Prolinol amides addition reactions

Myers et al. found that silyl enolates derived from amides undergo a facile non-catalyzed aldol addition to aldehydes at or below ambient temperature [90]. In particular, the use of cyclic silyl enolate 27, derived from (S)-prolinol propionamide, realizes high levels of diastereoface-selection and simple diastereoselection (anti selectivity) (Scheme 10.27). It has been proposed that this non-catalyzed highly stereoselective reaction proceeds via attack of an aldehyde on 27 to produce a trigonal bipyramidal intermediate 29 in which the aldehyde is apically bound 29 then turns to another isomer 30 by pseudorotation and 30 is then converted into 28 through a six-membered boat-like transition state (rate-determining step). 

---