Enamine-Intermolecular Addition Cascades

Enamine-intermolecular Addition Cascades It was suggested that the intermediate y-nitroaldehyde 91 in Scheme 1.31 might react with an aldehyde via an oxo-Henry sequence, and subsequent hemiacetalization would provide tetrahydropy-ran derivatives. Uehara et al. [50] and Iskikawa et al. [51] realized this hypothesis independently through a four-component reaction in one pot to furnish highly substituted tetrahydropyran derivatives 102 with excellent diastereo- and enantioselec-tivity (up to 98 2 dr and 99% ee) (Scheme 1.35). These two methods are complementary because anti-Michael products were synthesized using catalyst 101 [50], while syn-Michael products were obtained with diphenylprolinol silyl ether catalyst 34 [51]. 

In each of the tandem iminium ion/enamine cascade processes described above, the enamine is trapped in an intramolecular fashion. The ability to perform the trapping seQuence in an intermolecular manner would allow for the one—pot introduction of three points of diversity. IVIacNlillan has realised this goal and described a series of secondary amine catalysed conjugate addition—enamine trapping sequences with oc P Unsaturated aldehydes using tryptophan derived imidazolidinone 115 to give the products in near perfect enantiomeric excess (Scheme 47) [178]. 

A mechanism for the piperazine-catalyzed formation of 4//-chromenes is complex cascade of reactions, starting with piperazine acting as a base which activates malononitrile, promoting Knoevenagel condensation, and also formation of an enamine, followed by Michael condensation, proton transfer, intermolecular cycliza-tion via a nucleophilic addition of the enolate oxygen to the nitrile group (hetero-Thorpe-Ziegler), and finally hydrolysis and tautomerization. 

More recently, Enders et al. disclosed a facile access to tetracyclic double annulated indole derivatives 175, which basically relies on the chemistry of the acidic 2-substituted indole and its nitrogen nucleophilicity. Indeed, the employed quadruple cascade is initiated by the asymmetric aza-Michael-type A-alkylation of indole-2-methylene malono-nitrile derivative 174 to o,p-unsaturated aldehydes 95 under iminium activation (Scheme 2.57). The next weU-known enamine-iminium-enamine sequence, which practically is realized with an intramolecular Michael addition followed by a further intermolecular Michael and aldol reactions, gives access to the titled tetracyclic indole scaffold 175 with A-fused 5-membered rings annulated to cyclohexanes in both diastereo- and enantioselectivity [83]. 

Design of Enamine-Enamine Cascades Three possible active sites (e.g., carbonyl group, nucleophilic a- and Y-positions) of enamine catalysis product 4 or 6 (Figure 1.1) can be further functionalized via a second enamine process in a cascade manner. Taking advantage of the electrophilic carbonyl in 4 and 6, intermolecular enamine-enamine (Scheme 1.3a) and enamine-enamine cyclization (Scheme 1.3b) cascades could be possible. In addition, the a-position of the same (Scheme 1.3c) or different (Scheme 1.3d, e.g., Robinson annulation) carbonyl group can be subjected to a second enamine process. 

Design of Enomine-Cyclization Cascade Reactions The nucleophilic Y in intermediate 6 can react with other electrophiles intermolecularly (Scheme 1.34a) or intramolecularly (Scheme 1.34b) as well as with the iminium ion. Moreover, the carbonyl group of 6 can also undergo intramolecular aldol reaction with nucleophilic X (Scheme 1.34c). These nucleophilic addition reactions after enamine catalysis induce cyclization reactions to produce versatile five- or six-membered ring structures. 

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