Dienolates equatorial alkylation

As shown in Scheme 34, a rather profound solvent effect on dienolate alkylation diastereoselectivity has been noted for the steroidal enone (71). Such large solvent effects have not been documented for other systems. Possible explanations based upon the position of the transition state along the reaction coordinate and/or specific solvation of the dienolate have been advanced to account for preferential axial alkylation in benzene and equatorial alkylation in t-butyl alcohol.However, in view of the fact that the degree of aggregation of the dienolate as well as the structure of the aggregates may be modified considerably in going from one solvent to the other, rationalization of the results is difficult. 

Stoik et al. have shown that heteroannular extended dienolates such as (73), which contain substituents at both the a- and y-positions, undergo predominantly equatorial alkylation (Scheme 35). The dienolate (73) was product by lithium-ammonia reduction of the tricyclic dienone (72) and the product of its alkylation wiA I-bromo-3-chloro-2-butene and hydrolysis of the resulting enol ether, i.e. (74), was a key intermediate in a short, highly stereoselective synthesis of ( )-adrenosterone. It was pointed out that equatorial alkylation is obtained with dienolates such as (73) and related compounds brcause a peri interaction (Me OMe) of the a- and y-substituents forces the ring a to adopt a half-boat conformation in which the a-face of the ir-system is accessible to attack. 

The stereochemistry of alkylations of extended dienolates of enones such as (70) has been extensively investigated (Scheme 33).In general, the results are similar to those found for the related decalone enolates (43a) and (44), i.e. steric factors within the anion play a dominant role. Thus, axial attack is preferred with (70 R = H), but equatorial attack is strongly favored when an angular methyl group is present (70 R = Me). There is a modest preference for axial alkylation when an angular ethoxycarbonyl... 

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