Enolates acid catalysis

A regioselective aldol condensation described by Biichi succeeds for sterical reasons (G. Biichi, 1968). If one treats the diaidehyde given below with acid, both possible enols are probably formed in a reversible reaaion. Only compound A, however, is found as a product, since in B the interaction between the enol and ester groups which are in the same plane hinders the cyclization. BOchi used acid catalysis instead of the usual base catalysis. This is often advisable, when sterical hindrance may be important. It works, because the addition of a proton or a Lewis acid to a carbonyl oxygen acidifies the neighbouring CH-bonds. 

An example of an intermolecular aldol type condensation, which works only under acidic catalysis is the Knoevenagel condensation of a sterically hindered aldehyde group in a formyl-porphyrin with a malonic ester (J.-H. Fuhrhop, 1976). Self-condensations of the components do not occur, because the ester groups of malonic esters are not electrophilic enough, and because the porphyrin-carboxaldehyde cannot form enolates. 

The point was made earlier (Section 5 9) that alcohols require acid catalysis in order to undergo dehydration to alkenes Thus it may seem strange that aldol addition products can be dehydrated in base This is another example of the way in which the enhanced acidity of protons at the a carbon atom affects the reactions of carbonyl com pounds Elimination may take place in a concerted E2 fashion or it may be stepwise and proceed through an enolate ion... 

Ketones with labile hydrogen atoms undergo enol acetylation on reaction with ketene. Strong acid catalysis is required. If acetone is used, isoptopenyl acetate [108-22-5] (10) is formed (82—85). Isopropenyl acetate is the starting material for the production of 2,4-pentanedione (acetylacetone) [123-54-6] (11). 

Solutions of unstable enols of simple ketones and aldehydes can also be generated in water by addition of a solution of the enolate to water. The initial protonation takes place on oxygen, generating the enol, which is then ketonized at a rate that depends on the solution pH. The ketonization exhibits both acid and base catalysis. Acid catalysis involves C-protonation with concerted 0-deprotonation. 

In agreement with expectation for a rate-determining proton transfer, the reaction shows general acid catalysis. Base-catalyzed ketonization occurs by C-protonation of the enolate. 

The selectivity is probably impaired by bromination at C-2 and C-9. Bromination under buffered conditions of the A -enol acetate prepared from acetic anhydride with perchloric acid catalysis may give better results. See also ref. 55 for a similar bromination. 

Similarly, with two equivalents of DDQ, A -3-ketones give A -3-ketones in good yield ( 70%), without isolation of the intermediate A -3-ke-tone/ These trienones are also obtainable directly from A -3-alcohols with three equivalents of DDQ in refluxing dioxane (20 hr), and the overall yield ( 50%) compares favorably with less direct methods. The direct formation of A -3-ketones from A -3-ketones with acid catalysis is not successful. Enol derivatives have proven to be useful for the preparation... 

The use of A -enol ethers as substrates for dehydrogenation is often attractive. Aqueous acetone at room temperature gives yields ranging from 70 to 88% other systems with acid catalysis have also been used, e.g. ... 

The reaction can be performed with base catalysis as well as acid catalysis. The former is more common here the enolizable carbonyl compound 1 is depro-tonated at the a-carbon by base (e.g. alkali hydroxide) to give the enolate anion 5, which is stabilized by resonance ... 

Keto-enol tautomerism of carbon) ] compounds is catalyzed by both acids and bases. Acid catalysis occurs by protonation of the carbonyl oxygen atom to give an intermediate cation that Joses H+ from its a carbon to yield a neutral enol (Figure 22.1). This proton loss from the cation intermediate is similar to what occurs during an El reaction when a carbocation loses H+ to form an alkene (Section 11.10). 

As an alternative to lithium enolates. silyl enolates or ketene acetals may be used in a complementary route to pentanedioates. The reaction requires Lewis acid catalysis, for example aluminum trifluoromethanesulfonate (modest diastereoselectivity with unsaturated esters)72 74 antimony(V) chloride/tin(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate (predominant formation of anti-adducts with the more reactive a,/5-unsaturated thioesters)75 montmorillonite clay (modest to good yields but poor diastereoselectivity with unsaturated esters)76 or high pressure77. 

A high degree of syn selectivity can be obtained from the addition of enamines to nitroalkenes. In this case, the syn selectivity is largely independent of the geometry of the acceptor, as well as the donor, double bond. Next in terms of selectivity, are the addition of enolates. However, whether one obtains syn or anti selectivity is dependent on both the geometry of the acceptor and the enolate double bond, whereas anti selectivity of a modest and unreliable level is obtained by reaction of enol silyl ethers with nitroalkenes under Lewis acid catalysis. 

The most frequently encountered, and most useful, cycloaddition reactions of silyl enol ethers are Diels-Alder reactions involving silyloxybutadicncs (Chapter 18). Danishefsky (30) has reviewed his pioneering work in this area, and has extended his studies to include heterodienophiles, particularly aldehydes. Lewis acid catalysis is required in such cases, and substantial asymmetric induction can be achieved using either a chiral lanthanide catalyst or an a-chiral aldehyde. 

Recently, Akiyama et al. reported an enantiocontrolled [3+2] cycloaddition of chirally modified Fischer alkenylcarbene complexes 180 with aldimines 181 under Lewis-acid catalysis (Sn(OTf)2) to afford enantiomerically pure 1,2,5-trisubstituted 3-alkoxypyrrolines 182 (Scheme 40) [121]. The mode of formation of these products 182 was proposed to be a [4+2] cycloaddition, with the complexes 180 acting as a 1-metalla- 1,3-diene with subsequent reductive elimination. Upon hydrolysis under acidic conditions, the enol ethers give the enantiomerically pure 3-pyrrolidinones 183 (Table 9). 

It is not the aldehyde or ketone itself that is halogenated, but the corresponding enol or enolate ion. The purpose of the catalyst is to provide a small amount of enol or enolate. The reaction is often done without addition of acid or base, but traces of acid or base are always present, and these are enough to catalyze formation of the enol or enolate. With acid catalysis the mechanism is... 

Lewis acid catalysis has been used to promote stepwise [2 + 2] cycloaddition of silyl enol ethers and unsaturated esters.178 The best catalyst is (C2H5)2A1C1 and polyfluoroalkyl esters give the highest stereoselectivity. The reactions give the more stable trans products. 

The reaction can, however, be made preparative for (91) by a continuous distillation/siphoning process in a Soxhlet apparatus equilibrium is effected in hot propanone over solid Ba(OH)2 (as base catalyst), the equilibrium mixture [containing 2% (91)] is then siphoned off. This mixture is then distilled back on to the Ba(OH)2, but only propanone (b.p. 56°) will distil out, the 2% of 2-methyl-2-hydroxypentan-4-one ( diacetone alcohol , 91, b.p. 164°) being left behind. A second siphoning will add a further 2% equilibrium s worth of (91) to the first 2%, and more or less total conversion of (90) — (91) can thus ultimately be effected. These poor aldol reactions can, however, be accomplished very much more readily under acid catalysis. The acid promotes the formation of an ambient concentration of the enol form (93) of, for example, propanone (90), and this undergoes attack by the protonated form of a second molecule of carbonyl compound, a carbocation (94) ... 

Acid catalysis was observed in the formation of 171 from 168, and the enol cation 170 was proposed as an (invisible) intermediate.830... 

Lewis acids as water-stable catalysts have been developed. Metal salts, such as rare earth metal triflates, can be used in aldol reactions of aldehydes with silyl enolates in aqueous media. These salts can be recovered after the reactions and reused. Furthermore, surfactant-aided Lewis acid catalysis, which can be used for aldol reactions in water without using any organic solvents, has been also developed. These reaction systems have been applied successfully to catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions in aqueous media. In addition, the surfactant-aided Lewis acid catalysis for Mannich-type reactions in water has been disclosed. These investigations are expected to contribute to the decrease of the use of harmful organic solvents in chemical processes, leading to environmentally friendly green chemistry. 

Judging from these findings, the mechanism of Lewis acid catalysis in water (for example, aldol reactions of aldehydes with silyl enol ethers) can be assumed to be as follows. When metal compounds are added to water, the metals dissodate and hydration occurs immediatdy. At this stage, the intramolecular and intermolecular exchange reactions of water molecules frequently occur. If an aldehyde exists in the system, there is a chance that it will coordinate to the metal cations instead of the water molecules and the aldehyde is then activated. A silyl enol ether attacks this adivated aldehyde to produce the aldol adduct. According to this mechanism, it is expected that many Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions should be successful in aqueous solutions. Although the precise activity as Lewis acids in aqueous media cannot be predicted quantitatively... 

S. Kobayashi, S. Nagayama, T. Busujima, Chiral Lewis Acid Catalysis in Aqueous Media. Catalytic Asymmdric Aldol Readions of Silyl Enol Ethers with Aldehydes in a Protic Solvent Induding Water Chem. Lett. 1999, 71-72. 

In almost the same manner, tandem hydroformylation/aldol condensation aldol condensation of ketoolefins, such as p,y-unsaturated ketones, gives a single cyclization product under acid catalysis. Similar to the stepwise reaction, the in situ generated aldehyde preferentially acts as the electrophilic carbonyl component, while the ketone acts as the nucleophilic enol to form the five-membered ring product. Subsequent dehydration and hydrogenation of the resulting enone readily occurs under the reductive reaction conditions used (Scheme 30) [84],... 

In principle, stereoselective aldol condensations can be carried out under two distinct sets of conditions. Under the influence of acid catalysis, stabilized enol derivatives of defined geometry (M = SiMea,... 

The functional group in ring A is a ketone a planar system that takes in carbons adjacent to a ketone is the enol tautomer. We are using acid catalysis here, and that is appropriate for enolization. If we first protonate the carbonyl, then try moving electrons, we shall soon find that the proton at position 6 (standard steroid numbering) can be lost in generating a conjugated enol tautomer. In a reversal of this process back to the ketone, we can pick up a proton at position 6 from either face. In this case, protonation on the upper face allows the methyl substituent to take up the more favourable equatorial position. 

Under conditions of acid catalysis, it is the enol form of the aldehyde or ketone which functions as the nucleophile. The carbonyl group is activated toward nucleophilic attack by... 

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