Intramolecular addition reactions, zinc enolates

The addition of zinc enolates to alkenes in the intramolecular version finds several examples in recent literature. Thus, hydrazone 155, subjected to the same treatment reported for 151 (equation 80), undergoes diastereoselective 5-exo-trig (n = 1) or 6-exo-trig (n = 2) carbocyclization to yield -156, which on reaction with the electrophile E+ gives 157 (equation 81)174. 

Zinc bisenolate 136 (Figure 11) is prepared by the transmetallation of propiophenone lithium enolate with 0.5 equivalents of ZnBr2 136 reacts with aldehydes, both aliphatic and aromatic, in a domino aldol reaction which mimics the action of aldolases167. The first aldol reaction between 136 and the aldehyde produces zinc aldolate 137, which then undergoes a second intramolecular aldol addition to adduct 138. Spontaneous hemiacetalization affords 139, where all large substituents occupy equatorial positions168. 

With an acceptor-substituted alkene moiety tethered to the molecule, the intermediate silyl enol ether may undergo an intramolecular [2-I-2] cycloaddition.The silyl-assisted addition of hydrogen halides to cyclopropanes is not restricted to ketones with carbonyl groups as activating function or iodide as nucleophile. Esters and other acid derivatives underwent similar reactions when treated with iodotrimethylsilane alone or in the presence of an additional catalyst such as mercury(II) or zinc(II) chloride.Subsequent treatment of the y-iodo ester with potassium carbonate in tetrahydrofuran gave the respective y-butyrolactones in good yield. 

Aldol reactions involving aluminum species are considered to be of less synthetic value because of the ambiguous isomerization of the aldol products, under the influence of the Lewis-acidic aluminum species. Efforts have been made to generate an aluminum enolate in a regiospecific manner. Addition of dialkylchloroalane and zinc to a mixture of an a-halo ketone (126) and an aldehyde leads to the formation of enolate (127), which subsequently reacts with the aldehyde, as shown in Scheme 53.71 This method is applicable to the construction of medium to large rings by intramolecular aldol cyclization of various a-bromocarboxylates of u)-hydroxy aldehydes (e.g. BiCHRC02(CH2) CH0 where — 9, 11 or 12 and R = H or Me). The macrolactonization proceeds in reasonable yield, as shown in Scheme 53. 

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