Aldol intermolecular

An example of an intermolecular aldol type condensation, which works only under acidic catalysis is the Knoevenagel condensation of a sterically hindered aldehyde group in a formyl-porphyrin with a malonic ester (J.-H. Fuhrhop, 1976). Self-condensations of the components do not occur, because the ester groups of malonic esters are not electrophilic enough, and because the porphyrin-carboxaldehyde cannot form enolates. 

The initial step is an intermolecular aldol addition of 3-oxoglutaric diester... 

When 2-lithio-2-(trimethylsilyl)-l,3-dithiane,9 formed by deprotonation of 9 with an alkyllithium base, is combined with iodide 8, the desired carbon-carbon bond forming reaction takes place smoothly and gives intermediate 7 in 70-80% yield (Scheme 2). Treatment of 7 with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) results in the formation of a lactam enolate which is subsequently employed in an intermolecular aldol condensation with acetaldehyde (6). The union of intermediates 6 and 7 in this manner provides a 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric trans aldol adducts 16 and 17, epimeric at C-8, in 97 % total yield. Although stereochemical assignments could be made for both aldol isomers, the development of an alternative, more stereoselective route for the synthesis of the desired aldol adduct (16) was pursued. Thus, enolization of /Mactam 7 with LDA, as before, followed by acylation of the lactam enolate carbon atom with A-acetylimidazole, provides intermediate 18 in 82% yield. Alternatively, intermediate 18 could be prepared in 88% yield, through oxidation of the 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric aldol adducts 16 and 17 with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) in... 

The general features of this elegant and efficient synthesis are illustrated, in retrosynthetic format, in Scheme 4. Asteltoxin s structure presents several options for retrosynthetic simplification. Disassembly of asteltoxin in the manner illustrated in Scheme 4 furnishes intermediates 2-4. In the synthetic direction, attack on the aldehyde carbonyl in 2 by anion 3 (or its synthetic equivalent) would be expected to afford a secondary alcohol. After acid-catalyzed skeletal reorganization, the aldehydic function that terminates the doubly unsaturated side chain could then serve as the electrophile for an intermolecular aldol condensation with a-pyrone 4. Subsequent dehydration of the aldol adduct would then afford asteltoxin (1). 

It is worth pointing out that the stereochemistry of intermediate 147 at C-9 and C-10 is inconsequential since both positions will eventually bear trigonal carbonyl groups in the final product. The synthetic problem is thus significantly simplified by virtue of the fact that any or all C9-C10 diol stereoisomers could be utilized. A particularly attractive means for the construction of the C9-C10 bond and the requisite C8-C10 functionality in 147 is revealed by the disconnection shown in Scheme 41. It was anticipated that the venerable intermolecular aldol reaction could be relied upon to accomplish the union of aldehyde 150 and methyl glycolate (151) through a bond between carbons 9 and 10. 

As shown in Scheme 2.20, selective lithiation of substrate 2-87 by treatment with LDA in THF at -78 °C triggers an intramolecular Michael/intermolecular aldol addition process with benzaldehyde to give a mixture of diastereomers 2-90 and 2-91. 2-91 was afterwards transformed into 2-92, which is used as a chiral ligand for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions [29]. 

Intermolecular aldol-type 1,2-addition reactions are an important means by which stereocontrolled chain elaboration can be performed. Such reactions are widely used in synthesis of complex molecules and some leading examples are herein provided. 

Proline (l)-catalyzed intermolecular aldol reaction, Ustetal. (refs. 14,15) ... 

Surprisingly, the catalytic potential of proline (1) in asymmetric aldol reactions was not explored further until recently. List et al. reported pioneering studies in 2000 on intermolecular aldol reactions [14, 15]. For example, acetone can be added to a variety of aldehydes, affording the corresponding aldols in excellent yields and enantiomeric purity. The example of iso-butyraldehyde as acceptor is shown in Scheme 1.4. In this example, the product aldol 13 was obtained in 97% isolated yield and with 96% ee [14, 15]. The remarkable chemo- and enantioselectivity observed by List et al. triggered massive further research activity in proline-catalyzed aldol, Mannich, Michael, and related reactions. In the same year, MacMillan et al. reported that the phenylalanine-derived secondary amine 5 catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction of a,/>-un saturated aldehydes with enantioselectivity up to 94% (Scheme 1.4) [16]. This initial report by MacMillan et al. was followed by numerous further applications of the catalyst 5 and related secondary amines. 

Intermolecular Aldol Reaction With Formation of One Stereogenic Center... 

The concept In the first example of an organic base-catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aldol reaction, Denmark et al. impressively demonstrated that the pres-... 

The concept The possibility of using a simple organic molecule from the chiral pool to act like an enzyme for the catalytic intermolecular aldol reaction has recently been reported by the List and Barbas groups [69-71]. L-proline, (S)-37, was chosen as the simple unmodified catalytic molecule from the chiral pool . The proline-catalyzed reaction of acetone with an aldehyde, 36, at room temperature resulted in the formation of the desired aldol products 38 in satisfactory to very good yields and with enantioselectivity up to >99% ee (Scheme 6.18) [69, 70a],... 

Intermolecular Aldol Reaction with Formation of Two Stereogenic Centers... 

Aldol reactions using phosphoramides as organocatalysts The organic base-catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular aldol reaction with ketone-derived donors can be successfully applied to the construction of aldol products with two stereogenic centers [82-86]. Trichlorosilyl enolates of type 51 have been used as nucleophiles. Such enolates are strongly activated ketone derivatives and react spontaneously with several aldehydes at —80 °C. A first important result was that in the aldol reaction of 51 catalytic amounts of HMPA led to acceleration of the rate of reaction. After screening several optically active phosphoramides as catalysts in a model reaction the aldol product anti-53 was obtained with a diastereomeric... 

Intermolecular aldol reaction [6.2.1] Intramolecular aldol reaction [6.2.2]... 

Intermolecular Michael addition [4.1] Intermolecular aldol reaction [6.2.1] Intramolecular aldol reaction [6.2.2] Aldol-related reactions (e.g. vinylogous Mukaiyama-type aldol) [6.2.3]... 

Direct intermolecular aldol reactions, catalysed by proline, between tetrahydro-4H-thiopyranone (25) and racemic aldehydes exhibit enantiotopic group selectivity and dynamic kinetic resolution, with ee% of >98% in some cases.109... 

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