Homoenolates addition reactions

B. Maji, L. Ji, S. Wang, S. Vedachalam, R. Ganguly, X.-W. Liu, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012,51, 8276-8280. N-heterocy-clic carbene catalyzed homoenolate-addition reaction of enals and nitroalkenes asymmetric synthesis of 5-carbon-synthon 5-nitroesters. 

A few further general examples of zinc catalytic activity or reactivity include the following. Other zinc-containing systems include a zinc phenoxide/nickel(0) catalytic system that can be used to carry out the chemo- and regioselective cyclotrimerization of monoynes.934 Zinc homoenolates have been used as novel nucleophiles in acylation and addition reactions and shown to have general utility.935,936 Iron/zinc species have been used in the oxidation of hydrocarbons, and the selectivity and conditions examined.362 There are implications for the mechanism of metal-catalyzed iodosylbenzene reactions with olefins from the observation that zinc triflate and a dizinc complex catalyze these reactions.937... 

Concurrently, Glorius and co-workers reported the synthesis of y-butyrolactones under similar reaction conditions [122, 123], Glorius has extended this reactivity to include trifluoromethyl ketones (Scheme 36). In addition to intermolecular reactions, intramolecular homoenolate additions are possible in modest yield Eq. 21 [123],... 

Nair and co-workers reported the diastereoselective synthesis of spiro y-butyro-lactones from 1,2-dicarbonyls [125]. The authors studied the reaction with 1,2-cyclohexane dione 230 which produces the desired lactone 232 in good yields Eq. 22a. Isatins 233 are more reactive, but the products 235 are obtained as a 1 1 separable mixture of diastereomers Eq. 22b. The Nair research group extended this methodology to include homoenolate addition to tropanone 236 to form bicyclic 5-lactones 238 Eq. 22c [126]. 

In line the with the chemistry of dialkylzinc [36], the zinc homoenolate is inert to carbonyl compounds in a variety of solvents, Eq. (33). Slow addition accurs only in an HMPA/THF mixture. When the reaction is conducted in halomethane in the presence of Me3SiCl, however, a very rapid addition reaction occurs [33], Control experiments indicate that the acceleration is due to the activation of the carbonyl group by Me3SiCl. The activating effect of the chlorosilane disappears in ethereal solvents. 

The method that is used in the present preparation is based upon the formal concept of employing cyclopropanone in an aldol condensation with an eholate of another ketone. The resulting aldolate exhibits characteristics of a "homoenolate" and may undergo a second carbonyl addition reaction to form a five-membered ring as suggested in the following generalized pathway ... 

The ring-opened dipolar intermediate suggests reactivity towards nucleophiles and electrophiles. The latter occurs in the TiCl4 promoted addition of methyl 2-siloxycyclo-propanecarboxylates to carbonyl compounds and to an iminium salt (equation 99). The products of both processes are very versatile intermediates allowing synthesis of different furan derivatives and other compounds Concerning the liberated carbonyl function, both reactions can be classified as homoenolate additions, thus putting further emphasis on the cyclopropane homoalkene equivalence. 

TMS-Cl or TMS-I, formed in situ, worics as the promoter in addition reactions of zinc homoenolates ((3-metallocarbonyl compounds), generated from 1-alkoxy-l-siloxycyclopropanes and ZnXz (equation 7). No reaction t es place with the purified zinc homoenolates. In contrast, titanium homoenolates are reactive enough to add to aldehydes in the absence of the Lewis acid promoter.Related reactions of zinc esters with aldehydes in the presence of (lVO)3TiCl have been reported (equation 8). ... 

In 2012, Ye, Jiao, and co-workers described the first application of iV-aryl isatin imines as the electrophiles in NHC-catalyzed homoenolate additions, providing a simple and efficient approach to spirocyclic y-lactam oxindoles. Utilizing the catalyst with free hydroxyl group first developed in the Ye group, an asymmetric variant of this reaction was demonstrated in a moderate enantioselective manner (80% yield, 6 1 dr, 74% ee) (Scheme 7.48). 

Subsequently, with the newly developed sterically bulky chiral triazolium salt precatalyst, the Rovis group disclosed a homoenolate Michael addition reaction of enals to nitroalkenes that delivers complementary syw stereoselectivity and allows coupling with aliphatic nitroalkenes. Bulky substituents in the ortho ortho position of the Al-aryl ring of the NHC are crucial for the success of this reaction as it would shift product distribution toward the desired nitro ester by partially bloeking the aeyl anion position (Scheme 7.64). 

Sequential reactions involving metal and NHC catalysis are quite scarce in the literature NHCs are powerful ligands that coordinate many metals, resulting in altered activities for both partners, so it may be difficult to create balanced catalytic systems. Fortunately, the few examples available cover several NHC mechanistic pathways, including the benzoin condensation [104], homoenolate addition [105], and NHC-catalyzed oxidation [106, 107] (Scheme 26.21). 

An alternative formation of titanated alkoxyallenes could be achieved by reaction of 3-alkoxy-2-propyn-l-yl carbonates 78 with (r/2-propene)titanium diisopropoxylate (79). Successive addition of 80 to benzaldehyde afforded the corresponding addition products 81 in high yield (Scheme 8.22) [70]. The results demonstrate that titanium species 75 and 80 can serve as easily available ester homoenolate equivalents. Notably, conversion of lithiated alkoxyallenes to the magnesium species by treatment with MgBr2 followed by addition to chiral carbonyl compounds resulted in a mixture of a- and y-products [71]. 

In a related paper, Scheldt and co-workers described a stereoselective formal [3 + 3] cycloaddition catalyzed by imidazolinylidine catalyst 256 Eq. 25 [130]. Ultimately this is an intermolecular addition of the homoenolate intermediate to an azomethine ylide followed by intramolecular acylation and presumably follows the same mechanistic path as described previously. Pyridazinones are obtained as single diastereomers in good to high yield from a number of aldehydes. Unfortunately no reaction occurs with the presence of electron-withdrawing groups on the aryl ring of the enal. 

The formation of activated iminium intermediates derived from nitrogen heterocycles has been reported by Comins . The activation of pyridine derivative such as 214 with phenyl chloroformate provides the pyridinium salt 215, which smoothly reacts with the zinc homoenolate 216 leading to the addition product 217 in 66% yield . The reaction... 

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