Catalysis enamine formation

This catalytic enamine formation is limited to aldehydes and ketones as starting materials - it does not appear to be possible to prepare corresponding enamines , i.e. A,0-ketene acetals, from esters in this fashion. Nevertheless, the preparation of simple, reactive nucleophiles from normally electrophilic species, aldehydes and ketones, in a catalytic fashion sounds highly attfactive. Furthermore, the catalytic nature of these reactions allows the use of chiral amines, and the further possibility that these reactions can be rendered enantioselective. Enamines react readily with a wide variety of electrophiles, and the range of reactions that can be catalyzed by enamine catalysis is summarized in Scheme 2. 

Catalytic Formation of Enamines 2.1 A Brief History of Enamine Catalysis... 

Alkyl-alkyl ketones are particularly challenging in enamine-catalysis due to reactivity and regioselectivity issues. These ketones are bad donors in the direct aldol reaction because the equihbrium constants for their formation are low (Scheme 3.9)... 

Michael addition via iminium catalysis and subsequent intramolecular Mannich cyclization via enamine catalysis allows the formation of carbocycles with high efficiencies (Scheme 7.27) [44]. 

The ability of enamines to form in situ generated radicals gives rise to an entirely new principle of activation and thus to a series of very usefijl and highly selective previously unknown C-C bond formation processes. Thus, enamine catalysis changed into SOMOsingly occupied molecular orbital) (Figure 4.2) [24]. For direct experimental evidence of an enamine radical cation in SOMO catalysis see Reference [25]. These types of transformations were extensively elaborated by the MacMillan group. The first steps in this new concept were accomplished by the formation of radicals of enamines of imidazoHdin-4-ones. 

When using aliphatic aldehydes tethered to arene motifs as substrates, an enan-tioselective sequential aza-hetero-Diels-Alder and Friedel-Crafts reaction was successfully achieved by the same group [63]. Similarly, optically active lactone[3,3-b] piperidine skeletons 140 can be obtained by tandem aza-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction-hemiacetal formation-oxidation from a,P-unsaturated imines 136 and glutaraldehyde (139) (Scheme 38.41) [64]. Enamine catalysis of the inverse-electron-demand aza-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction was further extended to o-benzoquinone diimide 141 by Chen s group [65]. Various hydroquinoxalinones 142 can be obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (Scheme 38.42). 

Cascade reactions triggered by the combination of chiral amines and achiral Brpnsted acid were well documented on the basis of enamine and iminium ion formation, while examples with the combination of a chiral amine catalyst and a chiral Brpnsted acid were rare, hi 2(X)7, Zhou and List reported an elegant cascade intramolecular aldol-reduction process to prepare chiral 3-substituted cyclohexyl-amines by combining achiral enamine catalysis and chiral phosphoric acid catalysis [38]. Unusually, achiral aryl primary amine was exploited as an amino catalyst to generate a transient enamine intermediate to facilitate an intramolecular aldolization-dehydration process, while chiral phosphoric acid was harnessed to accelerate the following conjugate reduction-reductive amination cascade. Starting from readily available 2,6-diketones and aryl amines, pharmaceutically relevant 3-substituted cyclohexyamine derivatives were readily produced in satisfactory yield and excellent enantioselectivity (Scheme 9.42). 

Reaction conditions depend on the reactants and usually involve acid or base catalysis. Examples of X include sulfate, acid sulfate, alkane- or arenesulfonate, chloride, bromide, hydroxyl, alkoxide, perchlorate, etc. RX can also be an alkyl orthoformate or alkyl carboxylate. The reaction of cycHc alkylating agents, eg, epoxides and a2iridines, with sodium or potassium salts of alkyl hydroperoxides also promotes formation of dialkyl peroxides (44,66). Olefinic alkylating agents include acycHc and cycHc olefinic hydrocarbons, vinyl and isopropenyl ethers, enamines, A[-vinylamides, vinyl sulfonates, divinyl sulfone, and a, P-unsaturated compounds, eg, methyl acrylate, mesityl oxide, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile (44,66). 

Enamines formed in this way may be distilled or used in situ. The ease of formation of the enamine depends on the structure of the secondary amine as well as the structure of the ketone. Thus pyrrolidine reacts faster than morpholine or piperidine, as expected from a rate-controlling transition state with imonium character. Six-membered ring ketones without a substituents form pyrrolidine enamines even at room temperature in methanol (20), and morpholine enamines are generated in cold acetic acid (21), but a-alkylcyclohexanones, cycloheptanone, and linear ketones react less readily. In such examples acid catalysis with p-toluenesulfonic acid or... 

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