Enolate protonation, kinetic control stereochemistry

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. 

Under basic conditions, only two stereoisomers 153 and 155 were produced in ca. 2 1 ratio, respectively. It is considered that the result reflects a kinetic controlled cyclization. An enolate anion corresponding to [E] is produced via a half chair-like transition state [TS1] from [Dl], and then rapid protonation of the enolate from the top face provides 153 as a major product. Through a half chair-like transition state [TS2] from [D2], another enolate anion corresponding to [FI] is produced. This enolate is rapidly protonated from the bottom face and then epimerization of the C4 stereochemistry leads to 155. In each transition state, it is also considered that the transition state [TS1] (having no 1, 3-diaxiaI interaction) is more stable than the transition state [TS2] (having a 1, 3-diaxiaI interaction of two methyl groups). 

Perhaps the most interesting developments in the area of selective lithiations to appear this year have been concerned with the control of absolute stereochemistry. The application of chiral amide bases to the enantioselective deprotonation of epoxides was first described some years ago by Whitesell and co-workers, but this year several groups have reported on other aspects of these useful reaqents. Symmetrically substituted ketones (5 R=Me, CH2Ph) have been shown by Simpkins to undergo an enantioselective deprotonation under kinetically controlled conditions to give, after reaction with an electrophile (iodomethane, allyl bromide or acetic anhydride), optically active ketones (6) or enol acetates (7) (Scheme 2). The ability of a number of bases to discriminate between the two prochiral protons present in (5) were evaluated and the most effective of those studied was the camphor derivative (8) deprotonation of (5 R=Me) proceeded in 74% enantiomeric excess... 

The next stage of the synthesis required reduction of the Cj-Cs double bond with control over stereochemistry at Cs- The tactics ultimately used to accomplish this transformation involved conjugate addition of thiophenoxide to the enone to provide 58 with Cj stereochemistry that was never established. The critical stereochemistry (Cs), however, was clean and presmnably controlled by kinetic protonation of the intermediate enolate. Reduction of the C9 ketone was followed by esterification to provide acetate 59 as a single stereoisomer (C7 stereochemistry still not defined). Reduction of the C7 thiol was followed by excision of the extra carbon in the usual manner to provide aldehyde 60. The final carbons of the seco- dA were introduced via crossed condensation of the enolate derived from a thioester of propionic acid, with aldehyde 60. This reaction provided the proper stereochemistry at C3, but the undesired stereoisomer at C2. The C2 stereochemistry was corrected by kinetic protonation of the enolate derived from 61 with acetic acid. The structure of the resulting seco-zcid derivative (62) was established by X-ray crystallography. 

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