Enantioselectivity external reagents

This chapter deals mainly with the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of three 1,3-dipoles azomethine ylides, nitrile oxides, and nitrones. These three have been relatively well investigated, and examples of external reagent-mediated stereocontrolled cycloadditions of other 1,3-dipoles are quite limited. Both nitrile oxides and nitrones are 1,3-dipoles whose cycloaddition reactions with alkene dipolarophiles produce 2-isoxazolines and isoxazolidines, their dihydro derivatives. These two heterocycles have long been used as intermediates in a variety of synthetic applications because their rich functionality. When subjected to reductive cleavage of the N—O bonds of these heterocycles, for example, important building blocks such as p-hydroxy ketones (aldols), a,p-unsaturated ketones, y-amino alcohols, and so on are produced (7-12). Stereocontrolled and/or enantiocontrolled cycloadditions of nitrones are the most widely developed (6,13). Examples of enantioselective Lewis acid catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions are summarized by J0rgensen in Chapter 12 of this book, and will not be discussed further here. 

Control of reaction selectivities with external reagents has been quite difficult. Unsolved problems remaining in the held of nitrile oxide cycloadditions are (a) Nitrile oxide cycloadditions to 1,2-disubstituted alkenes are sluggish, the dipoles undergoing facile dimerization to furoxans in most cases (b) the reactions of nitrile oxides with 1,2-disubstituted alkenes nonregioselective (c) stereo- and regiocontrol of this reaction by use of external reagents are not yet well developed and (d) there are few examples of catalysis by Lewis acids known, as is true for catalyzed enantioselective reactions. 

The most successful of the Lewis acid catalysts are oxazaborolidines prepared from chiral amino alcohols and boranes. These compounds lead to enantioselective reduction of acetophenone by an external reductant, usually diborane. The chiral environment established in the complex leads to facial selectivity. The most widely known example of these reagents is derived from the amino acid proline. Several other examples of this type of reagent have been developed, and these will be discussed more completely in Section 5.2 of part B. 

The cyclopropanation of alkenes using external stoichiometric chiral additives can be divided according to their general mechanistic scheme into two classes. The enantios-elective cyclopropanation of allylic alcohols, in which a pre-association between the corresponding zinc alkoxide and the zinc reagent probably takes place, constitutes the first class. The second class involves the enantioselective cyclopropanation of unfunctionalized alkenes. The latter implies that there will be no association between the reagent and the alkene through alkoxide formation. 

Reagent-control strategy (external control) Powerful enantiomerically pure catalysts or auxiliaries are used for constructing chiral molecules in a diastereo- and enantioselective manner. Using this strategy, it is often possible to enhance or reverse... 

The Michael-type addition reaction of a carbonucleophile with an activated olefin constitutes one of the most versatile methodologies for carbon-carbon bond formation [1]. Because of the usefulness of the reaction as well as the product, many approaches to the asymmetric Michael-type addition reactions have been reported, especially using chirally modified olefins [2-8]. However, the approach directed towards the enantioselective Michael-type addition reaction is a developing area. In this Chapter, the recent progress of the enantioselective Michael-type addition reaction of active methylene compounds and also organometallic reagents with achiral activated olefins under the control of an external chiral ligand or chiral catalysts will be summarized [9]. 

The first report of an external chiral ligand-mediated enantioselective addition of an organolithium reagent to an imine appeared in 1990 (Tomioka, in this volume) [27]. Tomioka and coworkers found that 1,2-addition of MeLi, n-BuLi and vinyllithium to the 4-methoxyphenylimine of benzaldehyde 15 gave, in the presence of tridentate aminoether 16, the corresponding tertiary amines 17 in excellent yields and good ees (71-77%) (Scheme 6). 

The ligand 108 has activity as an external controller of stereochemistry in the enantioselective addition of methyllithiiun to imines derived from veratralde-hyde with up to 41% ee [87]. (-)-Sparteine (19)-mediated reaction of organo-hthium reagents afforded isoquinoUne alkaloid 107 directly from 3,4-dihydroi-soquinoline 106 with up to 47% ee (Scheme 32) [88]. 

Asymmetric synthesis is pCTformed on an achiral substrate with the help of a chiral auxiliary which is temporarily bound to the substrate or whidi is external to it (in the reagent or the catalyst). The first case is named diastereoselective asymmetric synthesis, and the second one enantioselective asymmetric synthesis to define the product being formed as a mixture of diastereomers and a mixture of enantiomers, respectively. The two processes are indicated in Rgure 1. 

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