Lanthanide shift reagent-catalysis

The 2-pyrones can behave as dienes or dienophiles depending on the nature of their reaction partners. 3-Carbomethoxy-2-pyrone (84) underwent inverse Diels-Alder reaction with several vinylethers under lanthanide shift reagent-catalysis [84] (Equation 3.28). The use of strong traditional Lewis acids was precluded because of the sensitivity of the cycloadducts toward decarboxylation. It is noteworthy that whereas Yb(OTf)j does not catalyze the cycloaddition of 84 with enolethers, the addition of (R)-BINOL generates a new active ytterbium catalyst which promotes the reactions with a moderate to good level of enantio selection [85]. 

Lanthanide(III) complexes demand special attention in view of the specific spectra-structure relationship for biological applications, chiral catalysis, molecular magnetism and luminescence. One unique chiral stereochemistry is realized by the combination of labile Ln complexes and weak Na+-fluorocarbon interactionwhich show intense CD (circular dichroism) with variation of Ln(III) and/or M(I) ions to chiroptical spectra-structure relations and an important role in configurational chirality for chemical sensors, NMR shift reagents or chiral catalysis. Trivalent lanthanides are also found to be incorporated into heterobimetallic complexes showing intramolecular energy transfer processes. 

Danishefsky and co-workers pioneered the use of chiral lanthanide complexes as catalysts in organic reactions. They found out that Eu(hfc)3, which is used as an NMR shift reagent, promoted hetero Diels-Alder reactions [30] of aldehydes with siloxydienes and induced enantiomeric enrichment (Sch. 1) [31]. Suitable substituents on the dienes were introduced to improve the extent of asymmetric induction. The best result was obtained in the reaction of benzaldehyde with l-methoxy-2-methyl-3-(trimethyl-siloxy)- , 3-butadiene using 1 mol % Eu(hfc)3 the enantiomerie excess was, however, moderate (58%). The authors maintained that the major advantage of lanthanide catalysis lay in the survival of otherwise labile systems used as adducts. 

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