1.3.2- Oxazaborolidines

In general, OAB-catalyzed reductions are mostly effective for prochiral ketones having significantly different steric bulk between the two groups adjacent to the carbonyl to give high enantioselectivities. For example, the reduction of aryl alkyl ketone and hindered aliphatic ketone such as acetophenone and pinacolone, respectively, provided high enantioselectivities, whereas that of unhindered aliphatic ketones, namely 2-hexanone and 2-octanone, provide low to moderate enantioselectivities (Table 11.1). 

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The most successful of the Lewis acid catalysts are oxazaborolidines prepared from chiral amino alcohols and boranes. These compounds lead to enantioselective reduction of acetophenone by an external reductant, usually diborane. The chiral environment established in the complex leads to facial selectivity. The most widely known example of these reagents is derived from the amino acid proline. Several other examples of this type of reagent have been developed, and these will be discussed more completely in Section 5.2 of part B. 

Enantioselective reductions of prochiral ketones by means of oxazaborolidines 97CLY9. 

Recent advances in the asymmetric catalytic reduction of ketones using chiral oxazaborolidines as ligands 98MI64. 

Reduction of carbonyl compounds with chiral oxazaborolidine catalysts 98AG(E)1987. 

The structure of the complex of (S)-tryptophan-derived oxazaborolidine 4 and methacrolein has been investigated in detail by use of H, B and NMR [6b. The proximity of the coordinated aldehyde and indole subunit in the complex is suggested by the appearance of a bright orange color at 210 K, caused by formation of a charge-transfer complex between the 7t-donor indole ring and the acceptor aldehyde. The intermediate is thought to be as shown in Fig. 1.2, in which the s-cis conformer is the reactive one. 

A series of chiral boron catalysts prepared from, e.g., N-sulfonyl a-amino acids has also been developed and used in a variety of cycloaddition reactions [18]. Corey et al. have applied the chiral (S)-tryptophan-derived oxazaborolidine-boron catalyst 11 and used it for the conversion of, e.g., benzaldehyde la to the cycloaddition product 3a by reaction with Danishefsky s diene 2a [18h]. This reaction la affords mainly the Mukaiyama aldol product 10, which, after isolation, was converted to 3a by treatment with TFA (Scheme 4.11). It was observed that no cycloaddition product was produced in the initial step, providing evidence for the two-step process. 

An expedient and stereoselective synthesis of bicyclic ketone 30 exemplifies the utility and elegance of Corey s new catalytic system (see Scheme 8). Reaction of the (R)-tryptophan-derived oxazaboro-lidine 42 (5 mol %), 5-(benzyloxymethyl)-l,3-cyclopentadiene 26, and 2-bromoacrolein (43) at -78 °C in methylene chloride gives, after eight hours, diastereomeric adducts 44 in a yield of 83 % (95 5 exo.endo diastereoselectivity 96 4 enantioselectivity for the exo isomer). After reaction, the /V-tosyltryptophan can be recovered for reuse. The basic premise is that oxazaborolidine 42 induces the Diels-Alder reaction between intermediates 26 and 43 to proceed through a transition state geometry that maximizes attractive donor-acceptor interactions. Coordination of the dienophile at the face of boron that is cis to the 3-indolylmethyl substituent is thus favored.19d f Treatment of the 95 5 mixture of exo/endo diastereo-mers with 5 mol % aqueous AgNC>3 selectively converts the minor, but more reactive, endo aldehyde diastereomer into water-soluble... 

The synthesis of the trisubstituted cyclohexane sector 160 commences with the preparation of optically active (/ )-2-cyclohexen-l-ol (199) (see Scheme 49). To accomplish this objective, the decision was made to utilize the powerful catalytic asymmetric reduction process developed by Corey and his colleagues at Harvard.83 Treatment of 2-bromocyclohexenone (196) with BH3 SMe2 in the presence of 5 mol % of oxazaborolidine 197 provides enantiomeri-cally enriched allylic alcohol 198 (99% yield, 96% ee). Reductive cleavage of the C-Br bond in 198 with lithium metal in terf-butyl alcohol and THF then provides optically active (/ )-2-cyclo-hexen-l-ol (199). When the latter substance is treated with wCPBA, a hydroxyl-directed Henbest epoxidation84 takes place to give an epoxy alcohol which can subsequently be protected in the form of a benzyl ether (see 175) under standard conditions. 

Although it is known that in some cases the lithium salts of chiral amino alcohols are even better catalysts than the chiral ligands themselves, the use of metals other than lithium has rarely been investigated. The oxazaborolidines A and B and the aluminum analog C have been used as catalysts for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde35 (Table 32). 

The oxazaborolidines are easily prepared by heating ephedrine with borane dimethyl sulfide or the appropriate boronate ester. The aluminum reagent C is obtained by mixing ephedrine and trimethylaluminum. Borolidinc A is superior to its methyl derivative B and to the aluminum analog C. The diastereomeric borolidine obtained from borane and (S,S)-pseu-doephedrine failed to show any cnantioselectivity25. A variety of aromatic aldehydes can be enantioselectively alkylated in the presence of A, however, with heptanal the enantioselectivity is poor25. 

The aziridine carbinols are also effective ligands in the preparation of oxazaborolidine catalysts for the asymmetric ketone reduction with borane (Fig. 4) [551. 

Corey, E.J. Helal, C.J. (1998) Reduction of Carbonyl Compounds with Chiral Oxazaborolidine Catalysts A New Paradigm for Enantioselective Catalysis and a Powerful New Synthetic Method. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 37, 1986-2012. 

In the same area, a (5)-tryptophan-derived oxazaborolidine including a p-tolylsulfonylamide function has been used by Corey et al. to catalyse the enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction between 2-bromoacrolein and cyclo-pentadiene to form the corresponding chiral product with an unprecedented high (> 99% ee) enantioselectivity (Scheme 5.27)." This highly efficient methodology was extended to various 2-substituted acroleins and dienes such as isoprene and furan. In addition, it was applied to develop a highly efficient total synthesis of the potent antiulcer substance, cassiol, as depicted in Scheme 5.21... 

Scheme 10.7 1,3-Dipolar cycloadditions of nitrones with 1,1-diethoxypropene catalysed by oxazaborolidines derived A-tosyl-L-a-amino acids.

Other S/N ligands have been investigated in the enantioselective catalytic reduction of ketones with borane. Thus, Mehler and Martens have reported the synthesis of sulfur-containing ligands based on the L-methionine skeleton and their subsequent application as new chiral catalysts for the borane reduction of ketones." The in situ formed chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst has been used in the reduction of aryl ketones, providing the corresponding alcohols in nearly quantitative yields and high enantioselectivities of up to 99% ee, as shown in Scheme 10.60. 

Catalytic Enantioselective Reduction of Ketones. An even more efficient approach to enantioselective reduction is to use a chiral catalyst. One of the most developed is the oxazaborolidine 18, which is derived from the amino acid proline.148 The enantiomer is also available. These catalysts are called the CBS-oxazaborolidines. 

Fig. 5.7. Crystal structure of borane complex of a,a-diphenylprolinol oxazaborolidine catalysts. Reproduced from...

Scheme 5.6. Enantioselective Reduction of Ketones Using CBS-Oxazaborolidine... 

The oxazaborolidines B and C derived from proline are also effective catalysts. The protonated forms of these catalysts, generated using triflic acid or triflimide, are very active catalysts,95 and the triflimide version is more stable above 0° C. Another protonated catalyst D is derived from 2-cyclopentenylacetic acid. 

A valine-derived oxazaborolidine derivative has been found to be subject to activation by Lewis acids, with SnCl4 being particularly effective.98 This catalyst combination also has reduced sensitivity to water and other Lewis bases. 

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