Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation stereochemistry

Further variations on the epoxyketone intermediate theme have been reported. In the first (Scheme 9A) [78], limonene oxide was prepared by Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of commercial (S)-(-)- perillyl alcohol 65 followed by conversion of the alcohol 66 to the crystalline mesylate, recrystallization to remove stereoisomeric impurities, and reduction with LiAlH4 to give (-)-limonene oxide 59. This was converted to the key epoxyketone 60 by phase transfer catalyzed permanganate oxidation. Control of the trisubstituted alkene stereochemistry was achieved by reaction of the ketone with the anion from (4-methyl-3-pentenyl)diphenylphosphine oxide, yielding the isolable erythro adduct 67, and the trisubstituted E-alkene 52a from spontaneous elimination by the threo adduct. Treatment of the erythro adduct with NaH in DMF resulted... 

More than a decade of experience on Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation has confirmed that the method allows a great structural diversity in allylic alcohols and no exceptions to the face-selectivity rules shown in Fig. 10.1 have been reported to date. The scheme can be used with absolute confidence to predict and assign absolute configurations to the epoxides obtained from prochiral allylic alcohols. However, when allylic alcohols have chiral substituents at C(l), C(2) and/or C(3), the assignment of stereochemistry to the newly introduced epoxide group must be done with considerably more care. 

Asymmetric epoxidation, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, and aziridination reactions have been reviewed.62 The use of the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method for the desymmetrization of mesa compounds has been reviewed.63 The conformational flexibility of nine-membered ring allylic alcohols results in transepoxide stereochemistry from syn epoxidation using VO(acac)2-hydroperoxide systems in which the hydroxyl group still controls the facial stereoselectivity.64 The stereoselectivity of side-chain epoxidation of a series of 22-hydroxy-A23-sterols with C(19) side-chains incorporating allylic alcohols has been investigated, using m-CPBA or /-BuOOH in the presence of VO(acac)2 or Mo(CO)6-65 The erythro-threo distributions of the products were determined and the effect of substituents on the three positions of the double bond (gem to the OH or cis or trans at the remote carbon) partially rationalized by molecular modelling. 

Asymmetric oxidations have followed the usual development pathway where face selectivity was observed through the use of chiral auxiliaries and templates. The breakthrough came with the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method, which, although stoichiometric, allowed for a wide range of substrates and the stereochemistry of the product to be controlled in a predictable manner.4... 

An intramolecular diastereoselective Refor-matsky-type aldol approach was demonstrated by Taylor et al. [47] with an Sm(II)-mediated cy-clization of the chiral bromoacetate 60, resulting in lactone 61, also an intermediate in the synthesis of Schinzer s building block 7. The alcohol oxidation state at C5 in 61 avoided retro-reaction and at the same time was used for induction, with the absolute stereochemistry originating from enzymatic resolution (Scheme II). Direct re.solution of racemic C3 alcohol was also tried with an esterase adapted by directed evolution [48]. In other, somewhat more lengthy routes to CI-C6 building blocks, Shibasaki et al. used a catalytic asymmetric aldol reaction with heterobimetallic asymmetric catalysts [49], and Kalesse et al. used a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation [50]. 

The first enantioselective total synthesis of ( )-7,8-epoxycembrene C (33) was achieved via a general approach by employing an intramolecular McMurry coupling and Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation as key steps from readily available starting material. The syntheses presented here verified the absolute stereochemistry assignment of the epoxy configuration of 33 as assumed (1R,8R) (Scheme 6-20). °... 

Based on the structural diversity of the many congeners originating from Laurencia, the elucidation of a bios5mthetic mechanism for the likely development of these metabolites is of much interest. The isolation and characterization of monoepoxide 30 (Scheme 1) from Laurencia okamurai [15] has allowed investigators to postulate that this compound (30) may be a common precursor for the biosynthesis of all other secondary metabolites derived from squalene [3]. Its absolute stereochemistry was verified via asymmetric synthesis utilizing a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation [16] of trans, trara-famesol,... 

Asymmetric oxidations have followed the usual development pathway in which face selectivity was observed through the use of chiral auxiliaries and templates. The breakthrough came with the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method, which, although stoichiometric, allowed for a wide range of substrates and the stereochemistry of the product to be controlled in a predictable manner [1]. The need for a catalytic reaction was very apparent, but this was developed and now the Sharpless epoxidation is a viable process al scale, although subject to the usual economic problems of a cost-effective route to the substrate (see later) [2]. The Sharpless epoxidation has now been joined by other methods and a wide range of products are now available. The pow er of these oxidations is augmented by the synthetic utility of the resultant epoxides or diols that can be used for further transformations, especially those that use a substitution reaction (see Chapter 7) [1]. 

Numerous approaches were pursued to establish the quaternary chroman center in the correct stereochemistry, several of them involving catalytic methodology, e.g. Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation or enantioselective cyclization, but none of them proved economically viable [22 ]. At present, an economic total... 

The target molecule must first be rotated to fit the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation model (need to have allylic alcohol group in bottom right position). The retrosynthesis of the epoxide leads to an alkene with the stereochemistry shown. Since the oxidation has occurred at the top face, the (+) enantiomer of diethyl tartrate (DET) is required. Note that only the alkene with the aUyUc hydroxyl group is oxidized in the Sharpless epoxidation. 

SCHEME 34.1. (A) Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols 1 mediated by Ti(IV)-diethyltartrate (DET) catalyst with alkyl hydroperoxide as terminal oxidant leading to enantioenriched epoxides 2. (B) Preferential attack of the oxygen atom as a function of the stereochemistry of the DET chiral ligand. (C) Schematic representation of the dimeric active catalytic species 3. 

The asymmetric Sharpless epoxidation allowed us to obtain the epoxide of desired stereochemistry by use of the proper catalyst, however, the selectivity was not high. Much more selective was the epoxidation process of a precursor of higher sugar p)ranosidic nucleosides 79, which provided only epoxide 80 with (-)-DET, while (+)-DET afforded exclusively the opposite stereoisomer 81 (O Scheme 24) [1]. 

Hydroxyalkylphosphonates have been prepared by reduction of the corresponding ketones. These include phosphonomalate esters by highly diastereose-lective reduction of 3-phosphonopyruvates with NHs.BHa and both 2-hydroxyalkyl-phosphonates, e.g. 178, and thiophosphonates by asymmetric hydrogenation using chiral ruthenium catalysts. An enantioselective synthesis, from 179, of both enantiomers of phosphonothrixin 180 and their absolute stereochemistry have been reported.The epoxide 179 was prepared from 2-methy -3-hydroxymethyl-1,3-butadiene via a Sharpless epoxidation. 

There are several efficient methods available for the synthesis of homochiral sulfoxides [3], such as asymmetric oxidation, optical resolution (chemical or bio-catalytic) and nucleophilic substitution on chiral sulfinates (the Andersen synthesis). The asymmetric oxidation process, in particular, has received much attention recently. The first practical example of asymmetric oxidation based on a modified Sharpless epoxidation reagent was first reported by Kagan [4] and Modena [5] independently. With further improvement on the oxidant and the chiral ligand, chiral sulfoxides of >95% ee can be routinely prepared by these asymmetric oxidation methods. Nonetheless, of these methods, the Andersen synthesis [6] is still one of the most widely used and reliable synthetic route to homochiral sulfoxides. Clean inversion takes place at the stereogenic sulfur center of the sulfinate in the Andersen synthesis. Therefore, the key advantage of the Andersen approach is that the absolute configuration of the resulting sulfoxide is well defined provided the absolute stereochemistry of the sulfinate is known. 

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