecule of malononitrile to give the furanone 92 [66]. The NLO chromophore 93 was prepared using this procedure. 

The coupling of a secondary alcohol 1 with a primary alcohol 2 is achieved by the temporary removal of from each substrate which generates the ketone 3 and aldehyde 4 intermediates. A crossed aldol condensation occurs under the reaction conditions by the enolate derived from ketone 3 undergoing nucleophilic addition... 

The reaction of an a-halo carbonyl compound with zinc, tin, or indium together with an aldehyde in water gave a direct cross-aldol reaction product (Eq. 8.90).226,227 A direct Reformatsky-type reaction occurred when an aromatic aldehyde reacted with an a-bromo ester in water mediated by zinc in low yields. Recently, it was found that such a reaction mediated by indium was successful and was promoted by son-ication (Eq. 8.91).228 The combination of BiCl3-Al,229 CdCl2-Sm,230 and Zn-Et3B-Eb0231 is also an effective mediator. Bismuth metal, upon activation by zinc fluoride, effected the crossed aldol reaction between a-bromo carbonyl compounds and aldehydes in aqueous media. The reaction was found to be regiospecific and syn-diastereoselective (Eq. 8.92).232... 

The crossed aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with carbonyl compounds (Mukaiyama-aldol) was studied by Lubineau and co-workers... 

Crossed aldol condensations, where both aldehydes (or other suitable carbonyl compounds) have a-H atoms, are not normally of any preparative value as a mixture of four different products can result. Crossed aldol reactions can be of synthetic utility, where one aldehyde has no a-H, however, and can thus act only as a carbanion acceptor. An example is the Claisen-Schmidt condensation of aromatic aldehydes (98) with simple aliphatic aldehydes or (usually methyl) ketones in the presence of 10% aqueous KOH (dehydration always takes place subsequent to the initial carbanion addition under these conditions) ... 

TiIV compounds also work well at promoting cross-aldol reactions between two different aldehydes and/or ketones without prior activation or protection (Scheme 19).74 Claisen condensation and Knoevenagel condensation are promoted by TiX4, an amine, and trimethylsilyl triflate.75-77... 

For example, large rate enhancements have been reported in the synthesis of chal-cones by crossed-aldol condensations in open vessels, suggesting the participation of specific MW effects [41]. The chalcone 24 was synthesized from cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde in ethanol, in the presence of a catalytic amount of sodium hydroxide (Scheme 4.13), in a MW oven in 90% yield in only 1 min. 

Crossed aldol condensation of an anion generated a- to a ketone equivalent with o, /3-unsaturated aldehyde, dehydration and release of the ketone is an effective way of generation of dienones. Corey and Enders found that a-lithiated /V,/V-dirnethylhydrazones undergo 1,2-addition to the aldehydes and ketones to form /1-hydroxy derivatives. Sequential treatment of the intermediate with sodium periodate and methanesulphonyl chloride-triethylamine furnishes , -2,4-dienone derivative (equation 57)94. 

Intermolecular cross aldolization of metallo-aldehyde enolates typically suffers from polyaldolization, product dehydration and competitive Tishchenko-type processes [32]. While such cross-aldolizations have been achieved through amine catalysis and the use of aldehyde-derived enol silanes [33], the use of aldehyde enolates in this capacity is otherwise undeveloped. Under hydrogenation conditions, acrolein and crotonaldehyde serve as metallo-aldehyde enolate precursors, participating in selective cross-aldolization with a-ketoaldehydes [24c]. The resulting/ -hydroxy-y-ketoaldehydes are highly unstable, but may be trapped in situ through the addition of methanolic hydrazine to afford 3,5-disubstituted pyridazines (Table 22.4). 

TABLE 20. Effects of solvent on cross-aldol reactions249... 

Silylation using the silylacetate (3.1.14) [49] involves the initial formation of the acetate carbanion, which abstracts a proton from the carbonyl compound or alcohol (Scheme 3.2, Table 3.5). When the reaction with a ketone is conducted in the presence of an aldehyde, crossed aldol products are obtained (see Chapter 6). 

In the crossed aldol condensation between carbonyl partners there are four possible product stereoisomers (eq. [1]). Consequently, there are two stereochemical aspects associated with the reaction The first deals with internal stereochemical control or diastereoselec-tion [A( ) vs. B( )], and the second deals with absolute stereochemi-... 

In the Mukaiyama cross-aldol reaction, an aldehyde and a ketene silyl acetal [e.g. (43)] react via Lewis acid catalysis to give a jS-silyloxy ester (44). The reaction... 

A possible mechanism for the P-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols catalyzed by a 1/base system is illustrated in Scheme 5.28. The first step of the reaction involves oxidation of the primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones, accompanied by the transitory generation of a hydrido iridium species. A base-mediated cross-aldol condensation then occurs to give an a,P-unsaturated ketone. Finally, successive transfer hydrogenation of the C=C and C=0 double bonds of the a,P-unsaturated ketone by the hydrido iridium species occurs to give the product. 

Ketones can also be used as one component in the cross aldol reactions. 

The aldol reaction as formulated above involves two molecules of the starting substrate. However, by a consideration of the mechanism, one can see that different carbonyl compounds might be used as nucleophile or electrophile. This would be termed a mixed aldol reaction or crossed aldol reaction. However, if one merely reacted, say, two aldehydes together under basic conditions, one would get a... 

A nondirect enantioselective cross-aldol reaction between two discrete aldehyde components has been achieved see Denmark, S. E. Ghosh, S. K. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 4759 762. 

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