Enantioselective ketenes

Thiazolidine-substituted ketenes derived from cysteine and other chiral aminothiols have also been used successfully to generate spiro-P-lactams with excellent diastereoselectivity and, with a large enough substituent, high enantioselectivity." Ketenes derived from proline have been used similarly... 

A more eflicient and general synthetic procedure is the Masamune reaction of aldehydes with boron enolates of chiral a-silyloxy ketones. A double asymmetric induction generates two new chiral centres with enantioselectivities > 99%. It is again explained by a chair-like six-centre transition state. The repulsive interactions of the bulky cyclohexyl group with the vinylic hydrogen and the boron ligands dictate the approach of the enolate to the aldehyde (S. Masamune, 1981 A). The fi-hydroxy-x-methyl ketones obtained are pure threo products (threo = threose- or threonine-like Fischer formula also termed syn" = planar zig-zag chain with substituents on one side), and the reaction has successfully been applied to macrolide syntheses (S. Masamune, 1981 B). Optically pure threo (= syn") 8-hydroxy-a-methyl carboxylic acids are obtained by desilylation and periodate oxidation (S. Masamune, 1981 A). Chiral 0-((S)-trans-2,5-dimethyl-l-borolanyl) ketene thioketals giving pure erythro (= anti ) diastereomers have also been developed by S. Masamune (1986). 

Scheeren et al. reported the first enantioselective metal-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with alkenes in 1994 [26]. Their approach involved C,N-diphenylnitrone la and ketene acetals 2, in the presence of the amino acid-derived oxazaborolidinones 3 as the catalyst (Scheme 6.8). This type of boron catalyst has been used successfully for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions [27, 28]. In this reaction the nitrone is activated, according to the inverse electron-demand, for a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the electron-rich alkene. The reaction is thus controlled by the LUMO inone-HOMOaikene interaction. They found that coordination of the nitrone to the boron Lewis acid strongly accelerated the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with ketene acetals. The reactions of la with 2a,b, catalyzed by 20 mol% of oxazaborolidinones such as 3a,b were carried out at -78 °C. In some reactions fair enantioselectivities were induced by the catalysts, thus, 4a was obtained with an optical purity of 74% ee, however, in a low yield. The reaction involving 2b gave the C-3, C-4-cis isomer 4b as the only diastereomer of the product with 62% ee. 

Dipolar cydoadditions are one of the most useful synthetic methods to make stereochemically defined five-membered heterocydes. Although a variety of dia-stereoselective 1,3-dipolar cydoadditions have been well developed, enantioselec-tive versions are still limited [29]. Nitrones are important 1,3-dipoles that have been the target of catalyzed enantioselective reactions [66]. Three different approaches to catalyzed enantioselective reactions have been taken (1) activation of electron-defident alkenes by a chiral Lewis acid [23-26, 32-34, 67], (2) activation of nitrones in the reaction with ketene acetals [30, 31], and (3) coordination of both nitrones and allylic alcohols on a chiral catalyst [20]. Among these approaches, the dipole/HOMO-controlled reactions of electron-deficient alkenes are especially promising because a variety of combinations between chiral Lewis acids and electron-deficient alkenes have been well investigated in the study of catalyzed enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions. Enantioselectivities in catalyzed nitrone cydoadditions sometimes exceed 90% ee, but the efficiency of catalytic loading remains insufficient. 

High enantioselectivities may be reached using the kinetic controlled Michael addition of achiral tin enolates, prepared in situ, to a,/i-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by a chiral amine. The presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as an activator is required in these reactions236. Some typical results, using stoichiometric amounts of chiral amine and various enolates are given below. In the case of the l-(melhylthio)-l-[(trimethylsilyl)thio]ethene it is proposed that metal exchange between the tin(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate and the ketene acetal occurs prior to the 1,4-addition237,395. 

Dimerization of methylketene is catalyzed by an amine, trimethylsilylquinine, to give the P-lactone enantioselectively (Scheme 27) [129]. The catalyst amine attacks the ketene to form an ammonium enolate, an electron donating alkene. The donor is strong enough to react with a ketene across the C=0 bond. That is why the P-lactone is obtained instead of the 1,3-cyclobutandione, the uncatalyzed dimerization product of the monosubstituted ketene. 

In the first step, catalyst 64c attacks ketene 66 to form a zwitterionic enolate 71, followed by Mannich-type reaction with imine 76 (Fig. 40). A subsequent intramolecular acylation expels the catalyst under formation of the four-membered ring. Utilizing 10 mol% of 64c, N-Ts substituted (3-lactams 77 were prepared from symmetrically as well as unsymmetrically substituted ketenes 66, mainly, but not exclusively, with nonenolizable imines 76 as reaction partners [96]. Diastereos-electivities ranged from 8 1 to 15 1, yields from 76 to 97%, and enantioselectivities from 81 to 94% ee in the case of aliphatic ketenes 66 or 89 to 98% ee for ketenes bearing an aromatic substituent. Applying complexes 65 or the more bulky and less electron-rich 64b, ee values below 5% were obtained. 

Dai X, Nikkei T, Romero JAC, Fu GC (2007) Enantioselective synthesis of protected amines by the catalytic asymmetric addition of hydrologic acid to ketenes. Angew Chem Int Ed 46 4367 369... 

Hodous BL, Fu GC (2002) Enantioselective addition of amines to ketenes catalyzed by a planar-chiral derivative of PPY possible intervention of chiral Bronsted-acid catalysis. J Am Chem Soc 124 10006-10007... 

Zhang YR, He L, Wu X, Shao PL, Ye S (2008) Chiral N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed Staudinger reaction of ketenes with imines highly enantioselective synthesis of W-Boc P-lactams. Org Lett 10 277-280... 

Berlin JM, Eu GC (2008) Enantioselective nucleophilic catalysis the synthesis of Aza-P-lactams through [2 -I- 2] cycloadditions of ketenes with azo compounds. Angew Chem Int Ed 120 7156-7158... 

Dochnahl M, Fu GC (2009) Catalytic asymmetric cycloaddition of ketenes and nitroso compounds enantioselective synthesis of a-hydroxycarboxylic acid derivatives. Angew Chem Int Ed 48 2391-2393... 

Mermerian AH, Fu GC (2005) Nucleophile-catalyzed asymmetric acylations of silyl ketene imines application to the enantioselective synthesis of verapamil. Angew Chem Int Ed 44 949-952... 

Mermerian AH, Fu GC (2005) Catalytic enantioselective construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters synthesis and mechanistic studies of the C-acylation of silyl ketene acetals. J Am Chem Soc 127 5604—5607... 

An interesting switch in enantioselectivity is observed with variation of the A-snbstituent of the NHC nsed to catalyse the [4+2] addition of ketenes and A-aryl-A-benzoyldiazenes. For example, A-phenyl-snbstituted NHC 212 (Ar = Ph) gave (R)-215 in 84% ee in the reaction with ethylphenyUcetene and iV-phenyl-iV-benzoyldiazene 213, while A-mesityl-substituted NHC 214 (Ar = Mes) gave (S)-211 in 76% yield and 96% ee (Scheme 12.45) [81],... 

Whilst the addition of a chiral NHC to a ketene generates a chiral azolium enolate directly, a number of alternative strategies have been developed that allow asymmetric reactions to proceed via an enol or enolate intermediate. For example, Rovis and co-workers have shown that chiral azolium enolate species 225 can be generated from a,a-dihaloaldehydes 222, with enantioselective protonation and subsequent esterification generating a-chloroesters 224 in excellent ee (84-93% ee). Notably, in this process a bulky acidic phenol 223 is used as a buffer alongside an excess of an altemativephenoliccomponentto minimise productepimerisation (Scheme 12.48). An extension of this approach allows the synthesis of enantiomericaUy emiched a-chloro-amides (80% ee) [87]. 

The existence of ketenes was established over a hundred years ago, and, in recent years, asymmetric synthesis based on [2 + 2] cycloadditions of ketenes with carbonyl compounds to form chiral p-lactones has been achieved with high yields and high stereoselectivities. In 1994, Miyano et al. reported the use of Ca-symmetric bis(sulfonamides) as ligands of trialkylaluminum complexes to promote the asymmetric [2 + 2] cycloaddition of ketenes with aldehydes. The corresponding oxetanones were obtained in good yields and enantioselectivities... 

As an extension of this work, these authors have applied this catalyst system to vinylogous asymmetric Mukaiyama-type aldol reactions, involving silyl vinyl ketene acetals and pyruvate esters. These reactions afforded the corresponding y,5-unsaturated a-hydroxy diesters with quaternary centres in high yields and enantioselectivities of up to 99% ee (Scheme 10.25). It was shown that the presence of CF3CH2OH as an additive facilitated the turnover of the catalyst. 

This and similar catalysts are effective with silyl ketene acetals and silyl thioketene acetals.155 One of the examples is the tridentate pyridine-BOX-type catalyst 18. The reactivity of this catalyst has been explored using a- and (3-oxy substituted aldehydes.154 a-Benzyloxyacetaldehyde was highly enantioselective and the a-trimethylsilyoxy derivative was weakly so (56% e.e.). Nonchelating aldehydes such as benzaldehyde and 3-phenylpropanal gave racemic product. 3-Benzyloxypropanal also gave racemic product, indicating that the (i-oxy aldehydes do not chelate with this catalyst. 

Scheme 2.9 gives some examples of use of enantioselective catalysts. Entries 1 to 4 are cases of the use of the oxazaborolidinone-type of catalyst with silyl enol ethers and silyl ketene acetals. Entries 5 and 6 are examples of the use of BEMOL-titanium catalysts, and Entry 7 illustrates the use of Sn(OTf)2 in conjunction with a chiral amine ligand. The enantioselectivity in each of these cases is determined entirely by the catalyst because there are no stereocenters adjacent to the reaction sites in the reactants. 

Unsaturated acyl derivatives of oxazolidinones can be used as acceptors, and these reactions are enantioselective in the presence of chiral to-oxazoline catalysts.321 Silyl ketene acetals of thiol esters are good reactants and the stereochemistry depends on the ketene acetal configuration. The Z-isomer gives higher diastereoselectivity than the Zf-isomer. 

A number of other chiral catalysts can promote enantioselective conjugate additions of silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals, and related compounds. For example, an oxazaborolidinone derived from allothreonine achieves high enantioselectivity in additions of silyl thioketene acetals.323 The optimal conditions for this reaction also include a hindered phenol and an ether additive. 

A recent synthesis of P-D lactone (Scheme 13.51) used an enantioselective catalytic approach. A conjugate addition of a silyl ketene acetal derived from an unsaturated ester gave an unsaturated lactone intermediate. The catalyst is CuF-(S )-tol-BINAP.30 The catalytic cycle for the reaction is shown below. 

Fig. 32. Dendritically enlarged diamines 90-92 and benzylated ligand 93 (DDB analogs) in the enantioselective addition of methanol to ketene using 0.01 equiv. catalyst [114]...

Chiral bis-phosphine acylplatinum complex 210 with a strong acid such as TfOH serves as an effective enantio-selective catalyst for aldol-type reactions of aldehydes with ketene silyl acetals (Equation (127)).486 The presence of water and oxygen in the catalyst preparation step is required to obtain the highly enantioselective catalyst. The intermediacy of a C-bound platinum enolate was suggested by IR and 31P NMR spectroscopies. 

In the synthesis of D-eryt/zro-sphingosine (78 without BOC protection), the key step is the asymmetric aldol reaction of trimethylsilylpropynal 75 with ke-tene silyl acetal 76 derived from a-benzyloxy acetate. The reaction was carried out with 20 mol% of tin(II) triflate chiral diamine and tin(II) oxide. Slow addition of substrates to the catalyst in propionitrile furnishes the desired aldol adduct 77 with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (syn/anti = 97 3, 91% ee for syn). In the synthesis of protected phytosphingosine (80, OH and NH2 protected as OAc and NHAc, respectively), the asymmetric aldol reaction is again employed as the key step. As depicted in Scheme 3-27, the reaction between acrolein and ketene silyl aectal 76 proceeds smoothly, affording the desired product 80 with 96% diastereoselectivity [syn/anti = 98 2) and 96% ee for syn (Scheme 3-27).50... 

The Lewis acid catalyst 53 is now referred to as the Narasaka catalyst. This catalyst can be generated in situ from the reaction of dichlorodiisopropoxy-titanium and a diol chiral ligand derived from tartaric acid. This compound can also catalyze [2+2] cycloaddition reactions with high enantioselectivity. For example, as depicted in Scheme 5-20, in the reaction of alkenes bearing al-kylthio groups (ketene dithioacetals, alkenyl sulfides, and alkynyl sulfides) with electron-deficient olefins, the corresponding cyclobutane or methylenecyclobu-tene derivatives can be obtained in high enantiomeric excess.18... 

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