Propanals enamine formation

This catalytic cascade was first realized using propanal, nitrostyrene and cinnamaldehyde in the presence of catalytic amounts of (9TMS-protected diphenylprolinol ((.S )-71,20 mol%), which is capable of catalyzing each step of this triple cascade. In the first step, the catalyst (S)-71 activates component A by enamine formation, which then selectively adds to the nitroalkene B in a Michael-type reaction (Hayashi et al. 2005). The following hydrolysis liberates the catalyst, which is now able to form the iminium ion of the a, 3-unsaturated aldehyde C to accomplish in the second step the conjugate addition of the nitroalkane (Prieto et al. 2005). In the subsequent third step, a further enamine reactivity of the proposed intermediate leads to an intramolecular aldol condensation. Hydrolysis returns the catalyst for further cycles and releases the desired tetrasubstituted cyclohexene carbaldehyde 72 (Fig. 8) (Enders and Hiittl 2006). 

Figure 17.2 Phenol-assisted addition and dehydration transition states in the enamine formation between pyrrolidine and propanal.

The formation of bicyclic imines (263,264) from piperidine enamines and y-bromopropyl amines may appear at first sight to be a simple extension of the reactions of enamines with alkyl halides. However, evidence has been found that the products are formed by an initial enamine exchange, followed by an intramolecular enamine alkylation. Thus y-bromodiethylamino-propane does not react with piperidinocyclohexene under conditions suitable for the corresponding primary amine. Furthermore, the enamine of cyclopentanone, but not that of cyclohexanone, requires a secondary rather than primary y-bromopropylamine, presumably because of the less favorable imine to enamine conversion in this instance. 

In another example, the formation of enamine between pyrrolidine and propanal has been examined using DFT and ah initio MP2 methods [5b]. Again, the computed barriers for the addition and dehydration steps were found to be lowered by considering transition states with explicit phenol/methanol (Figure 17.2). Stabilization of the initial addition transition state through a cyclic hydrogen bonded... 

Figure 17.1 Key transition states involved in the formation of enamine intermediate between dimethylamine and propanal.

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