Enolate protonation, kinetic control

In a reaction under kinetic control, the composition of the product mixture is determined by the relative rates of formation of each product. No equilibrium among possible alternative structures is set up. In the case of formation of enolate anions, kinetic control refers to the relative rates of removal of the alternative a-hydrogens. The less hindered a-hydrogen is removed more rapidly thus, the major product is the less substituted enolate anion. Because a slight excess of base is used, there is no ketone to serve as a proton donor and the less stable enolate anion cannot equilibrate with a more stable one. 

Structural effects on the rates of deprotonation of ketones have also been studied using veiy strong bases under conditions where complete conversion to the enolate occurs. In solvents such as THF or DME, bases such as lithium di-/-propylamide (LDA) and potassium hexamethyldisilylamide (KHMDS) give solutions of the enolates in relative proportions that reflect the relative rates of removal of the different protons in the carbonyl compound (kinetic control). The least hindered proton is removed most rapidly under these... 

Protonation of the a-carbanion (50), which is formed both in the reduction of enones and ketol acetates, probably first affords the neutral enol and is followed by its ketonization. Zimmerman has discussed the stereochemistry of the ketonization of enols and has shown that in eertain cases steric factors may lead to kinetically controlled formation of the thermodynamically less stable ketone isomer. Steroidal unsaturated ketones and ketol acetates that could form epimeric products at the a-carbon atom appear to yield the thermodynamically stable isomers. In most of the cases reported, however, equilibration might have occurred during isolation of the products so that definitive conclusions are not possible. 

The classical aldol addition, which is usually run in protic solvents, is reversible. Most modern aldol methodologies, however, rely on highly reactive preformed metal enolates, whereby proton donors are rigorously excluded. As a consequence, the majority of recent stereoselective aldol additions are performed under kinetic control. Despite this, reversibility and, as a consequence, an equilibration of yrn-aldolates to a t/-aldolates by retro-aldol addition, should not be excluded a priori. 

A diastereoselective route to d.v-2,3-disubstituted cyclohexanones is based on the kinetically controlled protonation of the enolate obtained via the addition of an arylacetonitrile to 2-sub-stituted 2-cycloalkenones in THF or in THF/HMPA mixtures at — 70-0 °C 299,30°, see also refs 301, 302 and 403. 

The equilibrium ratios of enolates for several ketone-enolate systems are also shown in Scheme 1.1. Equilibrium among the various enolates of a ketone can be established by the presence of an excess of ketone, which permits reversible proton transfer. Equilibration is also favored by the presence of dissociating additives such as HMPA. The composition of the equilibrium enolate mixture is usually more closely balanced than for kinetically controlled conditions. In general, the more highly substituted enolate is the preferred isomer, but if the alkyl groups are sufficiently branched as to interfere with solvation, there can be exceptions. This factor, along with CH3/CH3 steric repulsion, presumably accounts for the stability of the less-substituted enolate from 3-methyl-2-butanone (Entry 3). 

The reactivity of lithium enolates has been explored in a theoretical study of the isomers of C2H30Li, such as the lithium enolate, the acyl lithium, and the a-lithio enol. Imides containing a chiral 2-oxazolidine have been employed for enantioselective protonation of prochiral enolates.A degree of kinetic control of the product E/Z-enolate ratio has been reported for the lithiation of 3,3-diphenylpropiomesitylene, using lithium amides/alkyls. " °... 

The composition of an enolate mixture may be governed by kinetic or thermodynamic factors. The enolate ratio is governed by kinetic control when the product composition is determined by the relative rates of the two or more competing proton-abstraction reactions. 

A quite consistent relationship is found in these and related data. Conditions of kinetic control usually favor the less substituted enolate. The principal reason for this result is that removal of the less hindered hydrogen is faster, for steric reasons, than removal of more hindered protons. Removal of the less hindered proton leads to the less substituted enolate. Steric factors in ketone deprotonation can be accentuated by using more highly hindered bases. The most widely used base is the hexamethyldisilylamide ion, as a lithium or sodium salt. Even more hindered disilylamides such as hexaethyldisilylamide7 and bis(dimethylphenylsilyl)amide8 may be useful for specific cases. On the other hand, at equilibrium the more substituted enolate is usually the dominant species. The stability of carbon-carbon double bonds increases with increasing substitution, and this effect leads to the greater stability of the more substituted enolate. 

Under conditions for thermodynamic control, the major regioisomer formed is usually the enolate Carrying most substituents at the double bond. This can be attributed to the fact that the stability of C-C double bonds increases with increasing substitution6. Conditions for kinetic control in enolate formation usually favor formation of the enolate with the least substituents at the double bond. The rational for this is based on steric reasons, i.e., the less hindered proton is abstracted more rapidly than the hindered proton, giving the less substituted enolate. 

The E/Z stereoselection can be rationalized by assuming metal-centered pericyclic chairlike transition states 1 13,10 , 12 and 13. In this model proton transfer and metal ion transfer are assumed to occur simultaneously. When R is a bulky group, the nonbonded steric interaction between this group and the methyl group becomes strong and the Z-enolate will be the predominating isomer under kinetic control. 

Enolates may be derived from a,/l-unsaturated ketones 16 by base-catalyzed proton abstraction. Under kinetic control the a -proton is abstracted and a cross-conjugated metal dienolate is formed, whereas under thermodynamic conditions the extended dienolate is the major product3,, l. Successful alkylations of dienolates derived from cyclic a,/l-unsaturated ketones have been performed (see Section 1.1.1.3.1.1.2.1.). The related a,/ -unsaturated ester systems have also been investigated22-24. Open-chain structures 16 pose a rather complicated... 

While the addition-oxidation and the addition-protonation procedures are successful with ester enol-ates as well as more reactive carbon nucleophiles, the addition-acylation procedure requires more reactive anions and the addition of a polar aptotic solvent (HMPA has been used) to disfavor reversal of anion addition. Under these conditions, cyano-stabilized anions and ester enolates fail (simple alkylation of the carbanion) but cyanohydrin acetal anions are successful. The addition of the cyanohydrin acetal anion (71) to [(l,4-dimethoxynaphthalene)Cr(CO)3] occurs by kinetic control at C-P in THF-HMPA and leads to the a,p-diacetyl derivative (72) after methyl iodide addition, and hydrolysis of the cyanohydrin acetal (equation 50).84,124-126... 

A diird strategy for controlling enolate formation is to convert the carbonyl group to a jV,jV-dimediylhydrazone. The hydrazone is less reactive than die carbonyl group, and removal of an a proton by a strong base takes place at the least hindered a position. Alkylation followed by hydrolysis gives back carbonyl product that is die same as die result of kinetic control of enolate... 

Under conditions of kinetic control, the mixed Aldol Addition can be used to prepare adducts that are otherwise difficult to obtain selectively. This process begins with the irreversible generation of the kinetic enolate, e.g. by employing a sterically hindered lithium amide base such as LDA (lithium diisopropylamide). With an unsymmetrically substituted ketone, such a non-nucleophilic, sterically-demanding, strong base will abstract a proton from the least hindered side. Proton transfer is avoided with lithium enolates at low temperatures in ethereal solvents, so that addition of a second carbonyl partner (ketone or aldehyde) will produce the desired aldol... 

The concentration of the ketone enolate is higher than that of the aldehyde enolate. This is true under thermodynamic control as the stability of an enolate increases with its degree of substitution. It is also true under kinetic control since enolization is an acid-base equilibrium, the increased enolate concentration reflects the higher acidity of the ketone protons. 

Phenol complexes of [Os] display pronounced reactivity toward Michael acceptors under very mild conditions. The reactivity is due, in part, to the acidity of the hydroxyl proton, which can be easily removed to generate an extended enolate. Reactions of [Os]-phenol complexes are therefore typically catalyzed using amine bases rather than Lewis acids. The regio-chemistry of addition to C4-substituted phenol complexes is dependent upon the reaction conditions. Reactions that proceed under kinetic control typically lead to addition of the electrophile at C4. In reactions that are under thermodynamic control, the electrophile is added at C2. These C2-selective reactions have, in some cases, allowed the isolation of o-quinone methide complexes. As with other [Os] systems, electrophilic additions to phenol complexes occur anti to the face involved in metal coordination. 

The regio- and stereoselectivity of enolate formation has been discussed in many reviews . In general, the stereo- and regioselectivity of ketone deprotonation can be thermodynamically or kinetically controlled. Conditions for the kinetic control of enolate formation are achieved by slow addition of the ketone to an excess of strong base in an aprotic solvent at low temperature. In this case the deprotonation occurs directly, irreversibly and with high regioselectivity (equation 1). By using a proton donor (solvent or excess of ketone) or a weaker base, an equilibration between the enolates formed may... 

Diastereoselective protonation under kinetic control is a useful strategy for allowing access to particular diastereoisomeric carbonyl derivatives. For example, deprotonation of y-lactone 116 with excess LiHMDS in THF at —78°C, and quenching the resulting lithium enolate with saturated aqueous solution of sodium sulfate, gave the diastereoiso-mericaUy pure y-lactone 116 (equation 27). The diastereoselective protonation of the intermediate hthium enolate with H2O must occur on its less hindered face, controlled by the y-benzyloxymethyl substituent of the y-lactone residue to give the required 116. ... 

Whatever the explanation, the effect of acids is less marked than the selectivffy in alkaline solutions, where a attack is largely suppressed. The effect of alkali may depend upon the formation and selective reduction of enolate anions. The A2 4-dienolate anion, which is the major product of kinetically-controlled enolisation by bases (see p. 156) is seen from a molecular model to have a somewhat "folded conformation of the A/B ring system (ii). The convex / -face of the A/B ring system and the absence of an axial 2jS-proton should favour approach to the catalyst from this direction, whereas the a-face of the A -bond is severely hindered by the axial hydrogens at C(7) and C<9>. 

In the bromination of the enol acetate (1), addition of epichlorohydrin as proton acceptor increases the yield of the axial 6/3-bromoketone (2), resulting from kinetic control, to 85%. Bromination in acetic acid in the presence of collidine gave a... 

Any equilibrium will produce the thermodynamically most stable enolate. The most stable enolate will have the greatest charge delocalization. In the above example, the thermodynamically favored enolate is conjugated the kinetically favored enolate is not. Common conditions for thermodynamic control are to use average bases (like sodium ethoxide or potassium tert-butoxide, p abH 16 to 19) in alcohol solvents. Proton transfer equilibria rapidly occur among base, solvent, ketone, and enolate. Sodium hydride or potassium hydride in an ether solvent are also thermodynamic reaction conditions that allow equilibration between the ketone and the enolate. Enones have two possible enolates weaker bases give the thermodynamically more stable extended enolate, whereas kinetic conditions produce the cross-conjugated enolate. 

The a-protons that are less sierically hindered are most rapidly removed by a bulky base. Thus, addition of an unsymmetrical ketone to an excess of lithium diisopropy-lamide (LDA) gives the enolate anion on the less substituted side as the result of kinetic control. 2-Methylcyclohe anone has been specifically benzylated in the (3-position in this manner [4],... 

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