Imine compounds diastereoselective asymmetric reactions

Asymmetric Mannich reactions provide useful routes for the synthesis of optically active p-amino ketones or esters, which are versatile chiral building blocks for the preparation of many nitrogen-containing biologically important compounds [1-6]. While several diastereoselective Mannich reactions with chiral auxiliaries have been reported, very little is known about enantioselective versions. In 1991, Corey et al. reported the first example of the enantioselective synthesis of p-amino acid esters using chiral boron enolates [7]. Yamamoto et al. disclosed enantioselective reactions of imines with ketene silyl acetals using a Bronsted acid-assisted chiral Lewis acid [8]. In all cases, however, stoichiometric amounts of chiral sources were needed. Asymmetric Mannich reactions using small amounts of chiral sources were not reported before 1997. This chapter presents an overview of catalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions. 

The required chiral sulfur ylide of type 59 is formed in a reaction with a diazo compound in the presence of an achiral metal catalyst. Subsequently, asymmetric reaction of the chiral ylide 59 with the C=N double bond of the imine proceeds diastereoselectively and enantioselectively, giving the optically active aziridine 57. The chiral sulfide catalyst released is then used for the next catalytic cycle. The cat-alytically active species in the asymmetric process is the sulfide, so this concept can also be regarded as an organocatalytic reaction. 

In this chapter, recent applications of (W)-phcnylglycine amide (1) in asymmetric synthesis are presented (Figure 25.2). The first section deals with diastereoselective Strecker reactions for the preparation of a-amino acids and derivatives, whereas the second section focuses on diastereoselective allylation of imines for preparation of enantiomerically pure homoallylamines. This latter class of compounds is a well-known intermediate for the synthesis of, for example, many types of amines, amino alcohols, and P-amino acids. The final section describes reduction of imines providing enantiomerically pure amines. (S)-3,3-Dimethyl-2-butylamine and (S)-l-aminoindane will be presented as leading examples. The results described in this chapter originate from a longstanding cooperation in the field of chiral technology development between DSM Pharma Chemicals and Syncom B.V. 

Reactions of nitro compounds with chiral imines have only recently been described. Either chiral 1-phenylethylamine (auxiliary) or the glyceraldehyde acetonide aldehyde was used as the chiral precursors of the imines 66 and 68, which reacted with 3-mesyloxynitropropane to give the 3-nitropyrrolidines dl)-67 and 69, respectively, with good diastereoselectivity. In fact, both products were obtained (almost) exclusively as trans diastereomers with high level of asymmetric induction, but the configurations of the newly formed stereocenters were not determined [44] (Scheme 13). N-Boc imines can be formed... 

Double asymmetric induction operates when the azomethine compound is derived from a chiral a-amino aldehyde and a chiral amine, e.g., the sulfin-imine 144 [70]. In this case, the R configuration at the sulfur of the chiral auxihary, N-tert-butanesulfinamide, matched with the S configuration of the starting a-amino aldehyde, allowing complete stereocontrol to be achieved in the preparation of the diamine derivatives 145 by the addition of trifluo-romethyl anion, which was formed from trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane in the presence of tetramethylammonium fluoride (Scheme 23). The substituents at both nitrogen atoms were easily removed by routine procedures see, for example, the preparation of the free diamine 146. On the other hand, a lower diastereoselectivity (dr 80 20) was observed in one reaction carried out on the imine derived from (it)-aldehyde and (it)-sulfinamide. 

The more recent work on this area deals predominantly with the asymmetric induction in aza Diels-Alder reactions in order to develop a novel powerful tool for the stereoselective synthesis of biologically active compounds. Thus, Wald-mann et al. demonstrated the utility of chiral imines derived from enantiopure amino acids by obtaining the cycloadduct 3-3 in very good diastereoselectivity from imine 3-1 and Brassard s diene 3-2 (Fig. 3-1) [181]. 

Allylation. Allyl halides are converted to allyltitanium compounds by r-PrMgBr/jr-PrOj Ti, which can be used for allylation of carbonyl compounds and aldimines. With imines derived from a chiral a-phenethylamine, the reaction is highly diastereoselective following the Cram pattern exhibiting a 1,3-asymmetric induction. 

However, diastereoselective transformations like this are not to be discussed within this monograph, as they do not fulfill the criteria of asymmetric synthesis, according to Marckwald s definition (in today s language) this would mean [...] those reactions, or sequences of reactions, which produce chiral nonracemic substances from achiral compounds with the intermediate use of chiral nonracemic materials, but excluding a separation operation [35]. Thus, diastereoselective conversions not included for that reason in this book are, for example, aldol additions, Mannich reactions, and Michael additions of enolates to ketones, imines, and cx,P-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, respectively, with any chiral skeleton. For such stereoselective enolate reactions that are not asymmetric syntheses, the reader is referred to the literature, which treated this topic in a comprehensive manner [36]. 

Lectka et al. reported on a practical methodology for the catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of (3-lactams 203. Compound 203 results from the reaction of ketenes (or derived zwitterionic enolates) 201 and imines 202 via C—N alkylative cyclization using benzoylquinine as a chiral catalyst and a proton sponge as the stoichiometric base with moder-ate-to-good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity (Scheme 40.41). " ... 

Condensation Reactions. Boron trichloride converts ketones into (Z)-boron enolates at —95 °C in the presence of Diisopropyl-ethylamine. These enolates react with aldehydes with high syn diastereoselectivity (eq 2). A similar condensation of imines with carbonyl compounds also provides crossed aldols in reasonable yields. The reaction was extended to the asymmetric aldoi condensation of acetophenone imine and benzaldehyde by using isobornylamine as a chiral auxiliary (48% ee). ... 

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