Metalation ester enolates

The mostly used reagents for deprotonation and formation of metalated ester enolates are sterically hindered nonnucleophilic amide bases, such as LDA or the less basic lithium and sodium hexamethyldisUazides. Both amide bases are strong enough to deprotonate all... 

N-Metallated azomethine ylides 140 of ester-stabilized types are tautomeric to the metal ester enolates (141) of chelate-stabilized types. The only structural difference is which heteroatom between the imine nitrogen and the ester carbonyl oxygen is connected with the metal (M) by a covalent bond. The difference in chemical properties expected for the ylidic forms 140 and enolate forms 141 is not yet clear. 

Enolate Initiators. In principle, ester enolate anions should represent the ideal initiators for anionic polymeri2ation of alkyl methacrylates. Although general procedures have been developed for the preparation of a variety of alkaU metal enolate salts, many of these compounds are unstable except at low temperatures (67,102,103). Usehil initiating systems for acrylate polymeri2ation have been prepared from complexes of ester enolates with alkak metal alkoxides (104,105). 

Lithium ester enolate addition to imines has been used for the construction of optically active p-lactams, e.g. 64 and the lithium enolates have been found to be superior to other metal derivatives for both yields and diastereoselectivity in some cases <00H(53)1479>. Immobilized lithium ester enolates have been utilized for the first time <00OL907> and soluble polymer supported imines were used to obtain N-unsubstituted azetidin-2-ones under mild conditions <00CEJ193>. Both lithium and titanium enolates have been employed to obtain cholesterol absorption inhibitors <99TA4841>. Lithium ynolates 65 add to imines to provide P-lactams in good to excellent yield <00TL5943>. 

The method described here belongs to a group of recently developed procedures comprising the spontaneous intramolecular acylation of active derivatives of metalated p-hydroxy alkanoates. These compounds are available by reactions of carbonyl compounds with ester enolates prepared from S-phenyl alkanethioates6 or phenyl alkanoates,15 as well as by Reformatsky16 or Darzens17 reactions of carbonyl compounds with phenyl a-halo alkanoates. 

Extensive investigations have been directed toward the development of chiral ester enolates that might exhibit practical levels of aldol asymmetric induction. Much of the early work in this area has been reviewed (111). In general, metal enolates derived from chiral acetate and propionate esters exhibit low levels of aldol asymmetric induction that rarely exceed 50% enantiomeric excess. The added problems associated with the low levels of aldol diastereoselection found with most substituted ester enolates (cf. Table 11) further detract from their utility as effective chiral enolates for the aldol process. Recent studies have examined the potential applications of the chiral propionates 121 to 125 in the aldol condensation (eq. [94]), and the observed erythro-threo diastereoselection and diastere-oface selection for these enolates are summarized in Table 31. For the six lithium enolates the threo diastereoselection was found to be... 

The mechanism and thermodynamics of transesterification of acetate-ester enolates in the gas phase have been investigated. The catalytic effect of alkali-metal t-butoxide clusters on the rate of ester interchange for several pairs of esters has been determined in non-polar and weakly polar solvents. Reactivities increase in the order (Li+ < Na+ < K+ < Rb+ < Cs+) with the fastest rates reaching lO catalytic... 

Ketone and ester enolates have historically proven problematic as nucleophiles for the transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction, which can be attributed, at least in part, to their less stabilized and more basic nature. In Hght of these limitations, Tsuji demonstrated the first rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction using the trimethly-silyl enol ether derived from cyclohexanone, albeit in modest yield (Eq. 4) [9]. Matsuda and co-workers also examined rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, using trimethylsilyl enol ethers with a wide range of aUyhc carbonates [22]. However, this study was problematic as exemplified by the poor regio- and diastereocontrol, which clearly delineates the limitations in terms of the synthetic utihty of this particular reaction. 

As with other ester enolate rearrangements, the presence of chiral ligands can render the reaction enantioselective. Use of quinine or quinidine with the chelating metal leads to enantioselectivity (see entry 21 in Scheme 6.12). 

N-Metalated azomethine ylides generated from a-(alkylideneamino) esters can exist as tautomeric forms of the chelated ester enolate (Scheme 11.8). On the basis of the reliable stereochemical and regiochemical selectivities described below, it is clear that the N-metalated tautomeric contributor of these azomethine ylides is important. Simple extension of the above irreversible lithiation method to a-(alkylideneamino) esters is not very effective, and cycloadditions of the resulting lithiated ylides to a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are not always clean reactions. When the a-(alkylideneamino) esters bear a less bulky methyl ester moiety, or when a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds are sterically less hindered, these species suffer from nucleophihc attack by the organometalhcs, or the metalated cycloadducts undergo further condensation reactions (81-85). 

Ester enolates have been generated earlier by lithium amide in liquid ammonia18 or alkali metal salts of triphenylmethane19. 

Asymmetric hydraxylation of lithium enolates of esters and amides.2 Hydroxylation of typical enolates of esters with ( + )- and (-)-l is effected in 75-90% yield and with 55-85% ee. The reaction with amide enolates with ( + )- and ( — )-l results in the opposite configuration to that obtained with ester enolates and with less enantioselectivity. Steric factors appear to predominate over metal chelation. 

Highly stereoselective aldol reactions of lithium ester enolates (LiCR1 R2CC>2R3) with (/0-2-(/ -tolylsulfiny I (cyclohexanone have been attributed to intermediacy of tricoordinate lithium species which involve the enolate and the sulfinyl and carbonyl oxygens of the substrates.43 The O-metallated /<-hydroxyalkanoatcs formed by aldol-type reaction of carbonyl compounds with enolates derived from esters of alkanoic acids undergo spontaneous intramolecular cyclization to /1-lactones if phenyl rather than alkyl esters are used the reaction has also been found to occur with other activated derivatives of carboxylic acids.44... 

Fujisawa et al. [89] have reported the stereodivergent synthesis of spiro-[S-1 act a ms 64, 65 (Scheme 17) by reaction of lithium or titanium ester enolates 62 with single chiral imines 63 by taking advantage of different coordination states of the enolate metals. Almost complete reversal of the diastereofacial-discrimination with respect to the C-4 of the (3-lactam skeleton has been attained in this reaction coupled with flexibility in the selection of the enolates and ready removal of the chiral auxiliary. 

Among several chiral cyclic and acyclic diamines, (R,R)-cyclohexane-l,2-diamine-derived salen ligand (which can adopt the gauche conformation) was most effective in providing high enantioselectivity [38]. Further, the introduction of substituents at the 3,4, 5 and 6 positions on the aromatic ring of catalyst 39c was not advantageous, and resulted in low enantioselectivity [32,37,39]. The metal ions from first-row transition metals - particularly copper(II) and cobalt(II) - that could form square-planar complexes, produced catalytically active complexes for the asymmetric alkylation of amino ester enolates [38]. 

The one-pot condensation of an ester enolate with an imine is a very powerful synthetic procedure toward azetidin-2-ones (Equation 183). Various types of esters and imines can be utilized. Although in the vast majority the reactions have been mediated by lithium, various other metals mediate the reaction as well. Some examples include zinc, aluminium, tin, boron, indium, and titanium <1996MI119>. Theoretical studies on these reactions have been reviewed <1998JCC1826>. 

In contrast, asymmetric Michael reactions are promoted by alkali metal free La-BINOL ester enolate complexes (Scheme 28) [251]. The catalyst is best prepared by successive addition of the Michael donor and (S)-BINOL to La(0 Pr)3. 

The insight that zinc ester enolates can be prepared prior to the addition of the electrophile has largely expanded the scope of the Reformatsky reaction.1-3 Substrates such as azomethines that quaternize in the presence of a-halo-esters do react without incident under these two-step conditions.23 The same holds true for acyl halides which readily decompose on exposure to zinc dust, but react properly with preformed zinc ester enolates in the presence of catalytic amounts of Pd(0) complexes.24 Alkylations of Reformatsky reagents are usually difficult to achieve and proceed only with the most reactive agents such as methyl iodide or benzyl halides.25 However, zinc ester enolates can be cross-coupled with aryl- and alkenyl halides or -triflates, respectively, in the presence of transition metal catalysts in a Negishi-type reaction.26 Table 14.2 compiles a few selected examples of Reformatsky reactions with electrophiles other than aldehydes or ketones.27... 

The use of a heteroatom a to the ester carbonyl group allows for the formation of a chelate with the metal counterion hence, the geometry of the ester enolate can be assured.336-338358359 This approach was used in the rearrangement of the glycine allylic esters 13 to y,8-unsaturated amino acids in good yields and excellent diastereoselectivity (Scheme 26.13).358 The enantioselectivity could be reversed by using quinidine instead of quinine. 

The Claisen rearrangement, Cope rearrangement, and associated variants are powerful tools that can be used to create a number of new chiral centers in an expeditious manner, but the use of heavy metals, such as mercury, should be avoided. Of these reactions, the Ireland-Claisen ester enolate reaction provides the most versatile synthetic pathway with minimal scale up problems. 

Fig. 13.17. Highly "Z"-selec-tive generation of ester enolates in a THF/DMPU solvent mixture (DMPU, /V,/V -dimethyl-propyleneurea). The transition state A of this deprotonation with a metal-free diisopropy-lamide anion (in solution) corresponds to the calculated transition state B of the deprotonation of propionic aldehyde with a hydroxide anion (in the gas phase).

Chemistry of the Alkaline Earth Metal Enolates Alkylation of Ester Enolates... 

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