Lewis-Acid Catalyzed Diels-Alder Reaction

Similar to the Diels-Alder reaction, Lewis acid-catalyzed approaches were applied to intra- and intermolecular ene reactions, which served to diminish the temperatures required to promote the reaction and improved the selectivity. For example, reaction of 2-Me-2-propene with methyl propiolate provided a mixture of 24 and 25 at 220 °C, but proved higher yielding and more regioselective providing exclusively 24 when a Lewis acid was used. ... 

Among the various methods available for the activation of dienes in a Diels-Alder reaction, Lewis acid catalysis is certainly the most important. Our group has reported the first example of a Diels-Alder reaction catalyzed by Bi(0Tf)3xH20 (Scheme 12) [72], which showed high catalytic activity and regioselectivity in comparison to other Sc-, Ti-, Sm-, or Yb-metal-based Lewis acids, well-known for their efficient catalytic activity. Bi(OTf)3 proved to be slightly more endo-selective than Sc(OTf)3. Further, no polymerisation of dienes or dienophiles was observed. Bi(OTf)3 was also found to be superior to SnCI4 and Cu(BF4)2. 

The joining of a double or triple bond to an alkene reactant having a transferable allylic hydrogen is called an ene reaction ". The reverse process is called a retro-ene reaction. Like Diels-Alder reactions, Lewis acids such as AICI3 or BF3 can catalyze ene reactions. 

Dipolar cydoadditions are one of the most useful synthetic methods to make stereochemically defined five-membered heterocydes. Although a variety of dia-stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cydoadditions have been well developed, enantioselec-tive versions are still limited [29]. Nitrones are important 1,3-dipoles that have been the target of catalyzed enantioselective reactions [66]. Three different approaches to catalyzed enantioselective reactions have been taken (1) activation of electron-defident alkenes by a chiral Lewis acid [23-26, 32-34, 67], (2) activation of nitrones in the reaction with ketene acetals [30, 31], and (3) coordination of both nitrones and allylic alcohols on a chiral catalyst [20]. Among these approaches, the dipole/HOMO-controlled reactions of electron-deficient alkenes are especially promising because a variety of combinations between chiral Lewis acids and electron-deficient alkenes have been well investigated in the study of catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions. Enantioselectivities in catalyzed nitrone cydoadditions sometimes exceed 90% ee, but the efficiency of catalytic loading remains insufficient. 

As in the case of Diels-Alder reactions, aqueous aza-Diels-Alder reactions are also catalyzed by various Lewis acids such as lanthanide triflates.113 Lanthanide triflate-catalyzed imino Diels-Alder reactions of imines with dienes or alkenes were developed. Three-component aza-Diels-Alder reactions, starting from aldehyde, aniline, and Danishefsky s diene, took place smoothly under the influence of HBL4 in aqueous media to afford dihydro-4-pyridone derivatives in high yields (Eq. 12.46).114... 

Some Diels-Alder reactions are also catalyzed by high concentrations of LiC104 in ether.15 This catalysis may be a reflection of Lewis acid complexation of Li+ with the dienophile.16 Other cations can catalyze Diels-Alder reactions of certain dienophiles. For... 

Engberts and co-workers (Otto et al., 1996) reported a detailed study of a Diels-Alder reaction that was catalyzed by Lewis acids in water. They presented the results of the effects of Co Ni, Cu and Zn ions as Lewis acid catalysts on the rate and endo-exo selectivity of the DA reaction between the bidentate dienophiles 3-phenyl-l-(2-pyridyl)-2-propen-l-ones and cyclopentadiene in water (see fig. 6.6). Relative to the uncatalyzed reaction in acetonitrile, catalysis by 0.010 M Cu(N03)2 in water accelerates the Diels-Alder reaction by a factor of 79,300. Water does not induce an enhanced endo-selectivity for this reaction. 

This reported hetero Diels-Alder reaction [32] is catalyzed by Lewis acids and is likely to work also when performed as a 3CR instead of isolating the azomethine... 

On the other hand, C-2 substituted dienes produce para-adducts as the major product. For example, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene reacts with methylacrylate to give 8.8 in a major amount. Diels-Alder reactions can be catalyzed by Lewis acids and there may be improvement in yield of 8.8 product (Scheme 8.1). 

Figure 2. Structures of dienophiles investigated by Mayoral et al. in Diels-Alder reactions with cyclopentadiene catalyzed by Lewis acids supported on alumina or silica. Reference numbers are given in square parentheses.

However, for liquid phase reactions, it is very difficult to correlate the results wiHi BrOnsted or Lewis acidity as the reaction conditions used are different from those used for characterization. When the Diels-Alder reaction is conducted in a solvent, it appears that the maximum for the activity of HY zeolites is obtained for a Si/Al ratio of 15. This maximum was also observed for esterification of carboiQ lic acids (14), methylthiolation of phenol with dimethyldisulfide (15), acylation of toluene with benzoic acids (15) or dehydration of fhictose (15), and in solvents such as alcohols, water or hydrocarbons. If we assume that Lewis species are transformed to Brdnsted ones in the presence of water as solvent, this would thus mean that the Diels-Alder reaction is preferentially catalyzed by BrSnsted species, the maximum observed at Si/Al=15 for HY zeolites being a good balance between the niunber 6ind the strength of the protonic species. 

As with bimolecular cycloaddition, the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction can be catalyzed by Lewis acid [127-129]. In one case, it was reported that trifluoroacetic acid catalyzed cycloaddition [130]. 

Lewis acids catalyze Diels-Alder reactions. Do they enhance overlap between diene and dienophile orbitals and/ or do they reduce the HOMO/LUMO energy difference ... 

Catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions are presented by Hayashi, who takes as the starting point the synthetically useful breakthrough in 1979 by Koga et al. The various chiral Lewis acids which can catalyze the reaction of different dieno-philes are presented. Closely related to the Diels-Alder reaction is the [3-1-2] carbo-cyclic cycloaddition of palladium trimethylenemethane with alkenes, discovered by Trost and Chan. In the second chapter Chan provides some brief background information about this class of cycloaddition reaction, but concentrates primarily on recent advances. The part of the book dealing with carbo-cycloaddition reactions is... 

Catalytic enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions are covered by the editors of the book. Chapter 4 is devoted to the development of hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds and activated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by many different chiral Lewis acids and Chapter 5 deals with the corresponding development of catalytic enantioselective aza-Diels-Alder reactions. Compared with carbo-Diels-Alder reactions, which have been known for more than a decade, the field of catalytic enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of carbonyl compounds and imines (aza-Diels-Alder reactions) are very recent. 

Gothelf presents in Chapter 6 a comprehensive review of metal-catalyzed 1,3-di-polar cycloaddition reactions, with the focus on the properties of different chiral Lewis-acid complexes. The general properties of a chiral aqua complex are presented in the next chapter by Kanamasa, who focuses on 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones, nitronates, and diazo compounds. The use of this complex as a highly efficient catalyst for carbo-Diels-Alder reactions and conjugate additions is also described. 

Asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions using a dienophile containing a chiral auxiliary were developed more than 20 years ago. Although the auxiliary-based Diels-Alder reaction is still important, it has two drawbacks - additional steps are necessary, first to introduce the chiral auxiliary into the starting material, and then to remove it after the reaction. At least an equimolar amount of the chiral auxiliary is, moreover, necessary. After the discovery that Lewis acids catalyze the Diels-Alder reaction, the introduction of chirality into such catalysts has been investigated. The Diels-Alder reaction utilizing a chiral Lewis acid is truly a practical synthetic transformation, not only because the products obtained are synthetically useful, but also because a catalytic amount of the chiral component can, in theory, produce a huge amount of the chiral product. 

The Chiral Lewis Acid-catalyzed Diels-Alder Reaction 7... 

The Chiral Lewis Acid-catalyzed Diels-Alder Reaction 9 Fig. 1.1 CAB catalyst 3 and methacrolein Me... 

To overcome these problems with the first generation Brmsted acid-assisted chiral Lewis acid 7, Yamamoto and coworkers developed in 1996 a second-generation catalyst 8 containing the 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenylboronic acid moiety [10b,d] (Scheme 1.15, 1.16, Table 1.4, 1.5). The catalyst was prepared from a chiral triol containing a chiral binaphthol moiety and 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)phenylboronic acid, with removal of water. This is a practical Diels-Alder catalyst, effective in catalyzing the reaction not only of a-substituted a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, but also of a-unsubstituted a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes. In each reaction, the adducts were formed in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivity. It also promotes the reaction with less reactive dienophiles such as crotonaldehyde. Less reactive dienes such as isoprene and cyclohexadiene can, moreover, also be successfully employed in reactions with bromoacrolein, methacrolein, and acrolein dienophiles. The chiral ligand was readily recovered (>90%). 

Table 1.7 Asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions catalyzed by super Lewis acid 9 [11 ...

A great advantage of catalyst 24b compared with other chiral Lewis acids is that it tolerates the presence of ester, amine, and thioether functionalities. Dienes substituted at the 1-position by alkyl, aryl, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur all participate effectively in the present asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction, giving adducts in over 90% ee. The reaction of l-acetoxy-3-methylbutadiene and acryloyloxazolidinone catalyzed by copper reagent 24b, affords the cycloadduct in 98% ee. The first total synthesis of ewt-J -tetrahydrocannabinol was achieved using the functionalized cycloadduct obtained [23, 33e] (Scheme 1.39). 

In all the reactions described so far a chiral Lewis acid has been employed to promote the Diels-Alder reaction, but recently a completely different methodology for the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction has been published. MacMillan and coworkers reported that the chiral secondary amine 40 catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction between a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes and a variety of dienes [59]. The reaction mechanism is shown in Scheme 1.73. An a,/ -unsaturated aldehyde reacts with the chiral amine 40 to give an iminium ion that is sufficiently activated to engage a diene reaction partner. Diels-Alder reaction leads to a new iminium ion, which upon hydrolysis af-... 

Below is a table of asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions of a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by chiral Lewis acids 1-17 (Fig. 1.10, 1.11). The amount of catalyst, reaction conditions (temperature, time), chemical yield, endojexo selectivity, and optical purity are listed (Table 1.32). 

Chiral boron(III) Lewis acid catalysts have also been used for enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl compounds [17]. The chiral acyloxylborane catalysts 9a-9d, which are also efficient catalysts for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions [17, 18], can also catalyze highly enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of aldehydes with activated dienes. The arylboron catalysts 9b-9c which are air- and moisture-stable have been shown by Yamamoto et al. to induce excellent chiral induction in the cycloaddition reaction between, e.g., benzaldehyde and Danishefsky s dienes such as 2b with up to 95% yield and 97% ee of the cycloaddition product CIS-3b (Scheme 4.9) [17]. 

To achieve catalytic enantioselective aza Diels-Alder reactions, choice of metal is very important. It has been shown that lanthanide triflates are excellent catalysts for achiral aza Diels-Alder reactions [5]. Although stoichiometric amounts of Lewis acids are often required, a small amount of the triflate effectively catalyzes the reactions. On the basis of these findings chiral lanthanides were used in catalytic asymmetric aza Diels-Alder reactions. The chiral lanthanide Lewis acids were first developed to realize highly enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions of 2-oxazolidin-l-one with dienes [6]. 

Scheeren et al. reported the first enantioselective metal-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with alkenes in 1994 [26]. Their approach involved C,N-diphenylnitrone la and ketene acetals 2, in the presence of the amino acid-derived oxazaborolidinones 3 as the catalyst (Scheme 6.8). This type of boron catalyst has been used successfully for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions [27, 28]. In this reaction the nitrone is activated, according to the inverse electron-demand, for a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the electron-rich alkene. The reaction is thus controlled by the LUMO inone-HOMOaikene interaction. They found that coordination of the nitrone to the boron Lewis acid strongly accelerated the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with ketene acetals. The reactions of la with 2a,b, catalyzed by 20 mol% of oxazaborolidinones such as 3a,b were carried out at -78 °C. In some reactions fair enantioselectivities were induced by the catalysts, thus, 4a was obtained with an optical purity of 74% ee, however, in a low yield. The reaction involving 2b gave the C-3, C-4-cis isomer 4b as the only diastereomer of the product with 62% ee. 

Most Lewis acid-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reactions belong to the interactions outlined to the left in Fig. 8.1 and in the following only theoretical calculations of this type will be considered. 

The carbo-Diels-Alder reaction of acrolein with butadiene (Scheme 8.1) has been the standard reaction studied by theoretical calculations in order to investigate the influence of Lewis acids on the reaction course and several papers deal with this reaction. As an extension of an ab-initio study of the carbo-Diels-Alder reaction of butadiene with acrolein [5], Houk et al. investigated the transition-state structures and the origins of selectivity of Lewis acid-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reactions [6]. Four different transition-state structures were considered (Fig. 8.4). Acrolein can add either endo (N) or exo (X), in either s-cis (C) or s-trans (T), and the Lewis acid coordinates to the carbonyl in the molecular plane, either syn or anti to the alkene. 

The mechanism of the carbo-Diels-Alder reaction has been a subject of controversy with respect to synchronicity or asynchronicity. With acrolein as the dieno-phile complexed to a Lewis acid, one would not expect a synchronous reaction. The C1-C6 and C4—C5 bond lengths in the NC-transition-state structure for the BF3-catalyzed reaction of acrolein with butadiene are calculated to be 2.96 A and 1.932 A, respectively [6]. The asynchronicity of the BF3-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reaction is also apparent from the pyramidalization of the reacting centers C4 and C5 of NC (the short C-C bond) is pyramidalized by 11°, while Cl and C6 (the long C-C bond) are nearly planar. The lowest energy transition-state structure (NC) has the most pronounced asynchronicity, while the highest energy transition-state structure (XT) is more synchronous. 

The endo exo selectivity for the Lewis acid-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reaction of butadiene and acrolein deserves a special attention. The relative stability of endo over exo in the transition state accounts for the selectivity in the Diels-Alder cycloadduct. The Lewis acid induces a strong polarization of the dienophile FMOs and change their energies (see Fig. 8.2) giving rise to better interactions with the diene, and for this reason, the role of the possible secondary-orbital interaction must be considered. Another possibility is the [4 + 3] interaction suggested by Singleton... 

In a combined experimental and theoretical investigation it was found that the / -alkyl group in the dienophile gave a steric interaction in the transition-state structure which supported the asynchronous transition-state structure for the Lewis acid-catalyzed carbo- and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. The calculated transition-state energies were of similar magnitude as obtained in other studies of these BF3-catalyzed carbo-Diels-Alder reactions. 

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