Cyclohexanones stereoselective alkylation

In one of the first reported stereoselective alkylation reactions [18], Yamada described the use of a methyl prolinate as chiral auxiliary in the methylation of a cyclohexanone-derived enamine (Fig. 3 reaction D).The low stereoselectivity of the reaction clearly depends on the possibility for the alkylation to occur on a different conformation of the enamine, namely the one in which the C-C double bond is transoid to the stereocenter, that thus cannot exert any useful stereocontrol. 

The development of conditions for stoichiometric formation of both kinetically and thermodynamically controlled enolates has permitted the extensive use of enolate alkylation reactions in multistep synthesis of complex molecules. One aspect of the reaction which is crucial in many cases is the stereoselectivity. The alkylation step has a stereoelectronic preference for approach of the electrophile perpendicular to the plane of the enolate, since the electrons which are involved in bond formation are the n electrons. A major factor in determining the stereoselectivity of ketone enolate alkylations is the difference in steric hindrance on the two faces of the enolate. The electrophile will approach from the less hindered of the two faces, and the degree of stereoselectivity depends upon the steric differentiation. For simple, conformationally based cyclohexanone enolates such as that from 4 - /- b u ty I eye I o h cx an o ne, there is little steric differentiation. The alkylation product is a nearly 1 1 mixture of the cis and trans isomers. 

The nitration of enol acetates with acetyl nitrate is a regiospecific electrophilic addition to the 3-carbon of the enol acetate, followed by a hydrolytic conversion of the intermediate to the a-nitro ketone. With enol acetates of substituted cyclohexanones the stereochemistry is kinetically established. So, 1-acetoxy-4-methylcyclohexene (22) yields the thermodynamically less stable rrans-4-methyl-2-nitrocylo-hexanone (24) in greater proportion cis. trans = 40 60) (equation 8). This mixture can be equilibrated in favor of the thermodynamically more stable cis diastereomer (23) (cis. trans = 85 15). Nitration of 1-ace-toxy-3-methylcyclohexene (25) leads to frans-3-methyl-2-nitrocyclohexanone (26), which is also the thermodynamically more stable isomer (equation 9). No stereoselection occurs in the kinetically controlled nitration with acetyl nitrate of l-acetoxy-5-methylcyclohexene (27 equation 10), but the 1 1 mixture of the 5-methyl-2-nitrocyclohexanones can be equilibrated in favor of the trcms diastereomer (28) (cis trans = 10 90). 2-Alkyl-2-nitrocyclohexanones cannot be prepared in acceptable yields by nitration of the corresponding enol acetates with acetyl nitrate. 

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