Deprotonation alkyllithium preparation

When 2-lithio-2-(trimethylsilyl)-l,3-dithiane,9 formed by deprotonation of 9 with an alkyllithium base, is combined with iodide 8, the desired carbon-carbon bond forming reaction takes place smoothly and gives intermediate 7 in 70-80% yield (Scheme 2). Treatment of 7 with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) results in the formation of a lactam enolate which is subsequently employed in an intermolecular aldol condensation with acetaldehyde (6). The union of intermediates 6 and 7 in this manner provides a 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric trans aldol adducts 16 and 17, epimeric at C-8, in 97 % total yield. Although stereochemical assignments could be made for both aldol isomers, the development of an alternative, more stereoselective route for the synthesis of the desired aldol adduct (16) was pursued. Thus, enolization of /Mactam 7 with LDA, as before, followed by acylation of the lactam enolate carbon atom with A-acetylimidazole, provides intermediate 18 in 82% yield. Alternatively, intermediate 18 could be prepared in 88% yield, through oxidation of the 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric aldol adducts 16 and 17 with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) in... 

Since different reactivity is observed for both the stoichiometric and the catalytic version of the arene-promoted lithiation, different species should be involved in the electron-transfer process from the metal to the organic substrate. It has been well-established that in the case of the stoichiometric version an arene-radical anion [lithium naph-thalenide (LiCioHg) or lithium di-ferf-butylbiphenylide (LiDTBB) for using naphthalene or 4,4 -di-ferf-butylbiphenyl (DTBB) as arenes, respectively] is responsible for the reduction of the substrate, for instance for the transformation of an alkyl halide into an alkyllithium . For the catalytic process, using naphthalene as the arene, an arene-dianion 2 has been proposed which is formed by overreduction of the corresponding radical-anion 1 (Scheme 1). Actually, the dianionic species 2 has been prepared by a completely different approach, namely by double deprotonation of 1,4-dihydronaphthalene, and its X-ray structure determined as its complex with two molecules of N,N,N N tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA). ... 

Meyers and Shimano discovered the unusual deprotonation behavior of ethoxy-vinyllithium-HMPA complex (EVL-HMPA) for the deprotonation of the trans-oxazoline 366 and the cw-oxazoline 367. The EVL-HMPA complex is prepared by deprotonation of ethyl vinyl ether with ferf-butyllithium in THE followed by addition of HMPA. Reaction of the frani-oxazoline 366 with both the EVL-HMPA complex and conventional alkyllithium reagents (RLi) resulted in deprotonation at the benzylic 5-position. In contrast, deprotonation of 367 occurred at the 4-position with an alkyllithium reagent RLi, whereas benzylic deprotonation predominated with the EVL-HMPA complex (Scheme 8.117). ° The authors proposed that EVL-HMPA complexes with the 5-phenyl substituent prior to deprotonation. 

Iron-acyl enolates, such as 2, prepared by x-deprotonation of the corresponding acyl complexes with lithium amides or alkyllithiums, are nearly always generated as fs-enolates which suffer stereoselective alkylation while existing as the crmt-conformer which places the carbon monoxide oxygen anti to the enolate oxygen (see Section 1.1.1.3.4.1.). These enolates react readily with strong electrophiles, such as primary iodoalkanes, primary alkyl sulfonates, 3-bromopropenes, (bromomethyl)benzenes and 3-bromopropynes, a-halo ethers and a-halo carbonyl compounds (Houben-Weyl, Volume 13/9 a, p 413) (see Table 6 for examples). 

Carbamoyllithiums can be prepared by four general methods (a) Lithium amides car-bonylation (b) deprotonation of formamides with alkyllithiums (c) tellurium-lithium or chlorine-lithium exchange and (d) tin-lithium transmetallation. 

For example, the reaction of methyllithium (from bromomethane) with dibromomethane and cyclohexene gave 7-bromobicyclo[4.1.0]heptane in 0.35-1% yield only. Alternatively, the reaction of bromoform with methyllithium (from chloromethane) and cyclohexene gave a mixture of 7,7-dibromo- (7%) and 7-bromobicyclo[4.1.0]heptane (1%). There are many competitive reactions observed in the dihalomethane or haloform and alkyllithium systems deprotonation, halogen-metal exchange in substrates and in intermediates, alkylation etc. (for examples see refs 28 and 29). These processes are described in detail in Houben-Weyl, Vol. 4/3, pp 225-228 and Vol. E19b, pp 1601-1602. Therefore, the reaction of dibromomethane or bromoform with an alkyllithium and an alkene cannot be seriously considered as a viable preparative synthesis of bromocyclopropanes. 

Lithio-heterocycles have proved to be the most useful organometallic derivatives they react with the whole range of electrophiles in a manner exactly comparable to that of aryllithiums and can often be prepared by direct metallation (C-hydrogen deprotonation), as well as by halogen exchange between a halo-heterocycle and an alkyllithium. As well as reaction with carbon electrophiles, Uthiated species are often the most convenient source of heterocyclic derivatives of less electropositive metals, such as zinc, boron, silicon and tin, as will be seen in the following sections. 

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