Enantioselectivity chromium carbonyl complexes

Generally the reaction of unsaturated aldehydes (aromatic, olefmic and acetylenic) with chiral boronates has provided homoallylic alcohols in low to moderate enantioselectivity [124]. However, the enantioselectivity of the allyl- and 2-bu-tenylborations of benzaldehyde and unsaturated aldehydes is significantly improved when a metal carbonyl complex is utilized as the substrate [131]. For example, the reaction of iron carbonyl-complexed diene 225, chromium carbonyl-complexed benzaldehyde 226 and dicobalt hexacarbonyl-complexed acetylene 227 all give significantly increa.sed allyl and 2-butenylboration selectivities compared to the parent aldehydes (Fig. 10-6). In the case of chiral substrates 225 and 226, these species can be obtained in enantioenriched form by kinetic resolution by use of the asymmetric allylboration reaction. 

Chiral salen chromium and cobalt complexes have been shown by Jacobsen et al. to catalyze an enantioselective cycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds with dienes [22]. The cycloaddition reaction of different aldehydes 1 containing aromatic, aliphatic, and conjugated substituents with Danishefsky s diene 2a catalyzed by the chiral salen-chromium(III) complexes 14a,b proceeds in up to 98% yield and with moderate to high ee (Scheme 4.14). It was found that the presence of oven-dried powdered 4 A molecular sieves led to increased yield and enantioselectivity. The lowest ee (62% ee, catalyst 14b) was obtained for hexanal and the highest (93% ee, catalyst 14a) was obtained for cyclohexyl aldehyde. The mechanism of the cycloaddition reaction was investigated in terms of a traditional cycloaddition, or formation of the cycloaddition product via a Mukaiyama aldol-reaction path. In the presence of the chiral salen-chromium(III) catalyst system NMR spectroscopy of the crude reaction mixture of the reaction of benzaldehyde with Danishefsky s diene revealed the exclusive presence of the cycloaddition-pathway product. The Mukaiyama aldol condensation product was prepared independently and subjected to the conditions of the chiral salen-chromium(III)-catalyzed reactions. No detectable cycloaddition product could be observed. These results point towards a [2-i-4]-cydoaddition mechanism. 

Jacobsen et al. took an important step towards the development of a more general catalytic enantioselective cycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds by introducing chiral tridentate Schiff base chromium(III) complexes 15 (Scheme 4.15)... 

The major developments of catalytic enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl compounds with conjugated dienes have been presented. A variety of chiral catalysts is available for the different types of carbonyl compound. For unactivated aldehydes chiral catalysts such as BINOL-aluminum(III), BINOL-tita-nium(IV), acyloxylborane(III), and tridentate Schiff base chromium(III) complexes can catalyze highly diastereo- and enantioselective cycloaddition reactions. The mechanism of these reactions can be a stepwise pathway via a Mukaiyama aldol intermediate or a concerted mechanism. For a-dicarbonyl compounds, which can coordinate to the chiral catalyst in a bidentate fashion, the chiral BOX-copper(II)... 

Transition-metal-stabilized carbocations can be generated from functionalized butadieneiron carbonyl or arenechromium tricarbonyl complexes [92], Reactions of such carbocations formed from chiral complexes have been studied, but low selectivities are usually observed [526, 528, 535]. However, chromium tricarbonyl complexes derived from ephedrine 5.66 suffer cyclization in acidic medium. After decomplexation, c/s-tetrahydroquinolines are formed with a high diastereo-and enantioselectivity [540,542] (Figure 5.44). 

Silver(I) complexes with Tol-BINAP (270) were used by Yamamoto and coworkers for mediating diastereoselective and enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol additions. According to the authors conclusion, the mechanism does not involve transmetallation to silver enolates but follows the usual carbonyl group activation [135]. Hoveyda and coworkers used silver(II) fluoride in the presence of a dipeptide-type ligand for enantioselective additions of silyl enol ethers to a-keto esters [136]. The reaction of 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes was catalyzed with chromium salen complex in the presence of protic additives like isopropanol [137]. Various protocols of enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol reactions that use water as cosolvent have been elaborated ... 

Jacobsen and co-workers14 have shown that a tridentate Schiff base chromium complex 13 catalyzed an asymmetric carbonyl-ene reaction between a variety of aryl aldehydes (14, Equation (8)) and 2-methoxy propene 15 or 2-trimethylsiloxypropene. The highest yields were afforded when the aryl ring was substituted with an electron-withdrawing group however, the substituent did not seem to affect the enantioselectivity. 

Many other aminoalcohols and related compounds have been recommended as catalysts in enantioselective additions of organozinc reagents to aldehydes. Tri-carbonyl chromium complexation of the aryl ring of 1.14 (R = Me,n-Bu) can lead to improved enantioselectivities [1171], Other arenechromium carbonyl com-plexed aminoalcohols have also been proposed as Zn ligands [1172],... 

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