Phase transfer catalysts, chiral

Asymmetric epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer promoted by chiral phase-transfer catalysts (chiral PTCs, Figure 6.7) can be performed under mild... 

Enantioselective Reductions. NaBH4 has been employed with less success than LiAULt or BH3 in enantioselective ketone reductions. Low to moderate ee values have been obtained in the asymmetric reduction of ketones with chiral phase-transfer catalysts, chiral crown ethers, -cyclodextrin, and bovine serum albumin. On the other hand, good results have been realized in the reduction of propiophenone with NaBH4 in the presence of isobutyric acid and of diisopropylidene-D-glucofuranose (ee = 85%), " or in the reduction of cr-keto esters and -keto esters with NaBHa-L-tartaric acid (ee >86%). ... 

Chiral ion pairs (B, Fig. 2.2) can be formed by deprotonation of the pronucleophile with a chiral Brpnsted base or employing an achiral base and a chiral phase-transfer catalyst. Chiral phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) [8] illustrates how ion pairing interactions can be used to carry out the enantioface discrimination in conjugate addition reactions. In both cases, the chiral cation is responsible for... 

Based on the design of chiral quaternary onium bromides and chlorides as chiral phase-transfer catalysts, chiral quaternary onium fluorides [5] and phenoxides [6] have been developed as chiral base catalysts for homogeneous reactions. 

Of course, the most practical and synthetically elegant approach to the asymmetric Darzens reaction would be to use a sub-stoichiometric amount of a chiral catalyst. The most notable approach has been the use of chiral phase-transfer catalysts. By rendering the intermediate etiolate 86 (Scheme 1.24) soluble in the reaction solvent, the phase-transfer catalyst can effectively provide the enolate with a chiral environment in which to react with carbonyl compounds. 

Arai and co-workers have used chiral ammonium salts 89 and 90 (Scheme 1.25) derived from cinchona alkaloids as phase-transfer catalysts for asymmetric Dar-zens reactions (Table 1.12). They obtained moderate enantioselectivities for the addition of cyclic 92 (Entries 4—6) [43] and acyclic 91 (Entries 1-3) chloroketones [44] to a range of alkyl and aromatic aldehydes [45] and also obtained moderate selectivities on treatment of chlorosulfone 93 with aromatic aldehydes (Entries 7-9) [46, 47]. Treatment of chlorosulfone 93 with ketones resulted in low enantioselectivities. 

More recently, the same group has used a simpler and more easily prepared chiral ammonium phase-transfer catalyst 99 derived from BINOL in asymmetric Darzens reactions with a-halo amides 97 to generate glycidic tertiary amides 98 (Table 1.13). Unfortunately the selectivities were only moderate to low [48]. As mentioned in Section 1.2.3.1, tertiary amides can be converted to ketones. 

Chiral monoaza-crown ethers containing glucose units have been applied as phase-transfer catalysts in the Michael addition of 2-nitropropane to a chalcone to give the corresponding adduct in up to 90% ee. (Eq. 4.138).202... 

In the following example, although the synthesis of the azoniaspirocycle does not involve an acyclic compound, the reaction itself is very similar to those described in this section, hence its inclusion here (Equation 34). Maruoka and co-workers have designed a C2-symmetric chiral quarternary ammonium salt, which is then employed as a phase-transfer catalyst in an enantioselective alkylation <1999JA6519, 2001JFC(112)95, 2004TA1243>. 

Arai et al.51 reported that by using a catalytic amount of chiral quaternary ammonium salt as a phase transfer catalyst, a catalytic cycle was established in asymmetric HWE reactions in the presence of an inorganic base. Although catalytic turnover and enantiomeric excess for this reaction are not high, this is one of the first cases of an asymmetric HWE reaction proceeding in a catalytic manner (Scheme 8-20). 

The Darzens reaction can also proceed in the presence of a chiral catalyst. When chloroacetophenone and benzaldehyde are subjected to asymmetric Darzens reaction, product 89 with 64% ee is obtained if chiral crown ether 88 is used as a phase transfer catalyst (Scheme 8-30).69... 

For a similar series of chalcone derivatives the use of aqueous sodium hypochlorite in a two phase system (with toluene as the organic solvent) and the quinine derivative (32) as a chiral phase-transfer catalyst, produces epoxides with very good enantiomeric excesses and yields1981. 

Abstract Phase transfer catalysts including onium salts or crown ethers transfer between heterogeneous different phases and catalytically mediate desired reactions. Chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts are useful for reactions producing new stereogenic centers, giving chiral non-racemic products. Recent developments in this rapid expanding area will be presented. 

In contrast the progress of asymmetric synthesis by use of chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts had been slow compared to the ordinary phase transfer catalysis. However, recent achievements in this particular area are noteworthy and efficient asymmetric phase transfer catalysis has been increasingly explored.17 101... 

Cinchona alkaloids now occupy the central position in designing the chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts because they have various functional groups easily derivatized and are commercially available with cheap price. The quaternary ammonium salts derived from cinchona alkaloids as well as some other phase transfer catalysts are... 

Figure 1. Representative chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts.

Chiral crown ethers such as 13 are suitable alternatives to the ammonium salts and not decomposed under alkaline conditions. They usually have higher catalyst turnover than the chiral ammonium salts, and the design of catalysts will be much easier. However, they are, in general, costly and difficult to prepare on large scale. Polyols (eg., (RR)-TADDOL14) also serve as phase transfer catalysts. 

The first practical and efficient asymmetric alkylation by use of chiral phase-transfer catalysts was the alkylation of the phenylindanone 15 (R1=Ph), reported by the Merck research group in 1984.114-161 By use of the quaternary ammonium salt 7 (R=4-CF3i X=Br) derived from cinchonine, the alkylated products 16 were obtained in excellent yield with high enantiomeric excess, as shown in... 

The phosphonium salt 21 having a multiple hydrogen-bonding site which would interact with the substrate anion was applied to the phase transfer catalyzed asymmetric benzylation of the p-keto ester 20,[18 191 giving the benzylated P-keto ester 22 in 44% yield with 50% ee, shown in Scheme 7 Although the chemical yield and enantiomeric excess remain to be improved, the method will suggest a new approach to the design of chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts. 

Numbers of asymmetric phase transfer catalysis can now be accomplished efficiently to give a variety of chiral non-racemic products with high enantiomeric excesses. Thus, asymmetric phase transfer catalysis has grown up into practical level in numbers of reactions and some optically pure compounds can be effectively produced on large scale by use of chiral phase transfer catalysts. 

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