Enamines axial attack

The reactions of pyrrolidinocyelohexenes with acid have also been Considered from a stereochemical point of view. Deuteration of the 2-methylcyclohexanone enamine gave di-2-deuterio-6-methylcyclohexanone under conditions where ds-4-/-butyI-6-methyIpyrrolidinocycIohexene was not deuterated (2J4). This experiment supported the postulate of Williamson (2JS), which called for the axial attack of an electrophile and axial orientation of the 6 substituent on an aminocyclohexene in the transition state of such enamine reactions. These geometric requirements explain the more difficult alkylation of a cyclohexanone enamine on carbon 2, when it is substituted at the 6 position, as compared with the unsubstituted case. 

The origin of the observed 1,4-asymmetric induction in Michael reactions of chiral imines (Scheme 28) has been rationalized by conformational transmission of chirality. Thus, the phenethylamine auxiliary forces the cyclohexene part of the intermediate enamine into a half-chair conformation (140) that is 0.8 kcal mol-1 lower in energy than (141). Axial attack as shown then leads to the major product the energy difference between (140) and (141) roughly correlates with the observed diastereoselectivity ( 9 l).105... 

Alkylations of enolates, enamines, and silyl enol ethers of cyclohexanone usually show substantial preference for axial attack. The enamine of 4-f-butylcyclohexanone, which has a fixed conformation because of the i-butyl group, gives 90% axial alkylation and only 10% equatorial alkylation with n-Prl. 

The stereochemical course of the annulation process has been determined by reaction of acryloyl chloride with the morpholine enamine of 4-f-butyl-2-methylcyclohexanone. The bicyclic dione was obtained in 76% yield as a 4 1 mixture of two isomers (Scheme 150). X-ray analysis of the main isomer showed that reaction had occurred by axial attack from the same side as the C-2 methyl group. In order for regeneration of the enamine system to occur under conditions of stereoelectronic control, the intermediate ketene-iminium salt presumably adopts a twist conformation. Cyclization of the ketene... 

The morpholine enamine of fra/i.s-2-decalone exists as a 1 4 mixture of A1- and A2-isomers DAD reacts with the former by equatorial attack and the latter by axial attack351 (Scheme 177). In contrast, less electrophilic alkenes, such as / -nitrostyrene and phenyl vinyl ketone, react only with the A2-isomer at C-3 by axial attack (see Section III.B), unless sterically impeded. 

The preference for attack at the Cg-position can clearly be attributed to developing gauche butane interactions with the R-substituent for axial attack at C2, thus necessitating equatorial attack at Cj with consequent increase in the activation energy owing to developing non-bonded twist interactions in 60 (Scheme 41). In contrast to j9-nitrostyrene, 1-nitropropene undergoes both axial and equatorial attack on both 3- and 4-substituted cyclohexanone enamines, except for reaction at C2 of the 3-substituted enamine where only equatorial attack occurs . 

Enamines also react with electrophilic alkenes to give conjugate addition products. The addition reactions of enamines of cyclohexanones show a strong preference for attack from the axial direction.319 This is anticipated on stereoelectronic grounds because the tt orbital of the enamine is the site of nucleophilicity. 

Diethyl azodicarboxylate (DAD) behaves like a reactive electrophilic alkene and attack on a substituted cyclohexanone enamine can occur from an axial or equatorial direction depending on the steric effects in the transition state. For example, DAD reacts with 159 to give 160 by equatorial attack, together with 161 (ratio 1 9), whereas the... 

Under these conditions the stereoselectivity is higher, as the attack of the reagent occurs equatorially, leading to axial amines (72-92%). A comparison with the results of reduction of 4-f-butylcyclohexanone shows a complete inversion of stereoselectivity (16-27% of equatorial attack). Reductions of 2-alkylcyclohexanone enamines also proceed with high stereoselectivity, leading predominantly to the cis amines in the six-membered ring derivatives (66-96%), and almost exclusively in the case of the five-membered enamines (95-98%) (Scheme 84). The A1,3 strain112 in fact would shift the conformational equilibrium towards the axial (or pseudo xial) orientation of the substituent. 

On the basis of distribution of products obtained in these reactions with the change of solvents, temperature and molar ratio of reactants, a mechanism has been suggested for the anomalous annulation which does not involve an initial attack of the tetrasub-stituted isomer of the enamine (equation 16)51. Alkylation of the more stable cis isomer of the enamine (80) with methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) would afford zwitterion 81 (attack by the other side of the enamine leads to strong steric interactions in the transition state). Reaction of the thermodynamically less favorable trans isomer 83 gives rise to zwitterions 84 and 89 (both without axial-axial interactions), and ion 84 is sterically able to undergo intramolecular proton shift to afford enamine 85. Zwitterionic intermediates 81 and 89 can be stabilized by conversion to dihydropyrans 82 and 90, or protonated to immonium ions. The pair 81-82 will lead to enamine 85, while the pair 89-90 will afford enamine 91. Then, cyclization of 85 or 91 will afford the enone expected from the normal enamine version of the Robinson annulation. 

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