Intramolecular reactions ketone donors

The as)rmmetric proline-catalyzed intramolecular aldol cyclization, known as the Hajos-Par-rish-Eder-Sauer-Wiechert reaction [106,107], was discovered in the 1970s [108,109,110,111]. This reaction, together with the discovery of nonproteinogenic metal complex-catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions (see also Sect 5.5.1) [112,113,114], led to the development by List and co-workers [115,116] of the first proline-catalyzed intermolecular aldol reaction. Under these conditions, the reaction between a ketone and an aldehyde is possible if a large excess of the ketone donor is used. For example, acetone reacts with several aldehydes in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) to give the corresponding aldol in good yields and enantiomeric excesses (ee) (O Scheme 17) [117]. 

The nucleophilic properties of enamines uncovered by Stork have found a wide application in Michael additions. Secondary enamines are usually in equilibrium with the corresponding imines. These imines are generally more stable, unless the tautomeric enamine is stabilized by conjugation (Figure 7.71). The primary product of the reaction of an enamine with an a,P-unsaturated carbonyl compound is a dipolar intermediate 7.108. This intermediate is converted to a 1,5-dicarbonyl compound on exposure to aqueous add. Proton transfers can take place before hydroysis to the ketone occurs, and the stereoselectivity of the process may be determined by such steps. Moreover, the enamine addition reaction can be reversible. These problems notwithstanding, the use of chiral amines to generate imines or enamines for use as Michael donors has been widely developed. The chiral imine/enamine can be preformed or, espedally in the case of intramolecular reactions, the amine can be added to the reaction medium in stoichiometric amounts. 

The Robinson annulation is a two-step process that combines a Michael reaction with an intramolecular aldol reaction. It takes place between a nucleophilic donor, such as a /3-keto ester, an enamine, or a /3-diketone, and an a,/3-unsaturated ketone acceptor, such as 3-buten-2-one. The product is a substituted 2-cyclohexenone. 

The aldol reaction is a carbonyl condensation that occurs between two aldehyde or ketone molecules. Aldol reactions are reversible, leading first to a /3-hydroxy aldehyde or ketone and then to an cr,/6-unsaturated product. Mixed aldol condensations between two different aldehydes or ketones generally give a mixture of all four possible products. A mixed reaction can be successful, however, if one of the two partners is an unusually good donor (ethyl aceto-acetate, for instance) or if it can act only as an acceptor (formaldehyde and benzaldehyde, for instance). Intramolecular aldol condensations of 1,4- and 1,5-diketones are also successful and provide a good way to make five-and six-inembered rings. 

It has recently been shown that when the tetrahedral intermediate of the reaction is cyclic, it is a better donor of nucleophilic CF3. These cyclic intermediates can be generated intramolecularly from trifluoroacetamides or trifluorosulfmamides derived from (9-silylated ephedrine. These reagents are able to trifluoromethylate aldehydes and ketones, even in the case of enolizable substrates, as a strong base is not required (Figure 2.34). However, while the source of CF3 is chiral, there is no chirality transfer to the addition product, and the replacement of ephedrine by other chiral amino alcohols did not show any improvement. " Similar to asymmetric trifluoromethylation with the Ruppert reagent, only the use of a fluoride salt of cinchonine can increase the enantioselectivity. " " ... 

The reaction is carried out in vapour phase (250°C) using a flow system (see methods section). This procedure turned out to be essential in order to mantain the hydrogen transfer as the main reaction pathway. A batch experiment carried out in an autoclave actually showed a wide range of condensation products besides some saturated ketone [6]. Reactions of ketones over oxide catalysts can lead to a variety of products due inter alia to aldol condensation, intramolecular dehydration and intermolecular disproportionation [16]. However, the presence of a good hydrogen donor such as a secondary alcohol and vapour phase conditions favour the transfer hydrogenation as the major reaction [16,17]. In our reaction conditions, products attributable to crotonic condensations and subsequent 1,4 Michael addition [18] were observed by g.l.c.-m.s. (Table 1). 

Looking at all the reactions that took place for the formation of the complex C, the heterocycle A plays the role of a molecular glue, which is possible because it represents both a Lewis acid and a Lewis base. As a result of this dual role, A places the electrophile (the ketone) and the hydride donor (the BH3) in close proximity. In this way, the complex C makes possible a quasi-intramolecular reduction of the ketone. It takes place stereoselectively in such a way as the arrangement of the reaction partners in C suggests (Figure 10.26). As a bicyclic... 

The substrate 292 was specifically designed to prepare five-membered systems via a sequence of inter- and intramolecular Michael additions. This option is viable when active Michael acceptors such as methyl vinyl ketone are used, otherwise competing Michael reactions between two molecules of 292 are difficult to avoid. The reaction proceeds through intermediate 293, which contains both a Michael donor and acceptor site and undergoes spontaneous conversion into the cyclic product 294. 

The tricyclic ring system containing the fully functionalized CD ring of taxol was prepared from (S)-(+)-carvone by T.K.M. Shing et al. The bicyclic a-hydroxy ketone (4-hydroxy-5-one) was isomerized by an Intramolecular redox reaction in the presence of catalytic amounts of aluminum isopropoxide. This example was a special case where both reactants were in the same molecule the ketone was the oxidant for the Oppenauer oxidation, whereas the secondary alcohol was the hydride donor for the MVP reduction. The conversion to the thermodynamically more stable 5-hydroxy-4-one proceeded in good yield. 

One normally expects antibodies to have a low tolerance to substrate modifications, however an ongoing feature of these aldolase antibodies is their wide scope. They accept a remarkable range of aldol donors and acceptors and perform crossed-, intramolecular- and retro-variants of this reaction, with high yields, rates, and stereospecificities [81,82,83]. Substrate modification experiments have revealed that when acetone is the aldol donor in a ketone-aldehyde crossed aldol reaction, stereoinduction is linked to attack of the sz-face of a prochiral aldehyde with typically >95% ee and when hydroxyacetone is the donor substrate, attack occurs preferentially at the re-face of the aldehyde leading to a diastereomeric a,P-dihydroxy ketones with the two stereogenic centers having an a-syn configuration. This reaction leads to stereospecificities of typically 70 to >99% ee. 

An alternative and useful method for intramolecular conjugate addition when the Michael donor is a ketone is the formation of an enamine and its reaction with a Michael acceptor. This can be advantageous as enamine formation occurs under reversible conditions to allow the formation of the product of greatest thermodynamic stability. Treatment of the ketone 40 with pyrrolidine and acetic acid leads to the bicyclic product 41, formed by reaction of only one of the two possible regio-isomeric enamines (1.51). Such reactions can be carried out with less than one equivalent of the secondary amine and have recently been termed organo-catalysis (as opposed to Lewis acid catalysis with a metal salt). The use of chiral secondary amines can promote asymmetric induction (see Section 1.1.4). 

A popular and useful application of the conjugate addition reaction is the combined conjugate addition-intramolecular aldol strategy, commonly known as the Robinson annulation. When the Michael donor is a ketone and the Michael acceptor an a,p-unsaturated ketone, the product is a 1,5-diketone which can readily undergo cyclization to a six-membered ring. Typical Michael donor substrates are 2-substituted cyclohexanones, which condense with alkyl vinyl ketones to give the intermediate conjugate addition products 42 (1.52). The subsequent intramolecular... 

---