Ketone enolates alkylation

The preparation of ketones and ester from (3-dicarbonyl enolates has largely been supplanted by procedures based on selective enolate formation. These procedures permit direct alkylation of ketone and ester enolates and avoid the hydrolysis and decarboxylation of keto ester intermediates. The development of conditions for stoichiometric formation of both kinetically and thermodynamically controlled enolates has permitted the extensive use of enolate alkylation reactions in multistep synthesis of complex molecules. One aspect of the alkylation reaction that is crucial in many cases is the stereoselectivity. The alkylation has a stereoelectronic preference for approach of the electrophile perpendicular to the plane of the enolate, because the tt electrons are involved in bond formation. A major factor in determining the stereoselectivity of ketone enolate alkylations is the difference in steric hindrance on the two faces of the enolate. The electrophile approaches from the less hindered of the two faces and the degree of stereoselectivity depends on the steric differentiation. Numerous examples of such effects have been observed.51 In ketone and ester enolates that are exocyclic to a conformationally biased cyclohexane ring there is a small preference for... 

Robinson Annulation Sequential Michael addition/aldol condensation between a ketone enolate and an alkyl vinyl ketone (i.e. MVK) to give a cyclohex-2-en-l-one... 

Lithium dialkylamides are excellent bases for making ketone enolates as well Ketone enolates generated m this way can be alkylated with alkyl halides or as illus trated m the following equation treated with an aldehyde or a ketone... 

Acetylenedimagnesium bromide, 66, 84, 137 Acyl-alkyl diradical disproportionations, 299 Acyl-alkyl diradical recombination, 296 Alkaline hydrogen peroxide, 10, 12, 20 Alkylation of formyl ketones, 93 Alkylation via enolate anions, 86 17a-Alkynyl steroids from 17-ketones, 67 2a-Al]yl-17jS-hydroxy-5a-androstan-3 -one, 9 5 Allylic acetoxylation, 242 Allylmagnesium bromide, 64 17 -Aminoandrost-5-en-3 -ol, 145 17 a-Aminomethy 1-5 a-androstane-3, 1718-diol, 387... 

It s reasonable to ask why one would prepare a ketone by way of a keto ester (ethyl acetoacetate, for example) rather than by direct alkylation of the enolate of a ketone. One reason is that the monoalkylation of ketones via their enolates is a difficult reaction to cany out in good yield. (Remember, however, that acylation of ketone enolates as described in Section 21.4 is achieved readily.) A second reason is that the delocalized enolates of (3-keto esters, being far- less basic than ketone enolates, give a higher substitution-elimination ratio when they react with alkyl halides. This can be quite important in those syntheses in which the alkyl halide is expensive or difficult to obtain. 

There is no simple answer to this question, but the exact experimental conditions usually have much to do with the result. Alpha-substitution reactions require a full equivalent of strong base and are normally carried out so that the carbonyl compound is rapidly and completely converted into its enolate ion at a low temperature. An electrophile is then added rapidly to ensure that the reactive enolate ion is quenched quickly. In a ketone alkylation reaction, for instance, we might use 1 equivalent of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) in lelrahydrofuran solution at -78 °C. Rapid and complete generation of the ketone enolate ion would occur, and no unreacled ketone would be left so that no condensation reaction could take place. We would then immediately add an alkyl halide to complete the alkylation reaction. 

Usually, after an enolate ion is generated from an ocP-unsaturated ketone, it is converted to the P-alkylated product as shown above. But it is often possible to have the enolate react with some other electrophile (tandem vicinal difunctionalization), in some cases at the O and in other cases at the C. For example, if an alkyl halide R X is present (R = primary alkyl or allylic), and the solvent is 1,2-dime-thoxyethane, the enolate (66) can be alkylated directly. Thus, by this method, both the a and p positions of a ketone are alkylated in one synthetic operation (see also 15-23). 

The equilibrium ratios of enolates for several ketone-enolate systems are also shown in Scheme 1.1. Equilibrium among the various enolates of a ketone can be established by the presence of an excess of ketone, which permits reversible proton transfer. Equilibration is also favored by the presence of dissociating additives such as HMPA. The composition of the equilibrium enolate mixture is usually more closely balanced than for kinetically controlled conditions. In general, the more highly substituted enolate is the preferred isomer, but if the alkyl groups are sufficiently branched as to interfere with solvation, there can be exceptions. This factor, along with CH3/CH3 steric repulsion, presumably accounts for the stability of the less-substituted enolate from 3-methyl-2-butanone (Entry 3). 

Scheme 1.5 gives some examples of alkylation of ketone enolates. Entries 1 and 2 involve formation of the enolates by deprotonation with LDA. In Entry 2, equilibration... 

Ester enolates are somewhat less stable than ketone enolates because of the potential for elimination of alkoxide. The sodium and potassium enolates are rather unstable, but Rathke and co-workers found that the lithium enolates can be generated at -78° C.69 Alkylations of simple esters require a strong base because relatively weak bases such as alkoxides promote condensation reactions (see Section 2.3.1). The successful formation of ester enolates typically involves an amide base, usually LDA or LiHDMS, at low temperature.70 The resulting enolates can be successfully alkylated with alkyl bromides or iodides. HMPA is sometimes added to accelerate the alkylation reaction. 

Scheme 1.8 shows some intramolecular enolate alkylations. The reactions in Section A involve alkylation of ketone enolates. Entry 1 is a case of a-alkylation of a conjugated dienolate. In this case, the a-alkylation is also favored by ring strain effects because y-alkylation would lead to a four-membered ring. The intramolecular alkylation in Entry 2 was used in the synthesis of the terpene seychellene. 

Ketone imine anions can also be alkylated. The prediction of the regioselectivity of lithioenamine formation is somewhat more complex than for the case of kinetic ketone enolate formation. One of the complicating factors is that there are two imine stereoisomers, each of which can give rise to two regioisomeric imine anions. The isomers in which the nitrogen substituent R is syn to the double bond are the more stable.114... 

The enolates of ketones can be acylated by esters and other acylating agents. The products of these reactions are [Tdicarbonyl compounds, which are rather acidic and can be alkylated by the procedures described in Section 1.2. Reaction of ketone enolates with formate esters gives a P-ketoaldehyde. As these compounds exist in the enol form, they are referred to as hydroxymethylene derivatives. Entries 1 and 2 in Scheme 2.16 are examples. Product formation is under thermodynamic control so the structure of the product can be predicted on the basis of the stability of the various possible product anions. 

Ketones are converted to (3-ketoesters by acylation with diethyl carbonate or diethyl oxalate, as illustrated by Entries 4 and 5 in Scheme 2.16. Alkyl cyanoformate can be used as the acylating reagent under conditions where a ketone enolate has been formed under kinetic control.227... 

Other bonds that merit attention are those connecting C(7) through C(ll). These could be formed by one of the many methods for the synthesis of ketones. Bond disconnections at carbonyl centers can involve the 0=C-C(a) (acylation, organometallic addition), the C(a)-C((3) bond (enolate alkylation, aldol addition), or C((3)-C(7) bond (conjugate addition to enone). 

Scheme 13.17 depicts a synthesis based on enantioselective reduction of bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,6-dione by Baker s yeast.21 This is an example of desym-metrization (see Part A, Topic 2.2). The unreduced carbonyl group was converted to an alkene by the Shapiro reaction. The alcohol was then reoxidized to a ketone. The enantiomerically pure intermediate was converted to the lactone by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation and an allylic rearrangement. The methyl group was introduced stereoselec-tively from the exo face of the bicyclic lactone by an enolate alkylation in Step C-l. 

Longifolene has also been synthesized from ( ) Wieland-Miescher ketone by a series of reactions that feature an intramolecular enolate alkylation and ring expansion, as shown in Scheme 13.26. The starting material was converted to a dibromo ketone via the Mr-silyl enol ether in the first sequence of reactions. This intermediate underwent an intramolecular enolate alkylation to form the C(7)—C(10) bond. The ring expansion was then done by conversion of the ketone to a silyl enol ether, cyclopropanation, and treatment of the siloxycyclopropane with FeCl3. 

Silyl enol ethers have also been used as a trap for electrophilic radicals derived from a-haloesters [36] or perfluoroalkyl iodides [32]. They afford the a-alkylated ketones after acidic treatment of the intermediate silyl enol ethers (Scheme 19, Eq. 19a). Similarly, silyl ketene acetals are converted into o -pcriluoroalkyl esters upon treatment with per fluoro alkyl iodides [32, 47]. The Et3B/02-mediated diastereoselective trifluoromethylation [48,49] (Eq. 19b) and (ethoxycarbonyl)difluoromethylation [50,51] of lithium eno-lates derived from N-acyloxazolidinones have also been achieved. More recently, Mikami [52] succeeded in the trifluoromethylation of ketone enolates... 

Scheme 9.15 Alkylations with ketone enolates derived from silyl enol ethers as nucleophiles.

The a-alkylation of enolates derived from ketones with alkyl halides is a very important and frequently used method for forming new carbon-carbon bonds in organic synthesis [40]. Yet, if the a-alkylation of enolates derived from ketones with alkyl halides can be replaced by the direct reaction of ketones with alcohols, this method would provide a very useful waste-free, green route to a-alkylation, producing no side products other than water. 

Two consecutive enolate alkylations were utilized to generate the quaternary carbon atom (Scheme 38). Alcohol 238 was transformed into the protected hydroxy enone 244. Regioselective deprotonation at the a-position of the ketone 244 led to a cross-conjugated enolate that was alkylated with the allylic iodide 245. The vinyl silyl moiety in 245 represents a masked keto group [127]. The choice of the TBS protecting group for the hydroxyl group at of 244 was crucial in order to prevent the deprotonation at the y-posi-... 

The metalation of vinyl ethers, the reaction of a-lithiated vinyl ethers obtained thereby with electrophiles and the subsequent hydrolysis represent a simple and efficient method for carbonyl umpolung. Thus, lithiated methyl vinyl ether 56 and ethyl vinyl ether 54, available by deprotonation with t- or n-butyllithium, readily react with aldehydes, ketones and alkyl halides. When the enol ether moiety of the adducts formed in this way is submitted to an acid hydrolysis, methyl ketones are obtained as shown in equations 72 and 73 . Thus, the lithiated ethers 56 and 54 function as an acetaldehyde d synthon 177. The reactivity of a-metalated vinyl ethers has been reviewed recently . 

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