Magnesium ketone enolates

These reactions are divided into two sections. In the former, representative examples of organic electrophiles, which can be used in reactions with magnesium ketone enolates, are summarized. The second section shows that magnesium ketone enolates can be employed as interesting alternatives to their more known lithium counterparts in aldol addition reactions. This part is discussed in terms of regio- and stereoselectivity. 

An early prediction about the structure of a magnesium ketone enolate was subsequently modified when the diethyl ether solvated, magnesium bromide enolate derived from r-butyl ethyl tetone was characterized as the dimer (160) with bridging enolate residues. 

A useful modification of the 1,4-addition reaction to A -20-ketones is provided by direct acetylation of the magnesium enolate present in the... 

Another side-reaction can be observed with sterically hindered ketones that contain an a-hydrogen—e.g. 18. By transfer of that hydrogen onto the group R of RMgX 2, the ketone 18 is converted into the corresponding magnesium enolate 19, and the hydrocarbon RH 14 is liberated ... 

Schemes 3-7 describe the synthesis of cyanobromide 6, the A-D sector of vitamin Bi2. The synthesis commences with an alkylation of the magnesium salt of methoxydimethylindole 28 to give intermediate 29 (see Scheme 3a). The stereocenter created in this step plays a central role in directing the stereochemical course of the next reaction. Thus, exposure of 29 to methanol in the presence of BF3 and HgO results in the formation of tricyclic ketone 22 presumably through the intermediacy of the derived methyl enol ether 30. It is instructive to point out that the five-membered nitrogen-containing ring in 22, with its two adjacent methyl-bearing stereocenters, is destined to become ring A of vitamin Bi2. A classical resolution of racemic 22 with a-phenylethylisocyanate (31) furnishes tricyclic ketone 22 in enantiomerically pure form via diaster-eomer 32.

With (Z)-amide enolates and (Z)-thioamide enolates a strong preference for sm-adducts is also observed. In general, boron or zirconium (Z)-enolates of ketones and amides display a higher simple diastereoselectivity in favor of syn-products than the corresponding lithium or magnesium enolates6,7. 

On the other hand, the predominant formation of the diastereomeric aldols 3 b results from the titanium enolate 1 b of (S )-5,5-dimethyl-4-tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy-3-hexanone. For this purpose, the ketone is first deprotonated with A-(bromomagnesio)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and the magnesium enolate, presumably (E) configurated, formed is thereby treated with hexamethylphosphoric triamide and triisopropyloxytitanium chloride. After sonification, the aldehyde is added to give predominantly aldol adducts 3b the diastereomeric ratio of 3b/2b surpasses 95 5 and the chemical yields range from 85 to 88%53b. 

Continuing to age the reaction after the ester 33 had been consumed or adding more i-BuMgCI did not convert the ketone 3 to alcohol 61. We believed that the ketone was protected as the magnesium enolate 63, as shown in Figure 3.10. If this were true, then there must be a competition between deprotonation to give the enolate and addition to give the tertiary alcohol [18],... 

A magnesium enolate of 99 is susceptible to aldol condensation with 4-pentenal, and the crude product can be directly protected to give its ethyl carbonate 100. a-Hydroxylation of the carbonyl group yields the hydroxyl carbonate 101. Reduction of the carbonyl group generates a triol, and this compound can be simultaneously converted to carbonate 102. Swern oxidation of 102 gives ketone 103, which can be rearranged25 to produce lactone product 104 (Scheme 7-32). 

The addition of carbonyl compounds towards lithiated 1-siloxy-substituted allenes does not proceed in the manner described above for alkoxyallenes. Tius and co-work-ers found that treatment of 1-siloxy-substituted allene 67 with tert-butyllithium and subsequent addition of aldehydes or ketones led to the formation of ,/i-unsaturated acyl silanes 70 (Scheme 8.19) [66]. This simple and convenient method starts with the usual lithiation of allene 67 at C-l but is followed by a migration of the silyl group from oxygen to C-l, thus forming the lithium enolate 69, which finally adds to the carbonyl species. Transmetalation of the lithiated intermediate 69 to the corresponding zinc enolate provided better access to acylsilanes derived from enolizable aldehydes. For reactions of 69 with ketones, transmetalation to a magnesium species seems to afford optimal results. 

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