Metal enolates natural products synthesis

Metal enolates have played a Umited role in the metal-catalyzed isomerization of al-kenes . As illustrated in a comprehensive review by Bouwman and coworkers, ruthenium complex Ru(acac)3 (51) has been used to isomerize a wide range of substituted double bonds, including aUylic alcohols (131), to the corresponding ketones (132) (equation 38) . The isomerization of aUylic alcohols affords products that have useful applications in natural product synthesis and in bulk chemical processes. An elegant review by Fogg and dos Santos shows how these complexes can be used in tandem catalysis, where an alkene is subjected to an initial isomerization followed by a hydroformylation reaction ... 

While most of the chemistry discussed in this chapter has been developed in the past decade, several important methods have withstood the test of time and have made important contributions in areas such as natural product synthesis. Methods such as cuprate acylation and the addition of organolithiums to carboxylic acids have continued to enjoy widespread use in organic synthesis, whereas older methods including the reaction of organocadmium reagents with acid halides, once virtually the only method available for acylation, has not seen extensive utilization recently. In the following discussion, we shall be interested in cases where selective monoacylation of nonstabilized carbanion equivalents has been achieved. Especially of concern here are carbanion equivalents or more properly organometallics which possess no source of resonance stabilization other than the covalent carbon-metal bond. Other sources of carbanions that are intrinsically stabilized, such as enolates, will be covered in Chapter 3.6, Volume 2. 

On the other hand, Trost used zinc in his bimetallic catalyst. One zinc atom is believed to form the metal enolate, whereas the other acts as a Lewis acid for carbonyl activation. Aldol reactions between branched aldehydes and methyl ketones perform in good yields and excellent selectivities (Scheme 2.117). Besides aryl methyl ketones, simple acetone or methyl vinyl ketone could be used as well [28]. These extensions make this protocol a truly universal method for convergent natural product synthesis. 

A direct application of the ring-opening reaction of an epoxide by a metal enolate amide for the synthesis of a complex molecule can be found in the synthesis of the trisubstituted cyclopentane core of brefeldin A (Scheme 8.35) [68a]. For this purpose, treatment of epoxy amide 137 with excess KH in THF gave a smooth cyclization to amide 138, which was subsequently converted into the natural product. No base/solvent combination that would effect cyclization of the corresponding aldehyde or ester could be found. 

Mannich and related readions provide one of the most fundamental and useful methods for the synthesis of p-amino carbonyl compounds, which constitute various pharmaceuticals, natural products, and versatile synthetic intermediates.1271 Conventional protocols for three-component Mannich-type readions of aldehydes, amines, and ketones in organic solvents indude some severe side reactions and have some substrate limitations, espedally for enolizable aliphatic aldehydes. The dired synthesis of P-amino ketones from aldehydes, amines, and silyl enolates under mild conditions is desirable from a synthetic point of view. Our working hypothesis was that aldehydes could read with amines in a hydro-phobic reaction fidd created in water in the presence of a catalytic amount of a metal triflate and a surfactant to produce imines, which could then read with hydrophobic silyl enolates. 

Evans synthesis of bryostatin 2 (113) also relied upon asymmetric aldol reactions for the introduction of most of the 11 stereocenters [58], At different points, the synthesis used control from an auxiliary, a chiral Lewis acid, chiral ligands on the enolate metal and substrate control from a chiral aldehyde. Indeed, this represents the current state of the art in the aldol construction of complex polyketide natural products. 

Enolates are undoubtedly the most versatile intermediates for C-C, C-N, C-O bond-forming reactions [36]. Continuous progress has been made not only in fundamental operations involving these anionic species but also during the synthesis of complex natural products. Compared with metal enolates with counter cations of, e.g., B, Si, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ti, Sn, Cu, etc., aluminum enolates have found fewer apphcations, probably because no particular advantages over the other metals have been perceptible. There are, however, still intriguing aspects of novel reactivity and selectivity in the formation and reaction of aluminum enolates. Specifically, very recent development have highhghted pre-formation of Lewis acid-carbonyl complexes by use of bulky aluminum compounds as precursors of aluminum enolates the behavior of these complexes is unprecedented. 

The aldol addition reaction, and the related crotyl metal additions (section 5.1), have figured prominently in the total synthesis of a number of complex natural products (reviews [48,140-142]). Figure 5.8 illustrates those mentioned in the preceding discussion, along with others selected from the recent literature, with the stereocenters formed by stereoselective aldol addition indicated ( ). For the Prelog-Djerassi lactone and ionomycin, recall (Figure 3.8) that most of the other stereo-centers were formed by asymmetric enolate alkylation. 

As can be seen from the developments described above, the control of both relative and absolute acyclic stereochemistry in a variety of syn aldol reactions can now be achieved highly stereoselectively. Both boron and titanium enoiate-based syn aldol reactions have gained svidespread popularity and are frequently used in synthesis. Whereas anti-a-alkyl-/i-hydroxycarbonyl units are inherent to numerous bioactive natural products, there are relatively fesv effective synthetic processes that are convenient, operationally simple, and afford high diastereoselectivity for a svide range of aldehydes. Early examples of anti-selective aldol reactions, reported by Meyers in 1984, svere based upon oxazoline-derived boron enolates [60]. Several other methods based upon metal enolates other than titanium have subsequently been developed. In this chapter, ho vever, we vill focus on titanium enoiate-based methods. 

This interesting and highly challenging concept was the aim of several authoritative reviews. Therefore, this section highlights the most relevant and synthetically usefiil methods along with their applications to the synthesis of natural or bioactive products. First, metal enolates, " particularly lithium enolates, are covered. Finally, a second section will be devoted to silicon enolates, which have been studied intensively during the last two decades. 

However, despite the considerable efforts devoted to address the fundamental issues toward the development of asymmetric protonation, its applications to natural or bioactive synthesis remain sporadic. Herein, two main strategies, namely the enantioselective protonation of metal enolates, especially silicon enolates and the protonation of polar double bonds, i.e., Michael acceptors, were depicted trough the most relevant synthetic applications. These two strategies led to the synthesis of fragrance, natural products, ° bioactive compoundsand... 

Catalytic hydrogenation of the 14—15 double bond from the face opposite to the C18 substituent yields (196). Compound (196) contains the natural steroid stereochemistry around the D-ring. A metal-ammonia reduction of (196) forms the most stable product (197) thermodynamically. When R is equal to methyl, this process comprises an efficient total synthesis of estradiol methyl ester. Birch reduction of the A-ring of (197) followed by acid hydrolysis of the resultant enol ether allows access into the 19-norsteroids (198) (204). 

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