Ketones stereogenic center formation

In a chiral aldehyde or a chiral ketone, the carbonyl faces are diastereotopic. Thus, the addition of an enolate leads to the formation of at least one stereogenic center. An effective transfer of chirality from the stereogenic center to the diastereoface is highly desirable. In most cases of diastereoface selection of this type, the chiral aldehyde or ketone was used in the racemic form, especially in early investigations. However, from the point of view of an HPC synthesis, it is indispensable to use enantiomerically pure carbonyl compounds. Therefore, this section emphasizes those aldol reactions which are performed with enantiomerically pure aldehydes. 

Note also the stereochemistry. In some cases, two new stereogenic centers are formed. The hydroxyl group and any C(2) substituent on the enolate can be in a syn or anti relationship. For many aldol addition reactions, the stereochemical outcome of the reaction can be predicted and analyzed on the basis of the detailed mechanism of the reaction. Entry 1 is a mixed ketone-aldehyde aldol addition carried out by kinetic formation of the less-substituted ketone enolate. Entries 2 to 4 are similar reactions but with more highly substituted reactants. Entries 5 and 6 involve boron enolates, which are discussed in Section 2.1.2.2. Entry 7 shows the formation of a boron enolate of an amide reactions of this type are considered in Section 2.1.3. Entries 8 to 10 show titanium, tin, and zirconium enolates and are discussed in Section 2.1.2.3. 

Hydroboration occurred from the less hindered top face of rac-29 and resulted in the formation of alcohol rac-30. After a three-step sequence which included oxidation with tetrapropylammonium perruthenate (TPAP), methyl lithium addition and repeated oxidation with TPAP, ketone rac-31 was isolated. Finally, epimerization of the stereogenic center at C-7 to the correct configuration and methylenation with the Lombardo reagent led to the formation of racemic kelsoene (rac-1). 

The introduction of umpoled synthons 177 into aldehydes or prochiral ketones leads to the formation of a new stereogenic center. In contrast to the pendant of a-bromo-a-lithio alkenes, an efficient chiral a-lithiated vinyl ether has not been developed so far. Nevertheless, substantial diastereoselectivity is observed in the addition of lithiated vinyl ethers to several chiral carbonyl compounds, in particular cyclic ketones. In these cases, stereocontrol is exhibited by the chirality of the aldehyde or ketone in the sense of substrate-induced stereoselectivity. This is illustrated by the reaction of 1-methoxy-l-lithio ethene 56 with estrone methyl ether, which is attacked by the nucleophilic carbenoid exclusively from the a-face —the typical stereochemical outcome of the nucleophilic addition to H-ketosteroids . Representative examples of various acyclic and cyclic a-lithiated vinyl ethers, generated by deprotonation, and their reactions with electrophiles are given in Table 6. 

Reduction of chiral ketoximes results in formation of a new stereogenic center. Although mixtures of stereoisomers are generally obtained, kineticaUy controlled reduction of cyclic oximes (e.g. 86, equation 59 and 87, equation 60) with sodium cyanoborohydride can proceed with high diastereoselectivity Stereoselectivity in these reactions closely resembles that of reduction of ketones with complex hydrides featuring attack from the least hindered side. 

The Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction is the formation of a-methylene-/ -hydroxycarbonyl compounds X by addition of aldehydes IX to a,/ -unsaturated carbonyl compounds VIII, for example vinyl ketones, acrylonitriles or acrylic esters (Scheme 6.58) [143-148]. For the reaction to occur the presence of catalytically active nucleophiles ( Nu , Scheme 6.58) is required. It is now commonly accepted that the MBH reaction is initiated by addition of the catalytically active nucleophile to the enone/enoate VIII. The resulting enolate adds to the aldehyde IX, establishing the new stereogenic center at the aldehydic carbonyl carbon atom. Formation of the product X is completed by proton transfer from the a-position of the carbonyl moiety to the alcoholate oxygen atom with concomitant elimination of the nucleophile. Thus Nu is available for the next catalytic cycle. 

The reaction of TV-phenyltriazolinedione with alkenes bearing electron-withdrawing groups, as with a,/J-unsaturated ketones, results in C—N bond formation at the a-carbon, as illustrated in the case of (/ )-pulegone (13)16,17. An undefined mixture of diastereomers 14 was obtained in this reaction, the only reported example with an indigenous stereogenic center in the substrate. 

The formation of the soIute-CSP diastereomeric complexes in these CSPs usually requires the insertion of an aromatic moiety on the solute into the chirality of the optically active polymer. Thus, the solutes should contain an aromatic moiety near or at the stereogenic center. Enantiomeric molecules containing the necessary aromatic moiety and one of the following functionalities have been resolved on these CSPs alcohol, amide, ester, ether, and ketone (9-11). 

Ammonia reacts with the ketone carbonyl group to give an imine (C=NH), which is then reduced to the amine function of the a-amino acid. Both imine formation and reduction are enzyme-catalyzed. The reduced form of nicotinamide adenine diphosphonu-cleotide (NADPH) is a coenzyme and acts as a reducing agent. The step in which the imine is reduced is the one in which the stereogenic center is introduced and gives only L-glutamic acid. 

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