Lewis acids titanium enolate aldol reactions

These examples and those in Scheme 2.6 illustrate the key variables that determine the stereochemical outcome of aldol addition reactions using chiral auxiliaries. The first element that has to be taken into account is the configuration of the ring system that is used to establish steric differentiation. Then the nature of the TS, whether it is acyclic, cyclic, or chelated must be considered. Generally for boron enolates, reaction proceeds through a cyclic but nonchelated TS. With boron enolates, excess Lewis acid can favor an acyclic TS by coordination with the carbonyl electrophile. Titanium enolates appear to be somewhat variable but can be shifted to chelated TSs by use of excess reagent and by auxiliaries such as oxazolidine-2-thiones that enhance the tendency to chelation. Ultimately, all of the factors play a role in determining which TS is favored. 

Summary of Facial Stereoselectivity in Aldol and Mukaiyama Reactions. The examples provided in this section show that there are several approaches to controlling the facial selectivity of aldol additions and related reactions. The E- or Z-configuration of the enolate and the open, cyclic, or chelated nature of the TS are the departure points for prediction and analysis of stereoselectivity. The Lewis acid catalyst and the donor strength of potentially chelating ligands affect the structure of the TS. Whereas dialkyl boron enolates and BF3 complexes are tetracoordinate, titanium and tin can be... 

As is the case for aldol addition, chiral auxiliaries and catalysts can be used to control stereoselectivity in conjugate addition reactions. Oxazolidinone chiral auxiliaries have been used in both the nucleophilic and electrophilic components under Lewis acid-catalyzed conditions. (V-Acyloxazolidinones can be converted to nucleophilic titanium enolates with TiCl3(0-/-Pr).320... 

Titanium enolates54 are widely used in aldol reactions and this research area has been reviewed until 2003.55 Thus, examples described in this chapter cover the literature since 2003. Recently, Mikami and co-workers reported the direct generation of titanium enolate 68 of an a-trifluoromethyl ketone56 for a high-yielding and zz /z -diastereose-lective aldol reaction (Scheme 25).57 The aldol reaction proceeded more smoothly if titanium(rv) isopropoxide was added as Lewis acid. On the other hand, low yield and moderate //-selectivity were obtained if HMPA was used instead of the titanium(rv) Lewis acid. 

Several methods for the anti-selective, asymmetric aldol reaction recorded in the literature include (i) the use of boron, titanium, or tin(ll) enolate carrying chiral ligands, (ii) Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol reactions of a metal enolate of chiral carbonyl compounds, and (iii) the use of the metal enolate derived from a chiral carbonyl compound. Although many of these methods provide anti-aldols with high enantioselectivities, these methods are not as convenient or widely applicable as the method reported here, because of problems associated with the availability of reagents, the generality of reactions, or the required reaction conditions. 

Silyl enol ethers undergo reaction with carbonyl compounds promoted by Lewis acids, but especially titanium tetrachloride. The reaction is thought to proceed via a titanium chelate which inhibits the reverse aldol process and the regiochemical integrity of the starting silyl enol ether is retained (Scheme 102).373... 

This procedure illustrates a general method for the preparation of crossed aldols. The aldol reaction between various silyl enol ethers and carbonyl compounds proceeds smoothly according to the same procedure (see Table I). Sllyl enol ethers react with aldehydes at -78°C, and with ketones near 0°C. Note that the aldol reaction of sllyl enol ethers with ketones affords good yields of crossed aldols which are generally difficult to prepare using lithium or boron enolates. Lewis acids such as tin tetrachloride and boron trifluoride etherate also promote the reaction however, titanium tetrachloride is generally the most effective catalyst. 

This reaction is a formal asymmetric aldol addition following a modified Evans protocol. The enolate 26 is formed at 0 °C in the presence of one equivalent of titanium tetrachloride as Lewis acid and two equivalents diisopropylethylamine (Hunig s base) as proton acceptor. Selectively the Z-enolate is formed. The carbon-carbon bond formation takes place under substrate control of the Tvan.v-auxiliary, whose benzyl group shields the, v/-face of the enolate. 

The isolation of the initial aldol products from the condensation of the enolates of carbene complexes and carbonyl compounds is possible if the carbonyl compound is pretreated with a Lewis acid. As indicated in equation (9), the scope of the aldol reaction can also be extended to ketones and enolizable aldehydes by this procedure. The condensations with ketones were most successful when boron trifluoride etherate was employed, and for aldehydes, the Lewis acid of choice is titanium tetrachloride. The carbonyl compound is pretreated with a stoichiometric amount of the Lewis acid and to this is added a solution of the anion generated from the caibene complex. An excess of the carbonyl-Lewis acid complex (2-10 equiv.) is employed however, above 2 equiv. only small improvements in the overall yield are realized. 

The intramolecular aldol reaction in the presence of a titanium Lewis acid is a viable means of preparation of cyclic compounds. The cyclization is most conveniently performed between an enol silyl ether and an acetal, because the former is a reactive enol derivative and is readily prepared by silylation of the corresponding ketone in the presence of the acetal moiety in the same molecule. Equation (12) exemplifies a substrate undergoing intramolecular ring closure mediated by TiCU [74]. The conversion of sugar derivatives to carbocycles (called the Perrier reaction [75,76]) has been reported to occur in the presence of a Lewis acid. This process involves the aldol reaction between the enol ether and acetal moieties in the same molecule promoted by a titanium salt, as illustrated in Eq. (13) [77]. The similar reaction of a different type of substrate was also reported [78]. 

Trichlorotitanium enolates are directly prepared from a ketone, TiCU, and a tertiary amine [122,123] and undergo aldol reactions with aldehydes [124-129], ketones [129], and imines [130,131], Intramolecular condensation with esters is also known [132-137], Although these reactions, based on a titanium enolate [16], which often results in high diastereoselectivity in aldol and related reactions [122], will not be discussed in detail in this article, the success of the alkylation of this titanium enolate with SNl-active electrophiles should be discussed owing to the high Lewis acidity of the metal center [123], Equation (37) shows stereoselective alkylation with an orthoacetate, which is usually inert to alkali metal enolates [138], Aminoalkylation of trichlorotitanium enolates with (a-chloroalkyl)amine has been performed analogously [139,140],... 

The demand for environmentally friendly chemistry and its widespread applicability have made water an increasingly popnlar solvent for organic transformations. Mixtures of water and other solvents snch as tetrahydrofnran are now commonly anployed for a number of organic transformations. For instance, the Lewis acid catalysed aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers, commonly known as the Mnkaiyama aldol reaction, which was firstly reported in the early seventies, can be carried ont in snch media. With titanium tetrachloride as the catalyst this reaction proceeds regioselectively in high yields, but the reaction has to be carried ont strictly nnder non-aqneons conditions in order to prevent decomposition of the catalyst and hydrolysis of the sUyl enol ethCTS. In the absence of the catalyst it was observed that water had a beneficial influence on this process (Table 4, entry D) . Nevertheless, the yields in the nncatalysed version WCTe still unsatisfactory. Improved results were obtained with water-tolerant Lewis acids. The first reported example for Lewis acid catalysis in aqueous media is the hydroxymethylation of silyl enol ethers with commercial formaldehyde solution using lanthanide trillates. In the meantime, the influence of several lanthanide triflates in cross-aldol reactions of various aldehydes was examined " " ". The reactions were most effectively carried out in 1 9 mixtures of water and tetrahydrofnran with 5-10% Yb(OTf)3, which can be reused after completion of the reaction (Table 19, entry A). Although the realization of this reaction is quite simple, the choice of the solvent is crucial (Table 20). 

The aldol reactions of titanium enolates have been the best studied of all the transition metal enol-ates."- In many cases they show higher stereoselectivity and chemoselectivity in their reactions than lithium enolates and are easily prepared using inexpensive reagents. They also promote high levels of diastereofacial selectivity in reactions of chiral reactants. The Lewis acidity of the titanium metal center can be easily manipulated by variation of the ligands (chloro, alkoxy, amino, cyclopentadienyl, etc.) attached to titanium, which leads to enhanced selectivity in appropriate cases. Moreover, the incorporation of chiral ligands on titanium makes possible efficient enantioselective aldol reactions. 

The titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4)-mediated aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes was first reported by Mukaiyama and co-workers [22]. Following this report, several other Lewis acids such as BF3 Et20, and SnCl4, or fluoride anions such as BU4F were found to be effective promoters or catalysts in this reaction. 

Titanium complexes are often encountered in Lewis acid-catalysed reactions. This is certainly true for catalysed aldol reactions. Mikami and Matsukawa demonstrated that titanium/BINOL complexes e.g. complex (7.20) afforded high yield and enantioselectivity in the aldol reactions of thioester ketene silylacetals with a variety of aldehydes. In contrast to some of the aldol reactions described above, the stereochemistry of the adducts is dependant on the geometry of the enol ether. Thus, reaction of the (B)-enol ether (7.21) with aldehyde (7.22) yields the sy -aldol adduct (7.23) predominantly while the (Z)-e.no ether (7.24) results in isolation of the anti-adduct (7.25) as the major product. The authors invoke a closed silatropic ene transition state (structure (7.26) for syn-transition state), substantiated by suitable crossover experiments, to explain the diastereoselectivities... 

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