Enantioselective oxidations dialkyl tartrates

The first practical method for asymmetric epoxidation of primary and secondary allylic alcohols was developed by K.B. Sharpless in 1980 (T. Katsuki, 1980 K.B. Sharpless, 1983 A, B, 1986 see also D. Hoppe, 1982). Tartaric esters, e.g., DET and DIPT" ( = diethyl and diisopropyl ( + )- or (— )-tartrates), are applied as chiral auxiliaries, titanium tetrakis(2-pro-panolate) as a catalyst and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (= TBHP, Bu OOH) as the oxidant. If the reaction mixture is kept absolutely dry, catalytic amounts of the dialkyl tartrate-titanium(IV) complex are suflicient, which largely facilitates work-up procedures (Y. Gao, 1987). Depending on the tartrate enantiomer used, either one of the 2,3-epoxy alcohols may be obtained with high enantioselectivity. The titanium probably binds to the diol grouping of one tartrate molecule and to the hydroxy groups of the bulky hydroperoxide and of the allylic alcohol... 

The asymmetric epoxidation of an allylic alcohol 1 to yield a 2,3-epoxy alcohol 2 with high enantiomeric excess, has been developed by Sharpless and Katsuki. This enantioselective reaction is carried out in the presence of tetraisopropoxyti-tanium and an enantiomerically pure dialkyl tartrate—e.g. (-1-)- or (-)-diethyl tartrate (DET)—using tcrt-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidizing agent. 

Enantiomerically pure sulfoxides play an important role in asymmetric synthesis either as chiral building blocks or stereodirecting groups [156]. In the last years, metal- and enzyme-catalyzed asymmetric sulfoxidations have been developed for the preparation of optically active sulfoxides. Among the metal-catalyzed processes, the Kagan sulfoxidation [157] is the most efficient, in which the sulfide is enantioselectively oxidized by Ti(OzPr)4/tBuOOH in the presence of tartrate as chirality source. However, only alkyl aryl sulfides may be oxidized by this system in high enantiomeric excesses, and poor enantioselectivities were observed for dialkyl sulfides. 

Ti(OPr )4/Bu OOH/tartrate ester (Sharpless oxidation) (titanium isopropoxide/t-butyl hydroperoxide dialkyl tartrate) Dichloromethane -20 enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols... 

In 1993, Shibuya and co-workers reported the stereoselective addition of DEHP to aldehydes to be catalysed by chiral complexes of titanium, specifically, dialkyl tartrate complexes of titanium that had been used previously with great success by Sharpless in the asymmetric oxidation of allylic alcohols (Scheme 9) [24]. Shibuya described moderate success in controlling enantioselectivities (<50% e.e.) with this extremely oxygen- and water-sensitive catalyst system. Rather large (10-20 mol %) catalyst loadings were required over a period of 15 h at 0 °C but the potential was definitely there. 

The Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols (one of the reactions that helped K. Barry Sharpless earn his part of the 2001 Nobel Prize) offers a good example of an enantioselective technique that can be used to create either enantiomer of an epoxide product. This reaction uses a diester of tartaric acid, such as diethyl tartrate (DET) or diisopropyl tartrate (DIPT), as the source of chirality. The dialkyl tartrate coordinates with the titanium tetraisopropoxide [Ti(Oi-Pr)4] catalyst and t-butyl hydroperoxide (r-BuOOH) to make a chiral oxidizing agent. Since both enantiomers of tartaric acid are commercially available, and each enantiomer will direct the reaction to a different prochiral face of the alkene, both enantiomers of an epoxide can be synthesized. 

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