Evans aldol-condensation reaction

Asymmetric. syn-aldol condensation reactions employing chiral auxiliaries were reported in 1981 by both Masamune et al.2 and Evans et al.3 Masamune et al. introduced boron enolates obtained from (.S )-mandclic acid, which underwent... 

Ans. Five-coordinated square-pyramidal [CuL(BnOCH2CHO)] [L = (S,S)-bis (phenyloxazolinyl) pyridine]. A model catalytic intermediate in Cu-L-based asymmetric aldol condensation reactions (see D. A. Evans et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 669-85 7559-73 and 7582-94, 1999). 

Dianion aldol condensation reactions with Evans oxazolidinones or Oppolzer sultams as chiral auxiliaries have been demonstrated to be a useful method to generate the core skeleton of furofurans with diastereoselectivities of 5 1-20 1. Stereoselective total syntheses of the furofuran lignans (-l-)-eudesmin, (+)-yangambin, (—)-eudesmin, and (-)-yangambin according to this procedure have been reported (Equation 102) <2006TL6433>. 

The Masamune aldol condensation, in common with the Evans aldol condensation, involves a boron enolate of an ester containing a norephedrine derived chiral auxiliary however, unlike the latter, the Masamune aldol delivers a 3-hydroxy-2-methyl carbonyl moiety with the an/z-stereochemistry. Crucial to the success of this reaction is the use of dicyclohexylboron triflate to generate the boron enolate. Note in the Evans aldol condensation, dibutylboron triflate is utilized. 

Scheme 5 details the asymmetric synthesis of dimethylhydrazone 14. The synthesis of this fragment commences with an Evans asymmetric aldol condensation between the boron enolate derived from 21 and trans-2-pentenal (20). Syn aldol adduct 29 is obtained in diastereomerically pure form through a process which defines both the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the newly generated stereogenic centers at carbons 29 and 30 (92 % yield). After reductive removal of the chiral auxiliary, selective silylation of the primary alcohol furnishes 30 in 71 % overall yield. The method employed to achieve the reduction of the C-28 carbonyl is interesting and worthy of comment. The reaction between tri-n-butylbor-... 

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... 

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). 

Although the results are easily rationalised in the case of the a-alkylation (attack of the electrophile at the Re face, i.e., attack from the less hindered a face), in the aldol condensation it is somewhat more difficult to rationalise and several factors should be considered. According to Evans [14] one possible explanation for the diastereofacial selection observed for these chiral enolates is illustrated in Scheme 9.14. In the aldol reactions, the more basic carbonyl group of the aldehyde partner interacts with the chelated boron enolate 45 to give the "complex" A which may... 

This dual behaviour must allow control of the configuration at the a carbon atom in an aldol reaction, provided that one can control whether or not the metal is chelated at the time the aldol condensation occurs. Thornton and Nerz-Stormes [35] reported an approach to this problem by using titanium enolates to obtain "non-Evans" 5jn-aldols. On the other hand, Heathcock and his associated found that aldehydes react with chelated boron enolates 100b to afford the anh-aldols 102 or the "non-Evans" i yn-aldols 103 depending upon the reaction conditions (Scheme 9.32). 

Mukiayama aldol reactions between silyl enol ethers and various carbonyl containing compounds is yet another reaction whose stereochemical outcome can be influenced by the presence of bis(oxazoline)-metal complexes. Evans has carried out a great deal of the work in this area. In 1996, Evans and coworkers reported the copper(II)- and zinc(II)-py-box (la-c) catalyzed aldol condensation between benzyloxyacetaldehyde 146 and the trimethylsilyl enol ether [(l-ferf-butylthio)vinyl]oxy trimethylsilane I47. b82,85 Complete conversion to aldol adduct 148 was achieved with enantiomeric excesses up to 96% [using copper(II) triflate]. The use of zinc as the coordination metal led to consistently lower selectivities and longer reaction times, as shown in Table 9.25 (Eig. 9.46). 

Evans also investigated the aldol condensation between methyl pyruvate 151 and several different substituted enol ethers 152, again using bu-box 3 and copper(II) triflate. These reactions achieved selectivities up to 98 2 (syn/anti) with syn ee up to 98% and yields up to 96% (Table 9.27, Fig. 9.47h). " ... 

From the illustrated (S)-valinol imide (175), the derived dibutylboryl enolates undergo condensation with a broad range of aldehydes in greater than 99% asymmetric induction for both newly formed asymmetric centers 180). Evans et al. have shown that the propionyl sidely chain in (175) may be replaced by other alkanoyl substituents without loss of stereoselectivity in the aldol type reaction 180). 

A stereocontrolled synthesis of the biologically active neolignan (+)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, which was isolated from several Taxus species, was achieved via Evans asymmetric aldol condensation [58] using ferulic acid amide derived from D-phenylalanine. The reaction steps are shown in Fig. 9. This stereocontrolled reaction is also useful for preparing the enantiomer of (+)-dehydroconiferyl alcohol using chiral auxiliary oxazolidinone prepared from L-phenylalanine. This reaction also enables the syntheses of other natural products that possess the same phenylcoumaran framework. 

Phenylalanine-derived oxazolidinone has heen used in O Scheme 52 as a chiral auxiliary for as)rmmetric cross-aldolization (Evans-aldol reactions [277,278,279,280,281,282,283,284, 285]). The 6-deoxy-L-glucose derivative 155 has heen prepared by Crimmins and Long [286] starting with the condensation of acetaldehyde with the chlorotitanium enolate of O-methyl glycolyloxazohdinethione 150. A 5 1 mixture is obtained from which pure 151 is isolated by a single crystallization. After alcohol silylation and subsequent reductive removal of the amide, alcohol 152 is obtained. Swem oxidation of 152 and subsequent Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination provides ene-ester 153. Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation provides diol 154 which was then converted into 155 (O Scheme 60) (see also [287]). 

Condensation reactions of simple carboxylic acids with imines are of intense interest because of their applications to 3-lactam synthesis. Activation of the carboxylic acid derivative is accomplished by preforming the enolate in situ or by using a silyl ketene acetal derivative with Lewis acid catalysis. The first example of an enolate-imine condensation of this type can be attributed to Gillman and Speeter, who in 1943 reported the synthesis of 3-lactams from Reformatsky reagents and Schiff bases. Subsequently, other workers have investigated the mechanism and syn-anti selectivity of this reaction. A review of these studies by Evans et al. covering work through 1980 has appeared in their review, Stereoselective Aldol Condensations . ... 

The Dias approach involves the use of three very efficient Evans oxazolidinone-mediated syn-aldol condensations. The other key steps involve a coupling reaction between the lithium acetylide-ethylenediamine complex and a tosylate followed by a methylation and a selective reduction to establish the C12-C13 (E) double bond. 

A.V. The Noyori Open-Chain Model. In the Mukaiyama reaction, the Zimmerman-Traxler and Evans models are not satisfactory for predicting diastereoselectivity. Several open (nonchelated) transition states have been considered as useful models. The condensation reaction of carboxylic acid dianions with aldehydes indicated that anti selectivity increased with increasing dissociation of the gegenion (the cation, M+),224 When analyzing an aldol condensation that does not possess the bridging cation required for the Zimmerman-Traxler model, an aldehyde and enolate adapt an eclipsed orientation as they approach. Noyori reported syn selectivity for the reaction of a mixture of (Z)-silyl enol ether 389 and ( )-silyl enol ether 390 with benzaldehyde in the presence of the cationic tris-(diethylamino) sulfonium (TAS).225 xhis reaction is clearly a variation of the Mukaiyama reaction, which does not usually proceed with good diastereoselectivity... 

Boron-mediated asymmetric aldol condensation methodology developed by Evans [90] served as an inspiration for preparation of daunosamine starting from chiral oxazoUdinones. It appeared that the choice of chiral auxiUary is quite important for the stereochemical outcome of planned reactions [91]. A successful series of reactions started from N -succinoylation of (R)-3-(l-oxo-3-carbomethoxypropyl)-4-diphenylmethyl)oxazolidin-2-one as a novel chiral auxihary. The chain extension was achieved in aldol condensation with protected lactaldehyde and the key intermediate 132 was converted into the target aminosugar 135, via Curtius rearrangement of carboxyhc acid azide, and reduction of lactone to lactol, as depicted in Scheme 24 [58]. Unexpectedly, boron catalysts were rather ineffective in the aldol condensation step and had to be replaced with more reactive lithiiun enolates (which proved to be non-Evans syn selective). 

Volume 1 of a series of texts on carbon-carbon bond formation has been advertiseda section deals, for example, with the aldol and related reactions. The importance of the aldol reaction has already been illustrated in the above-mentioned syntheses of polyethers applications of boron enolates in stereoselective aldol condensations have been discussed and exemplified by Evans et al. ... 

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