Enantioselectivity lithium enolate synthesis

A method for enantioselective synthesis of carboxylic acid derivatives is based on alkylation of the enolates of /V-acyl oxazolidinones.59 The lithium enolates have the structures shown because of the tendency for the metal cation to form a chelate. 

Oxidation of the dienolate of (17) with (+)-( ) affords a-hydroxy ester (18), a key intermediate in the enantioselective synthesis of the antibiotic echinosporin (eq 19) whereas oxidation of enolates derived from 1,3-dioxin vinylogous ester (19) gives rise to both a - and y-hydroxylation depending on the reaction conditions (eq 20). With (+)-( ) the lithium enolate of (19) gives primarily the a -hydroxylation product (20), while the sodium enolate gives )/-hydroxylation product (21). Only low levels of asymmetric induction (ca. 16% ee) are found in these oxidations. Birch reduction products are also asymmetrically hydroxylated in situ by (+)-( ) (eq 21). ... 

Asymmetric Mannich-type reactions provide useful routes for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched P-amino ketones or esters [48a, 48b]. For the most part, these methods involve the use of chirally modified enolates or imines. Only a handful of examples has been reported on the reaction of imines with enolates of carboxylic acid derivatives or silyl ketene acetals in the presence of a stoichiometric amount of a chiral controller [49a, 49b, 49c]. Reports describing the use of a substoichiometric amount of the chiral agent are even more scarce. This section contains some of the most recent advances in the field of catalytic enantioselective additions of lithium enolates and silyl enol ethers of esters and ketones to imines. 

The use of chiral sulfoxitnines 1.136 (R = Ph, Tol, Y = ArCH=N) has allowed the enantioselective synthesis of p-aminoesters after cleavage of the S-N bond by CF3COOH [510], Preliminary studies showed that the reaction of C-arenechromium tricarbonyl imines and the lithium enolate of Me2CHCOOEt gave chiral p-lactams after decomplexation with an excellent enantiomeric excess [549, 1291]. 

Chiral boron enolates are effective in enantioselective aldol condensations, a transition-state model being proposed for the moderate chirality transfer exhibited (Scheme 57). ° Diastereoselection with chiral lithium enolates has also been demonstrated by a highly stereoselective synthesis of the Prelog-Djerassi lactonic acid. ... 

The synthesis of enantiomerically pure a-alkylated carbonyl compounds was based mainly on the chiral-auxiliary approach, outlined in Section 4.1, that was particularly fruitful for the enolates of alkali metals, mainly lithium. The enantioselective alkylation and allylation of prochiral enolates mediated by chiral catalysts have been developed only in recent years, after seminal contributions were made since the turn of the century. The main problem this concept encounters is the high reactivity of these enolates that react with alkylating agents in a noncatalyzed and necessarily nonstereoselective manner [1]. 

Juaristi E, Beck AK, Hansen J, Matt T, Mukhopadhayay T, Simson M, Seehach D. Enantioselective aldol and Michael additions of achiral enolates in the presence of chiral lithium amides and amines. Synthesis 1993 1271-1290. 

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