Enals activation

Northrup and MacMillan extended the iminium-mediated Diels-Alder reactions to a,p-unsaturated ketones using a new chiral amine catalyst (Schane 1.43) [66]. They found that cycloaddition of a,P-unsaturated ketones was unsuccessful with the chiral amine salts previously identified as excellent catalysts for enal activation. In contrast, the 2-(5-methylfuryl)-derived imidazolidinone 118 afforded good levels of enantiofacial discrimination while maintaining high reaction efficiency (89% yield, 25 1 endo/exo, 90% ee). 

A more practical BLA has been designed to improve the scope of dienophiles in reactions with less reactive dienes. 3,5-Bis(trifluromethyl)-phenylboronic acid (80) was chosen as the Lewis acidic metal component in the new BLAs 77-79. These new BLAs show higher catalytic activity in enantioselective cycloaddition of both a-substituted and a-unsubstituted a,/ -enal with various dienes. 

In 1998, Carreira reported that a catalyst formed from Tol-BINAP, Cu(OTf)2, and 2 equiv of Bu4N+ Ph3SiF2 (TBAT), a soluble fluoride source, was extremely effective in mediating the aldol reaction between a silyldienolate and aromatic or vinyl aldehydes (254). Although initially formulated as a Cu(II) catalyst, subsequent evidence has shown that the active catalyst is a Cu(I) phosphine complex. By using only 2 mol% of the complex, excellent yields and enantioselectivities are observed with a range of aromatic aldehydes (93-95% ee, 86-98% yield), along with some enals (cinnamaldehyde provided the aldol adduct in 83% yield and 85% ee), Eq. 221. 

In the phosphonium salt synthesis, the addition reaction of tertiary phosphines to activated alkenes has been reported (Scheme 3). PPh3 is added to electron-deficient alkenes such as enones or enals at the p-position in the presence of acids.4 The reaction of styrenes with phosphine has recently been reported by Okuma, which gave Markovnikov adducts.5 Although no catalyzed reactions of... 

Complex hydrides have been used rather frequently for the conjugate reduction of activated dienes92-95. Just and coworkers92 found that the reduction of a,ft-unsaturated ketene 5,5-acetals with lithium triethylborohydride provided mixtures of 1,4- and 1,6-reduction products which were transformed into enals by treatment with mercuric salts (equation 27). Likewise, tetrahydro-3//-naphthalen-2-ones can be reduced with L-Selectride to the 1,6-reduction products93 -95 this reaction has been utilized in the stereoselective synthesis of several terpenes, e.g. of (/ )-(—)-ligularenolide (equation 28)95. Other methods for the conjugate reduction of acceptor-substituted dienes involve the use of methylcopper/diisobutylaluminum hydride96 and of the Hantzsch ester... 

Diastereomerically pure iridium complexes of the formula [(ri -C5Me5)lr (/ )-Pro-phos (activated alkene)](SbF6)2 (activated alkene = enal, methacrylonitrile) are active, and selective catalysts for the DCR between one point binding activated alkenes and nitrones. Enals coordinate to the metal in a completely diastereoselec-tive way with a restricted geometry. From the point of view of the selectivity, a key point in enal coordination is the establishment of CH/n-attractive interactions between the CHO aldehyde proton and one (f )-Prophos phenyl group. This interaction fixes the methacrolein rotamer around the M-O bonds and renders the system enantioselective. 

The above-mentioned complexes are the sole iridium derivatives applied to DCR, and the cycloaddition of nitrones to enals or methacrylonitrile, the unique process studied. We think that iridium-based catalysts are underrepresented in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition chemistry. For example, no iridium (1) systems have been developed to this end. It can be anticipated that the (bidentate ligand)lr(l) fragment could be active (and stereoselective if chiral bidentate ligands are used) in DCR such as those involving azomethine ylides. 

The ruthenium-catalyzed direct addition of saturated aliphatic alcohols to non-activated alkynes remains a challenge. Only ally alcohol has been successfully involved in the intermolecular addition to phenylacetylene to produce an ether and the enal resulting from Claisen rearrangement (Equation 10.7) [24]. Thus, in refluxing toluene, in the presence of a catalytic amount of RuCl(tris(pyrazolyl) borate) (pyridine)2, a 1 1 mixture of ally P-styryl ether and 2-phenylpent-4-enal was obtained in 72% overall yield. 

Alkaline silver oxide is the most satisfactory reagent for oxidation of the aldehyde 3 to the acid 4.2 This reagent has been recommended for oxidation of aryl aldehydes (1,1012-1013), but only moderate yields have been reported for oxidation of a,/ -enals with Ag20.3 Apparently, the successful results in the oxidation of 3 are the result of the activating effect of the keto group. 

The normally sluggish Diels-Alder cycloaddition between cyclohexa-1,3-diene and various enones and enals can be activated by precoordination of the diene to a jt-basic molybdenum complex TpMo(NO)MeIm(//-cyclohexadiene)].134 The 4-1-2-cycloaddition of cyclohexa-2,4-dienones with electron-deficient 2n -dienophiles produced bridged bicyclo[2.2.2]octenones. Triplet-sensitized irradiation of these bridged bicyclooctenones produced bicyclo[3.3.0]octanoids, whereas direct irradiation yielded bicyclo[4.2.0]octanes.135... 

The MacMillan catalysts (42, 45), the Jorgensen catalyst (51), and proline itself can promote Michael additions by iminium ion formation with the acceptor enal or enone (A, Scheme 4.22). Secondary amines can also activate a carbonyl donor by enamine formation (Scheme 4.22, B) [36, 37]. 

Enantioselective organocatalytic cyclopropanations have been performed using directed electrostatic activation conditions.164 Using a new class of iminium catalysts, cyclopropanation has been conducted with enals but not electron deficient alkenes, such as unsaturated nitrile, nitro, or alkylidene malonate systems. 

A novel method for enantioselective organocatalytic cyclopropanation has been developed, using a new class of iminium intermediates and based on the concept of directed electrostatic activation (DEA). This novel organocatalytic mechanism exploits dual activation of ylide (153) and enal (152) substrates through the formation of the iminium intermediate (155) and electrostatic activation (156). The resulting (g) trisubstituted cyclopropanes (157) were obtained with high levels of enantio- and diastereo-control.180... 

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