Rhodium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Reaction with Stabilized Carbon Nucleophiles

Rhodium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Reaction with Stabilized Carbon Nucleophiles 

Rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation provides an expeditious entry into a variety of useful synthons for asymmetric synthesis. For example, the application of this reaction to a range of enantiomerically enriched allylic carbonates with the sodium salt of methyl phenylsulfonylacetate provides products that represent important synthons for target-directed synthesis (Tab. 10.1) [17]. 

The stereospecific construction of acycHc anti-1,3-carbon stereogenic centers and C2-symmetrical fragments was also accompHshed via the sequential allylic alkylation 

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Ketone and ester enolates have historically proven problematic as nucleophiles for the transition metal-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction, which can be attributed, at least in part, to their less stabilized and more basic nature. In Hght of these limitations, Tsuji demonstrated the first rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation reaction using the trimethly-silyl enol ether derived from cyclohexanone, albeit in modest yield (Eq. 4) [9]. Matsuda and co-workers also examined rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, using trimethylsilyl enol ethers with a wide range of aUyhc carbonates [22]. However, this study was problematic as exemplified by the poor regio- and diastereocontrol, which clearly delineates the limitations in terms of the synthetic utihty of this particular reaction. 

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