1.3- Diol systems, asymmetric synthesis

The asymmetric oxidation of organic compounds, especially the epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, aziridination, and related reactions have been extensively studied and found widespread applications in the asymmetric synthesis of many important compounds. Like many other asymmetric reactions discussed in other chapters of this book, oxidation systems have been developed and extended steadily over the years in order to attain high stereoselectivity. This chapter on oxidation is organized into several key topics. The first section covers the formation of epoxides from allylic alcohols or their derivatives and the corresponding ring-opening reactions of the thus formed 2,3-epoxy alcohols. The second part deals with dihydroxylation reactions, which can provide diols from olefins. The third section delineates the recently discovered aminohydroxylation of olefins. The fourth topic involves the oxidation of unfunc-tionalized olefins. The chapter ends with a discussion of the oxidation of eno-lates and asymmetric aziridination reactions. 

Fujita and Yamaguchi et a. reported a new method for the N-heterocyclization of primary amines with diols catalyzed by the l/NaHC03 system, and its application to the asymmetric synthesis of (S)-2-phenylpiperidine [61], The representative results of the reaction of primary amines with diols are summarized in Table 5.11. As shown in entry 1, the reaction of benzylamine with 1,4-butanediol at 110°C for... 

In conclusion, the chiral salen Co(III) complexes immobilized on Si-MCM-41 colud be synthesized by multi-grafting method. The asymmetric synthesis of diols from terminal olefins was applied with success using a hybrid catalyst of Ti-MCM-41/chiral Co(III) salen complexes. The olefins are readily oxidized to racemic epoxides over Ti-MCM-41 in the presence of oxidants such as TBHP, and then these synthesized diols are generated sequentially by epoxide hydrolysis on the salen Co(lll) complexes. This catalytic system may provide a direct approach to the synthesis of enantioselective diols from olefins. 

The 1,1-binaphthyl ring system is a key component of a number of chiral ligands that have been used as catalysts for asymmetric synthesis <1992S503>. Chemo- and stereoselective (. )-stannepin-catalyzed monobenzoylation of terminal 1,2-diols 312 afforded ( -enantiomer-enriched 2-benzoylated diols 313 in moderate selectivity. Only a trace of 1-benzoylated diols 314 was observed (Equation 55). Thus, the method was successfully applied to kinetic resolution of racemic 1-phenyl-1,2-ethanol using a chiral organotin catalyst <2000JOC996>. 

Over the past few years, an impressive array of epoxide hydrolases has been identified from microbial sources. Due to the fact that they can be easily employed as whole-cell preparations or crude cell-free extracts in sufficient amounts by fermentation, they are just being recognized as highly versatile biocatalysts for the preparation of enantiopure epoxides and vicinal diols. The future will certainly bring an increasing number of useful applications of these systems to the asymmetric synthesis of chiral bioactive compounds. As for all enzymes, the enantioselectivity of... 

Mukaiyama reported an asymmetric synthesis of ABC ring system of 8-demethyltaxoids from optically active eight-memberedring compound 100. The 1,3-diol in 101 was protected... 

Aldehydes and ketones could be asymmetrically a-amino-oxylated [36, 37] or a-aminated [38] to corresponding poly-functional compounds 8 and 9 by proline-catalyzed reactions with nitrosobenzene or diethyl azodicarboxylate in molten imidazoUum salts (Scheme 22.5). As compared to those in common solvents, the yields of a-aminoxylation products 8 of both aldehydes and ketones improved significantly in the IL medium and the enantioselectivity was excellent Yields and enantiomeric enrichment of hydrazino-aldehydes 9 were somewhat lower. The ionic environment considerably accelerated the processes and the (S)-proline/IL system could be quantitatively recovered after completion of the aminoxylation reaction and reused (5-6 times) without any loss of catalytic performance. Aldehyde-derived products 8 and 9 (R = H) could be reduced to chiral 1,2-diol derivatives 10 or configurationally stable heterocycles 11, which are valuable intermediates in asymmetric synthesis. 

Unlike epoxides, these five-membered heterocyclics have received scant attention from organic chemists. But the recent catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of alkenes (14, 237-239), which is now widely applicable (this volume), and the ready access to optically active natural 1,2-diols has led to study of these compounds, including a convenient method for synthesis. They are now generally available by reaction of a 1,2-diol with thionyl chloride to form a cyclic sulfite of a 1,2-diol, which is then oxidized in the same flask by the Sharpless catalytic Ru04 system, as shown in equation I.1... 

The development of simple systems that allow for the asymmetric oxidation of allyl alcohols and simple alkenes to epoxides or 1,2-diols has had a great impact on synthetic methodology as it allows for the introduction of functionality with concurrent formation of one or two stereogenic centers. This functionality can then be used for subsequent reactions tliat usually fall into the substitution reaction class. Because these transition metal catalysts do not require the use of low temperatures to ensure high degrees of induction, they can be considered robust. However, the sometimes low catalyst turnover numbers and the synthesis of the substrate can still be crucial economic factors. Aspects of asymmetric oxidations are discussed in Chapter 12. 

As industrial important anodic addition reaction can be mentioned the synthesis of chiral 1,2-diols by indirect electrolysis. This reaction can be carried out, using a double mediator system consisting of ferricyanide and osmium tetroxide in the presence of chiral ligands. As an alternative to ferricyanide, electrogenerated iodine may be used. This reaction can be seen as an electrochemical variant of the asymmetric bishydroxylation introduced by Sharpless (Fig. 9-5). 

A number of other asymmetric enolate protonation reactions have been described using chiral proton sources in the synthesis of a-aryl cyclohexanones. These include the stoichiometric use of chiral diols [68] and a-sulfinyl alcohols [69]. Other catalytic approaches involve the use of a BlNAP-AgF complex with MeOH as the achiral proton source, [70] a chiral sulfonamide/achiral sulfonic acid system [71,72] and a cationic BINAP-Au complex which also was extended to acyclic tertiary a-aryl ketones [73]. Enantioenriched 2-aryl-cyclohexanones have also been accessed by oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols, kinetic resolution of racemic 2-arylcyclohexanones via an asymmetric Bayer-Villiger oxidation [74] and by arylation with diaryhodonium salts and desymmetrisation with a chiral Li-base [75]. 

To be accurate, the definition should be restricted to asymmetric reactions catalyzed by a combination of l,r-binaphthalene-2,2 -diol (BINOL, 4) and Ti(0 -Pr)4. Nonetheless, this chapter will give some background on non-chiral Lewis acid promoters, and include other asymmetric catalytic systems. We will not discuss the allylations that are promoted by Lewis bases, which are reviewed elsewhere, nor cover the reactions with other electrophiles. Excellent reviews already exist on "Selective Reactions Using Allylic MetaM and Catalytic Enantioselective Addition of Allylic Organometallic Reagents to Aldehydes and Ketones , as well as in the comprehensive monograph "Modern Carbonyl Chemistry. The use of BINOL-based catalysts in other fields of organic synthesis has also been reviewed. ... 

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