Ketones Michael-type addition

The aldol condensation is a very attractive route to a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The application of this reaction is nevertheless rather limited, since numerous side reactions usually occur amongst these are self-condensation of the ketone, Michael-type addition to the newly formed product, or Cannizzaro reactions. As a consequence, poor yields are obtained in most cases [90]. In the enol ether condensation, described earlier, these side reactions are less troublesome. A disadvantage of the enol ether condensation compared to the aldol condensation is that strongly acidic conditions have to be used to cleave the intermediate in the enol ether synthesis. 

In the reaction of Q,/3-unsaturated ketones and esters, sometimes simple Michael-type addition (insertion and hydrogenolysis, or hydroarylation, and hydroalkenylation) of alkenes is observed[53,54]. For example, a simple addition product 56 to methyl vinyl ketone was obtained by the reaction of the heteroaromatic iodide 55[S5]. The corresponding bromide affords the usual insertion-elimination product. Saturated ketones are obtained cleanly by hydroarylation of o,/3l-unsaturated ketones with aryl halides in the presence of sodium formate, which hydrogenolyses the R—Pd—I intermediate to R— Pd—H[56]. Intramolecular hydroarylation is a useful reaction. The diiodide 57 reacts smoothly with sodium formate to give a model compound for the afla-toxin 58. (see Section 1.1.6)[57]. Use of triethylammonium formate and BU4NCI gives better results. 

Class (2) reactions are performed in the presence of dilute to concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide, powdered potassium hydroxide, or, at elevated temperatures, soHd potassium carbonate, depending on the acidity of the substrate. Alkylations are possible in the presence of concentrated NaOH and a PT catalyst for substrates with conventional pX values up to - 23. This includes many C—H acidic compounds such as fiuorene, phenylacetylene, simple ketones, phenylacetonittile. Furthermore, alkylations of N—H, O—H, S—H, and P—H bonds, and ambident anions are weU known. Other basic phase-transfer reactions are hydrolyses, saponifications, isomerizations, H/D exchange, Michael-type additions, aldol, Darzens, and similar... 

The Michael-type addition of maleic hydrazide and other pyridazinones to activated alkenes, such as methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, methyl vinyl ketone and other a,/3-unsatu-rated carbonyl compounds, results in the formation of mono-lV-substituted products. 

The formation of an allenyl ketone as the sole product can be achieved by using an excess (2 equiv.) of propargyl bromide (entries 3—6, Table 5.9). Use of an increased amount (3 equiv.) of the acylzirconocene chloride in the reaction with propargyl bromide and/or tosylate yields a significant amount of a 1,4-dicarbonyl compound derived from Michael-type addition of the acylzirconocene chloride to the initially formed allenyl ketone (entry 2, Table 5.9). The Michael-type addition of acylzirconocene chlorides to allenyl ketones under Cu(I)-catalyzed conditions has been confirmed by an independent experiment (Scheme 5.31). 

Scheme 5.31. Cu(l)-catalyzed Michael-type addition to an allenyl ketone.

In the epoxidation process (Figure 4.4), the oxygen of the enone s carbonyl function first coordinates with the zinc atom. The ethylperoxy anion then attacks the (3-position, which constitutes a Michael-type addition. The subsequent cyclization gives the epoxy ketone and the zinc alkoxide. 

Nitroalkanes react with Jt-deficient alkenes, for example, p-nitro ketones are produced from a,P-unsaturated ketones [41], whereas allylic nitro compounds have been prepared via the Michael-type addition of nitroalkanes with electron-deficient alkynes (Table 6.19). The reaction in either dimethylsulphoxide [42] or dimethyl-formamide [43] is catalysed by potassium fluoride in the presence of benzyltriethyl-ammonium chloride the reaction with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate is only successful in dimethylsulphoxide [42], Primary nitroalkanes produce double Michael adducts [42,44], A-Protected a-aminoacetonitriles react with alkynes under catalysed solidiliquid conditions to produce the Michael adducts [45] which, upon treatment with aqueous copper(Il) sulphate, are converted into a,p-unsaturated ketones. 

Conjugated ketones and esters generally react with chloroform under basic conditions by Michael-type addition of the trichloromethyl anion to the C=C bond or by insertion of dichlorocarbene into the C=C bond, depending on the substitution pattern of the conjugated system (see Sections 6.4 and 7.3). The corresponding reaction with bromoform under basic conditions produces 1,1-dibromocyclopropanes. 

The electrosynthesis of bicyclic ketones (198) has been performed by the reduction of bromoalkylcyclohexenones using Ni(II) complexes as mediators. The electrochemical Michael-type addition (197) (198) can be attained in a DMF-NH4Cl04/Et4NCl04-(C/C) system in the presence of Ni(cyclam)(Cl04)2 as a redox mediator at —1.8 V (SCE) (Scheme 77) [308]. 

The zinc homoenolates from cyclopropanes 15. react in the presence of MejSiCl/HMPA with a,[3-unsaturated ketones to give good yields of 1,6-D systems, by a copper-mediated (CuBr-Me2S) Michael-type addition (Table 5.4). 

In the early 1980 s Julia and Colonna published a series of papers which, to some extent, filled the gap left by the natural biocatalysts. The Spanish and Italian collaborators showed that a, -unsaturated ketones of type 1 underwent asymmetric oxidation to give the epoxide 2 using a three-phase system, namely aqueous hydrogen peroxide containing sodium hydroxide, an organic solvent such as tetrachloromethane and insoluble poly-(l)-alanine, (Scheme 1) [12]. The reaction takes place via a Michael-type addition of peroxide anion (the Weitz-Scheffer reaction). 

Treatment of 3-cyanobenzo[6]thiophene with terf-butylmagnesium chloride, followed by the addition of acid to the reaction mixture, does not give the ketone instead a Michael-type addition occurs to give 2-ieri-butyl- 3-cyano-2,3-dihydrobenzo [6]thiophene.4 3 4... 

The reaction of the 2-pyridylvinyl ketone 28 with DMAD could take place in several ways, but nucleophilic attack from the nitrogen and Michael-type addition to the conjugated system gives the indolizine 30.251 A similar cyclization occurs with the diethyl malonate derivative 29 yielding 31, but in the case of 32 an unexpected rearrangement... 

Refluxing of dihydroazoloazines and a,(3-unsaturated ketones in a methanol solution of sodium methoxide proceeds in a Michael-type addition. For example, reaction of 2-methyl-5,7-diaryl-6,7-dihydropyrazolo[l,5- ]pyrimidine 387 and chalcone 5 under these conditions yields adduct 388 [297] (Scheme 3.102). Treatment of 2-methyl-substututed triazolopyrimidine 389 with ketone 5 leads to cyclization with formation of the triazolo[5,l-Z ]quinazoline moiety [324]. 

Michael-type addition of thiols to o-quinone and cr, j -unsaturated ketones... 

Of particular interest is the observation that in certain cases products such as 24 resulting from domino processes are obtained After the formation of the furan, evidently a double Michael-type addition of these intermediates to the remaining starting material 23 can take place at the unsubstituted 5-position. Preliminary experiments to investigate scope and limitations of such addition reactions in the presence of gold salts also confirm the applicability to the functionalization of other electron-rich arenes (Scheme 6) Besides furans, azulene 28 and di- and trialkoxybenzene are suitable as nucleophiles for the reaction with unsaturated carbonyl compounds [14]. For instance, 2-methylfuran (25) reacts at the reactive 5-position with methyl vinyl ketone 26 to give the addition product 27, and with azulene 28 a twofold... 

Approaches of type (i) include the Michael type addition of ester activated methylene groups to a,( -unsaturated carbonyls with subsequent cyclization to afford 277-pyran-2-ones <1984CHEC, 1996CHEC-II>. In this manner, 3-acylamino-277-pyran-2-ones are prepared by the reaction of (3-ethoxyvinyl ketones or P-(dimethylamino)vinyl ketones with iV-acylglycines (Scheme 138) <2005S1269, 2004HAC85>. 

Aluminum salen complexes have been identified as effective catalysts for asymmetric conjugate addition reactions of indoles [113-115]. The chiral Al(salen)Cl complex 128, which is commercially available, in the presence of additives such as aniline, pyridine and 2,6-lutidine, effectively catalyzed the enantioselective Michael-type addition of indoles to ( )-arylcrolyl ketones [115]. Interestingly, this catalyst system was used for the stereoselective Michael addition of indoles to aromatic nitroolefins in moderate enantiose-lectivity (Scheme 36). The Michael addition product 130 was easily reduced to the optically active tryptamine 131 with lithium aluminum hydride and without racemization during the process. This process provides a valuable protocol for the production of potential biologically active, enantiomerically enriched tryptamine precursors [116]. 

Pyrrolidine Amines and Pyrrolidine Amine Salts as Catalysts for Michael-Type Addition of Ketones to Activated Olefins... 

Scheme 2.38 Chiral pyrrolidine-derived catalysts for Michael-type addition of ketones to activated olefins.

It is noteworthy that chiral organic bases such as pyrrolidines and cinchonines or cinchonidines were recently grafted onto a MCM-41 support.1183,1841 These materials catalyse enantioselective Michael-type addition between ethyl 2-oxocy-clopentanecarboxylate and methyl vinyl ketone[183] as well as thiol and 5-methoxy-2(5Z/)-furanone.[184] Although ee was only modest (maximum ee 35 %), these attempts are very promising. 

Alkali-exchanged mesoporous molecular sieves are suitable solid base catalysts for the conversion of bulky molecules which cannot access the pores of zeolites. For example, Na- and Cs-exchanged MCM-41 were active catalysts for the Knoevenagel condensation of benzaldehyde with ethyl cyanoacetate (pKa=10.7) but low conversions were observed with the less acidic diethyl malonate (pKa=13.3) [123]. Similarly, Na-MCM-41 catalyzed the aldol condensation of several bulky ketones with benzaldehyde, including the example depicted in Fig. 2.38, in which a flavonone is obtained by subsequent intramolecular Michael-type addition [123]. 

Scheme 1.20. Double Michael-type addition of dienolate 220 to Cgo, affording after workup the thermodynamically more stable Irans-disubstiluted ketone ( )-219. Due to steric congestion, the corresponding civ-adduct is not available through Diels-Alder reaction with the silyl enol ether corresponding to 220. Reduction of the racemic ketone ( )-219 with DIBAL-H diastereoselec-tively affords alcohol ( )-223.

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