Indium Reformatsky reagents

The indium-induced Reformatsky reaction with stoichiometric amounts of chiral amino alcohols such as cinnco-nine and cinchonidine gives optically active /3-hydroxy esters with 40%-70% ee (Table 19). In contrast to the smooth reaction with uncomplexed indium-based Reformatsky reagents, ketones do not react with the complexed indium Reformatsky reagents. Other chiral ligands, including (—)-spartein, (—)-norephedrine, (+)-(l-methylpyrrolidin-2-yl)diphenylmethanol, (+)-Dibutyl tartrate and (+)-l,l -bi-2-naphthol, are not effective for this reaction.324... 

An indium Reformatsky reagent has been prepared from 2-(chlorodifluoroacetyl)furan, which couples with aldehydes (Equation (84)).334 A similar Reformatsky-type reaction between some /3-aminovinyl chlorodifluoromethyl... 

Bieber reported that the reaction of bromoacetates is greatly enhanced by catalytic amounts of benzoyl peroxide or peracids and gives satisfactory yields with aromatic aldehydes. A radical chain mechanism, initiated by electron abstraction from the organometallic Reformatsky reagent, is proposed (Scheme 8.27).233 However, an alternative process of reacting aldehydes with 2,3-dichloro-l-propene and indium in water followed by ozonolysis provided the Reformatsky product in practical yields.234 An electrochemical Reformatsky reaction in an aqueous medium and in the absence of metal mediator has also been reported.235... 

Chao, L.-C., Rieke, R. D. Activated metals. IX. New reformatsky reagent involving activated indium for the preparation of P-hydroxy esters. J. Org. Chem. 1975, 40, 2253-2255. 

The highly reactive indium powder reported in Sections 6.1 and 6.2 reacts readily with a-haloesters to give an indium Reformatsky-type reagent which will add to ketones and aldehydes to give p-hydroxy esters. The Reformatsky reaction using zinc metal has been used in the preparation of p-hydroxy esters for many years. Recent improvements have made this reaction a very reliable reaction (see Section 3.10). 

Indium enolates, prepared conveniently by transmetalation of hfhium enolates with IriCl j, react wifh aldehydes to give fhe corresponding -hydroxy esters [80]. Ultrasound irradiation promotes fhe Reformatsky reaction of aldehydes and ethyl bromoacetate wifh indium [81]. Indium-mediated Reformatsky reaction of phenyl a-bromoalkanoates wifh ketones or aldehydes gives di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted -lactones (Scheme 8.57) [82]. Indium-mediated reaction of imines with ethyl bromoacetate gives 3-unsubstituted -lactams (Scheme 8.58) [83]. An indium-Refor-matsky reagent prepared from 2-(chlorodifluoroacetyl)furan couples with aldehydes (Scheme 8.59) [84]. 

The Henry reaction is an aldol-type reaction between a nitroalkane and an aldehyde in the presence of a base. Since basic reagents are also catalysts for the aldol condensation, the nitroaldol reactions must be strictly controlled. An interesting alternative lies in the use of surfactants to perform the reaction in an aqueous medium [63], The Reformatsky reaction, which involves a-haloketones and aldehydes, can be mediated by zinc, tin or indium in water in the latter case the proportion of undesirable reduction products could be strongly reduced [64]. 

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