Henry reactions, nitromethane

An elegant example of sequence of reactions involving the Henry reaction, the Michael reaction, and elimination of HNO is demonstrated in a short synthesis of anthracyclmones. Nitromethane is used to introduce the ClO-gronp simultaneously v/irh the C9-hydroxy group fEq. 7,136. ... 

The chemical yield of the classical Henry reaction is not always good and depends on steric factors thus, highest yields are obtained when nitromethane is used. Performing the reaction under high pressure (9 kbar, 30 °C) with tetrabutylammonium fluoride catalysis19 enlarges the scope of the reaction dramatically. Thus, addition of nitropropane to 2-methylcyclohexanone, which is not reactive under the classical conditions, was achieved in 40 % yield. Improved yields... 

Moderate stereoselectivity (80 20) was observed in the potassium fluoride catalyzed Henry reaction of nitromethane with isopropylidenc-D-glyceraldehyde (10). The major product could be separated from the mixture by fractional crystallization9. 

Recently, enantioselective organo-catalytic procedures for the aza-Henry reaction have been disclosed. The presence of either an acidic or a basic function appears to be a requisite of the catalyst. In fact, the condensation of ni-tromethane with M-phosphinoyl arylimines 72 is catalyzed by the chiral urea 85 derived from (R,R)-l,2-diaminocyclohexane and gives the product (R)-74 with good yield and moderate enantioselectivity (Scheme 15) [50]. The N-phosphinoyl substituent is determinant, as the addition of nitromethane to the N-phenyl benzaldimine failed and the reaction of the N-tosyl ben-zaldimine gave the expected adduct with quantitative yield but almost no... 

Jenner investigated the kinetic pressure effect on some specific Michael and Henry reactions and found that the observed activation volumes of the Michael reaction between nitromethane and methyl vinyl ketone are largely dependent on the magnitude of the electrostriction effect, which is highest in the lanthanide-catalyzed reaction and lowest in the base-catalyzed version. In the latter case, the reverse reaction is insensitive to pressure.52 Recently, Kobayashi and co-workers reported a highly efficient Lewis-acid-catalyzed asymmetric Michael addition in water.53 A variety of unsaturated carbonyl derivatives gave selective Michael additions with a-nitrocycloalkanones in water, at room temperature without any added catalyst or in a very dilute aqueous solution of potassium carbonate (Eq. 10.24).54... 

Proazaphosphatrane, P(RNCH2CH2)3N, is an efficient catalyst for the Henry reaction, and various ketones give nitro-aldols by the reaction with nitromethane and other nitroalkanes (Eq. 3.20).21... 

Henry reactions of nitro sugars can be promoted by catalytic amounts of mild bases and it has widely extended the use of triethylamine. A recent example involves the condensation of sugar derived a,p-unsaturated aldehyde 15 with nitromethane in the presence of triethylamine, to give... 

Reaction of nitromethane and monosaccharide-derived dialdehydes is a useful tool that has been broadly used for the preparation of nitro and amino sugars, and carbocycles.30 Dialdehydes can easily be obtained by oxidative cleavage of conveniently protected monosaccharides with sodium periodate. Their subsequent Henry reaction with a nitroalkene, commonly nitromethane, usually gives isomeric mixtures that require the isolation of the major isomer.31 Thus, treatment of the D-ribose derivative 27 with sodium periodate gave dialdehyde 28, which was subjected to a Henry reaction with nitromethane, to afford nitrosugar 29 as an epimeric mixture (Scheme 11).32... 

This sequence involves a Henry reaction of 41 with nitromethane followed by a dehydration of the resulting acyclic D-heptitol derivative 42 and a Michael intramolecular addition of the resulting nitroolefin 43. 

Henry reactions have been extensively exploited for the synthesis of nitrate ester explosives. The condensation of nitroalkanes with aldehydes, followed by esterification of the hydroxy groups with nitric acid, leads to a number of nitrate ester explosives (see Chapter 3). The two examples given above (166 and 167) are synthesized from the C-nitration of the polyols obtained from the condensation of formaldehyde with nitromethane and nitroethane respectively. 

Scheme 12.22 Asymmetric nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of various aldehydes (Pe-h) with nitromethane.

Papai et al. selected as model reaction the addition of 2,4-pentanedione (acetylacetone) to trans-(R)-mtrostyvQnQ, catalyzed by the bifunctional thiourea catalyst shown in Scheme 6 [46]. The analogous Michael-addition involving dimethyl malonate and nitroethylene as substrates, and a simplified catalyst was calculated at the same level of theory by Liu et al. [47]. Himo et al. performed a density functional study on the related cinchona-thiouTQa catalyzed Henry-reaction between nitromethane and benzaldehyde [48]. 

Nitroaldol (Henry) reactions of nitroalkanes and a carbonyl were investigated by Hiemstra [76], Based on their earlier studies with Cinchona alkaloid derived catalysts, they were able to achieve moderate enantioselectivities between aromatic aldehydes and nitromethane. Until then, organocatalyzed nitroaldol reactions displayed poor selectivities. Based on prior reports by Sods [77], an activated thionrea tethered to a Cinchona alkaloid at the quinoline position seemed like a good catalyst candidate. Hiemstra incorporated that same moiety to their catalyst. Snbsequently, catalyst 121 was used in the nitroaldol reaction of aromatic aldehydes to generate P-amino alcohols in high yield and high enantioselectivities (Scheme 27). 

Ricci and co-workers published a protocol for the enantioselective aza-Henry reaction [224] of N-protected aldimines with nitromethane in the presence of C9-epi-quinine thiourea 121 [8]. The reaction was ophmized for 20mol% loading of... 

Scheme 6.128 Product range of 121-catalyzed asymmetric aza-Henry reactions between N-protected aldimines and nitromethane. The configurations of the products were not determined.

For the model Henry reaction between benzaldehyde and nitromethane a solvent dependency of the enantioselectivity was detected (e.g., CH2CI2 6% ee MeOH 49% ee THF 62% ee aU at rt). Under optimized reaction conditions concerning catalyst loading (10 mol% of 131), solvent (TH F), and reaction temperature... 

Scheme 6.146 Representative adducts obtained from the asymmetric Henry reaction between nitromethane and (hetero)aromatic aldehydes under bifunctional catalysis of C6 -thiourea-functionalized cinchona alkaloid 131.

Scheme 6.161 Product range for the 163-catalyzed enantioselective Henry reaction of arylaldehydes with nitromethane.

Figure 6.54 Structures of guanidine-based thiourea derivatives screened in the Henry reaction of nitromethane with cyclohexane carboxaldehyde under phase-transfer conditions.

Figure 6.55 Uncharged tris-thiourea 190 without guanidinium moiety and charged guanidinium structure 191 without a thiourea group appeared catalytically inactive in the Henry reaction of cyclohexane carboxaldehyde with nitromethane, while guanidine-thiourea 183 gave 99% yield and 95% ee under identical (optimized) conditions.

Since a-branched aldehydes gave rather higher asymmetric induction (Scheme 6.166), Nagasawa et al. extended the biphasic strategy to the diastereoselective Henry reaction of nitromethane with enantiomerically pure (S)-configured N,N -dibenzyl protected a-amino aldehydes and a-hydroxy aldehydes protected as silyl ethers. The screening reaction (Scheme 6.169) demonstrated a match/mismatch... 

Scheme 6.169 Screening reaction to identify (R,R)-configured guanidine-thiourea 186 as matching catalyst for the anti-diastereoselective and enantioselective Henry reaction of (S)-a-amino aldehydes with nitromethane.

Utilizing 10mol% of (R,R)-guanidine-thiourea catalyst 186 under optimized biphasic condihons for the Henry reaction [224] of (S)-a-amino aldehydes with nitromethane furnished the corresponding nitroalcohols 1-6 in yields ranging from 33 to 82% and with excellent diastereoselechvities (up to 99 1 anti/syn) and enanhoselectivihes of the major isomer (95-99% ee) (Scheme 6.171) [328]. 

Figure 6.62 Oxazoline-thioureas screened in the aza-Henry reaction of N-Boc-protected benzaldimine with nitromethane.

Closure of the nonaromatid ring of the anthracycline system has been effected by condensation of a 2-(3-oxobutyl)anthraquinone with nitromethane [135]. After the initial Henry reaction, a Michael-type reaction is induced by the quinone carbonyl in spite of the high electron density of the aromatic ring to be attacked, and the site of attack being a donor. 

The Sowden homologation [21], based on the nitroaldol condensation (Henry reaction) [22] between the aldehydo sugar and nitromethane in basic medium, followed by the Nef decomposition [23] of the resultant nitronate in strongly acidic conditions, has been employed in a more limited number of cases than the cyanohydrin synthesis. A recent example in this area is shown by the stepwise homologation of (V-acetyl-D-mannosamine (11) into /V-acetylneuraminic acid (12) [24] (Scheme 4). Also, this procedure has found... 

Keywords aromatic aldehyde, nitromethane, nitroethane, Henry reaction, activated Si02, microwave irradiation, nitroalcohol... 

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