High stereoselectivity

Within the last decade remarkable progress has been made with highly stereoselective addition reactions to C = C and C = 0 double bonds using chiral reagents. These reagents include ... 

The reductive coupling of aldehydes or ketones with 01, -unsaturated carboxylic esters by > 2 mol samarium(II) iodide (J.A. Soderquist, 1991) provides a convenient route to y-lactones (K. Otsubo, 1986). Intramolecular coupling of this type may produce trans-2-hy-droxycycloalkaneacetic esters with high stereoselectivity, if the educt is an ( )-isomer (E.J. Enholm, 1989 A, B). 

The addition of large enolate synthons to cyclohexenone derivatives via Michael addition leads to equatorial substitution. If the cyclohexenone conformation is fixed, e.g. as in decalones or steroids, the addition is highly stereoselective. This is also the case with the S-addition to conjugated dienones (Y. Abe, 1956). Large substituents at C-4 of cyclic a -synthons direct incoming carbanions to the /rans-position at C-3 (A.R. Battersby, 1960). The thermodynamically most stable products are formed in these cases, because the addition of 1,3-dioxo compounds to activated double bonds is essentially reversible. 

In polycyclic systems the Birch reduction of C—C double bonds is also highly stereoselective, e.g. in the synthesis of the thermodynamically favored trans-fused steroidal skeletons (see p. 104 and p. 278). 

In Diels-Alder reactions a nitroolefin may function as an electron-deficient ene com-onent or a 1,2-dihydropyridine derivative may be used as a diene component. Both types of iactants often yield cyclic amine precursors in highly stereoselective manner (R.K. Hill, 1962 i. BOchi, 1965, 1966A). 

Trimethylsilyl triflate—silver perchlorate (1 1) also cataly2es the highly stereoselective glycosylation of P-naphthol to provide predominantiy the P-anomer. 

Aldehydes react with alkenylborates to give 1,3-diols upon oxidation of the intermediate (300). Alkynylborates ate transformed by epoxides into homoallyhc alcohols and alkenylborates into 1,4-diols (300,301). Carbon dioxide reacts with alkenylborates to yield catboxyhc acids (302). The scope of these transformations is further extended by the use of functionalized electrophiles and borates, often reacting with high stereoselectivity. For example, in the... 

Although details vary for particular cases, a common synthetic route to diol epoxides such as (30) frequently begins with the ketone (33) (78MI50700). The final epoxidation is often highly stereoselective. A general route to non-K-region arene oxides has been described (75JA3185). 

The formation of g-alkyl-a,g-unsaturated esters by reaction of lithium dialkylcuprates or Grignard reagents in the presence of copper(I) iodide, with g-phenylthio-, > g-acetoxy-g-chloro-, and g-phosphoryloxy-a,g-unsaturated esters has been reported. The principal advantage of the enol phosphate method is the ease and efficiency with which these compounds may be prepared from g-keto esters. A wide variety of cyclic and acyclic g-alkyl-a,g-unsaturated esters has been synthesized from the corresponding g-keto esters. However, the method is limited to primary dialkylcuprates. Acyclic g-keto esters afford (Zl-enol phosphates which undergo stereoselective substitution with lithium dialkylcuprates with predominant retention of stereochemistry (usually > 85-98i )). It is essential that the cuprate coupling reaction of the acyclic enol phosphates be carried out at lower temperatures (-47 to -9a°C) to achieve high stereoselectivity. When combined with they-... 

The stereoselective reactions in Scheme 2.10 include one example that is completely stereoselective (entry 3), one that is highly stereoselective (entry 6), and others in which the stereoselectivity is modest to low (entries 1,2,4, 5, and 7). The addition of formic acid to norbomene (entry 3) produces only the exo ester. Reduction of 4-r-butylcyclohexanone (entry 6) is typical of the reduction of unhindered cyclohexanones in that the major diastereomer produced has an equatorial hydroxyl group. Certain other reducing agents, particularly sterically bulky ones, exhibit the opposite stereoselectivity and favor the formation of the diastereomer having an axial hydroxyl groi. The alkylation of 4-t-butylpiperidine with benzyl chloride (entry 7) provides only a slight excess of one diastereomer over the other. 

The preferred stereochemistry of addition to cyclic alkenes is anti The additions are not as highly stereoselective as hydrogen bromide addition, however. 

The enantiosclective synthesis of (-)-bilobalide was achieved based on successful synthesis of the chiral enone A and the highly stereoselective reduction of enone A to the desired a-alcohol B. Further transformation to (-)-bilobalide was accomplished following the route used for racemic bilobalide (Ref. 2). 

Lithium-ammonia reductions of most steroidal enones of interest create one or two new asymmetric centers. Such reductions are found to be highly stereoselective and this stereoselectivity constitutes the great utility of the reaction. For conjugated enones of the normal steroid series, the thermodynamically most stable products are formed predominantly and perhaps exclusively. Thus the following configurations are favored 5a, 8/ , 9a, and in certain cases 14a (see page 35). Starr has listed numerous examples illustrating these facts and Smith " and Barton have tabulated similar data. 

In a further extension of this reaction Winstein and Dauben showed that the action of the methylene-transfer reagent (1) on A -cycloal-kenols, e.g., (2), proceeds by stereospecific cis addition to give the cw-cyclo-propyl carbinol (5). It was also observed that both the rate and yield of the hydroxyl-assisted reaction are increased substantially. It has been suggested that the high stereoselectivity observed in these instances is best explained by complex formation or reaction of the reagent (1) with the hydroxyl group of (2) followed by intromolecular transfer of methylene. 

Alkyl diethylphosphononuoroacetates have been used extensively in ol fi-nanon procedures [69], principally forming the ffJ-a-fluoro-a.P-unsaturated esters with very high stereoselectivity [70] (equation 61) (Table 22). Preparation of the ethyl diethylphosphonofluoroacetate from ethyl fluoroacetate has obviated the necessity to prepare ethyl bromofluoroacetate from bromine fluoride and ethyl diazoacetate [71],... 

A fluorinated keto ester reacts as an electrophile with hydrides, giving a hydroxy ester in a highly stereoselective reduction [30] (equation 25). 

Aqueous hydrofluoric acid dissolved in acetonitrile is a good catalyst for intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions [9] This reagent promotes highly stereoselective cyclizations of different triene esters (equation 8) The use of other acids, such as hydrochloric, acetic, and trifluoroacetic acid, results in complete polymerization of the starting trienes [9] (equation 8)... 

In recent years, several modifications of the Darzens condensation have been reported. Similar to the aldol reaction, the majority of the work reported has been directed toward diastereo- and enantioselective processes. In fact, when the aldol reaction is highly stereoselective, or when the aldol product can be isolated, useful quantities of the required glycidic ester can be obtained. Recent reports have demonstrated that diastereomeric enolate components can provide stereoselectivity in the reaction examples include the camphor-derived substrate 26, in situ generated a-bromo-A -... 

Highly stereoselective introduction of N-containing functions to carbon skeletons via cycloaddition with formation of 5-member N,0-heterocycles 96YGK836. 

The nueleophilic displacement of 9-methoxy group of perhydropyr-ido[l,2-c][l,3]oxazin-l-ones 94 was performed by treatment with an excess of 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)but-l-ene in the presence of TiCU to give 9-(2-oxobutyl) derivatives 96 (96CJC2434). The high stereoselectivity observed in... 

The chiral BOX-copper(ll) complexes, (S)-21a and (l )-21b (X=OTf, SbFg), were found by Evans et al. to catalyze the enantioselective cycloaddition reactions of the a,/ -unsaturated acyl phosphonates 49 with ethyl vinyl ether 46a and the cyclic enol ethers 50 giving the cycloaddition products 51 and 52, respectively, in very high yields and ee as outlined in Scheme 4.33 [38b]. It is notable that the acyclic and cyclic enol ethers react highly stereoselectively and that the same enantiomer is formed using (S)-21a and (J )-21b as the catalyst. It is, furthermore, of practical importance that the cycloaddition reaction can proceed in the presence of only 0.2 mol% (J )-21a (X=SbF6) with minimal reduction in the yield of the cycloaddition product and no loss of enantioselectivity (93% ee). 

The absolute configuration of products obtained in the highly stereoselective cycloaddition reactions with inverse electron-demand catalyzed by the t-Bu-BOX-Cu(II) complex can also be accounted for by a square-planar geometry at the cop-per(II) center. A square-planar intermediate is supported by the X-ray structure of the hydrolyzed enone bound to the chiral BOX-copper(II) catalyst, shown as 29b in Scheme 4.24. 

The intramolecular Sakurai reaction allows for the synthesis of functionalized bicyclic systems. By proper choice of the reaction conditions, especially of the Lewis acid or fluoride reagent used, high stereoselectivity can be achieved, which is an important aspect for its applicability in natural products synthesis. 

Intramolecular Michael addition of nitro compounds proceeds in a stereoselective way to give various types of cyclic nitro compounds with high stereoselectivity. The Michael addition of Tacetylcyclohexene to nitrostyrene followed by treatment with MeONa in MeOH gives 4-nitro-3-phenyldecalone with high stereoselectivity fEq. 4.128). 

Double Michael addiQoas of rutro compounds beanng tethered acidic carbons to 3-butyn-3-one under NaH catalysis give nitrocyclohexanes v/ith high stereoselectivity The products are transformed into rrruii -fused bicyclic compounds via the Dickmarm reaction on treatment with base fEq 4 139 ... 

Treatment of 2-bromQ aldehydes and ethyl nltroacetate with alumina gives 4-hydraxy-2 isQxazohne-2-oxides v/ith high stereoselectivity fEq 8 81 ... 

---