Ketones with allylic carbanions

The reaction of an isocyanide containing an acidic hydrogen with copper(I) oxide and an activated olefin or a ketone [Eq. (123)] provides a synthesis of either pyrrolines or oxazolines, respectively (251,252). Addition of allyl bromide gave the coupling product with the allyl carbanion derived from allyl isocyanide. Oxazolines are obtained in yields as high as 957o> not pyrrolines because of competing dimerization... 

The triethylaluminum or triethylborane ate complexes (12) of the (isopropylthio)allyl carbanion react with carbonyl compounds at the a-position (equation 10). In the reactions with carbonyl compounds, very high regioselectivity (for example, butanal 95 5, 3-methylbutanal 99 1, cyclohexanone 92 8 and acetophenone 95 5) was achieved by using the aluminum ate complex. On the other hand, the a-regio-selectivity with ketones decreases if the boron ate complex is used (cyclohexanone 72 28, acetophenone 45 55). It is noteworthy that the stereoselectivity of the a-adduct from an aldehyde is low. Ihesumably the geometry of the double bond in the ate complex (12) is not homogeneous. ... 

Sulfonyl carbanions undergo aldol-type reactions with aldehydes and ketones to give p-hydroxy sulfones which can be converted into alkenes (the Julia reaction) (see Chapter 10, p. 197). With allyl methyl sulfones (75) and a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (63),... 

Two methods have been suggested for the synthesis of vinyl-oxirans, both involving the attack of allylic carbanions on aldehydes or ketones. Cyclization of R R CO with (48) gives tri- or tetra-substituted epoxides (49 R R = various alkyl groups) (31—87%). Treatment of 2-allyloxy-benzimidazoles with BuLi, followed by Cdl2, generates the metallated allylic ethers, which give adducts with aldehydes that can be converted into the rra 5-disubstituted vinyl-oxirans, e.g. (50 R = Me or H) (82—95%) by NaH. ... 

Heteroatom-stabilized Carbanions. Heteroatom-stabilized and allylic carbanions serve as homoenolate anions and acyl anion equivalents, e.g. a-anions of protected cyanohydrins of aldehydes and Q ,/3-unsaturated aldehydes are intermediates in general syntheses of ketones and Q ,/3-unsaturated ketones (eq 36). Allylic anions of cyanohydrin ethers may be a-alkylated (eq 37) or, if warmed to —25°C, may undergo 1,3-silyl migration to cyanoenolates which may be trapped with TMSCl. Metalated Q -aminonitriles of aldehydes are used for the synthesis of ketones and enamines (eq 38). Similarly, allylic anions from 2-morpholino-3-alkenenitriles undergo predominantly a-C-alkyl-ation to give, after hydrolysis, a,/3-unsaturated ketones (eq 39). ... 

The transformation of non-aromatic ketones into their corresponding terminal allenes has proven to be a difficult process. Posner has now shown that the sulphoxides (88), derived from condensation of a ketone with lithium diethyl-phenylsulphinylmethylphosphinate, undergo regiospecific a-alkylation the terminal allenes are then readily formed by base-catalysed elimination from the alkylated product (89), with no formation of the corresponding acetylenes (Scheme 33). Chan also describes conditions whereby aldehydes and ketones can be condensed with vinyl carbanions a- to silicon, to give terminal allenes or allyl chlorides. 

Vinylcyclopropanation of Enones. Conjugate addition of sulfur-stabilized allyl carbanions to a,p-unsaturated ketones produces enolates that cyclize to vinylcyclopropyl ketones upon treatment with nearly one equivalent of (CuOTf)2 C6H6, i.e. 1.9 equivalents of Cu (eq 68). ... 

Carbanions, generated by the reaction of benzylsilanes with tetra-n-butylammo-nium fluoride react with non-enolizable aldehydes to produce the alcohol [67], When a stoichiometric amount of the ammonium fluoride is used, the methylarene corresponding to the benzylsilane is frequently a by-product and arises from formation of the hydrogen difluoride salt during the reaction. When only catalytic amounts of the ammonium fluoride initiate the reaction, the formation of the methylarene is suppressed. In a similar type of reaction (although the mechanism is not known) between aldehydes and ketones, allyl bromide, and tin in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride the yield of the but-l-en-4-ol is raised significantly by the addition of tetra-n-butylammonium bromide, particularly in the reactions with... 

Nucleophilic attack on a rt-allyl ligand of a metal complex occurs in general at one of the terminal carbons to afford allylated products. The attack, however, may be directed to the central carbon atom of the 7i-allyl group to produce cyclopropyl derivatives by appropriate choice of nucleophile, metal ligand and reaction conditions (equation 33). A variety of nucleophiles (pA"a > 20) including ester and ketone enolates and a-sulfonyl carbanions react with... 

Indium mediates the coupling of a,a-difluoroallyl carbanion with aldehydes, to give geuz-difluorohomoallyl alcohols.89 hi contrast to many comparable allylations of carbonyl compounds, ketones do not react. 

Metal rf-inline complexes with various transition metals [1-10] and lanthanides [11,12] are well known in the literature. Early transition metal if-imine complexes have attracted attention as a-amino carbanion equivalents. Zirconium rf-imine complexes, or zirconaaziridines (the names describe different resonance structures), are readily accessible and have been applied in organic synthesis in view of the umpolung [13] of their carbons whereas imines readily react with nucleophiles, zirconaaziridines undergo the insertion of electrophilic reagents. Accessible compounds include heterocycles and nitrogen-containing products such as allylic amines, diamines, amino alcohols, amino amides, amino am-idines, and amino acid esters. Asymmetric syntheses of allylic amines and a-amino acid esters have even been carried out. The mechanism of such transformations has implications not only for imine complexes, but also for the related aldehyde and ketone complexes [14-16]. The synthesis and properties of zirconaaziridines and their applications toward organic transformations will be discussed in this chapter. 

The preparation of a-selenoketones, esters, nitriles and related compounds can easily be performed via alkylation of the corresponding enolates or stabilized carbanions [21]. These compounds have found many synthetic applications in radical chemistry. In Eq. (9), a typical example involving a ketone is depicted [22]. The stability of a-selenoketones such as 41 is remarkable. Similar reactions with lactones have been performed. For instance, this approach has been applied to the stereoselective synthesis of oxygen-containing rings to either faces of a bicyclic structure [23]. The approach based on a-selenenylation/radical allyla-tion compares favorably with classical enolate allylation procedures, which usually leads to mixture of mono- and diallylated compounds. Furthermore, this strategy is excellent for the preparation of quaternary carbon centers [24] as shown by the conversion of 43 to 45, a key intermediate for the synthesis of fredericamycin A, [Eq. (10)] [25]. Similar reactions with sulfoxides [26] and phosphonates [27] have also been reported. 

Selenium-stabilized carbanions behave as excellent nucleophiles and react with primary alkyl bromides or iodides, allylic and benzylic bromides, epoxides, oxeta-nes, disulfides, trialkylsilyl chlorides, aldehydes, ketones, carbon dioxide, dime-thylformamide, acid chlorides or alkyl chloroformates. With conjugated enones, in the presence of HMPA as cosolvent, the 1,4-addition product is essentially obtained. 

A high degree of asymmetric induction has been realized in the carbanion-accelerated Claisen rearrangement of phosphorus-stabilized anions. Treatment of 1,3,2-oxazaphosphorinane (166) with freshly prepared lithium dimsylate led to a 95 5 ratio of a-methyl ketones (167) and (168) (Scheme 33). Li coordination combined with steric interactions provide the necessary control elements for stabilization of the highly organized allyl anion conformation (169). 

---