Enols conjugate additions

An enolate conjugate addition to a p-bromomethacrylate offers a good route to the protected E-ring fragment of (S)-camptothecin, a 6-oxodihydropyran-3-carboxylic acid 28 <01JCS(P1)2903>. 

This chapter covers the recent literature reports (ca. 2003 onward) on asymmetric conjugate addition of triorganoaluminum reagents to enones, a,(3-unsaturated systems, nitroalkenes and also mechanistically closely related allylic alkylation of allylic phosphonates. It also includes cascade processes where the intermediate enolates (conjugate addition) and alkenes (allylic alkylation) are used for the synthesis of more complex molecules. This chapter is organized as follows. In Sect. 2 we present the results in the asymmetric conjugate addition. In this part, the... 

With certain other nucleophiles addition takes place at the carbon-carbon double bond rather than at the carbonyl group Such reactions proceed via enol intermediates and are described as conjugate addition ox 1 4 addition reactions... 

A synthetically useful reaction known as the Michael reaction, or Michael addition, involves nucleophilic addition of carbanions to a p unsaturated ketones The most common types of carbanions used are enolate 10ns derived from p diketones These enolates are weak bases (Section 18 6) and react with a p unsaturated ketones by conjugate addition... 

Stabilized anions exhibit a pronounced tendency to undergo conjugate addition to a p unsaturated carbonyl compounds This reaction called the Michael reaction has been described for anions derived from p diketones m Section 18 13 The enolates of ethyl acetoacetate and diethyl malonate also undergo Michael addition to the p carbon atom of a p unsaturated aldehydes ketones and esters For example... 

Cross-conjugated dienones are quite inert to nucleophilic reactions at C-3, and the susceptibility of these systems to dienone-phenol rearrangement precludes the use of strong acid conditions. In spite of previous statements, A " -3-ketones do not form ketals, thioketals or enamines, and therefore no convenient protecting groups are available for this chromophore. Enol ethers are not formed by the orthoformate procedure, but preparation of A -trienol ethers from A -3-ketones has been claimed. Another route to A -trien-3-ol ethers involves conjugate addition of alcohol, enol etherification and then alcohol removal from la-alkoxy compounds. 

Robinson annulation (Section 18.13) A combination of conjugate addition of an enolate anion to an a,p-unsaturated ketone with subsequent intramolecular aldol condensation. 

Michael addition (Sections 18.13 and 21.9) The conjugate addition of a carbanion (usually an enolate) to an a,(3-unsatu-rated carbonyl compound. 

The mechanism of the Fiesselmann reaction between methylthioglycolate and a,P-acetylenic esters proceeds via consecutive base-catalyzed 1,4-conjugate addition reactions to form thioacetal Enolate formation, as a result of treatment with a stronger base, causes a Dieckmann condensation to occur providing ketone 8. Elimination of methylthioglycolate and tautomerization driven by aromaticity provides the 3-hydroxy thiophene dicarboxylate 9. 

Pyridinium p-toluenesulfonylmethylide 91 has been used as a formyl anion equivalent for conjugate addition to N-substituted maleimides to give the enol ethers 92, which were readily deprotected to give the aldehydes 93 (80TL705). 

The formation of the tran -aziridine 281 as the major product of the conjugated addition of benzylamine to the furanone 280 was rationalized in terms of selective facial protonation of the initially formed enol 284 (Scheme 75) (00TL3061). 

The 1,4-addition of an enolate anion 1 to an o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compound 2, to yield a 1,5-dicarbonyl compound 3, is a powerful method for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds, and is called the Michael reaction or Michael addition The 1,4-addition to an o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl substrate is also called a conjugate addition. Various other 1,4-additions are known, and sometimes referred to as Michael-like additions. 

The reaction of a cyclic ketone—e.g. cyclohexanone 1—with methyl vinyl ketone 2 resulting in a ring closure to yield a bicyclic a ,/3-unsaturated ketone 4, is called the Robinson annulation This reaction has found wide application in the synthesis of terpenes, and especially of steroids. Mechanistically the Robinson annulation consists of two consecutive reactions, a Michael addition followed by an Aldol reaction. Initially, upon treatment with a base, the cyclic ketone 1 is deprotonated to give an enolate, which undergoes a conjugate addition to the methyl vinyl ketone, i.e. a Michael addition, to give a 1,5-diketone 3 ... 

As noted previously, conjugate addition of a nucleophile to the j3 carbon of an cr,/3-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone leads to an enolate ion intermediate, which is protonated on the a carbon to give the saturated product (Figure 19.16). The net effect is addition of the nucleophile to the C=C bond, with the carbonyl group itself unchanged. In fact, of course, the carbonyl group is crucial to the success of the reaction. The C=C bond would not be activated for addition, and no reaction would occur, without the carbonyl group. 

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