Lewis acids carbonyl ylide 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions

Suga et al. (197) reported the first stereocontrolled 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of carbonyl ylides with electron-deficient alkenes using a Lewis acid catalyst. Carbonyl ylides are highly reactive 1,3-dipoles and cannot be isolated. They are mainly generated through transition metal carbenoid intermediates derived in situ from diazo precursors by treatment with a transition metal catalyst. When methyl o-(diazoacetyl)benzoate is treated with A-methylmaleimide at reflux... 

Dipolar cycloaddition of alkenes with carbonyl ylides generated in situ is a versatile method for tetrahydrofuran synthesis. The synthetic potential of such transformations has been reviewed <2005JOM(690)5533, 2003BMI6-253>. In addition, the stereoselective [3 + 2] annulation of allyl silanes has become a reliable protocol for the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans as demonstrated in several total syntheses . Such a [3 + 2] annulation, for example, affords the tetrahydrofuran product 11 as a single stereoisomer (Scheme 15) <2002OL2945>. Lanthanide salts serve as efficient Lewis acid catalysts in similar [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions . 

The results suggest that the Lewis acid controls the stereoselectivity in the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides by coordination to the dipo-larophiles, as reported [105,106] for the reactions of nitrones. 

An enantioselective version of the above reactions has been reported. Lewis acids such as Yb(OTf)3 can profoundly affect the stereochemical outcome of the carbonyl ylide 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions [137]. This provided an indication to effect asymmetric carbonyl ylide cycloaddition using a chiral Lewis acid. The first example of such asymmetric induction using the chiral lanthanide catalysts has been reported [138,139]. For example, the reaction of diazoacetophenone 89 with benzyloxyacetaldehyde, benzyl pyruvate and 3-acryloyl-2-oxazoHdinone in the presence of chiral 2,6-bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine ligands and scandium or ytterbium complexes furnished the corresponding cycloadducts 165-167 with high enantioselectivity (Scheme 53). 

Suga and co-workers have studied [ 148] the effect of several Lewis acids in cycloadditions. Yb(OTf)3 was found to be effective in promoting the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of six-membered ring carbonyl ylides derived from 89 or 80 with imines. In the absence of Lewis acid, no cycloaddition reaction occurred (Scheme 57). 

---