Ketene enantioselective Michael addition

In 2006, catalytic enantioselective Michael addition of ketene silyl acetals to cyclic and acyclic a, P-enones was devised using the chiral BLA (3a) (Scheme 1.6) [8]. Various Michael donors and ketene silyl acetals can be employed for this process. Here again, the use of triphenylphosphine oxide is crucial to trap any catalytically active silyl cation species. In addition, the combined use of triphenylphosphine oxide and a stoichiometric amount of 2,6-diisopropylphenol (which acts as a scavenger of silyl cation species) is sometimes required to get both high enantioselectivity and the chemical yield. This enantioselective methodology was applied to the asymmetric synthesis of a key intermediate of caryophyllene. 

Scheme 1.6 Enantioselective Michael addition of ketene silyl acetals catalyzed by (3a).

High enantioselectivities may be reached using the kinetic controlled Michael addition of achiral tin enolates, prepared in situ, to a,/i-unsaturated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by a chiral amine. The presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate as an activator is required in these reactions236. Some typical results, using stoichiometric amounts of chiral amine and various enolates are given below. In the case of the l-(melhylthio)-l-[(trimethylsilyl)thio]ethene it is proposed that metal exchange between the tin(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate and the ketene acetal occurs prior to the 1,4-addition237,395. 

Recently, Mukaiyama and co-workers prepared cinchona alkaloid-derived chiral quaternary ammonium phenoxide-phenol complex 23 and used it as an efficient organocatalyst for the tandem Michael addition and lactonization between oc,f-unsaturated ketones and a ketene silyl acetal 24 derived from phenyl isobutyrate. This approach permits the highly enantioselective synthesis of a series of 3,4-dihydropyran-2-ones (25), as shown in Scheme 4.11 [17]. 

In 1988, Mukaiyama et al. reported the Sn(OTf)2-50d-catalyzed asymmetric Michael reaction of a trimethylsilyl enethiolate, CH2=C(SMe)SSiMej (up to 70% ee) [243]. It was proposed that the catalytic reaction proceeded via an Sn(II) enethiolate. They also demonstrated that a BINOL-derived oxotitaniurn catalyzes the Michael addition of ketene silyl thioacetals to a-enone with high enantioselectivity (up to 90% ee) [244]. After this pioneering work other research groups developed new reaction systems for enantioselective Mukaiyama-Michael reactions. 

This reaction was first reported by Mukaiyama et al. in 1974. It is a Lewis acid-catalyzed Michael conjugate addition of silyl enol ether to o ,/3-unsaturated compounds. Therefore, it is generally referred to as the Mukaiyama-Michael reaction. Because this reaction is essentially a conjugate addition, it is also known as the Mukaiyama-Michael addition or Mukaiyama-Michael conjugate addition. This reaction is a mechanistic complement for the base-catalyzed Michael addition, j and often occurs at much milder conditions and affords superior regioselectivity. s Besides silyl enol ether, silyl ketene acetals are also suitable nucleophiles in this reaction.For the hindered ketene silyl acetals, the Lewis acid actually mediates the electron transfer from the nucleophiles to o ,/3-unsaturated carbonyl molecules.On the other hand, the Q ,j8-unsaturated compounds, such as 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone, alkylidene malonates, and a-acyl-a,/3-unsaturated phosphonates are often applied as the Michael acceptors. It has been found that the enantioselectivity is very sensitive to the reactant structures —for example, Q -acyl-Q ,j8-unsaturated phosphonates especially prefers the unique syn- vs anft-diastereoselectivity in this reaction. In addition,... 

Scheme 1.2 The enantioselective addition of MeOH to methyl phenyl ketene reported by Pracejus and the quinine-catalyzed enantioselective Michael reaction reported by Wynberg.

In a paper that described a detailed preparation of air-stable cinchona alkaloid-derived chiral quaternary ammonium phenoxides, the Mukaiyama group also used these to enantioselectively prepare 3,4-dihydropyran-2-ones 160 [85]. A low loading of organocatalyst 159 at low temperatures, in a series of solvents, resulted in the formation of the optically active lactone products in high yields with excellent control of enantio- and diastereoselectivity. This process was proposed to go through a phenoxide-ion-catalyzed domino Michael addition and lactonization catalytic cycle as illustrated below. Many variations of the ketene silyl acetals and a, -unsaturated ketones were combined in this domino process (Scheme 7.32). Earlier,... 

With regard to the catalytic asymmetric reaction , only a few successful examples, except those reactions using chiral transition metal complexes, have been reported. For example, the cinchona-alkaloid-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of thiols or 6-keto esters to Michael acceptors quinidine catalyzed the asymmetric addition of ketene to chloral and the highly enantioselective 1,4-addition of ) -keto esters in the presence of chiral crown ethers to Michael acceptors have been most earnestly studied. 

Due to the unique bivalent carbene and diversity of the N-heterocyclic motif, NHCs have been demonstrated to be efficient organocatalysts for various enantioselective reactions. In addition to the traditional thioazolium and imidazolium NHCs, triazolium NHCs have become the most successful organocatalysts. Recently, NHC/Lewis acid cocatalysis and bifunctional NHCs have shown a very promising future. Beyond the classic NHC-catalysed umpolung of aldehydes, the extended umpolung of functionalised aldehydes are extremely successful. A series of NHC-catalysed reactions of ketenes have been developed for the synthesis of various enantioriched heterocycles. Esters, anhydrides, carboxylic acids and even Michael acceptors are useful alternative substrates for NHC-catalysed reactions. With increasing interest and rapid development of NHC catalysis, new structures of the catalysts, new reaction modes, and synthetic applications can be expected in the near future. 

A new thiophen synthesis is based on deprotonation and cyclization of the resultant carbanion (65) of a keten dimethylthioacetal. Other applications of cr-(phenylthio)- or cr-(alkylthio)-alkyl-lithiums include preparations of disparlure (the sex pheromone of the gypsy moth) and other chiral epoxides,of an anti-peptic-ulcer diterpene from Croton sublyratus, of carbene-thiometal chelates through reaction with fCr(CO)gl or fW(CO)jl, of olefins via )ff-hydroxy-sulphides, and of Michael adducts of enones. In other work, the chiral solvent l,4-dimethylamino-2,3-dimethoxybutane is employed in enantioselective addition reactions of cr-thio-carbanions with ketones and Michael acceptors. a,P -Elimination of cr-thio-carbanions such as (66) provides a useful synthesis of olefins, and a 2-(lithiomethylthio)-A -oxazoline (67) has been used to prepare a C-labelled thiiran for a microwave study of the valence tautomerism of allene episulphide. ... 

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