Enantioselective direct Mannich reaction mechanism

Figure 3.2 Assumed mechanism of enantioselective direct Mannich reaction catalyzed by chiral phosphoric acid.

List gave the first examples of the proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric three-component Mannich reactions of ketones, aldehydes, and amines (Scheme 14) [35], This was the first organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction. These reactions do not require enolate equivalents or preformed imine equivalent. Both a-substituted and a-unsubstituted aldehydes gave the corresponding p-amino ketones 40 in good to excellent yield and with enantiomeric excesses up to 91%. The aldol addition and condensation products were observed as side products in this reaction. The application of their reaction to the highly enantioselective synthesis of 1,2-amino alcohols was also presented [36]. A plausible mechanism of the proline-catalyzed three-component Mannich reaction is shown in Fig. 2. The ketone reacts with proline to give an enamine 41. In a second pre-equilib-... 

The similarity between mechanisms of reactions between proline- and 2-deoxy-ribose-5-phosphate aldolase-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions with acetaldehyde suggests that a chiral amine would be able to catalyze stereoselective reactions via C-H activation of unmodified aldehydes, which could add to different electrophiles such as imines [36, 37]. In fact, proline is able to mediate the direct catalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction with unmodified aldehydes as nucleophiles [38]. The first proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric Mannich-type reaction between aldehydes and N-PMP protected a-ethyl glyoxylate proceeds with excellent chemo-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity (Eq. 9). 

Chen and coworkers employed the cinchona alkaloid-derived catalyst 26 to direct Mannich additions of 3-methyloxindole 24 to the A-tosylimine 25 to afford the all-carbon quaternary center of oxindole 27 with good enantioselectivity (84% ee) [22]. The outcome of this Mannich reaction is notable in that it provided very good selectivity for the anti diastereomer (anti/syn 94 6). The mechanism of asymmetric induction has been suggested to involve a hydrogen bonding network between the cinchona alkaloid 26, the oxindole enolate of 24, and the imine electrophile 25 (Scheme 7). Asymmetric allylic alkylation of oxindoles with Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates has been reported by the same group [23]. 

---