Organoaluminum addition

Equation (2) outlines the effect that organoaluminum additives have on the course of nucleophilic additions to a, 3-unsaturated carbonyl substrates. Although organolithiums normally undergo 1,2-addition... 

The titanium-chelated structure (18) forces the nucleophilic addition to occur from the less hindered si-face (i.e. syn to the lone pair of electrons) in contrast, the aluminum-based process proceeds via nonche-lated transition state (19). In this case, the less hindered re-face is syn to the electron pair. Unfortunately, a test of this transition state hypothesis would require an organoaluminum addition under chelation con-... 

The regiochemistry of Al-H addition to unsymmetrically substituted alkynes can be significantly altered by the presence of a catalyst. This was first shown by Eisch and Foxton in the nickel-catalyzed hydroalumination of several disubstituted acetylenes [26, 32]. For example, the product of the uncatalyzed reaction of 1-phenyl-propyne (75) with BujAlH was exclusively ds-[3-methylstyrene (76). Quenching the intermediate organoaluminum compounds with DjO revealed a regioselectivity of 82 18. In the nickel-catalyzed reaction, cis-P-methylstyrene was also the major product (66%), but it was accompanied by 22% of n-propylbenzene (78) and 6% of (E,E)-2,3-dimethyl-l,4-diphenyl-l,3-butadiene (77). The selectivity of Al-H addition was again studied by deuterolytic workup a ratio of 76a 76b = 56 44 was found in this case. Hydroalumination of other unsymmetrical alkynes also showed a decrease in the regioselectivity in the presence of a nickel catalyst (Scheme 2-22). 

Organoaluminum compounds are also good nucleophiles for 1,4-addition to nitroalkenes as shown in Eq. 4.89.111... 

Several modifications have been made to organoaluminum-based catalysts. Methylaluminum bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-alkylphenoxide) (MAD) shows high diastereofacial selectivity in carbonyl alkylation (Scheme 72).31 11 Aluminum tris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (ATPH) has been developed as a catalyst for conjugate addition reactions. Since a carbonyl group is stabilized by steric effect of ATPH, the 1,4-adduct is obtained selectively.312... 

Organoaluminum reagents are inexpensive and readily available in large quantities. However, only a few examples of conjugate additions using trialkylaluminum nucleophiles have been reported. 

The asymmetric synthesis of / -branched carboxylic acid derivatives was accomplished by conjugate addition of mixed organoaluminum reagents to optically active Arabinose-derived c -unsaturated A-acyloxazolidinones (Scheme 47). Efficient stereocontrol was achieved using different optically active bicyclic oxazolidinones, yielding (.R)- or ( -configured / -branched carboxylic acid derivatives.136a... 

Organoaluminum reagents have been used in the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition to enones with some success. Iwata and co-workers (182) demonstrated that dimethoxyphenyl oxazoline (247) provides modest selectivities in the copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of trimethylaluminum to 3,4,4-trimethylcyclohexadi-enone to provide the adduct in 68% ee, Eq. 145. The use of TBSOTf is crucial to attain high conversion and selectivity in this process. Woodward and co-workers (183) subsequently reported that a Cu(I) complex of thiocarbamate 248 provides modest facial discrimination in the addition of trimethylaluminum to a linear enone to afford 245b in 51% ee, Eq. 146. The authors note that this catalyst system decomposes under the reaction conditions at ambient temperature. 

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