Michael reactions, domino cascade

Chen and co-workers [72] reported an asymmetric quadruple amino catalytic domino reaction catalyzed by secondary amines. The reaction consists of a quadruple iminium-enamine-iminium-enamine cascade reaction initiated by a Michael addition of oxindole 114 to the enal and a subsequent intramolecular Michael reaction between the enamine formed in the previous step and the unsaturated oxindole to yield intermediate 116. Next, this intermediate reacts with another molecule of enal via a Michael addition of the oxindole to the enal. The sequence ends with an intramolecular aldol reaction between the preformed enamine and the aldehyde. This organocascade reaction affords highly complex spirooxindoles 118 bearing six contiguous chiral centers in excellent yields and with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (Scheme 10.31). 

Domino Sequences Involving Oxindoles as Pronucleophiles Another commonly used approach for the synthesis of spirooxindoles relies on the use of simple oxindoles as pronucleophiles with several Michael acceptors. For example, we developed a highly enantioselective methodology for the synthesis of spirooxindoles by a Michael-Michael-aldol cascade (Scheme 10.19) [30]. Simple 2-oxindole (58) undergoes two consecutive Michael reactions with enals 16 catalyzed by the Jprgensen-Hayashi catalyst I. Next, an intramolecular aldol reaction catalyzed by the same catalyst takes place to afford, after dehydration, the corresponding spirooxindoles 59. 

A three-component reaction related to the Hantzsch-synthesis of dihydropyrid-ines was recently reported by Yuan and colleagues who developed a domino cascade Knoevenagel/Michael/cyclization sequence converting isatin derivatives 182, malonitrile (183), and symmetrical acyclic 1,3-diketones or (3-ketoesters 184... 

Diastereo- and enantio-selective cascade of Michael addition and lactonization between various silyl enolates derived from phenyl carboxylates and -unsaturated ketones were successfully carried out by using an efficient organic catalyst, a cinchoni- dine-derived chiral quaternary ammonium phenoxide. In this asymmetric domino reaction, the corresponding tnms-3,4-dihydropyran-2-oncs were obtained in high yields with almost complete diastereoselectivities and good to excellent enantioselectivities.161... 

Synthesis of chiral heterocycles by domino organocatalytic processes has also been intensively studied. In particular, various benzo-fused heterocycles, such as chiral chromans, " thiochromanes, hydro-quinolines, dihydropyranes, or thiopyranes were investigated. These organocatalytic sequence were typically initiated by a hetero-Michael addition of a sulfur, oiqrgen or nitrogen nucleophile, which triggers the formation of an enolate/enamine that adds to the ortho electrophile terminating the cascade reaction. An elimination step or an additional cyclisation step follows (Scheme 8.25). 

Recently, there has been considerable progress in the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles based on (ox)indole skeleton. Oxindole derivatives serve as useful reaction partners in various domino transformations. Michael addition of aliphatic aldehydes to electron-deficient olefinic oxindole motifs gave chiral intermediates, which were further combined with diverse activated olefins or imines to afford spirocyclic oxindoles with high molecular complexity (Scheme 8.27). Spiro-oxindole derivatives were also assembled by a Michael/Michael/aldol cascade of oxindole and two equivalents of enal. " ... 

The possibilities of enantioselective sulfa-Michael additions using amino derivatives of Cinchona alkaloids are also demonstrated through tandem (cascade, domino) reactions, thus allowing the formation of multiple stereocentres with up to 99% ee. In comparison to Cfnc/zona-thiourea derivatives, natural Cinchona alkaloids or their ethers gave lower... 

In 2007, Chen, Deng, and co-workers [42] reported the first asymmetric domino reaction catalysed by primary amines. A primary amine derived from quinine catalyzed a Michael-Michael-retro-Michael cascade, where the two reagents (64 and 65) act alternatively and selectively as the Michael donor and acceptor under readily controllable conditions. The corresponding cyclohexenones 66 were obtained in good yields and excellent stereoselectivities (Scheme 10.20). However, an extra step was sometimes necessary in order to push the reaction and thus to obtain the cyclic products. In this case, the initial Michael adduct was treated with benzylamine and TEA to render the cycloadduct. 

Enders et al. [54] developed an asymmetric organocatalytic domino reaction of y-nitroketones 83 and enals. The reaction, catalyzed by compound VII, renders the final cyclohexene 84 via a Michael-Aldol cascade reaction followed by dehydration, with moderate yields and diastereoselectivities and good enantioselectivities (Scheme 10.23). Two years later, the same research group reported a related reaction starting from 2-(nitromethyl)benzaldehyde [55]. The reaction proceeds via a domino nitroalkane-Michael-aldol condensation reaction that leads to the final 3,4-dihydronaphthalenes in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. 

Enders et al. [75] developed a synthesis of polyfunctionalized 3-(cyclohex-enylmethyl)-indoles 125 via a quadruple domino Friedel-Crafts-type Michael-Michael-aldol condensation reaction, in 2010. This cascade sequence is initiated by a Friedel-Crafts reaction of indole (126) by an iminium activation mode to the enal, followed sequentially by an enamine- and an iminium-mediated Michael addition. After an intramolecular aldol-condensation, four C-C bonds are formed and the domino product is constructed bearing three contiguous stereogenic centers (Scheme 10.34). 

One of the first examples of an enamine-catalyzed cascade reaction for the synthesis of a complex alkaloid was reported by Itoh et al. (179). Reaction of the dihydrocarboline 194 with enone 195 in the presence of (5)-12 (7 days) gave the tetracycle 196 as a single diastereomer and in excellent enantiopurity (99%). This reaction can be described best as an enamine-catalyzed Mannich-Michael domino addition. Further manipulations then gave access to the indole alkaloid ent-dihydrocorynantheol (197) in an elegant and facile manner. As depicted in... 

P. Kotame, B.-C. Hong, J.-H. Liao, Tetrahedron Lett. 2009, 50, 704—707. Enantioselective synthesis of the tetrahydro-6//-benzo[c]chromenes via domino Michael-aldol condensation control of five stereocenters in a quadruple-cascade organocatalytic multi-component reaction. 

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