Dihydroxylation of olefins

Asymmetric Sharpless dihydroxylation of olefins using catalysts supported by polymers with heterocyclic fragments 98EJ021. 

The cis dihydroxylation of olefins (10—>11, Scheme 2), one of organic chemistry s most venerable reactions, was first reported by Makowaka in 1908.9 It is also one of the most useful reactions, since it converts an olefin, itself a pivotal functional group, to a vicinal diol, another pivotal functional group present in many natural products and unnatural molecules. The original dihydroxyl-... 

Diols are applied on a multimilhon ton scale as antifreezing agents and polyester monomers (ethylene and propylene glycol) [58]. In addition, they are starting materials for various fine chemicals. Intimately coimected with the epoxidation-hydrolysis process, dihydroxylation of C=C double bonds constitutes a shorter and more atom-efficient route to 1,2-diols. Although considerable advancements in the field of biomimetic nonheme complexes have been achieved in recent years, still osmium complexes remain the most efficient and reliable catalysts for dihydroxylation of olefins (reviews [59]). 

Dapprich, S., Ujaque, G., Maseras, F., Lledos, A., Musaev, D. G., Morokuma, K., 1996, Theory Does Not Support an Osmaoxetane Intermediate in the Osmium-Catalyzed Dihydroxylation of Olefins , J. Am, Chem. Soc., 118, 11660. 

A photo-induced dihydroxylation of methacryamide by chromium (VI) reagent in aqueous solution was recently reported and may have potential synthetic applications in the syn-dihydroxylation of electron-deficient olefins.63 Recently, Minato et al. demonstrated that K3Fe(CN)6 in the presence of K2C03 in aqueous rm-butyl alcohol provides a powerful system for the osmium-catalyzed dihydroxylation of olefins.64 This combination overcomes the disadvantages of overoxidation and low reactivity on hindered olefins related to previous processes (Eq. 3.14). 

Another useful method for the asymmetric oxidation of enol derivatives is osmium-mediated dihydroxylation using cinchona alkaloid as the chiral auxiliary. The oxidation of enol ethers and enol silyl ethers proceeds with enantioselectivity as high as that of the corresponding dihydroxylation of olefins (vide infra) (Scheme 30).139 It is noteworthy that the oxidation of E- and Z-enol ethers gives the same product, and the E/Z ratio of the substrates does not strongly affect the... 

More than sixty years ago, Criegee reported that the dihydroxylation of olefins by osmium tetroxide was accelerated by the addition of a tertiary amine.165 166 Later, this discovery prompted the study of asymmetric dihydroxylation, because the use of an optically active tertiary amine was expected to increase the reaction rate (kc > k0) and to induce asymmetry (Scheme 41).167... 

The history of asymmetric dihydroxylation51 dates back 1912 when Hoffmann showed, for the first time, that osmium tetroxide could be used catalytically in the presence of a secondary oxygen donor such as sodium or potassium chlorate for the cA-dihydroxylation of olefins.52 About 30 years later, Criegee et al.53 discovered a dramatic rate enhancement in the osmylation of alkene induced by tertiary amines, and this finding paved the way for asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins. 

The first attempt to effect the asymmetric cw-dihydroxylation of olefins with osmium tetroxide was reported in 1980 by Hentges and Sharpless.54 Taking into consideration that the rate of osmium(VI) ester formation can be accelerated by nucleophilic ligands such as pyridine, Hentges and Sharpless used 1-2-(2-menthyl)-pyridine as a chiral ligand. However, the diols obtained in this way were of low enantiomeric excess (3-18% ee only). The low ee was attributed to the instability of the osmium tetroxide chiral pyridine complexes. As a result, the naturally occurring cinchona alkaloids quinine and quinidine were derived to dihydroquinine and dihydroquinidine acetate and were selected as chiral... 

Corey et al.66 have developed a bidentate chiral ligand 93 for asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins. As shown in Table 4-13, asymmetric dihydroxylation of a series of olefins using 93 as a chiral catalyst and OsCU as the oxidant gives good to excellent yield as well as good enantioselectivity in most cases. 

TABLE 4-14. Enantioselective Dihydroxylation of Olefins Using 0s04 92b R1 1.0s04,92b, -78 °C HO OH... 

Hirama and co-workers71 developed another chiral bidentate ligand 92 for OsCU-mediated dihydroxylation of /m .v-disubstituted and monosubstituted olefins. As shown in Table 4-14, asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins using (S,S)-(—)-92b as the chiral ligand provides excellent yield and enantioselectivity. 

Chiral compounds 91a and 91b, as shown in Table 4-15, were first reported by Jacobsen et al.55 for the asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins. These catalysts can be used for asymmetric dihydroxlation of a variety of substrates. 

TABLE 4-15. Asymmetric Dihydroxylation of Olefins with 0s04 Induced by 91a or 91b... 

Along with catalytic asymmetric epoxidation, the related dihydroxylation of olefins is another venerable catalytic enantioselective process that is widely used by the modern organic chemist. An application of this important transformation may be found in Corey s 1994 preparation of optically pure 109 (Scheme 16), an intermediate in Corey s 1985 total synthesis of ovalicin.1181 The catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation that affords 108 solves one of the most challenging problems in the total synthesis installment of the tertiary alcohol center with the appropriate relative and absolute stereochemistry. 

Figure 3. Schematic representation of the transition states for dihydroxylation of olefins catalyzed by the experimentally used Os04(DHQDZ) complex (left) and its simplified computational model Os04(NH]) (right).

Excitingly, the electrochemical Os-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins with Sharpless s ligands yielding the chiral diol (138) via the chiral adduct (137) has been reported [184]. The asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins (136) is performed by recycling a catalytic amount of potassium ferricyanide [K3Fe(CN)6] in the presence... 

Recently, effective chiral ligands for the enantioselective dihydroxylation of olefins have been intensively investigated. Among the reported asymmetric dihydroxylation systems, the superiority of an H20/f-Bu0H-K3Fe(CN)6/K2C03 system with chiral ligands, that is, dihydroquinidine (DHQD) and/or a dihydroquinine (DHQ) derivative, has been mentioned (see Sect. 15.2.4.7) [476]. 

H ASYMMETRIC EPOXIDATION AND DIHYDROXYLATION OF OLEFINIC DOUBLE BONDS... 

Enantioselective c -dihydroxylation of olefins using osmium catalyst in the presence of cinchona alkaloid ligands. 

New catalyst design further highlights the utility of the scaffold and functional moieties of the Cinchona alkaloids. his-Cinchona alkaloid derivative 43 was developed by Corey [49] for enantioselective dihydroxylation of olefins with OsO. The catalyst was later employed in the Strecker hydrocyanation of iV-allyl aldimines. The mechanistic logic behind the catalyst for the Strecker reaction presents a chiral ammonium salt of the catalyst 43 (in the presence of a conjugate acid) that would stabilize the aldimine already activated via hydrogen-bonding to the protonated quinuclidine moiety. Nucleophilic attack by cyanide ion to the imine would give an a-amino nitrile product (Scheme 10). 

In previous work, Corey used the free base form of 34 as an effective chiral ligand in the Os04-promoted dihydroxylation of olefins [90]. He later found that ammonium salt 34 catalyzed the addition of HCN to aromatic N-allyl imines (Scheme 5.50) [91]. The U-shaped pocket of the catalyst is essential in fixing the orientation of the hydrogen-bonded activated aldimine via n-n interactions. 

SCHEME 175. 0s04-catalyzed dihydroxylation of olefins with TBHP in the presence of Et4NOAc... 

SCHEME 178. Osmium-catalyzed catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins by H2O2 as terminal oxidant... 

A polymeric cinchona alkaloid-derived ligand 44 was prepared and used to catalyze the asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins (see the diagram below).66 Both aliphatic and aromatic olefins afforded diols with good enantioselectivities. 

Success in the use of Ti tartrate catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation depends on the presence of the hydroxyl group of the allylic alcohol. The hydroxyl group enhances the rate of the reaction, thereby providing selective epoxidation of the allylic olefin in the presence of other olefins it also is essential for the achievement of asymmetric induction. The role played by the hydroxyl group in this reaction is described in a later section of this chapter. The need for a hydroxyl group necessarily limits the scope of this asymmetric epoxidation to a fraction of all olefins. Fortunately, allylic alcohols are easily introduced into synthetic intermediates and are very versatile in organic synthesis. The Ti tartrate catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols has been applied extensively as documented in the literature and in this review. The development of methods aimed at catalytic asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins is described in Chapter 6B, whereas the catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins, which provides an alternate method for olefin functionalization, is described in Chapter 6D. 

The cis dihydroxylation of olefins mediated by osmium tetroxide represents an important general method for olefin functionalization [1,2]. For the purpose of introducing the subject of this chapter, it is useful to divide osmium tetroxide mediated cis dihydroxylations into four categories (1) the stoichiometric dihydroxylation of olefins, in which a stoichiometric equivalent of osmium tetroxide is used for an equivalent of olefin (2) the catalytic dihydroxylation of olefins, in which only a catalytic amount of osmium tetroxide is used relative to the amount of olefin in the reaction (3) the stoichiometric, asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins, in which osmium tetroxide, an olefinic compound, and a chiral auxiliary are all used in equivalent or stoichiometric amounts and (4) the catalytic, asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins. The last category is the focus of this chapter. Many features of the reaction are common to all four categories, and are outlined briefly in this introductory section. 

Asymmetric induction also occurs during osmium tetroxide mediated dihydroxylation of olefinic molecules containing a stereogenic center, especially if this center is near the double bond. In these reactions, the chiral framework of the molecule serves to induce the diastereoselectivity of the oxidation. These diastereoselective reactions are achieved with either stoichiometric or catalytic quantities of osmium tetroxide. The possibility exists for pairing or matching this diastereoselectivity with the face selectivity of asymmetric dihydroxylation to achieve enhanced or double diastereoselectivity [25], as discussed further later in the chapter. 

Osmium tetroxide is the traditional osmium species used in the dihydroxylation of olefins. For large-scale reactions, osmium tetroxide may be weighed and transferred as the solid. For many catalytic applications on a laboratory scale, the amount of osmium tetroxide required is too small to be weighed conveniently. In these cases, advantage can be taken of the solubility of osmium tetroxide in organic solvents by the preparation of a stock solution of known concentration and the use of an aliquot for the small-scale reaction. 

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