Ketones Tsuji allylation

Tsuji Allylation A significant contribution to the field of asymmetric ketone alkylation is the Tsuji allylation. This method represents one of the only catalytic methods for asymmetric alkylation that has been suitably successful for application in the context of complex natural products. Significantly, this method also allows for the formation of all carbon quaternary stereocenters. 

Ketone and ester enolates have historically proven problematic as nucleophiles for the transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction, which can be attributed, at least in part, to their less stabilized and more basic nature. In Hght of these limitations, Tsuji demonstrated the first rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction using the trimethly-silyl enol ether derived from cyclohexanone, albeit in modest yield (Eq. 4) [9]. Matsuda and co-workers also examined rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, using trimethylsilyl enol ethers with a wide range of aUyhc carbonates [22]. However, this study was problematic as exemplified by the poor regio- and diastereocontrol, which clearly delineates the limitations in terms of the synthetic utihty of this particular reaction. 

The preparation of a-lithio aldehydes, o -lithio ketones, and related compounds and their applications to organic synthesis has been reviewed.10 The Tsuji-Trost allylic alkylation with ketone enolates has been highlighted.11... 

Alkali metal enolates of ordinary ketones and aldehydes tend to fail to undergo the Tsuji-Trost allylation.37 However, it has been found that their enoxyborates and zinc enolates52 readily undergo the Pd catalysed allylation which proceeds with net retention just like the other examples of the... 

The reactions of arylation of heterocyclic /3-ketoesters were employed in the synthesis of a number of isoflavanones and isoflavones.27,28 cr-Methylene cr-arylketones can be easily and selectively obtained by arylation of allyl /3-ketoesters which are eventually deprotected by the Tsuji s procedures. a Deallyloxycarbonylation was performed by treatment of the allyl cr-aryl-/3-ketoesters with catalytic amounts of palladium(n) acetate, triethylammo-nium formate and triphenylphosphane in THF at room temperature and afforded the a-arylketones in 75-97% yield.27 Deallyloxycarbonylation-dehydrogenation can be realized with the same allyl esters by treatment with catalytic amounts of palladium(n) acetate and l,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (DPPE) in acetonitrile under reflux and affords the ct-aryl cr,/3-unsaturated ketones in 60-90% yield (Scheme 4).28 In particular, this reaction was used in a direct convergent synthesis of 2 -hydroxyisoflavones involving arylation of an appropriate allyl /3-ketoester with the MOM-protected (2-methoxymethoxyphenyl)lead triacetate derivative (Scheme 4). The reaction of the isomeric... 

While simple unactivated cyclopropanes have yet to be used for [3 + 2] cycloaddition, Tsuji and coworkers have developed a palladium-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction using electron-deficient vinylcy-clopropanes. Thus, vinylcyclopropane (43) undergoes smooth cyclization with methyl acrylate in the presence of a palladium catalyst to give vinylcyclopentane (44) as a mixture of diasteroisomers (equation 35). The cycloaddition probably proceeds through the zwitterionic ( ir-allyl)palladium intermediate (45) and its stepwise reaction with the acrylate (equation 36). Enones such as cyclopentenone and methyl vinyl ketone will also react. Reaction of the same vinylcyclopropane with phenyl isocyanate produces vi-nyllactam (46) (equation 37).Some cycloaddition reactions with (cyclopropyl)Fp complexes have also been reported. However, the substrates are limited to SO2 and TCNE and the yields have not been disclosed (equation 38). ... 

Tsuji, J., Shimizu, I., Yamamoto, K. Convenient general synthetic method for 1,4- and 1,5-diketones by palladium catalyzed oxidation of a-allyl and a-3-butenyl ketones. Tetrahedron Lett. 1976, 2975-2976. 

Other Methods. - One of the most important and flexible approaches to ketone synthesis involves the manipulation of 6-keto-esters. Tsuji et al. have reported that the use of allyl keto-esters, which are prepared from ketones and diallyl carbonate or allyl chloroformate, offer advantages over more common esters in that the ester hydrolysis/decarboxylation step... 

Although it is mechanistically different from the Tsuji-Trost allylation, indirect allyla-tions of ketones, aldehydes, and esters via their enolates are briefly summarized here. Related reactions are treated in Sect V.2.1.4. Pd-catalyzed allylation of aldehydes, ketones, and esters with aUyhc carbonates is possible via the Tr-allylpaUadium enolates of these carbonyl compounds. Tr-AUylpalladium enolates can be generated by the treatment of silyl and stannyl enol ethers of carbonyl compounds with allyl carbonates, and the allylated products are obtained by the reductive elimination of the Tr-allylpalladium enolates. 

Nucleophiles used in the seminal papers by Tsuji and co-workers were mostly stabilized carbon nucleophiles, and the method found an early synthetic application in a preparation of steroids." It soon became evident that many other types of nucleophiles could be used. In particular, hydride ion equivalents led to l-olefinsf ° " (see Sect. V.2.3.1), Silyl and stannyl enolates of simple ketones and aldehydes and esters can be aUylated, as well as allyl enol carbonates (see Sect. V.2.1.4), This is an indirect a-aUylation of ketones, aldehydes, and esters. Enol derivatives can take another reaction course under Pd(0) catalysis (Scheme 2). Thus, oxidation to a,/3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds ensues if reactions are performed in acetonitrile under precise sources of catalyst precursor. "" "" A full discussion on the dichotomy of allylation-oxidation has been published, as well as a comparison of the usefulness of several transition metals as catalysts in allylation of nucleophiles. ... 

Contrary to earlier notions that the Pd-catalyzed a-allylation of carbonyl compounds would be limited to those carbonyl compounds that are extrastabilized (the Tsuji-Trost reaction), the use of Zn, B in the forms of BRjK or Li + 2 BR3, where R = Et, and so on, Si, and Sn has been shown to permit the use of those enolates of ordinary ketones, aldehyde esters, and so on, where the pATj of the carbonyl compounds may be 20. In some cases, however, even lithium enolates can provide satisfactory results. Since most of the enolates mentioned above are derived via alkali metal enolates containing Li, Na, or K, these parent enolates should be tested before converting or modilying them with reagents containing other metals. 

Synthetic highlights A variety of pathways have been taken in the synthetic approach to sertraline. These include stereoselective reduction of ketones and imines under kinetic and thermodynamic control, using diastereoselective or enan-tioselective catalysts and reagents, desymmetrization of oxabenzonorbomadiene followed by the Suzuki coupling of arylboronic acids and vinyl halides and Pd-Catayzed (Tsuji-Trost) coupling of arylboronic acids and allylic esters. For the production of sertraline, the simulated moving bed (SMB), a cost-effective technology, has been introduced. 

After this setback we scrambled to identify other methods known to preferentially form quaternary stereocenters when the generation of a tertiary stereocenter at a similarly acidic position a to a ketone existed [Scheme 3, Eq. (6)]. With the aid of a Beilstein search, we were reminded of Prof. J. Tsuji s pioneering allylation work [16-19]. In the early 1980s, he had demonstrated that under specific conditions. 

Our first hurdle was to determine if this selectivity would be maintained in the presence of steric bulk disposed p to the ketone. We synthesized model enol carbonate 4 and were encouraged to find that it selectively produced the desired a-quatemary ketone. Ultimately, difficulties in preparing an appropriate methyl ketoie prevented us from executing this strategy, but the selectivity and utility of Tsuji s allylation reaction for making quaternary stereocenters left a lasting impression. 

Again we drew from the pioneering work of Prof. Tsuji, who demonstrated that allyl p-ketoesters, when treated with an achiral palladium catalyst and formic acid (presumably acting as both an acid and a reductant), produce a ketone product in excellent yield [28]. 

The one-pot tandem chloroallylation Wacker-Tsuji oxidation of alkynes with allyl chloride affording 8,y-unsaturated ketones was also reported (eq 65). ... 

Simple ketones cannot be allylated under standard Tsuji-Trost conditions however transmetallation via tin enolates has proven to be a useful... 

Ester enolates, much more sensitive and capricious than ketone and amide enolates, seemed to be unsuitable for palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations. Thus, Hegedus and coworkers [24] reported on low yields and predominant side reactions in the allylation of the lithium enolate of methyl cyclohexanecarboxylate. It seems that so far the only reliable and efficient version of a Tsuji-Trost reaction with ester enolates is based on the chelated zinc enolates 41 derived from N-protected glycinates 40 - a procedure that was developed by Kazmaier s group. 

The formation of diastereomeric product 67 from the substrate E)-65 is plausibly rationalized by a twofold inversion firstly in the formation of the Jt-complex 66 and secondly by an approach of the nucleophilic enolate. In this case, there is no need for a thermodynamically controlled (Z)- to ( )-interconversion, and thus, a net retention in the allylic alkylation results (Scheme 5.22). Analogous stereochemical outcome was observed for the reaction of the lithium enolate of cyclohexanone with the allylic substrates (Z)-60 and ( )-65. The results shown in Schemes 5.21 and 5.22 clearly prove the outer-sphere mechanism for the Tsuji-Trost reaction of ketone lithium enolates [16c]. 

The protocols for the utilization of ketone-derived silyl enol ethers in Tsuji-Trost reactions were preceded by a report of Morimoto and coworkers on the enantioselective allylation of sUyl ketene acetals 88. Without external activation, they reacted with the allylic substrate 19d in the presence of the palladium complex derived from the amidine ligand 89 to give y,5-unsaturated esters 90 in moderate chemical yield but high enantiomeric excess (Scheme 5.29) [46]. Presumably, the pivalate anion hberated during the oxidative addition functions as an activator of the silyl ketene acetal. The protocol is remarkable in view of the fact that asymmetric allylic alkylations of carboxylic esters are rare. Interestingly, the asymmetric induction originates from a ligand with an uncomplicated structure. The protocol seems however rather restricted with respect to the substitution pattern of allylic component and sUyl ketene acetal. 

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