Imine formation nucleophilic alkyl substitution

Another catalytic application of chiral ketene enolates to [4 + 2]-type cydizations was the discovery of their use in the diastereoselective and enantioselective syntheses of disubstituted thiazinone. Nelson and coworkers described the cyclocondensations of acid chlorides and a-amido sulfones as effective surrogates for asymmetric Mannich addition reactions in the presence of catalytic system composed of O-TM S quinine lc or O-TMS quinidine Id (20mol%), LiC104, and DIPEA. These reactions provided chiral Mannich adducts masked as cis-4,5 -disubstituted thiazinone heterocycles S. It was noteworthy that the in situ formation of enolizable N-thioacyl imine electrophiles, which could be trapped by the nucleophilic ketene enolates, was crucial to the success of this reaction. As summarized in Table 10.2, the cinchona-catalyzed ketene-N-thioacyl-imine cycloadditions were generally effective for a variety of alkyl-substituted ketenes and aliphatic imine electrophiles (>95%ee, >95%cis trans) [12]. 

Like acetal formation, the reaction of aldehydes and ketones with primary amines— compounds of the type RNH2 and ArNH2—is a two-stage process. Its first stage is nucleophilic addition of the amine to the carbonyl group to give a carbinolamine. The second stage is the dehydration of the carbinolamine to yield the isolated product of the reaction, an A-alkyl or A-aryl-substituted imine. 

Chitosan is a multi-nucleophilic polymer due to the presence of the NH2 and OH functional groups. The initial sites where substitution occurs are the more nucleophilic amino groups. However, the experimental conditions and protection of the NH2 groups reduces the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and creates space for water molecules to fill in and solvate the hydrophilic groups of the polymer backbone (Sashiwa and Shigemasa 1999). A -alkylated derivatives can be obtained by the treatment of chitosan with aldehydes or ketones via formation of Schiff base intermediates, aldimines (from reactions with aldehydes), or ketimines (from reactions with ketones) followed by reduction of the imine with sodium borohydride. 

---