Cycloaddition lanthanide Lewis acid catalyze

Dujardin et al. have reported the synthesis of simple optically pure mevalonolactone derivatives via a hetero Diels-Alder cycloaddition [92] (Scheme 48). The lanthanide Lewis acid-catalyzed hetero Diels-Alder cycloaddition of ferf-butyloxymethylenepyruvate 230 with a vinyl ether derived from mandelic acid 231 afforded a cycloadduct, which on hydrogenolysis gave the saturated adduct 232. This intermediate was then transformed into the mevalonolactone derivative 234 in a few steps through oxidation of a lactol intermediate 233. 

There have been few mechanistic studies of Lewis acid-catalyzed cycloaddition reactions with carbonyl compounds. Danishefsky et ah, for example, concluded that the reaction of benzaldehyde 1 with trans-l-methoxy-3-(trimethylsilyloxy)-l,3-di-methyl-1,3-butadiene (Danishefsky s diene) 2 in the presence of BF3 as the catalyst proceeds via a stepwise mechanism, whereas a concerted reaction occurs when ZnCl2 or lanthanides are used as catalysts (Scheme 4.3) [7]. The evidence of a change in the diastereochemistry of the reaction is that trans-3 is the major cycloaddition product in the Bp3-catalyzed reaction, whereas cis-3 is the major product in, for example, the ZnCl2-catalyzed reaction - the latter resulting from exo addition (Scheme 4.3). 

The use of Bu2BOTf or AICI3 led to increased yields of the cyclobutane product 2a, but production of the desilylated alcohol 2b was also observed with these catalysts (entries 2 and 3). Broad screening of a number of Lewis acids showed that EtAlCL and TiCL were the optimal catalysts, both serving to promote formation of cycloadduct 2a in 76 and 61% yields, respectively (entries 4 and 5). Diastereoselective formation of 2a occurred in these reactions, as was seen in the stoichiometric reactions reported earlier [10b]. Several Lewis acids, including Et2AlCl, Sn(OTf)2, SnCLt, TMSI, and InCL, were found to catalyze the formation of 2a and/or 2b, but in low yields (not shown in Table 4.1). On the contrary, no cyclobutane product is produced in reactions catalyzed by lanthanide Lewis acids and transition metal Lewis acids starting enol ether 1 or desilylated ketone 3 were recovered in these cases. Thus, these results indicated that EtAlCla is an efficient catalyst for catalytic [2+2] cycloaddition reaction. 

The 2-pyrones can behave as dienes or dienophiles depending on the nature of their reaction partners. 3-Carbomethoxy-2-pyrone (84) underwent inverse Diels-Alder reaction with several vinylethers under lanthanide shift reagent-catalysis [84] (Equation 3.28). The use of strong traditional Lewis acids was precluded because of the sensitivity of the cycloadducts toward decarboxylation. It is noteworthy that whereas Yb(OTf)j does not catalyze the cycloaddition of 84 with enolethers, the addition of (R)-BINOL generates a new active ytterbium catalyst which promotes the reactions with a moderate to good level of enantio selection [85]. 

There is the potential with some substrates that the Lewis acidity of the lanthanide ion can catalyze a reaction. For example, the addition of Eu(hfc)3 to a racemic mixture of dimethylpenta-2,3-dienoates (39) caused an enrichment of the (5 )-isomer °. Over nine days the mixture converted to an 89 11 mixture. Lanthanide tris( S-diketonates) are well known catalysts for Diels-Alder reactions, and NMR spectroscopy of the reactants with Eu(hfc)3 was used to understand the stereoselectivity of the europium-catalyzed cycloadditions . ... 

Kobayashi et al. found that lanthanide triflates were excellent catalysts for activation of C-N double bonds —activation by other Lewis acids required more than stoichiometric amounts of the acids. Examples were aza Diels-Alder reactions, the Man-nich-type reaction of A-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles with silyl enol ethers, the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to alkenes, the 1,2-cycloaddition of diazoesters to imines, and the nucleophilic addition reactions to imines [24], These reactions are efficiently catalyzed by Yb(OTf)3. The arylimines reacted with Danishefsky s diene to give the dihydropyridones (Eq. 14) [25,26], The arylimines acted as the azadienes when reacted with cyclopentadiene, vinyl ethers or vinyl thioethers, providing the tet-rahydroquinolines (Eq. 15). Silyl enol ethers derived from esters, ketones, and thio-esters reacted with N-(a-aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles to give the /5-amino carbonyl compounds (Eq. 16) [27]. The diastereoselectivity was independent of the geometry of the silyl enol ethers, and favored the anti products. Nitrones, prepared in situ from aldehydes and N-substituted hydroxylamines, added to alkenes to afford isoxazoli-dines (Eq. 17) [28]. Addition of diazoesters to imines afforded CK-aziridines as the major products (Eq. 18) [29]. In all the reactions the imines could be generated in situ and the three-component coupling reactions proceeded smoothly in one pot. 

The Lewis acidity of lanthanide complexes has been known for a long time. It was exploited extensively in their use as NMR shift reagents, mainly Eu(fod)3. They show strong affinity toward carbonyl oxygens and, therefore, have been widely used as catalysts for cycloaddition of dienes with aldehydes [25]. Moreover, the ability of catalytic amounts of lanthanide compoimds to activate coordinating nitriles as well as imines has also been recognized [26]. In recent years lanthanide (III) complexes have demonstrated clear effectiveness in catalyzing not only hetero-Diels-Alder reactions, but also Michael, aldol, Strecker and Friedel-Crafts acylation reactions [27]. 

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