Enolates aldol reactions, asymmetric

The reactions of enolates with aldehydes (aldol reactions) or with imines have been widely developed since the 1970s. Asymmetric aldol-type reactions are very important in the multistep synthesis of complex molecules such as ionophores or p-lactam antibiotics. Chirality has been introduced either on the substituents of boron, on the metal ligands or on the carbon skeleton of the enolate. Aldol reactions are usually run at low temperatures, and when metal enolates are used, the reactions are sometimes easily reversible [160, 209],... 

The metal ion associated with the enolate has pronounced effect on stereoselectivity. Numerous titanium enolate-based asymmetric aldol methods have provided convenient access to aldol products in enantiomerically pure form. The titanium enolate aldol reaction has tremendous synthetic potential, because titanium reagents are readily available and inexpensive. This chapter will focus on the development of a variety of titanium enolate aldol reactions. 

Chiral Auxiliaries in Aldol Reaction Asymmetric aldol reactions ntilizing chiral auxiliaries have emerged as one of the most reliable methods in organic synthesis. Both syn-and anti-selective aldol reactions have been developed over the years. The field of asymmetric i yn-aldol reactions has been largely advanced by Evans since his development of dibntylboron enolate aldol chemistry based on amino acid-derived chiral oxazolidinones (Scheme 2.109) [9]. 

A useful catalyst for asymmetric aldol additions is prepared in situ from mono-0> 2,6-diisopropoxybenzoyl)tartaric acid and BH3 -THF complex in propionitrile solution at 0 C. Aldol reactions of ketone enol silyl ethers with aldehydes were promoted by 20 mol % of this catalyst solution. The relative stereochemistry of the major adducts was assigned as Fischer- /ir o, and predominant /i -face attack of enol ethers at the aldehyde carbonyl carbon atom was found with the (/ ,/ ) nantiomer of the tartaric acid catalyst (K. Furuta, 1991). 

The enantiomers are obtained as a racemic mixture if no asymmetric induction becomes effective. The ratio of diastereomers depends on structural features of the reactants as well as the reaction conditions as outlined in the following. By using properly substituted preformed enolates, the diastereoselectivity of the aldol reaction can be controlled. Such enolates can show E-ot Z-configuration at the carbon-carbon double bond. With Z-enolates 9, the syn products are formed preferentially, while fi-enolates 12 lead mainly to anti products. This stereochemical outcome can be rationalized to arise from the more favored transition state 10 and 13 respectively ... 

For example in the so-called Mukaiyama aldol reaction of an aldehyde R -CHO and a trimethylsilyl enol ether 8, which is catalyzed by Lewis acids, the required asymmetric environment in the carbon-carbon bond forming step can be created by employing an asymmetric Lewis acid L in catalytic amounts. 

A key step in the synthesis of the spiroketal subunit is the convergent union of intermediates 8 and 9 through an Evans asymmetric aldol reaction (see Scheme 2). Coupling of aldehyde 9 with the boron enolate derived from imide 8 through an asymmetric aldol condensation is followed by transamination with an excess of aluminum amide reagent to afford intermediate 38 in an overall yield of 85 % (see Scheme 7). During the course of the asymmetric aldol condensation... 

Aldol reactions of a-substituted iron-acetyl enolates such as 1 generate a stcrcogenic center at the a-carbon, which engenders the possibility of two diastereomeric aldol adducts 2 and 3 on reaction with symmetrical ketones, and the possibility of four diastereomeric aldol adducts 4, 5, 6, and 7 on reaction with aldehydes or unsymmetrical ketones. The following sections describe the asymmetric aldol reactions of chiral enolate species such as 1. 

TiX4 is employed as an effective promoter for asymmetric aldol reactions. A chiral aldehyde or a chiral enolate reacts to afford homochiral aldol adducts with high selectivity (Scheme 20).78 79... 

Sn(OTf)2 can function as a catalyst for aldol reactions, allylations, and cyanations asymmetric versions of these reactions have also been reported. Diastereoselective and enantioselective aldol reactions of aldehydes with silyl enol ethers using Sn(OTf)2 and a chiral amine have been reported (Scheme SO) 338 33 5 A proposed active complex is shown in the scheme. Catalytic asymmetric aldol reactions using Sn(OTf)2, a chiral diamine, and tin(II) oxide have been developed.340 Tin(II) oxide is assumed to prevent achiral reaction pathway by weakening the Lewis acidity of Me3SiOTf, which is formed during the reaction. 

Shibasaki et al. also developed catalytic reactions of copper, some of which can be applied to catalytic asymmetric reactions. Catalytic aldol reactions of silicon enolates to ketones proceed using catalytic amounts of CuF (2.5 mol%) and a stoichiometric amount of (EtO)3SiF (120 mol%) (Scheme 104).500 Enantioselective alkenylation catalyzed by a complex derived from CuF and a chiral diphosphine ligand 237 is shown in Scheme 105.501 Catalytic cyanomethyla-tion by using TMSCH2CN was also reported, as shown in Scheme 106.502... 

The prime functional group for constructing C-C bonds may be the carbonyl group, functioning as either an electrophile (Eq. 1) or via its enolate derivative as a nucleophile (Eqs. 2 and 3). The objective of this chapter is to survey the issue of asymmetric inductions involving the reaction between enolates derived from carbonyl compounds and alkyl halide electrophiles. The addition of a nucleophile toward a carbonyl group, especially in the catalytic manner, is presented as well. Asymmetric aldol reactions and the related allylation reactions (Eq. 3) are the topics of Chapter 3. Reduction of carbonyl groups is discussed in Chapter 4. 

Double asymmetric induction (See section 1.5.3) can also be employed in aldol reactions. When chiral aldehyde 15 is treated with achiral boron-mediated enolate 14, a mixture of diastereomers is obtained in a ratio of 1.75 1. However, when the same aldehyde 15 is allowed to react with enolates derived from Evans auxiliary 8, a syn-aldol product 16 is obtained with very high stereo-... 

Compound 17 is the so-called (+)-Prelog-Djerassi lactonic acid derived via the degradation of either methymycin or narbomycin. This compound embodies important architectural features common to a series of macrolide antibiotics and has served as a focal point for the development of a variety of new stereoselective syntheses. Another preparation of compound 17 is shown in Scheme 3-7.11 Starting from 8, by treating the boron enolate with an aldehyde, 20 can be synthesized via an asymmetric aldol reaction with the expected stereochemistry at C-2 and C-2. Treating the lithium enolate of 8 with an electrophile affords 19 with the expected stereochemistry at C-5. Note that the stereochemistries in the aldol reaction and in a-alkylation are opposite each other. The combination of 19 and 20 gives the final product 17. 

As with the above pyrrolidine, proline-type chiral auxiliaries also show different behaviors toward zirconium or lithium enolate mediated aldol reactions. Evans found that lithium enolates derived from prolinol amides exhibit excellent diastereofacial selectivities in alkylation reactions (see Section 2.2.32), while the lithium enolates of proline amides are unsuccessful in aldol condensations. Effective chiral reagents were zirconium enolates, which can be obtained from the corresponding lithium enolates via metal exchange with Cp2ZrCl2. For example, excellent levels of asymmetric induction in the aldol process with synj anti selectivity of 96-98% and diastereofacial selectivity of 50-200 116a can be achieved in the Zr-enolate-mediated aldol reaction (see Scheme 3-10). 

Besides their application in asymmetric alkylation, sultams can also be used as good chiral auxiliaries for asymmetric aldol reactions, and a / -product can be obtained with good selectivity. As can be seen in Scheme 3-14, reaction of the propionates derived from chiral auxiliary R -OH with LICA in THF affords the lithium enolates. Subsequent reaction with TBSC1 furnishes the 0-silyl ketene acetals 31, 33, and 35 with good yields.31 Upon reaction with TiCU complexes of an aldehyde, product /i-hydroxy carboxylates 32, 34, and 36 are obtained with high diastereoselectivity and good yield. Products from direct aldol reaction of the lithium enolate without conversion to the corresponding silyl ethers show no stereoselectivity.32... 

In the presence of a chiral promoter, the asymmetric aldol reaction of pro-chiral silyl enol ethers 71 with prochiral aldehydes will also be possible (Table 3-6). In this section, a chiral promoter, a combination of chiral diamine-coordinated tin(II) triflate and tributyl fluoride, is introduced. In fact, this is the first successful example of the asymmetric reactions between prochiral silyl enol ethers and prochiral aldehyde using a chiral ligand as promoter. 

Perfect stereochemical control in the synthesis of sy -a-methyl-/ -hydroxy thioesters has been achieved by asymmetric aldol reaction between the silyl enol ether of. S -ethyl propanethioate (1-trimethylsiloxy-l-ethylthiopropene) and aldehydes using a stoichiometric amount of chiral diamine-coordinated tin(II)... 

Besides the silyl enolate-mediated aldol reactions, organotin(IY) enolates are also versatile nucleophiles toward various aldehydes in the absence or presence of Lewis acid.60 However, this reaction requires a stoichiometric amount of the toxic trialkyl tin compound, which may limit its application. Yanagisawa et al.61 found that in the presence of one equivalent of methanol, the aldol reaction of an aldehyde with a cyclohexenol trichloroacetate proceeds readily at 20°C, providing the aldol product with more than 70% yield. They thus carried out the asymmetric version of this reaction using a BINAP silver(I) complex as chiral catalyst (Scheme 3-34). As shown in Table 3-8, the Sn(IY)-mediated aldol reaction results in a good diastereoselectivity (,anti/syn ratio) and also high enantioselectivity for the major component. 

Most of the asymmetric aldol reactions discussed thus far deal with the nucleophilic addition of a chiral or achiral enolate onto a chiral or achiral aldehyde,... 

Now, we examine the interaction of chiral aldehyde (-)-96 with chiral enolate (S )-lOOb. This aldol reaction gives 104 and 105 in a ratio of 104 105 > 100 1. Changing the chirality of the enolate reverses the result Compound 104 and 105 are synthesized in a ratio of 1 30 (Scheme 3-38).66 The two reactions (—)-96 + (S )-lOOb and (—)-96 + (7 )-100b are referred to as the matched and mismatched pairs, respectively. Even in the mismatched pair, stereoselectivity is still acceptable for synthetic purposes. Not only is the stereochemical course of the aldol reaction fully under control, but also the power of double asymmetric induction is clearly illustrated. 

The next step to erythronolide A is the coupling of fragments A and B. Asymmetric aldol reaction of aldehyde 2 with a lithium enolate generated from... 

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. 

---