Metal enolates, protonation

The classical aldol addition, which is usually run in protic solvents, is reversible. Most modern aldol methodologies, however, rely on highly reactive preformed metal enolates, whereby proton donors are rigorously excluded. As a consequence, the majority of recent stereoselective aldol additions are performed under kinetic control. Despite this, reversibility and, as a consequence, an equilibration of yrn-aldolates to a t/-aldolates by retro-aldol addition, should not be excluded a priori. 

The mechanism of [3 + 2] reductive cycloadditions clearly is more complex than other aldehyde/alkyne couplings since additional bonds are formed in the process. The catalytic reductive [3 + 2] cycloaddition process likely proceeds via the intermediacy of metallacycle 29, followed by enolate protonation to afford vinyl nickel species 30, alkenyl addition to the aldehyde to afford nickel alkoxide 31, and reduction of the Ni(II) alkoxide 31 back to the catalytically active Ni(0) species by Et3B (Scheme 23). In an intramolecular case, metallacycle 29 was isolated, fully characterized, and illustrated to undergo [3 + 2] reductive cycloaddition upon exposure to methanol [45]. Related pathways have recently been described involving cobalt-catalyzed reductive cyclo additions of enones and allenes [46], suggesting that this novel mechanism may be general for a variety of metals and substrate combinations. 

With conjugated enone substrates, the alkoxymetallation leads to the formation of a metal enolate that can undergo a facile protonation to accomplish the hydroalkoxylation. Following this mechanism, various /3-alkoxyketones were obtained in good yields by the addition of primary and secondary alcohols to methyl vinyl ketone under cationic Pd(n) catalysis.443 Similarly, [Rh(COD)(OMe)]2 was found to catalyze the hydroalkoxylation of both methyl vinyl ketone and phenyl vinyl ketone (Equation (121)).444... 

One more example of metal ion catalysis will be considered briefly. In a now classic paper, Cox (1974) showed that the enolization of 2-acetylpyri-dine (but not 4-acetylpyridine) is catalysed by divalent transition metal ions. Proton abstraction by acetate ions is strongly accelerated by Zn2+, Ni2+ and Cu2+ ions and the transition state stabilization by these ions roughly parallels their abilities to bind to the substrate (Table A6.5). The three metal ions are significantly superior to the proton as electrophilic catalysts, no doubt because they can chelate to both the pyridine nitrogen and the... 

A new chiral proton source (111), based on an asymmetric 2-oxazoline ring, has been found to be capable of effecting asymmetric protonation of simple prochiral metal enolates (112) to give corresponding ketones (113) which need not bear polar groups. 

Enantioselective protonation of ketone metal enolates constitutes an important method for the preparation of optically active ketones. Fuji and coworkers have shown interest in the magnesium countercation in the enantioselective protonation of such enolates. Pertinent results are obtained with protonation of Mg(II) enolates of 2-alkyltetralones and carbamates derived from l,l -binaphtalene-2,2 -diol as chiral proton sources, as indicated in equation 82 and Table 11. 

Alkali metal counterion has been found to control the enolate protonation stereoselectivity.12 This remarkable phenomenon has been reported for lithium and potassium enolates of a norborneol derivative. 

The design for a direct catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction of aldehydes and unmodified ketones with bifunctional catalysts is shown in Figure 36. A Brpnsted basic functionality (OM) in the heterobimetallic asymmetric catalyst (I) could deprotonate the a-proton of a ketone to generate the metal enolate (II), while at the same time a Lewis acidic functionality (LA) could activate an aldehyde to give (III), which would then react with the metal enolate (in a chelation-controlled fashion) in an asymmetric environment to afford a P-keto metal alkoxide (IV). 

Keywords Protonation, Metal enolates, Chiral proton sources, Achiral proton sources... 

The chemistry of asymmetric protonation of enols or enolates has further developed since the original review in Comprehensive Asymmetric Catalysis [1], Numbers of literature reports of new chiral proton sources have emerged and several reviews [2-6] cover the topics up to early 2001. This chapter concentrates on new examples of catalytic enantioselective protonation of prochiral metal enolates (Scheme 1). Compounds 1-41 [7-45] shown in Fig. 1 are the chiral proton sources or chiral catalysts reported since 1998 which have been employed for the asymmetric protonation of metal enolates. Some of these have been successfully utilized in the catalytic version. 

Several new methods for the asymmetric protonation of metal enolates have appeared however, the catalytic mechanisms are fundamentally the same as that described in Scheme 2 of the 1st edition. 

Several new catalytic asymmetric protonations of metal enolates under basic conditions have been published to date. In those processes, reactive metal enolates such as lithium enolates are usually protonated by a catalytic amount of chiral proton source and a stoichiometric amount of achiral proton source. Vedejs et al. reported a catalytic enantioselective protonation of amide enolates [35]. For example, when lithium enolate 43, generated from racemic amide 42 and s-BuLi, was treated with 0.1 equivalents of chiral aniline 31 followed by slow addition of 2 equivalents of ferf-butyl phenylacetate, (K)-enriched amide 42 was obtained with 94% ee (Scheme 2). In this reaction, various achiral acids were... 

The asymmetric synthesis of a-hydroxymethyl carbonyl compounds is currently the subject of considerable interest because of their versatility as dual-function chiral synthons. There have been no reports of successful enantioselective hydroxymethylations of prochiral metal enolates with formaldehyde because of the instability and small steric size of gaseous formaldehyde. The author and Yamamoto et al. developed the enantioselective alkoxymethylation of silyl enol ethers by introducing suitable carbon-electrophiles in place of the activated-protons of LBA [142]. 

Alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol, lead to the sole formation of saturated alcohols from unsaturated ketones when the former are present in excess during the reduction. Mixtures of ketones and alcohols are generally formed when 1 equiv. of these proton donors is employed. These alcohols have an acidity comparable to that of saturated ketones, and when they are present, an equilibrium can be established between the initially formed metal enolate and the saturated ketone. The latter is then reduced to the saturated alcohol. Such reductions generally do not occur to a very significant extent when 1 equiv. of r-butyl alcohoP or some less acidic proton donor, such as triphenylcarbinol, is employed. The acidity of the ketone involved, as well as the solubility of the metal enolate in the reaction medium, are important in determining whether alcohols are formed. 

An = Th, U, Np, and Pu. In complexing with metal ions, the / -diketones form planar six-member chelate rings with elimination of the enol proton. The simpler / -diketones, such as acetylacetone (HAA), are fairly water soluble, but form complexes that may be soluble in organic solvents. This is especially true for the An ions which form strong complexes with HAA and can be effectively sequestered to the organic phase, making HAA a potentially useful extractant (See Table 27). The four stability constants in Table 27 for tetravalent actinides imply that four HAA ligands coordinate with each metal ion in the formation of the extracted neutral ML4 complexes. ... 

Metal enolate solutions consist of molecular aggregates (6) such as dimers, trimers and tetramers in equilibrium with monomeric covalently bonded species (7), contact ion pairs (8) and solvent-separated ion pairs (9), as shown in Scheme 1. The nature of the metal cation, the solvent and, to a degree, the structure of the enolate anion itself may significantly influence the extent of association between the anion and the metal cation. In general, the factors that favor loose association, e.g. solvent-separated ion pairs, lead to an increase in the nucleophilicity of the enolate toward alkylating agents and also its ability to function as a base, i.e. to participate in proton transfer reactions. 

Among the methodologies listed in the introduction to generate the key enol/enolate intermediate, the enantioselective protonations of metal enolates, the so-called preformed enolates, or of their substitutes such as enamines or enol ethers have known, by far, the most intensive research development (Scheme 7.2). 

Since the first report by Duhamel, most of the enantioseiective protonations were involving metal enolates and, therefore, the use of stoichiometric amounts of the chiral proton sources although catalytic versions are now emerging [7]. This subsection has summarized the three noticeable examples describing the... 

Asymmetric protonation of a metal enolate basically proceeds catalytically if a coexisting achiral acid A-H reacts with the deprotonated chiral acid A -M faster than with the metal enolate, a concept first described by Fehr et al. [44]. A hypothesis for the catalytic cycle is illustrated in Scheme 2. Reaction of the metal enolate with the chiral acid A -H produces (R)- or (S)-ketone and the deprotonated chiral acid A -M. The chiral acid A -H is then reproduced by proton transfer from the achiral acid A-H to A -M. Higher reactivity of A -M toward A-H than that of the metal enolate makes the catalytic cycle possible. When the achiral acid A-H protonates the enolate rapidly at low temperature, selective deprotonation of one enantiomer of the resulting ketone by the metallated chiral acid A -M is seen as an alternative possible mechanism. 

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